STARKILLER Vader's ApprenticeThe Vintage Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 37499 No. 37518
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #VC100
Includes: 2 lightsabers, 2 hilts, backpack, skirt, shoulder armor, 2 gauntlets
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: May 2012
Appearances: The Force Unleashed II
Bio: Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Force be with you! (Taken from the figure's packaging. No specific character information.)
Image: Adam Pawlus' photo area.
Commentary: With this wave, Hasbro seemed to be in a hurry to get rid of their plastic. Starkiller is another one of their nifty two-for-one figures, where you get a more-or-less "Rebel hero" outfit as well as an "Imperial Pilot" outfit all in one figure. The sculpt is arguably the best yet, with a really nice Sam Witwer likeness which, given the right paint or a less glossy plastic, would be perfect. As it is, it's merely above par and potentially their best yet.
Much like Fordo and a few others, you can change Starkiller pretty easily. He ships in his "pilot" outfit, and the pilot harness easily comes off like a belt. To get him into his other outfit, you have to slide up a "skirt" piece, snap on a couple of gauntlets, and pop off his head to apply his shoulder armor. It's a neat idea, but I personally would rather have had Hasbro make a second figure later. For those of us wanting two to display, we're basically out of luck for a while. He has 14 points of articulation, more or less what you expect as normal these days, and quite a bit of detail for such a simple outfit. I can only imagine how great a 100% new TIE Fighter Pilot might be in 2013 or 2014, should Hasbro decide to give it a spin!
The gear is pretty good, although the shoulder armor is a little bulky for its intended purpose. Unless you get it just right, he looks like he has no neck. The lightsabers could be bluer, but it seems Hasbro has been doing pale blue for most figures over the last year. It's a fun figure with enough to play around with that $10 doesn't seem like a bad price, but the plastic for the face could be a smidgen better. I love the pilot outfit, and the fact you can take off the skirt/straps and he can sit in a stolen TIE Fighter if you'd like. I'd say that as of now, this is Hasbro's best Starkiller and even if you didn't care for the game-- and many didn't-- the action figure is worth the asking price. Given the secondary market, it wouldn't stun me if the figure will cost more than the game, depending on where you shop. If you enjoyed the game, and enjoy late-era Galactic Empire costumes, this should fit right in with some of your Original Trilogy stuff. Maybe off to the side a bit would be the best place for Starkiller, but he should be at home tormenting your Stormtroopers and other figures.
Collector's Notes: I haven't seen this wave in stores yet, but you knew that. This one came from online, you can order a case at the link below or on any of the fine sponsors at GalacticHunter.com.
--Adam Pawlus
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