Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,863: Kylo Ren (The Black Series / Titanium Series / 40th Anniversary)

KYLO REN 40th Anniversary
The Black Series Titanium Series 3 3/4-inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. C1857 No. C2574
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #03
Includes: 1 stand, hood helmet, unhooded helmet, 2 lightsabers, 4 footpegs
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: August 2017
Appearances: The Force Awakens

Bio: A dark warrior storng in the Force, Kylo Ren commands First Order missions with a temper as fiery as his unconventional lightsaber. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo dump.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I've been meaning to open this one for a while! This Kylo Ren came out millions of years ago, back in 2017. Remember 2017? At that point Disney had spearheaded only two movies - which at the time were largely loved - and Rebels, at which point fans were more or less on board. Hasbro was riding high before overproduced items started to back up at retail, and before fans started to bristle at the idea of lining up all day to buy some toys. We got some neat stuff - these guys were a riff on Titanium Series figures from nearly a decade before, which came in giant Sea Monkeys aquariums, cost about the same, and were also pretty cool. The 2017 ones riffed a bit more on the collectible statue angle.

Kylo Ren was arguably better than the basic figures, as he has ball-jointed shoulders and swivel wrists. The legs and torso are metal, and there's no leg articulation to speak of - you can swivel the waist. What I love about the figure is that he draws inspiration from a moment in the 2015 film that absolutely riveted me the first time I saw it, when Kylo Ren used the Force to freeze a blaster bolt in place while giving Poe Dameron the business. (This has since been swiped in Star Wars Visions.) A bigger The Black Series monument/statue would also replicate this moment, debuting at $50 but dropping to an oh-so-fair $24 these days. But I digress - this little version lacks the bolt and scenery, but you get an awesome weighted figure that stands freely and has a genuinely lovely "swooshing" lightsaber in addition to a normal one. And a second helmeted head, meaning no Adam Driver, a pensive bison who may sneeze in your McFlurry.

The figure part has the cape and general look and feel if 2015, but has some silver paint highlights. I assume this is to remind you he's metal, if the weight wasn't enough to do it. The figure stands nicely but includes four tiny foot pegs you can plug in his base, which features a reversible backdrop.

With the endless products and increasingly tired fans getting pulled in multiple directions it's no shock this - and almost everything from the first few Disney movies - came out in abundance and sat a bit. Which is a pity - it's good! It's a bad toy, but it's an excellent little statue for your desk and you can connect them together to form a bigger diorama. The photo backdrop is nice, but so is the etched foil portrait on the back that reminds me a bit of 1990s Topps foil chase cards. I think it was a mistake to brand these as "The Black Series" - Hasbro branded everything aimed at adults with that name - because these were secretly very nice figures. Compared to the then-$8 plastic guys on shelves, you got some nice extras that would've probably done better if given better packaging and maybe a better display environment. This is also one of the few figures in the format that's not arguably worthless, so clearly the free market agrees with me that it's pretty good. The sculpting is sharp, the pose is nice, and I'd say you should track one down on the cheap if opportunity permits.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,863: October 12, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,845: General Hux (The Black Series 6-Inch)

FIRST ORDER GENERAL HUX 2015 Debut
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. B3834 No. B4598
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #13
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: December 2015
Appearances: The Force Awakens

Bio: A young, ruthless officer in the First Order, General Hux has complete confidence his troops, training methods and weapons. (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!

Commentary: By the time that First Order General Hux came out, fans stopped caring - the run size was initially pretty low before someone initiated a rerun, making the figure seemingly not-terribly-desirable if you compared the low secondary market prices against the availability. (I never saw this one in an actual store - just Asty, once.) For whatever reason, the new guys from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi - and most of The Rise of Skywalker - failed to strike a chord with the core audience for The Black Series. It even took a while for that audience to warm up to the new scale, as the first waves in 2013 sat around (except Boba Fett) for quite some time. By the time Hux came out people who just saw the movie wanted the then-sold-out Rey and people weren't super interested in Screaming Space Fascist Weasley.

Upon his debut, this was a new sculpt - and when Hasbro did another 6-inch First Order Officer figure, they didn't reuse parts here. It's a pretty impressive release with a coat from his "let's shout from the balcony" scene as well as a hat, and of course he has a partially-painted blaster without a holster. The hat does not appear to want to come off. The costume looks great, with silver trim, glossy black boots and gloves, and an ornate hat that do wonders in completely drowning out the facial details of this figure. The hat's First Order symbol and glossy trim look superb, but also drown out the human face that has some painted hair and eyes... and that's it. The lips are incredibly pale and Hasbro no doubt took note when they did the First Order Officer figure later, as he seems less like the waxy corpse that we got with Hux. This isn't to say Hux is a bad figure - if anything, he's an excellent sculpt that could benefit greatly from a makeover in the Archive collection. You can tell the sculptors did a great job, but the slightly-waxy flesh plastic combined with no make-up or facial details may fall flat with 2021 audiences, much like fans seemed to more or less ignore him completely in 2015.

Articulation is typical for his day, with double-jointed knees, rocker ankles, and perfectly fine hips which are blocked by both a skirt and a coat. On one hand you have to appreciate Hasbro putting in the extra articulation that you paid for, even if it's basically superfluous. On the other hand, Hasbro could probably keep costs down and drop the price of the assortment by taking functionality into account and leaving out joints you can't possibly use - especially since they opted to not reuse parts of this figure for other First Order officers for whatever reason. Even if they didn't cut our costs, they could have put the extra tooling money into deco and an extra 20-30 pennies could do wonders to giving Hux the snarling, twisted performance we got to see on the big screen for the character's memorable debut.

It's great that Hasbro made this guy - even as a year-end wave that initially didn't see much distribution - and made more later so fans who missed him could get it. But also fans didn't really show up for this one. (Check your collection, I can wait.) Heck, mine even stayed in the box until somewhat recently and I like the figure and the character a lot. The coat detail is great, the fine texture on the uniform is superb, and I love the clean silver lines on the sleeve. But - and this is increasingly an issue for me - these tip-top 6-inch collector figures aren't much fun. They stand, and thanks to the ankles they often topple over. There are virtually vehicles or playsets to use with them, unlike other toy lines that practically demand that you interact with them and get some sort of fun results. For fans of the sequel trilogy, this is a must-have figure until/unless a redeco comes out with an improved head. I hope they do it eventually, but I assume that the sequel trilogy - and General Hux - will be swept under the rug like the prequels for a few more years. You kick the sequel movies like the football. Oh! Oh movie jail for the sequels. Movie jail for the sequels for One Thousand Years!!!

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,845: August 10, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,836: FN-2187 (Finn Stormtrooper, The Force Awakens)

FN-2187 Finn
The Force Awakens Desert and Snow Figures
Item No.: Asst. B3963 No. B6339
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: "Combine" gun, blaster, helmet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: January 2016
Appearances: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Bio: After his first taste of combat during a brutal First Order night assault on a Jakku village, stormtooper FN-2187 defects from Kylo Ren's forces, becoming a fugitive.. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

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 sat on FN-2187 for quite some time - well, it hung on a peg over my desk since 2016. Which is a shame, it's a good figure and probably should have been the first figure released in the line. It would've been a good Sneak Preview figure, had Hasbro still done those things. It's kind of fun to look at these figures later, with decent quality figures and a few oddball decisions that look even weirder in context.

The body is fundamentally the same as all the 3 3/4-inch First Order stormtroopers, which means it stands well, sits well, has a place to plug a blaster in the thigh, but can't sit. The legs don't swing forward all the way, so it's a rotten vehicle pilot - but if you need someone to stand at a cannon, he's great. The arms have no problems swinging forward, and the ball-jointed head is just the right size so the helmet slips on without too much friction. Having reviewed thousands of these things, it's kind of surprising to know that every figure you buy is something of a coin toss as to if the accessories will fit, or if the legs can be positioned in a way to fit in the vehicles. Kenner pretty much hit them out of the park in the 1970s and most of the 1980s, although I will say there's no question that the sculpting is a lot better on these newer guys.

The Finn head likeness is good, and the blaster is a little loose in the plug - if you knock it, it'll fall out. Thankfully the helmet is more or less perfect, and if you just want a cool figure to stand on your desk - or stay on the card - it's amazing. The big cannon accessory is kind of dopey, and looking back on it, they're especially maddening. We got charged extra for these things. Sometimes less is more, but Hasbro was probably also wise to sell a figure at a higher price point at the time because the mania in 2015 was so high that people would likely have paid $10 just to get something new. That's one of the things I don't much love about the hobby - the prices seem to be somewhat fluid based on hype and availability. It wasn't a great impulse price point at the time, but when you can convince fans to line up at midnight to buy toys, such things really don't matter a whole heck of a lot. It's a great figure. It's no the best toy.

One of my go-to tests for "is this a good toy?" has been "can it pilot an old Kenner Landspeeder?" and in this case, the answer is "barely." I just fit him in the MTV-7 Mini-Rig I keep on my desk, and he can pilot it - but he's leaning back a lot. The figure ticks the boxes of what you need for a good action figure, but I think with better hips it would be superb. As it is, it's just OK - but since it's from the new trilogy, you're probably not going to care about this figure for another ten, maybe fifteen years as the kids who grew up on this trilogy may later decide to collect these things.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,836: July 8, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,784: Captain Cardinal (The Black Series 6-Inch)

CAPTAIN CARDINAL (Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Trading Outpost)
The Black Series Galaxy's Edge Trading Outpost Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. E9700
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Pistol, rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and some novels
Bio: Served as Armitage Hux's personal guard, as he was among the orphans that Brendol Hux took in to create the First Order from. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Timing is everything. The rapid-pace drop of new films in the sequel trilogy plus the endless barrage of new publishing, theme park attractions, and the declaration of everything being canon to the point where it could well be sarcastic made the debut of a lot of things - like Captain Cardinal kind of underwhelming. Then again, maybe it's me - if we got a red Stormtrooper with a cape in 1992 I'd probably be doing cartwheels. A $5 upcharge for a flimsy cape on a trooper mold I've been sold a dozen times after Hasbro got its investment back is, to say the least, underwhelming in an era where other aspects of the franchise are quite popular. This isn't to say it is a bad figure - it's just a curious choice to release this as part of a theme park line, when I have no idea if the character appeared at the theme park, but I do know I haven't read any of the novels featuring him. It's a curious thing of which to make a figure, but also an exclusive Hasbro helmet for a hundred bucks.

There were no visible improvements on the figure over its source material from 2015. Having been released in an individual box multiple times with varying accessories, pauldrons, or other elements, the First Order Stormtrooper is a proven seller. The articulation here is the same as what you got for The Force Awakens with a pointy mouth from The Last Jedi redesign. It has the vent on the helmet. You can plug the blasters in the thigh slot, which is a cool feature. I even rather like the shade of red they used here.

Cardinal has no problems holding his blaster, and he stands well. The cloth cape is supremely thin, but hangs nicely. The flimsy black sheet has a painted silver stripe, and if you don't look at it too closely you could say it's one of the better ones. At a bit of distance, it hangs nicely and is a decent enough thickness where you can understand why they opted to go this route rather than a more expensive solution, like retooling Phasma's plastic cape. (They could have probably also just sold us a red Phasma.) The figure lacks the shoulder enhancements we saw for The Rise of Skywalker's newer toys, but hey, it's a trooper. It looks cool. Unless you're a fan of the "canon" outside the stuff that appears on the screen, this character probably means nothing to you. It's just a nifty addition to your First Order ranks that will probably be best known as a Target exclusive. It's on-brand, after all, being red and everything.

For the completist or hardcore collector, it's a pretty decent figure. But $25 could also get you The Horrors records, or Walmart's much more interesting 2020 The Clone Wars redeco and retooled exclusives. It's almost a shame that Hasbro has completely dropped the retailer branding on exclusive products in the wake of the death of Toys R Us - a Target logo on the box would arguably make this a much more fun figure, just as a store mascot. Well, there's always hope for more - maybe we can get Red Bumblebee or something to go with Red Wing and presumably some sort of Crimson Guard at some point.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,784: March 8, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,753: General Hux (Celebrate the Saga)

GENERAL HUX Redux, Redux
Celebrate the Saga The First Order - Unmarked Best Buy Exclusive
Item No.: No. F1415
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #01 - Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
Includes: Mouse droid, pistol, also BB-9E, First Order Stormtrooper Officer, Flame Trooper, Captain Phasma
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $29.99
Availability: September 2020
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: In the galaxy's unknown regions, former Imperial officers, nobles, and technologists plotted a return to power, building fleets and armies in secret. This movement became the First Order. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This may be the best damn thing I bought this year. And I didn't even want it when I placed the order. Before Hasbro finally broke my completism with the triple-threat of carbonized, holiday, and credit repaints all in a week I was ordering everything - including the Celebrate the Saga packs. It turns out this was a good move, because General Hux and other humans got that fancy hyperreal paint treatment and it was worth it. I'm not saying you should pay $30 for Hux and barely-changed reissues of troopers you already own... but have you seen how well they nailed Domhnall Gleeson's face?

Arguably one of the more interesting (if chaotic) characters in the sequel trilogy, Hux went from screaming space Nazi to decent comic villain to petty turncoat, making his arc arguably more interesting than most of our heroes. While he didn't necessarily grow as a person, you got to see his bluster for what it was, effectively making him a very Starscream-y villain. How appropriate! It would've been interesting to have him stick around as a post-trilogy villain in some future installment because as a true believer and someone who wanted to keep his job and power, he would be worth following. And if you didn't see The Rise of Skywalker yet and this somehow ruined it for you, you're welcome, just go watch the cartoons instead. Any cartoon. You'll be served better.

Anyway, this figure is a redeco of the 2017 The Last Jedi Hux. It was a big improvement in the facial area when compared to the 2015 figure, but this one does it better by giving him better eyes, better eyebrows, great hair, and painted lips. Under a macro lens it may not be perfect, but to my human eyes it's a remarkable advancement given his melon is about the size of a raisin. It amazes me that this is a mass-produced thing and not a bespoke redeco for a crazy person. The sharp cheekbones are perfectly sculpted, the scowl is just perfect, the hair is sharp, and the eyes are piercing. The First Logo symbol on his sleeve is sharp and has some red in it - that's impressive. The silver stripes on his cuffs are clean, the belt buckle is good, and the glossy boots? Also nice. You can slide off his coat if you like, and he has a nice blaster. When the coat is removed, the articulation is perfect - he can sit! Remember sitting? When I was a kid, everybody except Anakin and Amanaman could sit pretty well.

He also has a Mouse Droid, and it turned out well - rolling wheels, the whole bit. You might already have one of these, but now you can have another one. They're small, they're cool.

It's maddening that Hasbro says they're stopping the 5POA line, because they finally got it right. These sets give you a lot for your money - four full-size human figures and sometimes a fifth full-size (or pint-size) droid for $30 with the best-paint ever is a bargain. The last time Hux was sold, he was $8 - and didn't look this good. For an average of six bucks a figure, we can see we were probably overcharged for the last few movies what with their excessive accessories and useless ForceLink chips. This line could've been amazing. Hasbro's still got it, if they want to go for it, they can still impress the daylights out of me which I didn't think was going to be possible in the year where this amazing paint is glossed over and time is spent applying peppermint and cheer to troopers for some reason.

This is one of the best things Hasbro ever made as a 3 3/4-inch release. If I was making a book with the 100 best Star Wars figures of all time (publishers, call my agent) this one would make the cut. And I've reviewed enough of these things to know what constitutes "best."

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Best Buy.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,753: November 19, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,701: BB Unit (Color-Changing Droids, Droid Factory Line Look)

BB Unit Color-Changing Droids
Star Wars Disney Droid Depot
Item No.: No. ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 droids - RA-7 Protocol Droid, BB Unit, R2 Astromech, C1 Astromech
Action Feature: Pops apart, has weighted core, changes from black to red
Retail: $39.99
Availability: ca. July 2019
Appearances: n/a

Bio: All different types of droids populate the galaxy.  Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors.  These droids have the special ability to change color!  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  It's different!  This BB Unit is basically BB-9E with a twist.  When chilled, it looks a lot like the BB-9E figure Disney sold in a 4-pack in 2017 - you got that one, right?  You didn't forget it existed and you bought it already, right?  Anyway, it has the same swivel neck, splittable ball, and an interior weighted ball cast in black with blue "lights" painted on it.

As a cold figure in black, it looks fine.  However, it's summer, so all you have to do is look at this BB unit and it changes to its warm colors - and they're great!  The figure changed to a nice red, and you can even see it peek out from behind the silver vents.  This is one of the better color-changes on these figures, with no weird fuzzy paint or colors that you just don't buy.  It's a clean transition with solid colors, so kudos to team Disney for engineering this mold well, and then for following up to paint it right too.

Disney really knocked this one out of the park, with its wobbly weighted based and perfect color change.  Get it if you can find it - it's fun.  The only thing that surprises me more than how much I like it is that we didn't see this kind of paint used on Onell Design figures first.   Also you'll need to get this one online.

 

Collector's Notes: I got mine from my pal Shannon. Thanks Shannon!  There are 2 droid 4-packs and 1 droid playset with a Gonk Droid at this time.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,701: June 23, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,684: Sith Jet Trooper (The Black Series 6-Inch)

SITH JET TROOPER Red Repaint
The Black Series   6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. E4071 No. E9320
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #106
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: March 2020
Appearances: The Rise of Skywalker and/or Battlefront

Bio: In its ultimate push toward galactic conquest, the First Order readies an army of elite soldiers that draw inspiration from a dark and ancient legacy.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

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 don't know if the Sith Jet Trooper is accurate or not.  How's that for an intro?   As I write this I haven't got the tech to zoom in film frames to check to see if Hasbro's decision to redecorate its white Jet Trooper in red is sufficient or not.   Guide books, Battlefront, and even the photo on the 3 3/4-inch The Vintage Collection figure match this 6-inch release.  However, the 3 3/4-inch figure itself, and the Pop! Funko figure, and a few others have these nifty grooves in the helmet, shins, thighs, and shoulders.  The 6-inch figure lacks these distinctive elements.  So one of the two is probably wrong - or maybe, there's a tiny chance that there's two versions in the movie and we haven't gone over enough behind-the-scenes material thanks to the secrecy behind these movies.   So maybe this figure is correct - and maybe it isn't.  If nothing else, it's true to Battlefront.

It's a nice figure but not as impressive as some other late 2019 and early 2020 releases.   It doesn't have the extra shoulder movement of the Sith Trooper, but it does have articulated jets on the jet pack as well as extra deco that the 3 3/4-inch figure is missing.   You still get double-jointed knees, rocking ankles, and excellent articulation allowing the figure to grip and aim the blaster easily.  The leg articulation is a bit more restricted, while there is movement it doesn't seem like it would be as good sitting in a vehicle, were a vehicle made for such a purpose.

The figure has no problems standing or being posed in a number of action poses, and I'm impressed by how stable it is.   It's shiny and red, and it looks cool.   The blaster plugs in the thigh without a fuss, and I would say this is a worthwhile purchase if you can find it at a fair price.  It seems to match the portrait on the box, so let's say it's good enough until we find out otherwise.  As time goes on, our access to better stills, or the props themselves at a museum, we and Hasbro start to ask for better improvements on these figures.   For now, as far as I can tell, this is good enough.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,684: April 23, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,683: Knight of Ren (The Black Series 6-Inch)

KNIGHT OF REN Otherwise known as Vicrul
The Black Series   6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. E4071 No. E8068
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #105
Includes: Bladed club, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: March 2020
Appearances: The Force Awakens & The Rise of Skywalker

Bio: An enclave of masked warriors wielding distinct weapons for ranged and close quarters combat, the Knights of Ren are elite, fearsome enforces of Kylo Ren. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: One of my gripes about reviewing Star Wars figures is a lack of novelty.  Play features are rare, as are new innovations.  Hasbro pulled some surprises out of their sleeves with the first 6-inch Knight of Ren figure, which is also the only 6-inch one, known to reference books as Vicrul.  I hope they make the whole gang, and so do you - because they put some neat new features in to this one along with better-than-average articulation tucked inside his folds and wrinkles.

Part of an elite tribe of Snake Eyes, Batman, and Darth Vader cosplayers, Vicrul seems to be a product of his culture.   You can see decades of Star Wars design here, like Supreme Cancellor Palpatine's weird leathery oRevenge of the Sith, a helmet that seems like a pastiche of First Order and Imperial helmets, dusty boots, and a coat that gives you all the black leather you could want.  With no real eyes to speak of, it's the epitome of new trilogy designs.  Familiar, but different.
utfit from

The figure decides to amp things up a bit by changing up how it's constructed.  You get the rocker ankles you always get, but you also get those nifty new shoulders that can swivel forwards and backwards - but they're not visible!   And why not?  The torso is covered in a rubbery shirt, which hides a lot of the joints in that general area.  Clever!  At least 27 joints are present, including one of the best double-jointed necks we've yet got in this scale. It's not just a barbell connecting the chest to the skull - there's a full neck with a surprisingly large range of motion in there.

I love the fact that the helmet has a silvery - but not scuffed - look, with the back even having some subtle grey stripes that you probably would never miss had they left it unpainted.   The blaster and club easily fit in the hands, but I should point out that it does have some minorest of minor quibbles with accessories.   The right hand isn't particularly tight for the club, but it can easily assume the publicity pose you've seen in the books.  The blaster fits in the hand quite nicely, but it's a little tough to get it in the holster - you have to stretch a strap to fit, which will undoubtedly end in heartbreak in the distant future when the plastic snaps some day.  I would recommend putting it in there now, or leaving it out, and making peace with that decision. (Or buy two!)

Hasbro has given us a lot of good figures lately, but the improved shoulder and neck joints make me very happy here.   I'd love to see the rest of the gang!  It's a pity we got one in 3 3/4-inch, one in 6-inch, and they can't hang out together.   C'mon Hasbro, pick a size. We're at war here.  Get this figure if you can find it.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,683: April 21, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,677: First Order Snowtrooper (The Black Series 6-Inch)

FIRST ORDER SNOWTROOPER First of Many
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. B3834 No. B4045
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #12
Includes: Rifle, backpack
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: September 2015
Appearances: The Force Awakens

Bio: The latest generation of cold weather assault Stormtroopers, Snowtroopers wear advanced insulated armor and helmets that reduce the glare of icy terrain.   (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: When I started writing this column something like 14 years ago, I wanted to do a lot more "whatever happened to" reviews - and now we can, since this First Order Snowtrooper was a 2015 release.  It came out around the same time as the once-impossible-to-find Hux and Asty, which were rerun (you're welcome) before you realized just how low the run really was.   In that wave - and carried forward - was this trooper.  It's a cool trooper!  Hasbro made a bepauldroned version as an exclusive for Toys R Us in 2015, and a caped one for Target in 2019.  You could build an army by being a completist!  The Snowtrooper did start to linger, especially since this version lacks the bells and whistles, and capes, of the other ones.   It's the least desirable of the lot, but it's cheap.

The figure is the same core figure as all three releases, each of which has barely different paint.  It's a white armored soldier with a distinctive helmet and about 26 points of articulation.  Hasbro did a good job with the sculpt thanks to Disney not being stingy with the reference files, and the figure has a pretty good range of movement despite the single-joint style of elbows.  I love the glossy "hard" elements of the uniform on the helmet, shoulders, and chest, while the vinyl kama around the waist just sort of gets in the way.  It's not like this is a really "action"-oriented figure when you take a look at the entire sequel trilogy, and this figure is kind of a good metaphor for the new saga.  It's shiny, it looks like it should turn into something really amazing... and it's fine.  It's probably not going to have the impact on my life that the original gangsta Snowtrooper had back in the day, but maybe it'll influence some kids and a new series of fans when it's time to contemplate raiding what's left of Ralph McQuarrie's sketchbook and swiping frames from other Japanese movies in 2040 when they release Episode X.  Or so I am guessing.

It's a sturdy if stiff trooper with a nifty blaster that's also indicative of its era.  I have little doubt that Disney and Lucasfilm Licensing put their thumbs on the design scale to make the blaster white, so it'd be easier to sell as a toy unlike black blasters.   Toy guns are tough to do these days, even pistol-like phasers from Star Trek Discovery were prototyped and while demand existed, you couldn't sell them in states like California due to gun laws.   And now you've got white blasters on your stormtroopers.   If you're an older fan, this figure is destined to sit on your shelf, possibly in its box, unlikely to be played with and loved like your childhood toys.   Since the free market has brought the price down, go ahead and get this version if you want one of the three First Order Snowtroopers.  It's cheap! Or it was.  I don't know when you'll read this.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Amazon.  

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,677: March 31, 2020