Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,094: Darth Vader (The Black Series 2014)

DARTH VADER Episode III
The Black Series 3 3/4-Inch Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. A5077 No. A5630
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: Black Series #26
Includes: Lightsaber, hilt, easily lost head
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $10.99
Availability: August 2014
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: After undergoing life-saving cybernetic reconstruction, Darth Vader stands on the bridge of a Star Destroyer to watch the construction of a powerful new Battle Station.  (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Commentary: I never went through life thinking I needed another Darth Vader, let alone one form Revenge of the Sith.  At first I thought this was a mix of new and old parts, but it turns out I was wrong - it's actually the ultra-articulated Darth Vader you've always wanted.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that it also trips up an unforgivable feature, which is that if you turn his head it always will fall off.  The assembly is terrible and once you have a figure that can lose its head easily, that's a bad figure.  I don't even mean "it can pop off," I mean "I dare you to turn it and not have it fall off."  The head holds the cape in place, and under the cape are two ugly divets that look like they were meant to hold the cape in place.

The sculpt is good, with rocker ankles, bend-and-swivel wrists, a ball-jointed torso joint that's amazingly well-hidden, and the ball-and-socket hips you all love. The knee joints are well hidden and if this came out with a good neck joint and a slightly better helmet sculpt, I doubt anyone would balk at buying yet another Darth Vader.  Hasbro did a spectacular, wonderful job on the articulation here but "the head falls off if you look at it funny" is an unforgivable sin.  The hands can grip the lightsabers, the textures are all quite nice, and he's appropriately skinny.  The sculpted chain on the neck armor integrates nicely with the cape, and visually it's a nice figure - possibly the nicest looking Darth Vader ever if you never open it.

The inclusion of a newly-sculpted lightsaber hilt is baffling since it can't sit on the belt, and the belt is another part that irks me.  The codpiece has returned, meaning if you aren't careful it can stick up and he'll be quite happy to see you.

Some people will love this figure, and Hasbro should be commended at getting it about 95%.  But the problem is, that 5% is the wrong 5% to get wrong - no figure's head should fall off that easily, and we've had countless Darth Vaders since the introduction of ball-jointed necks that were all more or less OK.  Since the cape flies off when the head goes - and the head, without the cape, still won't stay put - I want to suggest Hasbro reissue this one with a retooled helmet/neck peg down the road.  And maybe a slightly larger, all-new helmet sculpt.  They should be proud of most of this... but man, that's the wrong part to get wrong.  In college I had teachers that auto-failed you if you did a report with someone's name spelled wrong, or if you left off certain citations.  That's how I feel about this figure - it's mostly well-done, but I can't get past the head foul-up and have to flunk it.

Collector's Notes: These are available online right now and I got mine at Entertainment Earth.  I have not seen it in stores yet.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,094: August 18, 2014

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,093: General Grievous (Mission Series 2014)

GENERAL GRIEVOUS Movie-Style
2013 Darth Vader Lava Line Look Mission Series Utapau
Item No.: Asst. A5228 No. A5919
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #MS08
Includes: Lightsabers, Obi-Wan Kenobi figure
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: July 2014
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Obi-Wan Kenobi and General Grievous face off in an explosive duel on Utapau.  Their Lightsabers clash together again and again as they battle.  Grievous flees, fearing he may lose the fight, but Obi-Wan pursues him, determined to stop this powerful enemy once and for all. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Commentary: As someone who died almost immediately, General Grievous gets a lot of love.  Hasbro refuses to stop milking Revenge of the Sith's principal characters as they seem to get redone nearly every couple of years, plus Grievous had a lot of screen time in the last animated series.  As such, it makes sense a cheaper, kid-friendly but still very tall version of the cyborg general would get made eventually. At about 4 1/2-inches tall he's easily one of the biggest and most imposing figures in the line, towering over even Darth Vader.   He has 5 joints and no special features like splitting hands or anything like that.  Even more shocking, he doesn't have holes for foot pegs on display stands.   And this figure needs a display stand unless you keep him in his "sweet spot," and even then it seems it's only a matter of time before gravity causes his ankles to sag under his own weight and flop over.

The sculpt is good, and the deco is acceptable.   I have seen 4 samples up close and personal, most of which had wonky black eye paint.  The greys and ceramic colors on the body look good, as do the greens, yellows, and reds.   Unlike the perpetually wobbly super-articulated Grievous in 2008, this one seems more likely to stay standing in part due to the design and reduction in articulation.  Stiffer plastic for the legs would be helpful, but probably more fragile.  Even a display stand wouldn't help as the problem isn't the feet so much as it is the plastic sagging under his own weight - this can be reduced if his arms are at his sides and not forward.   I should note he's great at sitting, I got him to fit in the Hasbro 2008 General Grievous' Starfighter vehicle with no real problems.  Hasbro did a great job overall, but if you plan on displaying him on a shelf I suggest buying a small doll stand to prevent gravity from doing its dirty sinful business.

I would not say this is the best, or worst, or even most average Grievous.  In terms of pose and personality it's pretty decent - he towers over my other figures and his two lightsabers fit in his hands fairly well, although the right one is a little loose.  Since there is little in the way of articulation Hasbro can instead focus on sculpt, and they did a bang-up job.  I just wish they put a few extra bucks in improving the head paint masks, because a bad head on this figure looks positively silly.  When it's good, though, it's quite nice and the 2-pack looks wonderful when it's all sealed up too.

Collector's Notes: Target got these pretty early, so the good news is that they're out and about.  True story, someone at work once was on the phone and slipped and said "Genital Grievous." Hilarious.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,093: August 8, 2014

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,092: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Mission Series 2014)

OBI-WAN KENOBI Movie-Style
2013 Darth Vader Lava Line Look Mission Series Utapau
Item No.: Asst. A5228 No. A5919
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #MS08
Includes: Lightsaber, General Grievous figure
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: July 2014
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Obi-Wan Kenobi and General Grievous face off in an explosive duel on Utapau.  Their Lightsabers clash together again and again as they battle.  Grievous flees, fearing he may lose the fight, but Obi-Wan pursues him, determined to stop this powerful enemy once and for all. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Commentary: It's strange to see, in 2014, that Obi-Wan Kenobi is getting more toys than just about anybody else in the "kid" line.  Including repacks he's had 4 figures, including 2 Expanded Universe costumes with uniquely sculpted elements.  This is not one of them - at best the 2014 Mission Series figure is a redeco of the 2013 Saga Legends version.  To most mortals, it's just a repack - and as such, I would start off by saying you don't need both versions unless you already bought 2013 Obi-Wan and need the companion Grievous in this 2-pack.

Obi-Wan has 5 joints and a great sculpt, as always. His shirt is well-textured and he has no problems standing or sitting, but it can be tricky to cram him in some vehicles.  He has no problems holding is lightsaber, especially when compared to the previous release of this mold.  On my sample, the hair of the 2014 release is glossier, slightly redder, and the skin tone and eye paint seems sharper.  His boots are a bit more saturated with color, but the biggest and most obvious change is his lightsaber.  The blade is a much deeper blue, not quite as "faded" as the original.  If you only get one version of this mold, lean toward the Mission Series version with Grievous as seen here.  I like it more.

Collector's Notes: Target got these pretty early, so the good news is that they're out and about. 

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,092: August 7, 2014

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,091: Luke Skywalker (Mission Series 2014)

LUKE SKYWALKER Movie-Style
2013 Darth Vader Lava Line Look Mission Series Bespin
Item No.: Asst. A5228 No. A5920
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #MS09
Includes: Lightsaber, Blaster, Darth Vader figure
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: July 2014
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader engage in a Lightsaber duel in Cloud City, which floats above the gas giant planet Bespin.  Luke fights bravely but cannot defeat the highly skilled Vader.  Luke is dealt two blows: the loss of his hand, and the shocking truth about Vader's identity. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Commentary: This Luke Skywalker is totally new - Hasbro put out a really good one in 2012 with 5 joints and yellow hair which I like slightly more, but this one is new and can hold his weapons a little bit better.   The costume coloring is quite different with darker boots and a redder holster.  The more static, arms-down pose looks more like an older action figure plus his costume is smoother and lighter without any of the tears, rips, or sweat over other releases.  It is a significantly different take on the costume, and due to the lighting and copious amount of dirt on Luke's person in The Empire Strikes Back I'm actually not sure which one is the most correct.  The costume is best known as a toy, with many of the most famous publicity shots cropping out his boots.

The last new sculpt for Bespin Luke had hyper-realistic texture on his outfit and detail more becoming of a toy.  This one has smoother textures, but more wrinkles and deco that looks more realistic overall.  His hair is darker, almost wet.  His eyes are still blue, and while not perfect they're painted better than some other recent releases.  Luke still looks a little spaced-out, but is largely sculpted better than many of Hasbro's previous heads - I like what they're doing here.   He has no problems standing, sitting, having a gun in his holster, or generally being pretty good.  I'd suggest comparing the faces on these if you have the chance before buying yours.

His blaster has a silver barrel, and his lightsaber has a silver hilt plus a loop at the end.  It doesn't go anywhere, and looks like a nod to the 12-inch figure Kenner made in the late 1990s - it was a neat gimmick to hang it on the belt, accurate or not.   As toys go this is a fine Luke and I'm happy to see Hasbro putting out new, weird versions of classics in a non-movie year but the figure is hardly essential after the 2010 "vintage" version blew us all away.  It's fun and charming, and I daresay the flight suit may be the most correct deco we've seen yet, but it's tough to know for sure.  As such get this set if you're sitting on ten bucks, as you'd likely waste it on booze and women anyway.  Hasbro needs to work on the eye deco a bit, but otherwise they did a great job here.

Collector's Notes: Target got these pretty early, so the good news is that they're out and about.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,091: August 6, 2014

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,090: Darth Vader (Mission Series 2014)

DARTH VADER Movie-Style
2013 Darth Vader Lava Line Look Mission Series Bespin
Item No.: Asst. A5228 No. A5920
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #MS09
Includes: Lightsaber, Luke Skywalker figure
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: July 2014
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader engage in a Lightsaber duel in Cloud City, which floats above the gas giant planet Bespin.  Luke fights bravely but cannot defeat the highly skilled Vader.  Luke is dealt two blows: the loss of his hand, and the shocking truth about Vader's identity. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Commentary: This Darth Vader shouldn't get his own entry here - the figure is the same as the 2013 Mission Series Darth Vader with the droid - which we haven't reviewed yet here, but I will sooner or later.   The same mold will be out later this year as a "Star Wars Rebels" figure - the first single-carded release of the figure. The sad commentary there is that single-carded figure will no doubt be a huge hit after 2 2-pack reissues, even though each one has a unique companion figure.  Completist "loose" collectors will own at least 2 of this figure in nearly-identical formats.  There are, of course, minor differences and for the pedants out there, we're going to have to do at least two of these.

The figure itself is Hasbro's second all-new sculpt for a "Bespin" The Empire Strikes Back Darth Vader figure.  The previous Battle Pack version was quite good and was loaded with personality, while this one is more restrained and old-school.  It lacks a glossy helmet and boots, plus the dome seems a little pinched where it flares out near the bottom - but the deco is sharp, the silver highlights and buttons are good, and all of the joints move freely.  The figure has plastic robes split between the legs, allowing him the ability to sit and fit in many vehicles.  His cloth cape fits around his neck nicely, but in the back gets weird - it comes folded back by default and that's arguably how it looks best.  His lightsaber hilt sports black and silver paint apps, kudos to Hasbro for keeping them.

The sculpting is good as always, but this version of the figure is barely different from the version with the probe from 2013.  How can you tell them apart?  The red and blue lights on the right of his chest.  (His left-hand side, rather.)  This release has them sculpted flat - there are tiny indentations on the earlier release.  You have to squint to see them, otherwise the figures are largely indentical.  If you're short on cash I would say that you could skip one of them, but you'd miss out on Hasbro's probe droid or an all-new Luke.  I think you'd want those, so get both 2-packs even though you know better.

Collector's Notes: Target got these pretty early, so the good news is that they're out and about. 

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,090: August 5, 2014

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,089: Darth Sidious (Mission Series 2014)

DARTH SIDIOUS Movie-Style
2013 Darth Vader Lava Line Look Mission Series Senate Duel
Item No.: Asst. A5228 No. A6523
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #MS10
Includes: Lightsaber, Yoda figure (2013 Saga Legends repack)
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: July 2014
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Jedi Master Yoda discovers that Senator Palpatine is really the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, leading to an explosive duel in the Senate Chamber on Coruscant. Their intense battle tears apart the chamber in the final hours of the once-great Republic. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!
Commentary: Since the 2010 Vintage version, I really never gave Darth Sidious all that much thought.  This costume was done and done well, getting the mix of cloth, articulation, and deco more or less perfect.   And yet here we are again, with a frankly very strange figure.   The head is a weird mix of the sculpt of the post-transformation Sidious with what appears to be the eyes and smile deco of pre-transformation Palpatine.   The grin is not an evil one, and the simple eyes do look a lot more like the classic action figures which may have inspired this line.   The pale skin of the hands was left undecorated, while the head has a weird, rusty wipe on it.   It is, to say the least, strange - but it also has the off-model charm of the best figures 1979 had to offer like Walrus Man.  Something here is wrong, and for that reason, it's quite interesting.

The costume, on the other hand, is quite right.   The hood fits, but is so overbearing that it prevents the neck from turning in any meaningful way.  To make up for this, Hasbro left the hands articulated so you can rotate them around in duel poses or menacing poses.  Each finger on the left hand is separate, and it looks incredibly good.   His right hand is posed gripping the lightsaber, and can rotate around to make a number of awesome dueling poses.  What's more, the legs have 1980s-style robe cuts so he has no problems sitting, standing, or looking decent - when you split the legs, you'll see his pants and boots inside.  Hasbro did a nice job here, rather than cheaping out and just leaving the area between the legs a flat, unsculpted surface.

Getting robed figures to sit is insanely touch - usually something gets in the way of the legs bending at a 90-degree angle, but Hasbro nailed it.  The figure has no problems standing or sitting, or looking decent while posed.  Sure, he has goofy deco and his neck doesn't move but the engineering is otherwise superb.   It's a weird figure that is off-model in strange ways, which makes it fun from where I sit.  Oh, I should also note his lightsaber hilt is all silver.  While a minor detail, one more paint app would do wonders to make it look better.   This is the prequel-era Sidious to beat - and if Hasbro puts it out again with new paint, it might not be all that hard.  Having said that, it's still worth a look if you missed the companion Yoda and arguably interesting enough even if you have one already.

Collector's Notes: I haven't seen this one yet, but his casemates have been out for weeks thanks to a revision case with Luke/Vader, Han/Chewie, and Grievous/Kenobi.  Some write that Yoda is a "repaint" and I disagree - any differences seem to be batch variation, and do not look to be significant or intentional changes in color.  Even if you have them side by side, the 2013 Saga Legends Yoda is virtually identical to the 2014 Mission Series Yoda.   If you're reading this in the future, skip the single Yoda and just get him in this 2-pack, or the Rebels repack due later on.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,089: August 4, 2014

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,088: Snowtrooper Commander (The Black Series 2014)

SNOWTROOPER COMMANDER Hoth
The Black Series 3 3/4-Inch Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. A5077 No. A5634
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: Black Series #23
Includes: Blaster, rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $10.99
Availability: June 2014
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Imperial Snowtrooper Commanders unleash the full force of their weapons and troopers on the Rebel Alliance's base on the ice planet Hoth.  (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Commentary: While not always labeled as such, we've had a few Snowtrooper Commander figures since 2003 or so.   Most of them were pretty action-oriented, and they all shared the same torso (although there was retooling in 2006 to fit in a removable helmet and a clone head.)  This version is unique in that it has a ball-jointed helmet, so it rotates freely and looks great.  The smooth mask looks just like what we saw of the commanders on the AT-AT, and the poses are limited by the 14 points of articulation.  Even though he should just stand around and nod, it's nice to have options.  Rotating writs give this all-new sculpt a lot of personality but also pop off incredibly easily.  To get him to hold his three-piece rifle, it's easier to remove the hand first because you're going to knock it off anyway.

The plastic kama prevents sitting, but again that's OK since this figure exists mostly to stand anyway.  Hasbro gave him a torso that bends forward and in all directions, and for the first time ever his kama has a holster for a bonus "Han Solo" pistol.  Two guns, wowie zowie!   The figure's sculpt is crisp, his paint is clean, and the "cloth" parts aren't overly wrinkly.  This may well be Hasbro's finest Snowtrooper, with the recently released Saga Legends version being a great, cheap henchman.  Or it would, if you had a chance in Hell of finding one in American shelves right now.   Without question, if you can stand another upgrade, go get this Snowtrooper Commander.  It's great.  It lacks mud.  You're going to love it, or at least like it.

Collector's Notes: This figure started shipping from online toy stores late in June 2014.  At press time I have not heard of him showing up in big box shops.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,088: July 3, 2014

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,087: Toryn Farr (The Black Series 2014)

TORYN FARR Action Figure Debut
The Black Series 3 3/4-Inch Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. A5077 No. A5635
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: Black Series #23
Includes: Blaster, headphones
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $10.99
Availability: June 2014
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: This Rebel Alliance Chief Communications Officer remains at her post until the final evacuation from Hoth, relaying attack commands to the Rebel Forces.  (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Commentary: New-to-action-figure characters are scarce.   As of wave 4, The Black Series had a grand total of 3 never-before-action-figure characters in the line.   Toryn Farr is the first new non-exclusive Original Trilogy figure character since 2012.   The last new-to-modern figure was Lumat in late 2012, while the newest all-new original trilogy single-carded figure to never see a toy release before Ms. Farr was the Mon Calamari Rebel Pilot of February 2012, and the last all-new original character to get a toy debut that actually appears in the movies was (Jeepers Creepers) Bom Vimdin, way back around July of 2011.  So kids, if we're talking about screen-used original trilogy characters, it has been three years since the last completely new, fresh, unquestionably you-don't-have-it-in-any-form introduction.  This, friends, is why the 6-inch line interests me so much.

Believe it or not, Toryn Farr has been requested by some fans over the last few years.  She sat at a communication station on Hoth, and she didn't even have a name until Decipher made a card of her in 1996.  For this reason, Hasbro wisely took a shortcut when making her and took the Hoth Leia body from 2010 and gave her a new head, new forearms, and a new vest. The hands are un-gloved, and not just Leia's hands painted a fleshy color - kudos, Hasbro.  The jump suit is what we old, jaded fans call "close enough."  A certain quantity of reuse is more or less expected, so the missing cylinders and a different neck closing are things we just have to deal with - it's probably not worth tens of thousands of dollars to tool new arms and new torsos for Hasbro for a character like this.  The head sculpt is new and good - she looks like a cousin of Mon Mothma, and while she doesn't seem quite as youthful as her on-screen inspiration she's still quite good.  The headphones are a perfect fit, and the gun is a rough fit in her hands - you can get it in there, but it's a struggle.  She can sit, she can stand, she has a 2009 copyright stamped on her person.  Overall it's a clever reuse of an existing mold, and certainly more than good enough for my needs.   There are so few ladies of which to make toys in the original films, anything is always welcomed.  

The eye paint on Ms. Farr is arguably the best of the new heads of the wave, and I really think the reddish brown color is perfect.  Also perfect: a tiny little badge on her vest.  The paint job is tight and clean, worthy of praise and another great new figure.   Old school fans won't have long to wait for the next all-new character - Sgt. Doallyn is due in wave 5, and R5-G19 is supposedly still on deck for this year too.   And then... who knows?  So buy Toryn Farr, trilogy fans, because Hasbro isn't giving you a lot of all-new opportunities to show your support for this great line.  Granted, there aren't too many left - that's what happens after a couple thousand plastic men.

Collector's Notes: This figure started shipping from online toy stores late in June 2014.  At press time I have not heard of him showing up in big box shops.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,087: July 2, 2014

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,086: Yoda (The Black Series 2014)

YODA Dagobah
The Black Series 3 3/4-Inch Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. A5077 No. A5632
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: Black Series #22
Includes: Gimer stick, training backpack, flute, cloth robe
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $10.99
Availability: June 2014
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: A wise and powerful Jedi Master, Yoda takes on the training of young Luke Skywalker, who comes to the planet Dagobah to learn the ways of the Force.  (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Commentary: Since his debut in 1980, Yoda has had quite a few figures for a character with basically 1 1/2-costumes at best when it comes to the movies.  If you want to feel really old, the last all-new sculpts for original trilogy-specific Yoda figures were in 2004 for The Original Trilogy Collection, when we got a really nice $5 basic version and an arguably not-so-nice $10 "Vintage" version.   This figure is somewhere in between those two - actually, it's probably closer in tone to the 1980 original.   Yoda has but 5 joints, a cloth robe, a belt, a cane, a sack, and a removable neck flute.  The sculpt is OK, but the robe is put on so poorly that you will need to take off the robe and futz with it to get it to look semi-decent.  And truth is that it can be made to look semi-decent rather easily - it isn't great, but the problem is Hasbro has to see the light that cloth accessories at a 3 3/4-inch scale are a dubious proposition.   When you have a character that never really needs to sit like Empire's Yoda, a sculpted version is arguably better - and also easily available between the 2004 Original Trilogy Collection version, and the Jedi Training on Dagobah Battle Pack (2007-2009).  But, I digress.

The sculpt of this Yoda feels a little smaller than previous releases, and he earns points for that.  The figure was clearly designed to sit in a backpack and wrap his arms around Luke's shoulders, like in the training scenes in the movie.   He does this well - the included knapsack is a little too large and baggy to really click for me, especially when compared to the streamlined 2004 version.   It does fit on Luke just fine, and  Yoda fits in without a hitch.  It is functional as all get out, but gosh is it enormous.  I have some giant canvas tote bags and I think this is scaled larger than those are.   The straps fit Luke perfectly, and the buckle not only works but looks good.  Hasbro deserves a medal for that.  It's not easy to do, let alone do without being clunky or baggy.

Yoda's flute fits perfectly around his neck, the cane fits perfectly in his hand, and the figure's face sculpt is good.  Luke with Luke there's a tiny bit too much white paint on his eyes, but he's sad-eyed and has a lot of personality.  The fact he has been downgraded to 5 points of articulation at his price point just plain hurts, mostly because we've seen more with older figures - of course, Yoda's more stable here, but I don't think we really got our money's worth.  The cloth robes obfuscate the rather nice sculpt, and are a little too clean.  Soft goods work great for prequel Yoda since he's not a mud hobo, but this version should be a little dirtier or more torn up - and for the money, I have to assume it could be done.  It just wasn't.  The robes fit fairly well if you're patient, but I'm not, and I kind of want my figures to look good before I open the card - I'm not a carded collector... but I feel for those of you who are.

New fans will probably love it - it's a nice Yoda!  Those of us who have bought over 20 Yodas may look at this and prefer older ones, despite the fact Hasbro did make something quite good here.  The sideburns on Yoda look a little funky - it seems they painted bare skin and not sculpted hair - but maybe it's just mine.  If you've got money to spare, the combination of Yoda and Luke is pretty good and worth a look.  Luke in particular is a milestone that fans will likely be mad Hasbro won't reach for again - it's so obviously someone pulling out all the stops, while Yoda seems like someone pulled out a couple of stops.  There's nothing really terrible about this Yoda beyond the price and the baggy backpack - the figure's good, the accessories all fit, and it's friggin' Yoda.  It doesn't matter if you hate him - if he hits stores, casual fans will buy it if you pass.

Collector's Notes: This figure started shipping from online toy stores late in June 2014.  At press time I have not heard of him showing up in big box shops.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,086: July 1, 2014