Figure of the Day: Day 1,299: Kyle Katarn

KYLE KATARN & Yuuzhan Vong
The Legacy Collection Comic Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87504 No. 87746
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #03
Includes: Lightsaber, Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: August 2009
Appearances: Star Wars Tales

Bio: Jedi Knight Kyle Katarn and New Republic agent Jan Ors help Imperial officer Pallin free a group of people on Ord Sedra who have been enslaved by the Yuuzhan Vong. But the flimsy cells in which the Yuuzhan Vong have been placed may not be strong enough to hold these cruel conquerors until morning. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' yard.

Commentary: As part of one of the final waves of comic packs, fans were lucky that Hasbro cranked out a new Kyle Katarn before apparently self-imposing some sort of Expanded Universe hiatus. You may recall the first version of Kyle hit in 1998 and was a smidgen tough to find, and the 2009 release was damned near impossible to locate until 2010. This version was vastly improved over the original, but not without concerns. For starters, it's based on an issue of Star Wars Tales (arguably Dark Horse's finest comic series) and not the video games. For the purposes of the assortment, it makes sense-- it allowed Hasbro to combine a popular and in-development alien with a popular and widely known game character, but for some, we never really got a Kyle as he appeared in the original game. Which is to say, clean shaven.

Kyle's sculpt emphasizes his physique, as apparently Jedi of the future wear tight shirts and pants. (My stuff doesn't even fit.) His working holster is a nice touch, and the look of the figure is very Katarn-esque-- it's a good synthesis of the character based on his many appearances. The pants have a fair amount of wrinkles and detail, and it's pretty easy for this to be the most-articulated version of Kyle to date. He's even got a nice little shoulder pad. For fans wanting a Kyle, this is a solid release. It's not a gamer's perfect figure-- this will likely never happen-- but it's certainly good enough to warrant shelling out for. Unless these get dumped en masse, or interest falls more, I would wager this is a set you'll want to make sure you pick up even if it costs more.

Collector's Notes: At press time, you may luck into this pack as it continued shipping into 2010. In 2009, Hasbro released only two waves of comic packs and the red packaged assortment in which Kyle debuted was in incredibly short supply in most markets. Combined with the popularity of his Yuuzhan Vong co-pack, this is one of those sets that Expanded Universe fans should grab on site just in case they never see it again. Also, it's pretty impressive-- the sculpt is good, the accessories are fine, and it's a rarity in that you get two newly sculpted characters which haven't yet been done to death as toys. Good job, Hasbro! Except distribution, but hey, we know how it goes.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,299: June 7, 2010