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 2,700: Lando Calrissian (The Retro Collection)

LANDO CALRISSIAN The Original, Reproduced
The Retro Collection Walmart Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. E9646  No. E9656
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Black pistol, grey cape
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.86
Availability: April 2020
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Landonis Balthazar Calrissian, simply known as "Lando," was a human male smuggler, gambler, and card player who became Baron Administrator of Cloud City and, later, a general in the Rebel Alliance. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab. 

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: After the original Kenner line ended, one of my first goals - when I was like six - was to go to flea markets and garage sales, hoping to find Lando Calrissian.  He was one of my favorite characters as a kid, and lucky me, I did indeed find a carded one for about fifty cents, which stayed carded for about fifty seconds.  (Star Wars was completely worthless in the mid 1980s, you see.)   That's not the one in the picture - this is one I got out of another collection in the 1990s, mine was the "bright smile" variant.   Hasbro elected to go with the first release, which lacks the white paint on the face.  When you're doing heads the size of a peanut, you sometimes have to exaggerate features for contrast - here, Lando's dark skin and black painted eyes and facial hair can be hard to see. Especially if you have bad eyes.

The 1980s original has sharper features, which are very apparent on the torso.  You can see the original wrinkles on the shirt and belt buckle pop, with the new 2020 figure looking like a copy of a copy.  Nowhere is the generation loss more apparent than on the face - Lando's smiling face and enlarged cheeks are completely smoothed out, while the 2020 head is also a different shape.   The head sort of skews into the neck this time, with Lando's sculpted teeth being smoothed out completely.  The hair is also a bit lumpier, but it could be my imagination.

Smoothed out features on the 2020 figure aren't the only big change, you'll also notice the 2020 cape is a much lighter grey and the blaster is not only bigger, but blacker.   It's unlikely anyone would mistake the 2020 figure for the 1980 original, loose samples of which are a paltry $20 these days.  While the new 2020 one is fine - if you're just going to mount him on a wall and leave him on the card, the excellent execution of his 5 points of articulation or the slightly-off features of the figure won't matter as much as the cardback - I would nudge you to go to eBay and buy the genuine article.  Or contact the people at Toy Anxiety in Phoenix, very nice folks, they could use the business.

I very much appreciate the different accessories on Lando. Reproductions are a sketchy thing, but if I can look at them and see that they're both good and different I'm all smiles.

While Hasbro's 2020 reissues of Bespin Luke and Hoth Han are softer and different, they're still pretty good.  Lando didn't turn out as nicely, but it's probably good enough given you may be able to find it while hunting COVID supplies in your masks and it's only $10.   I appreciate Hasbro and Lucasfilm getting religion about these kinds of figures, but the bulk of them just aren't the originals.  They're good, but the new releases are literally beyond comparison.  After all, Snowspeeder Luke and Grand Moff Tarkin have no real peers from 40 years ago.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart through my pal Scott "ToyGuru" Neitlich!  Did you see his new Spector Creative YouTube channel yet? Click here.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,700: June 18, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,699: Luke Skywalker (Bespin, The Retro Collection)

LUKE SKYWALKER Bespin
The Retro Collection Walmart Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. E9646  No. E9654
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster pistol, yellow lightsaber
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.86
Availability: April 2020
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Luke Skywalker, a Force-sensitive human male, was a legendary Jedi Master who fought in the Galactic Civil War during the reign of the Galactic Empire. (Stolen from Wookieepedia. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab. 

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Hasbro's Luke Skywalker (Bespin) is a good reissue.   It's a bit different, but aside from one strange change largely is as good as your memory of the original.  The joints aren't nearly as stiff, the lightsaber is nice and bright, the pistol is sculpted a bit differently, but everything else is pretty good.  I even like the head more - it's not as round and has a slightly different facial expression.   The brown Bespin fatigues are a little browner, the boots are a little less saturated, and the lightsaber on his left leg actually adds some detail.  There's an extra protrusion on it.   I kind of like this approach more - augmenting the original figure, rather than an identical (or weirdly changed) rerelease.  Hasbro could've also colored the belt buckle for all I care, just to make it more glaringly obvious that This Is New.

Everything else is where it should be - the wrinkles are all there.  There's an extra line in the flap on a pouch over Luke's butt, which is new, but by and large it's all here and different enough so that you can tell this is not the original - even if you missed the new copyrights on the back of the leg.  Along with the very good  Hoth Han, this is a nice rerelease - it's close enough to the original that you young people will never know the difference.

What's weird - and I mean "what the heck?" weird - is there's a loop painted in next to his belt buckle for no reason. The original toy was filled in black, this one is painted in flesh - like some weird belly button over his junk. Why? I don't know.  It's bizarre.  Had they left this paint application off, they could save a few thousand bucks and the run would look better.  This is the only real blemish on an otherwise fantastic reissue.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart thanks to my pal Scott "ToyGuru" Neitlich!  Did you see his new Spector Creative YouTube channel yet? Click here.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,699: June 16, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,698: Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder, The Retro Collection)

LUKE SKYWALKER Snowspeeder
The Retro Collection Hoth Ice Planet Board Game Pack-In
Item No.: No. E4042 (but the figure's card says Asst. E9646  No. E4042)
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Grapple gun, blue lightsaber
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $29.99
Availability: April 2020
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Luke Skywalker, a Force-sensitive human male, was a legendary Jedi Master who fought in the Galactic Civil War during the reign of the Galactic Empire. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab. 

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Hasbro should just kill its traditional Vintage Collection and kid 3 3/4-inch line and do these for a while.  Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder) is a lot like Grand Moff Tarkin, in that you can see the DNA of his design came from an existing figure.  While Tarkin owed a lot to the Imperial Officer, Luke owes his bones to Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot) from 1979.  The chest console, arms, and legs all have existing elements.  You can see the wrinkles from X-Wing Luke carried over to Snowspeeder Luke, and the torso's detailing is built over the existing figure. The wrinkles around his crotch are also very similar.

Much like the other Retro Collection figures, the details on Luke are a lot softer than the real vintage counterparts.  You can just see rounder, more fuzzy wrinkles and buttons on the computer.  I never realized just how crisp Kenner's old figures were until I compared them this go-round, so even though it's basically the same head, it's not.  The visor is down and the details are a bit more soft, but the proportions are all the same and it feels like a cousin (or bootleg) of the original.)  Snowspeeder Luke's hands seem to be mirror-flipped from the X-Wing Luke original - the right hand looks like the other's left hand, and vice versa.  Well, with the glove enhancements, otherwise the fingers seem to match up surprisingly well.

The figure stands up well, and has decent tight joints.  Unlike most original Kenner figures, both hands grip the accessories quite nicely - and it's a tight fit.  The new grapple gun is a perfect fit in the left hand and an excellent design on Hasbro's part, capturing the vocabulary and simplified proportions while axing some elements to keep it easy.

Aside from this being a new costume variant for Luke, the selling point for a lot of fans is an official blue Kenner lightsaber.  Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker legendarily has a blue lightsaber variation which most fans don't have and have never actually seen outside of product catalogs.   Grabbing this just to throw with their old Lukes might be a selling point for a certain kind of old-school collector, with smaller dots on the hilt so it's not obviously the same as the original. I appreciate this.

Since he can stand and sit and looks cool, and the butt is rounded off nicely so there's no square fanny when he sits, I'd give Hasbro a lot of credit for doing a good job here.  Even if his arms do seem a bit long, it's still super cool as a figure and I'd recommend getting it if you're an old Kenner fan.  I have no use for the companion board game, but all the love to Hasbro for giving us another one of these guys.  Could we get a fake Kenner Dagobah Luke next please?

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,698: June 11, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,697: Han Solo (Bespin, The Vintage Collection)

HAN SOLO Bespin, 2020 reissue
The Vintage Collection
Item No.: Asst. E5912 No. E9573
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #50 (reissue)
Includes: Pistol, goggles, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: April 2020
Appearances: The Empire Strikes  Back

Bio:  Han Solo became a leader in the Alliance to Restore the Republic and an instrumental figure in the defeat of the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War. (Stolen from Wookieepedia. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: At some point Hasbro decided that The Vintage Collection should be mostly reruns.  This is a mixed bag - the packaging gets an update, and sometimes the deco does.  But with Han Solo (Bespin), the stock photography stayed the same, or at least similar enough to the 2010 original that I would strongly advise buying it packaged and making sure it has the right item numbers.  (See the top of this review.)  There's also a big "4+" in a grey circle on the top left of the cardback - that's how you know it should have the new, updated head deco.

In 2011 the original release of this figure [FOTD #1,844] was as good as a Han can get, thanks to Hasbro forgetting to sculpt a thigh strap for his holster and allowing the figure's legs to swing forward and sit on the Millennium Falcon.   Han has 24 points of articulation and was great for the time - if Hasbro added in thigh cuts to the legs, I would see no reason to ever redo this figure at this size.   It's very good, and there's minimal room for improvement.

The 2020 release soars above the 2011 edition because of the head paint - there's a bit of eyeliner and painted lips that bring Han to life.  On my sample the eyes are bright and shiny, with clean eyebrows.   The hairline isn't perfect, but it's better than the last release.  The figure is otherwise basically the same as last time - it's good enough.  I'd recommend getting it if you can find it at a fair price, and he's joined by a General Lando Calrissian and Bespin Luke with similarly updated heads, and a C-3PO that is similar to the 2010 offering.   Han's good, though.  If you want the best, this is it - for now.


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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,697: June 9, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,696: Imperial Probe Droid (The Black Series 6-Inch)

IMPERIAL PROBE DROID Probot, no Turret and
The Black Series 40th Anniversary 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: No. E7656
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #D3
Includes: Display stand with clear pole and white snowy base
Action Feature: Telescoping antenna
Retail: $29.99
Availability: January or April 2020, depending on who you ask
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Commemorate the 40th Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back with the Imperial Probe Droid figure.  Tenacious hunters, probe droids are armed with powerful blasters. (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: It's gorgeous!  But why is it here?  The Imperial Probe Droid is a curious figure to celebrate the movie that you're required by law to say is your favorite, even if it isn't true.   It's a big one, so it can't fit in a normal box - hence the higher price.     With the stand, the droid's dome is at 8-inches tall.

As with most Probe Droids, the head is big and rotates freely.  The antenna on top can telescope, and the blaster on the body can move.  The legs all combined give you about 22 points of articulation, which is super cool but ultimately not necessarily valuable - once you put the figure on the stand, you probably won't play with it.  The detail is perfect, the sculpting is top-notch, and the paint has little chipped silver bits and red highlights.  It looks really good, and will look great on your shelf of Hoth stuff with the Tauntaun and Wampa you hopefully bought several years ago.

The sculpt seems to be from the same 3-D files that gave us The Last Jedi edition a few years ago, so if you loved that one you'll probably also love this one.  It was a bit simpler, but also had a Vader figure as well as a sound chip for $10 less.  That's life these days.   I doubt anyone is going to say that this $30 probe droid has more heft than a $20 basic 6-inch figure, but it's taller, it's wider, and you'll probably need it to menace your other figures.  Given what other big probe replicas cost, this is on the lower end of things.  I'd say it's worth the regular asking price, but even more worth a hypothetical sale price.  If it passes your field of vision, consider picking it up.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,696: June 4, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,695: Luke Skywalker (Bespin, The Black Series 6-Inch, 40th Anniversary Collection)

LUKE SKYWALKER (Bespin Redux)
The Black Series 40th Anniversary 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7549 No. E8076
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #n/a
Includes: Lightsaber blade, lightsaber hilt, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: January or April 2020, depending on who you ask
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Along with his companions, Princess Leia Organa and General Han Solo, Luke Skywalker served on the side of the Alliance to Restore the Republic—an organization committed to the downfall of the Galactic Empire. (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: It's an upgrade!  If you missed the first version (and even if you didn't) you should probably pick up Luke Skywalker (Bespin), a redecorated and partially retooled update of one of Hasbro's earlier (and for the time, pretty decent) 6-inch action figures.  Articulation was, sadly, not improve but the skin tone, lightsaber blade, and head were.

The reason you want to buy this figure is for the head - and hands.  The slightly less pale figure looks more alive, with a different head sculpt.  The hair is a bit more saturated, while the skin is significantly rosier with the "hyper real" face printing on the new sculpt - which is still pretty good.  And I also realized both the new and the old heads remind me a bit of New Values-era Iggy Pop.  The Jedi trainee has a bit more make-up and a hint of a pout, plus his unmistakable chin.  The face is a bit wider than before, and you can see that the hair is now a separately sculpted piece.  This probably costs a tiny bit more, but it looks better and helps prevent weird doll-like hair paint.  The hair style is very similar, but it's not just a plastic wig from the previous head -but you can see a lot of similarities.

As accessories go, the blaster isn't hugely different and neither is the lightsaber.  You will, however, immediately note that the blade is a much bluer blue - it's a big improvement from the clear, faded stabbing device from last time.   Along with his skin and his outfit, everything looks just a little more alive this time around.   The costume itself isn't terrible different, the lightsaber hook on the belt is painted silver for this outing and it seems like the sweaty paint wipe is more subtle.  Overall, it's better.

Articulation is the same.  It was good then, and it's OK now - we've since seen dramatic improvements in shoulder, neck, and elbow articulation so this feels like it might be a stepping stone on the way to another resculpt with a new torso and new arms later.  You get a very good range of movement with about 27 joints.  That ain't bad, but as any toy dork can tell you, having two joints on an elbow doesn't guarantee optimal motion.  A Xevoz figure has fewer joints, but a greater, unencumbered range of movement.  Luke is still very good for the standards of the first release of this figure's mold, but you know and I know Hasbro could blow it out of the water today.  And maybe they will for the 45th or 50th anniversary, or in a set of duel 2-packs, or something or other later.

If you missed the first release, or just want Hasbro's best, get this one.  It's $20, and it's a great costume.  Also the holster works better for the pistol this time, but the painted lightsaber clip is a smidgen tougher to get set up.  I still like it.

Packaging Notes: I like it!   It doesn't have fake weathering, and it adds a nifty 40th Anniversary ingot in the top left corner - it's obvious this is not a 3 3/4-inch figure, if you know these things at all. The back of the package is also a lot better, showcasing the first wave of this line... with still too dang much text.  It may also interest and not surprise you that this line is a limited engagement, with plans to return to the Archive Series in some form next year. 

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,695: June 2, 2020