Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,259: Grand Admiral Thrawn (The Vintage Collection)

GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN Epauletted
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Hasbro Pulse/Shop Disney Exclusive Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G1283
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #360
Includes: 3 figures with accessories, Thrawn has a blaster and ysalamiri
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $49.99
Availability: May 2025
Appearances: Heir to the Empire, etc.

Bio: The last of the Empire's warlords, Grand Admiral Thrawn has made vital discoveries that could compromise the future of the New Republic. (Taken from the cardback bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Hasbro is master at getting me to buy things I don't want. I didn't want another Grand Admiral Thrawn unless he was either Retro Kenner style... or had epaulets, a Ysalamir, and a nutrient frame. I guess two out of three ain't bad. This is very similar to The Vintage Collection Rebels Thrawn [FOTD #3,167] from last year, which itself is almost identical to the Ahsoka live-action un-dad-bodded version. There are changes, and they are precariously close to being just different enough to make me mad - but they're actually what I wanted in the first place.

Since 1991 fans have wanted a Thrawn figure, and this is more or less what they wanted it to look like. The 1998 version had no gold epaulets. Neither did the comic pack version, or other subsequent versions - but they were on the book cover. They weren't in the comic. This figure is a mishmash of all the versions, giving you a Ysalamir like we saw in POTF2 and The Black Series (no nutrient frame), the head from the live-action Rebels version, the epaulets from the early 1990s art, and - surprisingly - the collar ornamentation from Rebels. We've never seen quite this particular mix of parts and pieces before, which mostly eschews the Dark Horse comic elements but trades heavily on the recognizable parts of the book jacket and streaming appearances.

Normally I'd say "well of course the collar was left like Rebels, did you think Hasbro would retool it?" But here's the funny thing - Hasbro changed the mold! The torso has canals for the gold epaulets, which are (for now) flexible gold plastic. I think they may become brittle with age, so be super careful 10-20 years from now. Since Hasbro remolded the figure, I'm surprised they didn't remold the collar too - I assume this was an editorial decision and I really wonder why the decision was made. If this were the first figure we got, the pastiche of multiple versions is precisely what I would want too - cover a lot of bases, nobody's going to be 100% happy, nobody's going to be 100% disappointed. For a book specific set, it's an unusual choice and I bet there's a story we don't know yet.

The blaster is the same as the Rebels release - gray, fits in the holster - but the critter buddy is unique. It's flexible, but not too rubbery, and he hangs over Thrawn's shoulders with no added assistance. Hasbro did a better job than I would have - you get four tiny black painted eyes, and a white painted belly. (I'd have left it unpainted, you'd never know.) It seems to be derived from the same sculpt as The Black Series release that came with Luke, making it about as good as we should reasonably expect given the resources at hand. The leathery skin looks cool, with tons of little folds and ridges. It's very detailed for a tiny creature sidekick, and is far better looking than necessary to make me happy. Hasbro deserves a pat on the back for this one.

As the lesser of the three figures in this set - or at least the most redundant - Hasbro did a good job here. They added elements to this figure which we don't always get, and Thrawn is still a popular fellow despite being kind of a dud in Ahsoka. Maybe Hasbro will come up with a way to do another figure in Ahsoka season 2, but at this point I don't think I need another 3 3/4-inch The Vintage Collection release. I will, however, happily buy Heir to the Empire figures for The Retro Collection if Hasbro ever does them. If you can make me happy you made something I was grousing about, you're doing a great job. I hope Hasbro cranks out more of this set since fans seemed to miss it in spots.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,259: July 17, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,239: Grand Admiral Thrawn (Live-Action, The Vintage Collection)

GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN Live-Action Debut
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F9797
Number: #337
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: Blaster fits in holster
Retail: $16.99
Availability: October 2024
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: Thrawn studies his enemies to gain tactical advantages often overlooked by his peers -- stopping at nothing to secure a victory for himself and those he serves. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

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: It's amazing when you get something that you think you want... and then you aren't sure. This live-action Grand Admiral Thrawn is almost the same as Hasbro's Rebels Grand Admiral Thrawn [FOTD #3,167] that came out a mere six months earlier. Both figures are incredibly similar, with minor changes to shades of paint, a new head sculpt, and a different blaster. While each serves a different purpose, I wouldn't say that the Rebels version looks like the cartoon so much as maybe a novel cover. This Ahsoka version does look a bit like a blue Lars Mikkelsen, which is what you want. But using the same body - while do doubt flattering - isn't quite what we saw on-screen.

The figure uses the same perfectly good Imperial Officer body we've seen for so many figures, including that last Thrawn. The ball-jointed hips have swivel thighs, the wrists bend and swivel, and this figure is about as good as you're going to get if your goal is to use minimal new tooling. He stands, he has a clean uniform - a key trait - although in the show, it was mostly clean. His white outfit has minimal signs of wear or dirt, but you can see the tiniest bit in the cardback photos. TV Thrawn also has a bit of a paunch, which the action figure does not.

The bulk of the rest of it - the color, the ornamentation, the badges and belts - it's all pretty much the same. I suppose it's fortunate for Hasbro that it was easy to reuse the parts, but as a fan? It's kind of a drag when you hear "limited slots" and "limited SKUs" and you get the same guy twice in six months. It's not a bad figure and I'd say it's precisely what I would have developed were I in a position to deliver a "new" figure from the show in short time. Fortunately for Hasbro, Disney kept the same basic costume and spending the money on an all-new mold would probably have been seen as poor budgeting. It's also worth noting his a smidgen richer in blue, perhaps more Smurfy.

I think the blaster is new - it's different than the last one. He can hold it, it fits in his holster, you have no reason to complain about this one. I'm glad they went through the effort - I don't know that most fans will notice, but it's a level of detail we didn't always get.

This is the best TV Thrawn you can buy - also the only one. I wouldn't be stunned to see a version 2.0 with Ahsoka season two, perhaps with a taller, rounder, dirtier torso. But that could take a while - today, the question is "Is this good enough to buy?" I'd say yes. I'd even say yes if you have the existing models, if only because it's an upgrade of an upgrade and it's the only one that looks like the guy on the show. If Hasbro never makes another one, get this one. It feels like a transitional piece, an update in the making, and as such? It's fine. But I believe "finer" has got to be just around the corner.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,239: May 8, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,167: Grand Admiral Thrawn (Rebels, The Vintage Collection)

GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN Live Version of Cartoon Look
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F7346
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #296
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: Working holster
Retail: $16.99
Availability: April 2024
Appearances: Star Wars Rebels

Bio: Thrawn, was a Chiss male officer of the Chiss Ascendancy and Grand Admiral in the Imperial Navy during the age of the Galactic Empire. (Stolen 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!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: For a character that was de-canonized and later re-canonized, life has been good for Grand Admiral Thrawn. Since his 1991 debut in Heir to the Empire, he's popped up in comics, PC games, several more novels, and of course, toys. His first action figure was one of the last under the original Kenner name way back in 1998, and we've since got a few more. While this new The Vintage Collection release professes to be from Rebels, the Hasbro cartoon Grand Admiral Thrawn [FOTD #2,342] from 2017 is probably the one you'll want first. His hairline is going back a bit more, his face is elongated and even more alien, and the colors really pop above his very eerily pressed uniform. This new figure shares parts with other movie Imperial Officers, which is kind of annoying, but can you blame Hasbro here? It's the same uniform, a lot of collectors aren't going to open him, and it's a uniform. Shared parts are part of the territory for this kind of figure, and since reusing parts is Hasbro's MO these days it makes sense.

The elephant in the room is that this figure is getting another revision already - a tweaked version with a live action Ahsoka-specific head and some wider pants is on deck, with a slightly different blaster. Will you need both? Probably not - the Ahsoka one doesn't have the slightly-shabby uniform or the added paunch, though. They're similar enough that I would recommend you just buy one unless you have some specific diorama needs, and as Rebels isn't getting any official Imperial dioramas he may be superfluous.

His gold epaulets are a little wider in live-action, and a tiny bit more pronounced in the cartoon - so for any potential inaccuracies, this figure can be labeled "artistic interpretation." The uniform adapts a standard officer's uniform with the added shoulder ornamentation, you get the holster like you saw in the cartoon, and he's a little more wrinkly. If you said "Oh it's from the novel" I'd believe you, because the head is too human and too plain to look like the cartoon design. The brows are a little different there, as is the hair. But, again, in the name of making the CG real? It's good enough. He looks more or less like you expect, although he's not perfect at replicating the character's body language.

While his articulation is good, it's not perfect. He can put his hands behind his back, but not quite like we saw in the TV shows. The elbows stick out a bit. The legs have ball-jointed hips and rocker ankles, which is great for any figure - but he can't quite get his legs right next to each other, also he struggles to stand as finding the sweet spot pose is challenging. He can sit, though, with the jacket flap flipping up a bit. Because he neither looks exactly like the cartoon or the live action, his off-model body language makes him feel more like a figure of an excellent cosplayer.

This figure is indicative of what the line is today - pretty good. There are new parts, there are reused parts, and you're being charged the collector premium pricing for something that has signs of cost-cutting. But he's on a cardback that fans demand, and comes from a popular TV show, and is (weirdly) probably one of the oldest-known characters in Vintage these days. If you go to the store you might see Ahsoka (2008) or Mando (2019), you probably won't see Luke or Vader or Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan, but I've seen Thrawn from way back in 1991 hanging around a bunch. (And now, he's sold through.) I don't know if I'd consider him to be secondary or tertiary at this point due to his rising star in the cartoons and on streaming, but also, a lot of people don't watch those shows. Older collectors and a certain kind of super fan will love this guy, but you might also be perfectly content with any of your many Thrawn figures. If Hasbro had any sort of Imperial playset or ship, I'd say he's a must-buy. But if you're happy with your old Thrawns - or prefer the Lars Mikkelsen look - I think you can give this otherwise perfectly acceptable figure a pass.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,167: August 29, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,841: Grand Admiral Thrawn (The Black Series 6-Inch)

GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN 2017 Mainline Release
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. B3834 No. C1774
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #47
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: September 2017
Appearances: Star Wars: Rebels

Bio: When Governor Pryce of Lothal wanted a stronger commander to dismantle the rebellion, the Empire answered with Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn was a male Chiss, with striking blue skin, red eyes, and an angular face, known for his brilliant strategic mind and ruthlessness. (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: Variant hunters will be cranky to know three flavors of Grand Admiral Thrawn exist. The first was a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive that left off the silver paint around his rank badge - but it comes with all kinds of accessories, making it unique. There's also an Archive version with different face paint. This is probably the least essential of the three, but it's the one that the most people are likely to have.

As a realistic interpretation of an animated design inspired by a character from a novel, the bar for success is incredibly low. Thankfully, there's not much to gripe about - Hasbro picked a good reference for the head sculpt (whoever it was), the hair looks great, and sharing the same general Imperial Officer parts and pieces means you can't really screw this one up. Thrawn is a gift to toy manufacturers because perfection isn't actually necessary to provide a good figure. All he has to do is be engineered well, colored properly, and stand - and he does all of these things nicely. Old-school fans may be annoyed by the slight differences in appearance from the previous action figures or the comics, but for a character that survived oblivion-by-retcon, he's marvelous. I still recommend it for any Gen Xer fans who are still here, or anyone who dug those early relaunch novels. It's not like Doctor Who or Star Trek showers this kind of love on the fans of their expanded universe materials!

Sharing parts with Grand Moff Tarkin, Admiral Motti, Admiral Rampart, and General Veers, Thrawn is one of those figures that got to exist thanks to his appearances on Star Wars: Rebels after debuting in the decanonized Heir to the Empire novel and its sequels. That's why the uniform looks different - while it is still white, the epaulets have been replaced by gold bands on his shoulders. You also got a variant skirt with a holster for his blaster, which his a nice touch. Sadly no ysalamiri was included, but one just came out in 2021 with a Luke figure. Unsurprisingly, Thrawn sold incredibly well and like most new figures of characters over 25 years old, proved to be tough to find during his initial offering. (And 2021 reissue.)

Typical of 2017 figures, Thrawn has double-jointed knees, a skirt that blocks hip movement, and elbows that bend just a little better than 90 degrees. In other words, he's good! The pistol fits in his hand or holster without any fuss, and the uniform looks great. You get the Rebels series-inspired flourishes on the neck and shoulders, but aside from that he's the same blue-skinned, red-eyed Thrawn we've come to know and love since 1991.

If you can get a Thrawn - this one, or one of the other editions - I recommend it highly. He's also kind of expensive these days, so keep that in mind if you spot one at a toy show, garage sale, or dusty shelf in an old comic shop.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,841: July 27, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,342: Grand Admiral Thrawn (Rebels, Rogue One Line Look)

GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN Ex-Ex Expanded Universe Legends
Rogue One   Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. B7072 No. C1371
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, rocket, rocket launcher
Action Feature: Working holster, launching rocket
Retail: $7.99
Availability: January 2017
Appearances: Star Wars Rebels

Bio: As the fledgling rebellion challenges the Galactic Empire in the wilds of the Outer Rim Territories, it faces a new danger: the most cunning of the Emperor's fleet officers.  A tactical and military genius, Grand Admiral Thrawn coldly dissects rebel operations and methodically devises brilliant counterstrategies that make him unstoppable.  (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: The first new villain in the 1990s era of Star Wars, Grand Admiral Thrawn was previously thought removed from the franchise when Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm wiped the Expanded Universe slate clean so they could make movies and comics and everything else without fear of trampling over the well-trod ground.   Lucasfilm did a good job keeping their stories mostly straight, so we've seen a lot of loyal fans get angry when told Jaina Solo and Mara Jade and Starkiller (the person) no longer exist.   The Governor has granted a pardon to precious few familiar faces, like Quinlan Vos via The Clone Wars and now Grand Admiral Thrawn thanks to his appearances in Star Wars Rebels.

The figure is acceptable.  It's not bad, and it's largely consistent with others - I'm not a fan of the "skirt" piece which we saw go away briefly in the Saga Legends/Mission Series figures of 2013 and 2014.   Here, it imposes a restriction on the figure's hips so they can't swing forward.  His shoulders and neck have no problems moving, and his blaster fits nicely in either his hand or his holster.   His costume sculpt is immaculate, a perfectly sharp white costume that gives you what Ralph McQuarrie's take on Thrawn might have looked like.  The gold epaulets were replaced by a couple of gold bars, but he still has the command badge and code cylinders you've come to love.  The face is nice and clean, blue and nicely decorated.  The Chiss hair is very dark blue, with shiny black boots and a nice silver belt buckle.  My sample was a smidgen back heavy, but he seems to be standing unassisted without too much trouble.   He won't be doing any sitting in ships, though.

The gun is nice, but the spring-loaded gun is sort of ridiculous.  He can't stand and aim it well, and the gun does look pretty swell.  I got a case, and the one I opened - unbeknownst to me - was missing the top of the blaster.  It's just not there.  So keep an eye out for that.  The thing shoots just fine, but it's a terrible hand-mounted weapon.

Thrawn is a pretty good figure and I assume if it gets good distribution, he'll be a slow seller.  He's not bad, but the other figures in the wave are probably a bit more exciting given the love of the movies and the relative slow growth for Rebels thanks to limited TV distribution and even more limited toy distribution.  (Seriously, how can Chopper not be on the market right now?)   Anyway, get Thrawn if you can.  You'll probably be very glad when the Rebels figures suddenly dry up and it turns out a complete collection is actually quite small.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.  Two rank badge decos exist - this is the "corrected" one which matches the packaging.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,342: February 9, 2017

Figure of the Day: Day 842: Grand Admiral Thrawn

GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN and Talon Karrde
The Legacy Collection Comic Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87504 No. 87688
Number: #09
Includes: Ysalamiri, Talon Karrde figure
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: August 2008
Appearances: Heir to the Empire

Bio: It's five years after the destruction of the second Death Star. The Rebel Alliance has established a New Republic, but its existence is threatened by the old Empire. Grand Admiral Thrawn command the remnants of the Imperial fleet and is putting together a plan that will destroy the new goverment. Thrawn contacts Talon Karrde, a man with valuable information that Thrawn needs in order for his plan to succeed. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' Imperial Shuttle (the 2006 one).

Commentary: While art has shown the character of Grand Admiral Thrawn in a few different costumes over the years, both action figures (including this one) show the high-ranking Imperial without the yellowish gold epaulets on his shoulders. Even though this super-articulated figure is pretty awesome, it'd be nice to see that. Or some sort of backpack for his little lizard friend to feed off of. But you can tell that from the picture.

Thrawn is an update to a figure from 1998, and for the most part he's pretty good. While it's easy to fault the figure for what they could have done, it's really best to just look at what it is they did give us. The good news is we have a modern sculpt, complete with 14 points of articulation, fantastic detail, a proper rank badge, and everything you would expect out of a decent individual action figure. Except for a blaster. The details are all pretty great, from the slick, shiny boots to the gloves. Oh right-- they sculpted his hands as gloves, you can see the wrinkles on them. The packaging even has his hands painted white, to match his gloves. And the figure itself? His gloves are the same color as his skin. Oops. Maybe we have a potential variant here, but it's more likely this will be the only way the figure is offered. It's not bad, it's just always a shame when a detail of some significance is painted incorrectly, like the snow clumps on Chewbacca or when Luke's gloved and flesh hands were swapped on a 2003 figure. It happens, and with as many figures as Hasbro produces, it's a wonder it doesn't happen more frequently.

The other detail that's something of a downer here is the boots. And keep in mind by picking on part of his boots and his hands, that means the rest of the figure is perfect-- one can only gush about a figure's greatness for so long, but it's easy to dwell on a minor hiccup for long periods of time. Due to the white plastic used for the uniform, much white plastic is exposed and left unpainted around the ball-jointed ankles. For once, it would have been better had Hasbro elected not to give the figure ankle articulation, or if they used black plastic to mold the feet. Other than that, it's pretty awesome-- the head is good, the uniform fits, the boots are glossy, and his little pal is based on the comic appearances. (Or close to them-- the ysalamir has two legs and a tail, not four legs and a tail like in some other art.)

Collector's Notes: In 1998, the first Thrawn figure was in short supply due to a transitional period in the line. Today, it should be widely available and it comes with a reprint of Heir to the Empire #1, which has some of the best Star Wars comic art in the entire Dark Horse run. This set should be added to your collection without question.

Day 842: September 4, 2008

Figure of the Day: Day 134: Grand Admiral Thrawn

GRAND ADMIRAL THRAWN Expanded Unvierse
Power of the Force Collection
Item No.: Asst. 85213 No. 85238
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.99
Availability: Fall 1998
Appearances: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command

Bio: Five years after the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance has driven the evil Empire into a distant corner of the galaxy. But a new danger has arisen: the last of the Emperor's warlords has devised a battle plan that could destroy the New Republic. A tactical and military genius, Grand Admiral Thrawn rallied the remnants of the Imperial fleet and set in motion a plan to destroy the New Republic. Using Force-inhibiting ysalamiri, he became vitally close to achieving his evil plans. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: More tackle boxes.

Commentary: While the figure had some of the best packaging in the modern line, the actual toy for Grand Admiral Thrawn left many fans scratching their heads. Where is the nutrient frame backpack? Why doesn't he have the yellow things on his shoulders? And is he too pale? It was confusing, but this first-ever (and so far, only) member of the Chiss species proved to be one of the most popular figures in his day, thanks to his being the first major "new" villain many fans were exposed to during the second coming of Star Wars. The figure itself is very of its day, with six points of articulation, a removable Force-pusher lizard on his neck, and a blaster pistol. The paint is good, but not great, and the detail in the sculpt can be described similarly. Today, it seems very average but the enthusiasm you may (or may not) have for the character improves the figure many times over. I, for one, was giddy to have a line of Expanded Universe figures (which included concept art as well as comics, novels, games, and so forth). Especially since it was of a character I knew and liked. Fans of Thrawn owe it to themselves to pick this one up, especially since the pricing is quite good these days.

Collector's Notes: Very few figure lines come with their own "reality distortion field," and Expanded Universe toys really seem to pack the most "bugwah?" moments. Hasbro claimed that this 1998 series of 9 figures was a failure, and did not sell. Which in a way was true, as they were next to impossible to find at the Top 5 retailers and many collectors had to slum it in video game stores, scalp shops, and other oddball places just to see these. Many fans also took solace in being able to order some from Sears. The figure was very popular in its day and rumor has it a new one is coming in 2007, along with a new Mara Jade. It seems that the figure is nowhere near as "rare" as some would have you believe, though, and the prices on the secondary market suggest interest has cooled significantly. He can be had for about retail.

Day 134: September 17, 2006