Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,157: Night Trooper (Gray Helmet, The Vintage Collection)

NIGHT TROOPER Gray Face and Cap
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F9259
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: Blaster
Retail: $54.99
Availability: July 2024
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: The Night Troopers were stormtroopers who served Grand Admiral Thrawn during his exile on the extragalactic planet Peridea, comprising the majority of his forces. (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: The Night Trooper set is clever. It has four new figures with basically one new figure's worth of tooling - this trooper and his three pals share a helmet mold, but other elements mix and match an existing Stormtrooper mold with new red bandaged elements. By mixing and matching the parts each figure looks unique, with distinctive deco. If you have hot water you can buy more than one set and mix-and-match parts, because the red wrapped bits are all the same from figure to figure. If you want, there are enough parts to put together a not-red-wrapepd trooper or an all-red-wrapped trooper.

I assume Hasbro took its existing digital assets and added the wrappings, and it looks good. They could have just painted it red, but the red elements are actually raised, sculpted bits. That's good. The blaster is just a basic blaster, but the deco is quite nice especially for the price. You get more paint, and it averages $13.75 per trooper. This one has some gold on the helmet, right shoulder, belly, right thigh, and left leg but lacks the dirty elements from the show. I'd rather save the money than pay for dirt, I can always buy another set and add dirt if I really needed it. In terms of articulation it's just a normal Stormtrooper, sadly with no holster, and as far as I know it's not specific to the show. Due to the shared parts, I assume Hasbro (rightly) assumed fans would prize variant deco over screen-accurate perfect ribbon placement. He has no problems standing, although it's worth noting that the hip joints feel increasingly old-hat when compared to the last few years of excellent hips on the newest figures. (If you don't know what I mean, that proves Hasbro is reusing a tremendous amount of existing tooling.)

Despite the Ahsoka show being kind of blah, and Thrawn himself being a bit of a dummy (all according to plan), I won't knock a clever trooper variation. These look cool, giving fans something that looks familiar while being new enough that we won't groan about buying the same mold again. Or a modified version of the same mold again. If these are still in stock, go get a set. The zombie-like troopers were not exactly the most compelling troopers on the screen, but at least they stood out in a sea of killing and white uniforms.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,157: July 25, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,156: Nash Durango (Crimson Firehawk Pilot, Young Jedi Adventures)

NASH DURANGO Crimson Firehawk Pack-in
Young Jedi Adventures Vehicle Pilot
Item No.: No. F7878
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Crimson Firehawk vehicle, RJ-83 droid figue
Action Feature: Articulated opening lid
Retail: $44.99
Availability: August 2023
Appearances: Young Jedi Adventures   

Bio: Nash Durango was a female human pilot and mechanic from the Outer Rim planet Tenoo who lived during the High Republic Era. She befriended Jedi younglings Kai Brightstar, Lys Solay, and Nubs. (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: I haven't watched Young Jedi Adventures yet - I assume most of you haven't - but I started looking at the vehicles on clearance once my pal Seth said "hey, you can put 3 3/4-inch figures in these." That's why I got The Crimson Firehawk with Nash Durango and RJ-83 - it's a big sturdy toy vehicle, the kind of thing that we might still be getting for movies and Disney+ shows were the line not infatuated with adult collector dollars exclusively. It's bigger than most recent vehicles (save for HasLabs) with big wide seats that can fit a lot of figures - admittedly, they're a tiny bit too big, but your kids could cram pretty much anybody in there. At $45 I don't think collectors would have much reason to buy the set, but on clearance prices this is good enough that I'm looking at the other ships. I probably won't buy the entire line-up, but it proves what I've long suspected: Hasbro is capable of making toys for children. They just tend not to do so.

Nash is a 4-inch figure with a giant head, and you can see a lot of influences from other sources. The articulation is very much like Imaginext, with a unileg design, swivel wrists, and those great shoulders that can swing forward and out. She stands as tall as a lot of other figures - in other words, she's kind of huge - with detailing that seems appropriate for any kid's line. The boots are painted, the hands are molded in color, and she has the best Star Wars hair this side of Thall Joben, Jord Dusat, and Kea Moll. And if you don't get the reference, go watch Droids, and come back later.

The details are from a Star Wars pilot playbook a brown jacket over a blue shirt has shades of Poe Dameron or Han Solo, with cargo pants and a belt. It's a decent outfit for a character who is clearly a child, and for some reason, has carte blanche to fly around the galaxy fighting pirates with other children. Maybe it would seem less reckless if I watched the show, but "unsupervised kids in space with lightsabers" sounds unlike much of what we saw in the movies. Even Luke had Obi-Wan over his shoulder for a while... but again, I haven't seen the show, so perhaps it all makes sense.

For clearance prices (under $10 on Amazon last I looked, that's a sponsored ad link, your price mileage may vary) this set is really impressive - the droid figure is nothing special, but the figure is sturdy and despite coming from Disney's house style of "giant eye big head shows for preschoolers," it stands up better than most collector figures. I have nothing bad to say about the quality of anything in the box - Hasbro did a good job, and it pains me a tiny bit to see how much we've traded away for "collector figures." Her articulation would be enough to make me happy in a kid's line, and if I could get a $50 3 3/4-inch vehicle that's as big as this, that could seat 3-4 figures with a giant cargo bay in the back, I would be over the moon. Not that the $35 N-1 ship is anything to sneeze at, but this? This is really impressive and I hope Hasbro brings this kind of design and engineering back to Epic Hero Series vehicles down the road, whenever it makes sense.

This line has only one legacy character - Yoda - in standard and holographic (Walmart exclusive) flavors. Most of the line is kids from the show and vehicle-specific variants. It's not a bad line-up, but the toy design lacks the whimsy of the rubber masks from the movies and ignores the aspect of a human face and an alien face would probably cost about the same to animate. But hey, that's not my department - all I can tell you is that this is a neat toy, and I'm really going to be curious if these things are worth a small fortune down the road when today's kids go back to collect them. Hasbro did a good job - I have no idea how the show is doing with actual kids, but given I'm the kind of fan who wants to see pretty much everything and I haven't seen it... I assume you're also in the same boat. As soon as this stuff seems to go from "family or at least tween-friendly space adventure" to "preschool show," no amount of brand loyalty can swing the average adult fan over to "ages 3 and up" product even if it is sturdy, well-designed, a match for its source material, and a perfect fit in the vehicles.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Ross. It was on clearance for a shockingly low $7.49. 

 --Adam Pawlus

Day 3,156: July 23, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,155: Grogu (Epic Hero Series)

GROGU New Kids Line
Epic Hero Series Basic Figure
Item No.: Asst. F9405 No. G0100
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Pram, stand
Action Feature: Articulated opening lid
Retail: $9.99
Availability: January 2024
Appearances: The Mandalorian Season 3   

Bio: Grogu has chosen to follow the path of his protector, the Mandalorian, and continues to share adventures at his side. (Taken from the packaging)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: This is a weird one - it's a season 3-specific version of Grogu, one of surprisingly few Hasbro toys made based on designs from the show's season which ended last year thus far. There's a The Vintage Collection figure based on this pram on the way for $17, which has swappable "open" and "closed" pram lids, slightly more pram paint, and - it seems - less articulation on the figure itself. (And the shirt, the TVC one has the shirt.) It is unlikely that fans will see these side by side on the pegs, but any customer who sees this figure for $10 and that one for $17 who isn't a specific kind of collector might just go the cheaper route. But should they?

Grogu himself is a weird figure - not bad, but there are some curious design choices. He's the same size as The Child from The Retro Collection [FOTD #2,819], which puts him a little taller than The Vintage Collection mini-minifigure. He has jointed arms - Vintage ones don't always have those. Epic Hero Grogu has a jointed head as well, plus unpainted feet, and has a sculpt that seems to be derived from the same source material as the Retro "Kenner" figure. A lot of the folds line up, so they very much seem to be cut from a similar cloth, but with different levels of texture. Retro has no pink in the ears, and Epic adds very tiny (and probably unnecessary) whites around his eyes. The fuzzy cloth around his neck and wrists are painted, although I do not think it works to the benefit of the figure. Hasbro could probably just change up the texture a tiny bit, and call it a day, but at least it matches nicely.

The pram is good - it plugs in the display stand, and the lid rolls back quite smoothly. Form fit issues are a problem with a lot of current toys, but whoever engineered this one made sure the lid snaps in cleanly and rolls back without a hitch. There aren't any foot pegs to secure the figure inside, but he does have one hole in one foot for some future use. Presumably. Maybe not. The deco on the pram is light, and the little elements painted on the Vintage version weren't decorated here - but it's no worse off. And basically half the price.

There are no "Epic Hero" connection points on the figure - no backpack hole, no wrist holes. Nor should there be. He's too tiny for any of those to be very useful, although a clear stand that could plug in his back so he could "leap" could be cute if they do a version 2.0.

I don't know if parents or kids will see the tiny guy who is the size of an accessory as worth the price of a full human figure at $10, but a popular character tends to sell regardless. I think he's as good or charming as the retro figure, with a slightly more realistic sculpt, but is still a little cutesy. I hope this line gets built out, because the eight figures we have so far don't make much of a splash - but as part of a hypothetical bigger thing? I really like this figure.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,155: July 18, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,154: Marrok (The Retro Collection)

MARROK (Kenner Style)
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6874 No. F8782
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Cape, Lightsaber
Retail: $11.99
Availability: October 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: Ahsoka

Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection features design and detailing inspired by the original 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from a galaxy far, far away. (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I opened and shot Marrok late in 2023 but, for some reason, didn't write a review. And that's a shame - solids of him seem to be sold out from Hasbro, and he never arrived in big box stores. You may still find him online, alone or in cases, and he's pretty good. There are a lot of figures that may be cooler if they arrived with no backstory, and this is one of them. On the show, he was a mostly silent nobody, dressed sort of like a knight in armor. But since we saw the show, we know what his deal is. You know, my daddy always said to me - you can't trust a man what's made of gas. One of the things the show did well with this guy is we barely got to know him, and then he exploded. We'll probably not see much more from him. We never even got a Vintage figure before Hasbro moved on to the next thing and fans seemed less enthused about coming along for The Acolyte thus far... although the Kenner figures do look pretty cool. But I digress.

One thing that I'm realizing is that the bulk of the past decade of Star Wars seems less "now" than some of what we got in the old days, but maybe that's just something that comes with hindsight. Kea Moll, Thall Joben, and Jord Dusat certainly seemed like designs from the punk and new wave world, and in some cases seem even more modern today thanks to bright colored hair and undercuts. Mark Hamill himself complained about how 1970s his hair was. There's something cool about being both of the future and incredibly of your own time, but Marrok seems rooted in our collective imaginations of the past. This is somebody who could have menaced King Arthur, yet carries a Darth Maul-like laser sword. It may not be wholly original but at least you instantly grok his deal.

This is a figure that looks almost like he was meant to be a toy first, The Black Knight but for Star Wars. He's completely covered, has a swell cape. There's an Inquisitor lightsaber and it seems we've been largely spared the goofy baddie stuff we usually got from that crew - it's just a guy, in a helmet, who's going to hunt some people down. The one thing that's truly unfortunate about this guy is I wasn't a kid when he came out as a Kenner toy. I would have flipped my lid having this guy menacing R2-D2 and C-3PO before they met up with Luke, even though there's not much to him other than some gray metallic paint and a couple of painted lights. In many respects he looks like some kid smashed together an AT-AT Commander with Darth Vader and threw on a cape from some other figure, and the results look like something Star Wars-y.

Like a lot in recent Star Wars, it captures the spirit of a galaxy far, far away but doesn't seem to expand its boundaries. It's like in the 1990s when you saw comics do Star Wars, more often than not it was pretty tethered to the reality of the movies without going somewhere new and crazy like we saw with completely different designs for The Phantom Menace on Naboo. Marrok looks like he belongs as a part of Star Wars, which is good for older toy junkies. I like this figure a lot as it's more or less a blank canvas for fun, and that's the kind of thing Kenner gave us in spades in the old days. About half of the action figures had no real backstory other than "was in a bar" or "hung out in trees" and you could just run with it. This guy is an ex-Imperial (or maybe current Imp) mercenary, and that's pretty fertile ground for stories. May they tell us no more so we can imagine them.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,154: July 16, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,15: TC-14 (Droid Factory)

TC-14 Disney Edition
Star Wars Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Tray, drink container
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $14.99
Availability: May 2024
Appearances: The Phantom Menace   

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personalitty and colors. TC-14 is a protocol droid that was in the employ of the Trade Federation on their Profiteer-class droid control ship, Saak'ak. May the Force be with your... and your Droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Given that it's the 25th anniversary of Episode I, it makes since that Disney would make a new TC-14 action figure. The first one came out in 2000, and had an accessory complete with flared base that inspired giggles in the young adult collectors and the fans who tolerated them. Back then, Hasbro made an all-new mold for what could have been a repaint. It had a shiny vac-metal finish and still looks gorgeous 24 years later. This new one hits the "just different enough to make you mad" button.

This one uses the build-a-droid mold you know, but has newly tooled changes and unique deco. When Hasbro made U-3PO, the figure had three sculpted dots on the chest - Disney's silver protocol droid had these as well when it was sold in the bins. The new 2024 TC-14 has a smoothed-out chest, plus a retooled pair of hands to better hold the tray. There are enough details that are changed or sharper that make me think this could be a mostly new mold, which isn't nothing. The "CHINA" and "LFL" on the feet are a little different, the details on the back of the head are sharper, and given it's completely coated in silver paint it's worth noting nothing seems washed-out. If it's not a new mold based on the existing sculpt, at the very least, they went in and remastered it to get a lot more out of it. If this retooled/new tool version has been released previously, let me know in the comments, because it doesn't quite line up with the ones I've got handy. The range of motion is similar, and you can swap parts between this new figure and your older ones. However, I should note the pegs and sockets do not feel exactly the same as before when you connect them.

The big question with any new upgrade is "Do I need it?" and in this case, the answer is a "no but maybe?" Because it doesn't match Disney's unpainted (but molded in silver with blue eyes) build-a-droid, and because it has different parts from Hasbro's hard-to-get silver version of U-3PO, and because Hasbro's own TC-14 was vac metal, to me, it's an easy buy. It looks sufficiently different from figures I have - but if I just wanted one of every character, the existing TC-14 would be good enough for my needs. I am a filthy figure collector, though, so I had to get this one too. For $15, she can hold the tray and look just fine. If she were on store shelves nationwide, or had literally any new-ish figures from the movie to go with her, it would be part of an exciting capsule program. Alas, she may be the only 3 3/4-inch figure from The Phantom Menace you see this year that isn't retro, so your enjoyment of this figure will be relying on your own droid mania or your existing cast of Jedi and dubiously-accented aliens in wacky hats from the end of the 20th century. (I can't imagine we'll ever get new and improved Nute Gunray or Rune Haako figures.)

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Shop Disney.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,153: July 11, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,152: Kanan Jarrus (The Vintage Collection)

KANAN JARRUS Season 1 Look
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6878 No. F9977
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #318
Includes: Lightsaber, Hilt, Blaster
Action Feature: Working holster, lightsaber plugs in belt
Retail: $16.99
Availability: May 2024
Appearances: Star Wars Rebels

Bio: Once known by the name Caleb Dume, Kanan Jarrus survived the Emperor's purge, going underground for years. Leading up to the Galactic Civil War, he was a leader among the Ghost crew. (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: Because I'm old, I sometimes wonder "why don't I feel as excited about this stuff?" And looking at the wave that came with Kanan Jarrus, it got to be pretty obvious - the assortment comes with a Cal Kestis, a Mandalorian Judge, and an Ezra Bridger. None of the figures look bad, but they're all Disney-era stuff - any connections to the original six movies are diminished, and none are characters that existed when I was a kid, or a teen, or even in my 20s. Hopefully there's a rabid market of new fans for this stuff, but I assume it's probably not as much as it would be for the big movies, and because we're so far away from the original movies, those might not be as big, either. As such Kanan is a pretty good choice - a major player, with lots of recognition, and the figure is pretty good too.

From the neck down, this figure is 100% what you want. From the neck up, it's up to interpretation - the figure's head is a tiny bit rounder, while the cartoon character is a bit taller and longer. You want exaggeration in animation, but that sort of look may not necessarily translate to a real person or a toy. Hasbro seems to have done a good job taking Ezra's Adventures in McQuarrieland and translating them to something realistic, and that's a tough thing to do with floating knee pads and a very specific kind of upper chest accoutrements. The contrast isn't as cartoony, and while it isn't as natural as some of the original trilogy costumes it does look like it could be something you might see off-camera in a movie. The costume retains all of the animation model's important landmarks like the vertical ribs in the shirt, the shoulder pad, the gloves, and the boots. The colors all look right, and all of the joints move nicely. The holster only gets in the way a tiny bit, and the legs have a good enough range of motion to fit in the Ghost which we're all still expecting to receive this fall.

I don't think the head looks like any one specific person, and depending on the angle it's absolutely perfect or just a little weird. The beard is right, the nose is pretty good, the hair is pulled back, and who can argue about the sideburns? The eyes are good and the hair is painted nicely, making this a pretty good portrait for a person that does not actually exist. I assume Hasbro created it, and they deserve a pat on the back for cranking out something that doesn't seem too cartoony and doesn't seem too grounded in reality. I couldn't hit that target if I were trying to create something like this.

He has three accessories - a hilt, a lit lightsaber, and a blaster. The hilt plugs in the holster easily, and the blaster fits in just as well. A lit lightsaber also can be held in his hands, making this a figure that does a pretty good job delivering exactly what you need with only a tiny bit of excess. (I would prefer a removable blade lightsaber, but hey, this is the same kind of thing.) I don't feel Hasbro shorted us anything, which is important at $16.99 - there's nothing that feels like a slight or a cost-cutting move. The ankles tilt, the wrists swivel and bend, and the bandolier is sculpted to the chest (and I prefer it that way.)

From where I sit, Rebels was a good show and was basically the connective tissue between the Disney era and the Lucas era - it had some problems, but it was mostly good. This figure is entirely good, and I hope we can get other characters from the show's first season in this style over time. Heck, given shared tooling with the Ghost crew figures, it might be inevitable. If you have a crack at this figure for a fair price, I recommend it if you like the character. The detail and personality are great, and it's weird to think I have a Caleb Dune figure that's probably better than any Han, Luke, or Leia in my collection right now. Hopefully, that will change.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,152: July 9, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,151: Doikk Na'ts (Dorenian Beshniquel, The Vintage Collection)

DOIKK NA'TS (Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Hasbro Pulse Shared Exclusive Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. F6984
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 7 band members with 2 Kloo Horns, 1 Fanfar, 1 Fizzz, 1 Ommni Box with pedals and stand, 2 drum sticks, 1 drum, 1 Bandfill,
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $89.99
Availability: March 2023
Appearances: Star Wars   

Bio: This 7-piece ensemble of Bith musicians was a common sight at the Mos Eisley Cantina, playing swinging instrumentals for the watering hole’s staggering patrons. (Taken from marketing copy. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Crowdfunding for the Cantina ends next week. Pledge early, don't forget, because we want to put Arleil Schous in there with a Chinese menu in his hand. That's why we're looking at another band member - go support the Cantina and then come back to read about Doikk Na'ts! If you remember the 1990s, there was a Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina [that's an Amazon ad link too] he was a major player in "We Don't Do Weddings: The Band's Tale." This book had short stories about most of the major Cantina band patrons, ranging from the silly to the perfectly fine. This book - and others like it, but definitely this one - is part of what gives the saga the reputation of every minor character having some elaborate backstory. By the end of the 1990s, every corner of those original films was fleshed out by games, RPGs, comics, prose, action figures, you name it. This one came out in 1995, exactly the same time Kenner started making new action figures again.

Taking a cue from real life, Doikk was a bit smarter than his bandmates in that he actually owned his instrument. He could leave and take another gig if he wanted, Firgrin D'an owned everybody else's gear - in the book. Obviously, these guys have yet to get any on-screen stories and are largely absent from the modern publishing game. The figure includes this instrument, which is a simpler reed instrument called the fizzz (or Dorenian Beshniquel) and doesn't look particularly fancy compared to some of the other stuff. It's no ommni box, at any rate - it just looks like a clarinet. Sort of, ay any rate. It has some painted details - not much, but it doesn't need much and it's not like you're going to get up in there to see it anyway. He has no problems holding it thanks to his excellent articulation. It's worth noting that this figure came from that awkward period before Hasbro did ball-and-socket jointed hips, so while they are extremely posable they're also closer to the shoulders. It's kind of hard to get them just-so, but you can, and once you do they're pretty good about staying put. The figure also has a cut joint mid-torso, which I don't care for, as I prefer articulation to be at the belt or below the shirt - you know, so it doesn't mar the design of the figure. Since the shirt is black, and behind his arms, you're probably not going to notice and I assume this could be the final 3 3/4-inch Vintage band member sculpt that we ever get.

Since it's the same figure seven times over, the different accessories make it something of an army builder. If you own a playset, you probably want multiples - but not necessarily. I bought it because I had a hunch we would, some day, be offered a bigger Cantina and apparently that day is now. If you back the HasLab, it ends and cards are charged on July 8. As such, I'd recommend grabbing your wallet and doing so now if you're going to - just so you don't forget, and so I can hopefully get my other wolfman. If you do support the Cantina, I'd also recommend setting up an eBay alert to monitor the band prices and if it's under $100 shipped (or thereabouts) pounce on it. You'll be glad you have it later, the original going rate was $90 so about $100 is pretty darned fair for seven sold-out action figures.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse. Within a week, it went up for sale at other fan outlets.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,151: July 4, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,150: Krrsantan (The Retro Collection)

KRRSANTAN Meet the Newbacca
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6874 No. F8568
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Heavy Blaster
Action Feature: Removable armor
Retail: $11.99
Availability: December 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection features design and detailing inspired by the original 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from a galaxy far, far away. (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I'm very slowly opening the 2023 retro Kenner figures like Krrsantan, mostly because I don't have high hopes for a lot more of these. I wrote the bulk of this a couple of months ago. Seeing 2022 figures dumped at Ollie's and Ross, with new old-style Kenner original trilogy figures in generally short supply, the Retro format seems to have the product development deck stacked against it. At least it's interesting while it lasts, however long it lasts. This particular figure seems to riff on the original 1978 Chewbacca, but with some elements that move forward in time a bit. He's a little wider, a little taler, and a lot beefier... and thanks to his removable armor, he may serve as the basis for a lot of custom figures in the future.

Sometimes simple is best, and in this case I think it works. It's worth noting that The Black Series and The Vintage Collection Krrsantan figures based on The Book of Boba Fett were each "deluxe" releases. I would argue there's nothing at all deluxe about the 6-inch one, but at least both The Vintage Collection figures have a lot of gear in the box - not enough to make it worth 50-100% more, but it's something. This one is just a basic figure. I like basic if it means basic prices.

The fur sculpting is a lot like the original Chewbacca, with a wider stance and arms that spread out a little more. He won't easily fit in an original Millennium Falcon cockpit or a standard slot in a Kenner carry case, or an AST-5 or MLC-3. He's barely taller than the original Kenner Chewie, closer in height to Yak Face and about 50% wider. It's very clearly a riff on the 1978 sculpting with this fur pattern, rather than going for a post-Return of the Jedi look like the Ewoks. Love them or hate them, they had a lot more detail and a v-crotch that may or may not have worked better here. He will, however, stand around and look cool. I plopped him near my Jabba's Palace stuff and he looks like he belongs, thanks to a nice angry mouth and knuckle dusters.

This is a figure where we're probably being overcharged a bit, but at least it's fair relative to other figures. Sabine got four accessories and tons of paint. Krrsantan got armor, a blaster, and very little paint. You can see some on his knuckles, nose, eyes, belt, and beard. As I write this he's standing next to Yak Face and Sabine on my desk, and is the simplest by far. I would have liked to have seem slightly better eye paint and improved fur texture, but I can't argue he doesn't match Chewbacca.

He fits in with the general aesthetic of the old Kenner figure line, but much like the Obi-Wan Kenobi line it's plain to see it doesn't match a specific time period. The figure itself feels like 1978, the removable armor feels like 1982's Zuckuss harness (or Dagobah backpack), and the hands seem more modern in that one of them isn't useless. I think it's good to have hands that can hold weapons, but I would have loved one of them to be a fist - like the original Gamorrean Guard - so he could punch other guys with his knuckle dusters. His pose is also pretty basic. It would be nice to have a little flair in his arms or maybe a bit of a bend to his knees, but I can't say I don't appreciate the jointed neck. That's something I wish Kenner did back in the day, and Hasbro achieved Krrsantan as a pretty good figure that does what Retro tends to shine at - the bare minimum. There's no white highlights in the fur, there's no extraneous parts. It's a Wookiee, a blaster, and a shirt. That's all you needed to have fun in the 1980s, and considering he's the only Hasbro Krrsantan under $27.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. At press time I have still not seen him sold at any major retailer brick-and-mortar locations.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,150: July 2, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,149: RG-G1 (The Vintage Collection)

RG-G1 Escape from Order 66
The Vintage Collection Amazon Exclusive 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. G0266
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #324
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Removable limbs and dome
Retail: $69.99
Availability: May 2024
Appearances: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Bio: RG-G1 was one of the brave astromech droids who assisted Ahsoka Tano in apprehending Clone Captain Rex when his inhibitor chip was compromised. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: It's nice to get something that feels new, even if it isn't. So many new releases are similar to things we already own that it's weird to get a repaint that feels different, and RG-G1 is one of them. The dome is new! I just thought it was an R4 dome on the old body, but it's not. The dark gray body has a black dome and black limbs with black feet, plus a dull gold. It's amazing that between Hasbro and Disney I've got close to a couple dozen of these conehead guys and I'm delighted that I have one that actually feels distinctive.

You've seen so many of these I don't need to tell you that the dome rotates and pops off, and the legs pop off, and you can remove the third leg if you want. You've seen this exact mold (or variations on it) in and out of circulation since 2008 when it was a build-a-droid figure, which makes the price tag of 25% of $69.99 sting a little bit - we got a new dome, but it's still the same toy with no new features or gadgets. Since most people aren't going to open it, that probably doesn't matter - what matters is that it looks good. The pinstriping really pops nicely, those fine lines look superb and the big orange box around the eye really stands out. He even had a big red light on the back of his dome which is what tipped me off to this not being Yet Another R4. You can see new panels, including two big orange ones for his "ears." There's a silver sensor of some sort on the back as well, and I'm impressed that they didn't just reuse an old mold and call it a day. For any cartoon droid coming to live action, I think you've got a license to fudge it and Hasbro didn't. Kudos.

The unique layout and new dome make this one just a bit more exciting and I'm glad to see that they did a good job making it right the first time, or at least, right enough that we're not going to ask for a do-over. I wouldn't necessarily recommend the set at full price, but if it goes on sale it's worth it and from the look of things, they're pretty good figures. I'm still opening them, slowly, so stay tuned for more on these. And get this one if someone broke up the set for some reason.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Amazon.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,149: June 27, 2024