Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,341: DD-BD (Droid Factory, Carded)

DD-BD New Mold, New Silhouette
Star Wars Droid Depot
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Collector card, TC-332 left arm
Action Feature: Removable dome
Retail: $19.99
Availability: April 2026
Appearances: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. This droid can be found in the mining operations control center of Kessel. Join DD-BD on their adventures throughout the galaxy. May the Force be with you... and your Droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: The most exciting Star Wars figures are new ones. I have no snark for DD-BD, a brand-new admintech droid, from a brand-new mold, that doesn't look like anything else we've bought. Sure, the feet are not unlike a Power Droid, and yes, his design seems not unlike an Astromech. The figure stands about 3-inches tall, is cast mostly in white, and has silver, grey, and red painted elements. Is it as filthy as the photo or the movie design? No, they left off the grime but did keep a little weathering. It's very good.

My main complaint about The Vintage Collection has been fan acceptance of things like articulation over innovation, or fresh characters. I have no doubt fans will gripe that DD-BD has but only 3 points of articulation. The dome, and both legs, are capable of movement. And that's it. The dome swivels, and each leg can swing forward and backward. You can pop the dome off, but it doesn't swap particularly well with R2-units. Functionally, it's on par with anything you could've expected from the 1978-1998 Kenner reign with better sculpting and deco.

There isn't a lot of paint, but it's precise and generally crisp. Under the dome are a bunch of silver greeblies - nothing special here, nothing bad either. Outside, you have perfect rectangular red panels. Cables are painted silver or in a gunmetal gray. There is a very, very, very subtle amount of gray "weathering" around some of the panels that's hard to see in normal ambient lighting. The painted bolts and projectors look great, and the silver cap on his head has a hole in it for hats. I just put the rabbit ears on top, and they fit well. Glorious.

On the day this came in the mail, I overheard a fan in a collector shop railing against "bad figures" that don't have ankle joints. That just rankles me to no end. When it comes to troopers, or acrobatic heroes? I want a lot of articulation. When it comes to droids, or aliens that stand in one place or sit on a barstool? Just charge me a fair price for the quality of figure that was manufactured. I won't argue that $19.99 (plus $10 shipping, plus tax) is an eye-wateringly high price to pay for this figure. But, it's also new, and interesting, and unlike anything else I've bought from Hasbro, Kenner, or Disney over the past nearly five decades. If I'm going to pay a premium for something, it's going to be this.

I don't dislike super-articulated figures but I do loathe being bored. I have a lot of great figures that make me happy, and this build-a-TC-332 program is about 50% "cool" and 50% "UGH." I don't need another pink droid, or B2-EMO, or R5-K6. But I'm happy to buy CU-28, DD-BD, and soon R4-6D0. (BDX set, jury's still out.) If Disney - and hopefully Hasbro - are willing to innovate and bring us new things... REAL new things, not just "this guy you have, with ankles" I hope they continue to be rewarded with quick sell-throughs and hopefully reruns. Even if you have an axe to grind with the Disney era, you can't deny the creature and droid work in the current era of TV and movies hasn't been good. We used to rely on toys and guide books and trading cards to show off this amazing craftsmanship, but Disney seems to be tightening the reigns there. Thank goodness we got this guy, and I wouldn't be surprised if this winds up being my favorite figure of 2026. Not that Chalmun or Arleil Schous won't be good, but it's superbly rare that we get a completely new body type in this line - and the Wookiee uses Chewbacca parts, and Arleil stole Jod Na Nawood's pants. If you have the means, and you love droids, go get DD-BD and then tell Hasbro you also want more figures like this, too, lest Disney steal their lunch money.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Shop Disney. It sold out online within 90 minutes, so check theme parks for availability.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,341: April 30, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,107: Cad Bane (The Black Series)

CAD BANE Live Action (released twice nearly simultaneously)
The Black Series 2023 Window Box Line Look The Book of Boba Fett Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. F9982
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #05 - Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett
Includes: Hat, 2 pistols
Action Feature: Holsters, removable hat
Retail: $24.99
Availability: December 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

Bio: Renowned bounty hunter Cad Bane was known for his impressive arsenal of weapons and allies. His work with the Pyke Syndicate on Tatooine led him face-to-face with Boba Fett. (Taken from the box packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Over the holidays I rewatched The Book of Boba Fett, a fantastic example of what the current creature creators can do with a bunch of excellent casting choices and enough "please clap" cameos to delight and confound fans of all ages. Camie! Fixer! Cad Bane! I liked the character on the cartoon, I liked the 6-inch figure I already had - but here was a new one, coming in similar to the 3 3/4-inch one also released a few months ago. Despite the fact he doesn't look like the other 6-inch releases, he's similar enough that I assume most fans would walk by this figure and go "I got that" or "Hey, that's the one I missed." To make matters worse, a nearly identical figure (with more fireblasts) was sold in a two-pack with Cobb Vanth as a Target exclusive last year. It would seem Hasbro continues to experiment with solid packs, exclusive variants, and other ways to get out (I assume) popular characters and make sure the market gets their needs met. Seeing his secondary market price on eBay is now below SRP, it would seem they succeeded.

I did not immediately take a shine to this figure, and it took me a minute to figure out why. It looked cheap. The face sculpt is good, and Hasbro painted the skin blue - that makes it look a lot better, and really highlights the sneer. The alien hands look great, with unusual blue fingers with wide tips and bony knuckles. Those are great! But then it hit me - it was the shine. I consider a glossy finish a real perk when it comes to retro-style figure, as some of the old ones (Ewoks, Walrus Man, and so on) had an a shiny finish in the original Kenner era. That's part of the appeal - but with 6-inch figures, you want "realistic" textures. Cloth needs to look like cloth, metal needs to look like metal, plasteel needs to look like... I don't know what. But not plastic. The figure's boots are molded in a brown with a hint of translucency, which destroys the "premium" illusion. The chest has a shirt that's almost distractingly shiny, and the choice of material doesn't make it look like a $25 figure. The 3 3/4-inch figure actually looked a little bit better.

Paint is acceptable, but I think the elements popped better on the small version too. The shirt was darker, as were the pants, contrasting from the jacket. The silver highlights on the ammo belts and actual belt seemed a bit nicer, and the painted blue gauntlets on the little version also had a more "premium" look than the molded-in-blue. I realize this may sound a bit hypocritical, as I've been impressed by Mattel's molded-in-color limbs and boots on Masters of the Universe Origins. (Seriously, Filmation Skeletor is unpainted except for the black on his eyes and mouth!) I think that sort of thing works great with toys and cartoony characters. Seeing the pains Filoni and Favreau and Rodriguez took to translate a cartoon character to a believable moving mask with the cartoon voice, the figure doesn't quite capture the presence of the character on TV. This is just due to materials, though.

The sculptor did a good job, and the engineers who put the articulation in deserve an award. The shoulders can shrug forward and backward in the coat, giving the sneering baddie additional body language that's subtle and absolutely sells the figure's "I don't care" or "I hate you" vibe. He stands well, and he's easy to pose. I love the moods he evokes just by standing there, snarling at you with his teeth showing. The eye color is superb. The prototype looked good too, so it just lost a lot in translation on the way to (from?) the factory.

With the 3 3/4-inch line the occasional bad joint, or wrong-sized holster, or other problem was something we all had to take on the chin every year or two. Sometimes Hasbro owned up to it - like that first Vintage IG-88's holster on his back couldn't hold the accessory due to a factory glitch. It happens! For $5 or $10, it's not a huge deal. But this one was $25, so seeing such a wonderful sculpt with excellent textures and one of the most striking alien faces in a decade of these big figures marred by a chest that says "I cost $2.99 at Remco in 1987" is a bit disenchanting. I'm not saying don't buy it - but if you're the kind of fan who's inclined to customize the figure, you're going to make him awesome. The boots and chest aren't everything but ultimately they do make what is a genuinely impressive design and make you ask why it's $24.99. Sure, the joints are great. Yes, the personality is good. But if you're happy with Cad Bane at home, maybe wait for a sale on this one.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,107: February 13, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,103: Pyke Soldier (The Black Series)

PYKE SOLDIER or, Pyke Syndicate Foot Soldier
The Black Series 2023 Window Box Line Look The Book of Boba Fett Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. F9983
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #07 - Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett
Includes: Pistol, Rifle
Action Feature: n/a (not even a holster)
Retail: $24.99
Availability: December 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

Bio: During the Clone Wars, the Pykes became the galaxy's preeminent spice dealers, funneling illicit substances to Coruscant's crime families. After Jabba the Hutt's death, they expanded their spice trade to encompass Tatooine. (Taken from the box packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I can't say that the Pyke Soldier made a big enough of an impression for me to want a 6-inch one, but right now there aren't any 3 3/4-inch ones. We did get a very nice Quay Tolsite [FOTD #2,550] in the 3 3/4-inch line, which I find to be odd because I'm probably never going to army-build at $25 a hit. What's particularly interesting is this entire wave - with Cad Bane, Mando, the Pyke, and the Tusken Chieftan - is incredibly bland in their packaging. Four black boxed figures with pale gray and green, no color or life in the dull, dull boxes. On top of that, everybody is dark, mostly brown, mostly dandy, but not at all striking if you were to encounter them on the pegs. I don't know why they went out of their way to keep the boxes so dull, but here we are - the figures don't "pop" either so hopefully they'll sell to pre-orders online.

Hasbro did their typical great job with the figure, taking the sculpt and carving in some joints as competently as always. Sadly there's no special "spin" on it - if you look at promotional images, this figure looks exactly like it. Hasbro nailed it - he has a rifle, and he can hold it. There's also a pistol with no on-board storage, which I as a fan find frustrating as I need somewhere to put the extra parts. (Maybe tuck it in the hood next time?) He can hold either or both weapons nicely, and the level of detail is impressive. You can see some great fabric textures in his robes, the boots are about as nice as always, and the quality is what you've come to expect. I'm a little sad that there isn't more to it, because sometimes we got clever swappable heads, or face plates, or something to enhance the figure to encourage play beyond "pose figure, put on shelf, ignore" or "buy, leave in box, store." If it were 2005 we'd probably see "Quick-Draw Attack!" or "Removable Mask for Fish Reveal!" This is just me being an old man - because in my day, for about 3 years, these things had actual honest-to-goodness play features. Not so anymore! Fun is for the weak! You don't want to be seen as a toy company if you're selling to adults, I guess.

At least the engineering is good, with big boots keeping him upright and preventing him from toppling over while I type. That happens with surprising frequency, so when someone is sturdy, and poses easily, and stands well, and looks exactly like it should, that's wonderful. Short of stitching in some play fun features, or maybe adding a spray of dusting on the boots (which, at $25, they could've done) I don't think Hasbro could do better here. The pins on the tunic are great, the head texture is marvelous and the first really good look I've had at the back of the masks. I would love a removable mask, but heads are expensive so you get your one head and that's it. If you think you want one of these guys, I can tell you the one I got is well-built and has a great clicky joint mid-torso that allows him to ab-crunch and swivel with the best of them.

My token complaint anyway: I wish it was Vintage or Epic or Retro so I could buy more, and I also wish Disney and Lucasfilm would stop pretending spoilers matter to fans. I don't mean "oh no they ruined the twist" spoilers, but this is a company that had Han Solo in the trailer for The Force Awakens, as well as Leia confirmed in it, but kept toys off the market (and skipped some entirely.) It's five years later, and we still don't have Old Man Maul from Solo. There's nothing about the Pykes that would have ruined the plot of The Book of Boba Fett, and if Disney or Hasbro or Lucasfilm are watching, please pull whoever's head is in the mud out and tell them to put stuff on-shelf day-and-date with the new shows. Or better yet - before. People bought Zuvio before they knew who he was. Mando was sold out before that show aired, and it took forever to catch up. People really do like buying figures early and letting their imaginations soar, and you'll get a second boost when they see and like the show. Hopefully you'll have stuff ready and on-shelf for The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew. I assume it's too late for The Bad Batch Season 3 at this point. You can hide things like Grogu - that was a good surprise - but anything in the teasers, the trailers, the first episode (or first act), just make the toys already. We want to love this stuff, but with no toys, no guide books, we have no physical manifestation to memorize and it certainly makes it much harder to learn names or get into the shows. All I'm asking for is to give you my money before I know I don't (or do) like the show. (I like this one a lot, and I'm mid-rewatch as I write the review.)

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,103: January 30, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,550: Quay Tolsite (Solo: A Star Wars Story line look)

QUAY TOLSITE The Keymaster
Solo: A Star Wars Story Force Link 2.0 Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. E0323  No. E1680
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Keys
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: September 2018
Appearances: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Bio: Quay Tolsite was a male Pyke capo who administered the Pyke Syndicate's operations on Kessel. He was a ruthless individual who enslaved several sentient beings, including Wookiees, to work as miners at the spice mines of Kessel in order to acquire spice for the Pykes. In 10 BBY, Tolsite participated during the raid on Kessel, where he was murdered by Qi'ra.   (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  I live for weird aliens and I love alien gangsters and crooks.  Quay Tolsite delivers us our very first member of the Pyke Syndicate, a group of thugs that have been kicking around for a while but haven't made the transition to toys until now.  Along with Black Sun, the Fromm Gang, the Hutts, and so many others we're not left wanting for space crime organizations.  For toys, sure.  But we've certainly got a lot of families out there.

As figures go, this is a wonderful and infuriating collectible.   Normally I judge these things based on certain low-level requirements - can it stand, can it hold its accessories, should it sit, and can the joints work?   In this case - yes, yes, no, and... kinda.   Hasbro did a marvelous job translating the design to a collectible statue that has all of the range of movement of a bowling pin.   The head can move, the arms can be nudged a but, but thanks to the keys and the robes you won't be moving the arms or legs very much. The pose in the packaging is very much the figure, so what you see is what you get. There are separate legs and extra layers of molded robes, but why?  It looks nice, but they aren't functionally useful.  The sculptor did a marvelous job.   It's just that none of those points of articulation are worth anything.   I've made the argument in the past that sometimes 5 points of articulation are enough - in this case, you've got a figure where a "Vintage" release would have probably been a miserable waste of effort.  This is good enough, and as movement goes it's not all that good.  He stands and looks cool - so at least, as a collector, you've got that.

I love the deco. We don't get the glowing eyes on the mask, but we do get an ashy robe with hints of flame from the minerals gathering on his robes and boots.  If you part the legs, you'll see painted grime and molded orange boots.   I love that the robe lining is painted as well, as the textures and detail give us a beautiful figure of a bad guy who gets murdered pretty darned quickly.  All he can do is stand there and hold his keys, in the open, so anyone could take them.  He's practically asking to be taken down.  I like this one a lot - it's goofy, alien, and different enough from my thousands of other figures that I can say it was a most worthwhile acquisition.

Let's also take this opportunity to remind anyone reading that there might be real value in introducing a simpler, lower-cost assortment.  Figures like this one don't really benefit from most of their articulation - there are opportunities to cut costs right there.  Keep the neck and maybe the shoulders, but lose the legs.   Similarly we could probably see some awesome Jawas without jointed legs, or Battle Droids with limited paint, or any of a number of reductions that - along with the lack of a Force Link chip - could probably knock a buck or two off the retail price of these figures.   This is a collector figure in a kid line, and I'm grateful for it - but I can also see room for Hasbro to make these friendlier to kids while probably also courting the ire of those who demand ankles on a figure that will ultimately have the range of motion you get from a salt shaker.  

Buy Quay Toslite. You'll be impressed by the amazing pleather texture of his robes, the wonderful coloring, and even the cool helmet.  Heck, the rope on his accessory is surprisingly nice in terms of its sculpting.    The back of his robes have signs of scarring and damage.  It's a good design that made a cool collectible, but I do believe young Adam would have been very disappointed by its lack of vehicle compatibility.   This is an action figure without action, standing perfectly while looking awesome.  And not much else.

Force Link 2.0 Notes: One sounds like Darth Vader dying. One sounds like walking.  Another might be voices.  Some others sound like him losing a fight.  It's a weird one, I'll give you that.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.  

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,550: January 10, 2019

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,494: Kessel Guard (Solo: A Star Wars Story Line Look)

KESSEL GUARD with Lando Calrissian
Solo: A Star Wars Story Force Link 2.0 Two-Pack
Item No.: Asst. E0324  No. E1252
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, cape/scarf, tri-pod cannon, staff, 2 figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: April 2018
Appearances: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Bio: Pyke sentinels, also known as Kessel Guards, were guards hired by the Pyke Syndicate to protect their operations on the planet Kessel.  (Taken from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  Packed with Lando, the Kessel Guard is kind of neat.  It's not perfect, but it's interesting - and has a few spots that, functionally speaking, need help.   It's a real rarity in the toy line these days as something that's wholly new - there hasn't been another Pyke or Kessel Guard action figure yet.   It looks somewhat similar, like a remix of other costumes.  The wrist gauntlets look vaguely like something on Chirrut Imwe, and it's very Star Wars-y.  Just like the movie from which it comes.

The figure has a gorgeous paint job and an exquisite sculpt, giving you a beautiful figure with only five points of articulation.  Two of those joints are utterly worthless - the "skirt" looks awesome and has rusty, weathered deco on it.  It also completely hinders leg movement forward.  The arms swivel forward and angle out when you swing them ahead, and this allows it to hold the included tri-pod cannon or the nifty staff.   The figure has a ball-jointed head on a giant, thick neck - it almost looks sort of like a bowl has been placed on a headless neck.   Still, it's a nice helmet with gritty dirty yellow paint and a CD-ROM slot for eyes.  The not-quite-SCUBA gear looks cool, but it also feels like we were robbed from another cool alien monster mask.  Since the Disney era, we've seen a lot more aliens in helmets, masks, or are otherwise unseen to the audience.  Hasbro did an expert job representing the design, plus or minus the dubious skirt.

In addition to the legs being worthless, there's a place to peg in the staff to the backpack. It doesn't work.  The design looks like it should be a perfect fit, like a puzzle piece.  While you can put it in there, it slowly spits the staff back out - it's almost amazing.  A few seconds after cramming it in there, it plops out on the table behind the figure.  Maybe yours will work better than mine, but it's almost laughably crappy.  At least the hands can hold it.

There are some missing elements -  like some paint on the gauntlets, the light-up eyes, and their rifles - but it's still decent.   I don't know if I'd army-build these, but the design looks like it would exist within a higher-budget version of the original Star Wars film.  The visuals are good, and it warms what's left of my heart whenever Hasbro gets to put out something that isn't a new version of a toy I already own.

Force Link 2.0 Notes: Something that sounds like running. Something that sounds like pounding a staff on the ground.  Some sort of a "whooshing" sound.  You would not at all miss it had they left this one out.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.  

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,494: June 27, 2018