Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,318: The Stranger (Qimir, The Vintage Collection)

THE STRANGER (Qimir)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. G2611 No. G2786
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #382
Includes: Two lightsabers, hilt, helmet, cloak
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: January 2026
Appearances: The Acolyte

Bio: Adopting the alias Qimir, the Stranger acts as a shiftless drifter. Little is known of this dark sider who trains Mae Aniseya in secret, hiding his face from his pupil. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: One of the few figures I wanted after seeing The Acolyte was The Stranger (Qimir), who makes a pretty strong case for "hey maybe release some figures before the show starts." Is it a spoiler? Sure. Does it matter? No, it's so cool that seeing a figure like this might make you go "I want to watch the show now and I want to know more." The Acolyte was loaded up with considerable talent in front of and behind the camera, and decided to shoot itself in the foot. There were some great things in this show. There were some terrible aging make-up effects, and all it took was for one song so uncool that I found pretty much any discussion of the show's positives could be unraveled simply with the phrase "the power of many." For a show jam-packed with neato stuff, that's a real shame.

Manny Jacinto got to strut around nude - a first in Star Wars - denying me the part I was clearly born to play. But he did so with aplomb, getting to play an a-grade weirdo and a pretty compelling baddie with some great costumes and lack thereof. Like so many things in the recent saga, it's a shame that developments seem to conspire to keep him from coming back. Why? Because this is a great figure with a wonderful costume. He's got huge pants, a great shirt, and some of Hasbro's better bare arms. The brace on his left arm do a good job keeping him from having wrist cankles, but the right arm is a little bulky around the wrist. The range of motion is good, but it doesn't seem quite as muscular as the arms appeared on-screen. Can't win 'em all, I s'pose, you wouldn't want to accuse him of being some sort of master of the universe. The hands have no problems holding the lightasbers, and I've found the giant pants to be very good at helping him be posed in a stable way. I really like how Hasbro translated the design to a plastic man.

The head is top-notch, with a separately molded wig on a face that looks pretty great. That modern printing keeps getting better, and the simple deco on this figure is hard to ruin. Hasbro nailed the sculpted figure. The lightsabers are all decent, but you can't connect them in any way. The hilt fits like a glove in a socket on the belt, making this a figure with tons of good features that just plain work. Normally I'm fighting the pose or the lightsabers, but here? Everything is smooth. I love it.

To make things even more interesting, we get a cloth cloak and a plastic helmet. The helmet is another one of the great props, probably one of the highlights of the Disney era. It's gleefully creepy with a toothlike mouth and no eyes on a worn metal dome. I suppose the implication with all of the wear and tear is that this is a man who's been hit on the head a few times, which is more comical than cool, but it looks awesome enough that you might not think about that. I think it turned out great.

I don't love the cloak - as with other figures, I'm thinking we're hitting the limits of what cloth can do. It doesn't have a lot of weight to it, so it looks sort of like what the barber swings around you when it's time to get a haircut. The plastic one in The Black Series looks nicer, and I think I'd rather have something like that here. The material is good, but it just doesn't feel right for this particular figure. There are two layers of cloth and if I had this figure in my hand before I saw the show, I'd just say it looked like an awesome figure.

Loud, proud fans of The Acolyte are few but I think it's worth seeing the show. It's not my favorite series, but there's a lot in there that shows winning imagination and great work on the part of the writers and designers. Also, some of the most embarrassing stuff. The bulk of the non-Jedi costuming is all amazing, with unique armor and clothing to delight and frustrate. Maybe they'll find a place to reuse this stuff, as the Stranger's helmet seems like something that has had other owners and could be passed down. But I digress - this is the best The Acolyte figure, and it'll look awesome in other displays too. The pre-prequel show won't ever have a big collection of toys, so I'd still recommend picking up a few to put in other scenes or to just enjoy as a neat action figure. This review is way more positive than I was expecting, mostly because I was assuming I'd find fault with the deco, articulation, or five accessories. Even at $19.99, this is a figure that feels like it's better at pulling its weight. Bravo.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,318: February 10, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,214: Mae (Assassin, The Vintage Collection)

MAE (Assassin)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F9790
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #327
Includes: Cloth cloak, face mask, 2 daggers
Action Feature: Backpack and holster are removable
Retail: $16.99
Availability: September 2024
Appearances: The Acolyte

Bio: Set at the end of theHigh Republic, a former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront turn out to be far more sinister and personal than anticipated. (Taken from the figure's cardback. Yes, it's the same non-bio Osha got.)

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: In many respects, it's a shame people didn't show up for The Acolyte. The story will never be finished, the figure line will likely go underserved, and fans will miss some of Hasbro's best work like this Mae (Assassin) figure. I really liked the retro Kenner one, and this one is also quite excellent. The only thing she has gong against her is that she isn't from a Star Wars that most people bothered to watch... which seems like most of them, nowadays.

Mae looks just like Osha, but different. Both are played by the same actress and Hasbro uses different plastic wigs, but similar paint. Both have glossy eyes with a lively sparkle, and shiny lips that give her a little more life than your average figure. Mae's hair is a little longer in front, plus she has an optional mask you can use to change up her look. You have to remove the black cloth around her neck - which I found tricky - by sliding it forward, and then the mask clamps over her neck without your having to decapitate her. Nice work, Hasbro, I wish there was a manual or a picture explaining this to me before I tried popping her noggin off. The mask fits well, and Hasbro did a nice job with some very tiny, fine detail in her hair. I have no snark here, Hasbro did a good job.

The costume was similarly well-executed, with sculptors and painters translating cloth and metal - with signs of wear and actual tear - to the figure's limbs quite nicely. You're getting your money's worth with this one, with so many textures and moving parts that don't seem to clash. The elbows swivel well, the wrists easily hold the tiny daggers, and despite having a lot of moving bits she stands without falling over too easily. I especially like her cloth cloak, as the hood sits on her head nicely. My one complaint with the figure was that my sample was assembled oddly, with the lower part of her robes twisted funny and it took me some doing to finagle the waist, skirt, and legs in the right position after opening the package.

My main gripe about this figure - indeed, most figures - is that The Acolyte seems to be doomed to a small figure line and we probably won't get The Stranger or the other characters from the show that would make it even more fun to collect. If Kenner only made Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca in 1978 I don't think we'd be talking about toy collecting today. If you don't have any thrust behind your figure line, there's no reason to collect it. You'll be missing out, but probably also feeling good about not buying as much stuff to keep around. Hopefully Hasbro and Lucasfilm will build out bigger collections for future shows, especially as The Acolyte currently has a grand total of checks notes one 3 3/4-inch figure now.

Both Mae and Osha were packed at one per case, and their prices seem to be dipping. I assume there will be units at Ross or Ollie's this year, and I'll probably buy a second of each if the price is right because of Mae's choker and easily lost daggers. If she winds up around $3.99, it's cheaper than buying another one later and paying for shipping. Even if you didn't watch (or don't care about) The Acolyte, it's a great figure with amazing detail and is a handy way to get an Amandla Stenberg figure or two if you're a fan of her work. Also this is one of the best costumes in the Disney+ era of Star Wars, and one of Hasbro's best figures of said work. Maybe they're showing something fancier at Toy Fair in a few weeks, but this is a high bar and I don't assume it will be easily surpassed. Go get one if you see her, you're good for it.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,217: February 20, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,210: Mae (Assassin, The Retro Collection)

MAE (ASSASSIN)
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. G0386
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Vinyl cape, 2 knives, another 5 figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $59.99
Availability: October 2024
Appearances: The Acolyte

Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection is inspired by the original 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from a galaxy far, far away. (Stolen from the marketing copy. 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!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: A ninja! Well, more or less - for whatever reason we haven't had a lot of figures that make me say that we're dealing with the arts of ninjutsu, or at least its American pop culture ideal, in Star Wars. Mae (Assassin) does a pretty good job of taking a good costume and giving us a compelling figure. Osha [FOTD #3,191] looks great, but Mae - despite being a twin - share zero parts. I assume Hasbro broke some law of toy manufacturing to bring us this much variety. She has two new knives, a vinyl cape, and a lot of sculpted detail.

Mae's hair is secretly amazing. Because of the vinyl cape, her separately molded plastic wig looks like it's the same as Osha. If you slide the cape off, you'll see it's actually a very long piece. The vinyl cape also obfuscates all of Hasbro's hard work sculpting what may be one of the most fascinating costumes in recent Retro memory. She has chain mail under her top, as well as extra armor over her chest for bonus protection. Is it any good against a lightsaber? We'll never know. Her boots are shiny but don't look like there's much going on - but she has enough belts, wristbands, and cloth elements draped over her person to make up for it. There's a mask covering her face, and from behind (sans cape) there are lots of sculpted cloth bits, hair, and other bits and pieces.

New Retro figures tend to eschew inner-leg detail on "gown pants." Most new figures are just flat - but Mae has some exposed pants inside her right leg. I appreciate the extra unnecessary detail because this sort of thing adds cost to a figure, but somehow, did not cause the price of the set to exceed the very fair $60.

Her accessories are good, but not amazing. I wish Hasbro went with a cloth cloak rather than the vinyl cape, but at least the vinyl cape slides off so you can see the fantastic costume. Mine came pre-wrinkled, and I'm a little scared to heat it with a hair dryer or hot water because I haven't tested this material under those conditions. (I should have bought a spare Reva or Grand Inquisitor as a guinea pig.) The stock photos of the vinyl cape look amazing, but the reality is that it feels about as good as any old Kenner plastic accessory. It's thin, it's fine. Her two swords also look good, and both hands can grip without dropping them. In short, Hasbro executed this figure almost to the very best of their ability. The only way I think Hasbro can improve this figure - and indeed future figures - is to get rid of the inner "tray" in the packaging as it seems to distort the vinyl capes and wrinkle them. I haven't seen this happen to actual 1978-1985 Kenner figures - these trays are a menace. Still, even without the cape, this is one of the very best of these figures. I didn't expect to love it - sure it looked cool, but I was continuously impressed the more I looked at her. It's a shame she won't have more stories, but I guess that means I can have her show up pretty much anywhere my toy box can travel.

This is a good figure. Even if you threw your arms up at the show, this is one of those toys I wish I had as a child. Maybe it wouldn't be everybody's favorite, but who wouldn't have wanted a cool Star Wars assassin with all of this detail? The costume is as good as anything we saw out of Jabba's entourage, and it has more textures and materials than just about anything else we got out of Retro in the past few years. I'm not going to recommend this figure to you if you're not on board with The Retro Collection, but I'm going to suggest you pick this set up if Kenner is your jam. She's not a cool alien, that's true - but as human costumes go this may be the best to hit this format. I know you're not going to listen to me, but don't skip this set. Despite it being 50% Jedi, it's still really good.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,213: February 6, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,169: Darth Maul (Movie Version, Epic Hero Series)

DARTH MAUL New Kids Line
Epic Hero Series Basic Figure
Item No.: Asst. F9405 No. G0142
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber
Action Feature: Lightsaber splits in two
Retail: $7.99
Availability: July 2024
Appearances: The Phantom Menace
Bio: An agile Sith Lord, sinister Darth Maul wielded an intimidating double-bladed lightsaber and the power of the Dark Side. (Taken from the 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: There are good figures. There are amazing figures. There are figures that by all measures are not very good. But Darth Maul is on the happy side of good, with a side of being priced well for a modern figure (when compared to older figures at their time of release.) You won't be blown away, but it's a good figure of a popular character a a price that's somewhere between "about right" and "hey have you seen The Vintage Collection-esque figures Spin Master is doing for Batman collectors now that cost less money?" I assume we're probably dealing with the realities of Hasbro having to pay Lucasfilm having to pay Disney, with factories specific to the House of Mouse and able to charge accordingly. This is not a bad figure. This isn't a bad figure for the price - especially if you see it for $7.99. The only thing I don't like about this figure is I have several Darth Maul figures, in this costume, that are of a similar quality and cost me a similar (or lower) price.

Darth Maul is one of those characters that came back from certain death and keeps reappearing to put out story hooks to use him again. Will we ever see his post-Solo machinations, pre-Rebels, on a show? Can we see more of what he did after the Empire caught him during Order 66? He's also one of few characters to be successfully recast, at least as his voice goes, to the point where they may as well dub over The Phantom Menace again. This is a popular character in a recognizable outfit, so the question isn't "will collectors buy him again?" but rather "are there enough fans out there that just want an $8-$10 Maul?" and the answer is probably going to be "yes." Fans love to hate him, and he should probably be kept in regular rotation as a toy.

This version is good. Obviously he's a little taller than the 3 3/4-inch scale ones, as Epic Hero Series is (for reasons I do not understand) 4-inch scale. The head is ball-jointed, allowing him to look in all directions. The horns are pointy enough, painted well, and on a head with a great facial expression. If you put your fingers on the horns, they feel sufficiently pointy and far pointier than I'd expect. The paint masks for his facial tattoos are also perfectly good, and arguably better than a lot of collector figures. He has a fantastic sneer, and I have no notes. For a kid line, this is a good noggin. For a collector line, it is also a good noggin.

The body is fine. Epic Hero Series seems to be going for limited functionality, so the "skirt" - while nicely sculpted - does get in the way of him seating. It's unlikely they're planning for this specific figure to be used with a vehicle (if they are, $50 says a new figure will be bundled with it) so all you need to be concerned with is "do the hips move enough so he can stay standing" and that's a solid "yes." The arms swivel freely, and there are no wrist joints. I wish there were, mostly because a lot of his personality (and indeed his whole deal) is swinging around a giant double-bladed lightsaber. He can hold it in either hand, and they were smart to make one of the hands posed at an angle so he look like he can fight with it. But this is not a figure that's meant to be expertly posed - you just put him on your table, and he stands. No fuss, no muss, no fighting to find a center of gravity. I'm arguably jealous that the kid line seems to function better than the collector stuff - this figure has been on my desk for weeks without face-planting.

My complaint about this figure - indeed, this is my complaint about all figures - is "where are his buddies?" Maul is cool, but action figure purchases should beget other figure purchases. This Maul has no other The Phantom Menace figures on the market to join him today, there's no retailer 3-pack with Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan, he is here by himself as either a token anniversary item (happy 25th, Episode I) or just as a cool character in the attempt to never, ever make weirdo tertiary guys ever again. I like what Hasbro did here. The figure itself doesn't have or need a lot of painted detail, so the sculpted robes and big boots all look superb. The pose is good, the lightsaber is great - but, I should note, the hilt's buttons are not painted. I don't think he's any worse off for it, bur it is worth noting previous figures did have those elements for many of the releases. It splits in half, and that's way more fun.

You don't need a new Maul figure. But if you want one, I can recommend this one highly. While he only has five joints, he makes them count and the general design of the figure is on the happy side of "good." I recommend this line to new fans because they're sturdy, solid figures in the tradition of some of Kenner's finest work. I have no reason to challenge Hasbro to try again, and this would be a great place for a new fan to try out action figures.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,169: September 5, 2024