Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,298: R2-B00 (Droid Factory)

R2-B00 Disney Parks Halloween Exclusive
Star Wars  Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Probably Not Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $12.99
Availability: August 2016
Appearances: n/a

Bio: All different types of Astromech droids populate the Star Wars galaxy.  Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors.  This devious Astromech is a space pirate that can often be found on the planet Takodana.  Join R2-B00 on his adventure throughout the galaxy.  May the Force be with you... and your Droids!  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  After more R2 units than you can shake a stick at - trust me, I've tried, I need a bigger stick - it's rare to see "firsts" in this category.   R2-B00 manages to be the first Halloween-themed Star Wars figure, the first Takodana figure, and the first "off-camera" new creation placed during The Force Awakens, or so I'm assuming from the packaging.   I also don't think I've ever seen a black droid with green, purple, and orange on it.  It's kind of ugly.  It's kind of great.  It's kind of like the sweaters that one guy on that show used to wear, but we're not about to namecheck this individual.

The mold is the same as the majority of R2 units you've bought at Disney parks since the wires were dropped from the feet, and the deco is unlike anything else I've got.   A long (long) time ago I pitched blank droids as an exclusive idea so people could come up with strange, original designer droids like this one.  I may have also mocked up a Clone Trooper that looked like Samus Aran, but that's another story.  This one looks similar to the other recently released black droid other than the paint, and oh, the paint.   I don't think we've ever seen a droid with this many painted panels - nearly every rectangle has at the very least an outline.   Some panels are green with orange borders.   He costs more than other holiday/event droids, he has no hat, but boy howdy does he make up for it with the orange paint.     It's overwhelming.   I don't even know why he has so much, or why Disney went with these colors.   It's not exactly spooky or ghost-like, either.  It doesn't quite recall any specific piece of Halloween lore, but the colors evoke this time of year.  Sort of.  The placement of the green seems odd, and the purple I just don't get - but it's weird enough that I like it.

I'd love to see more of these.  Maybe an orange droid with black markings like a jack-o-lantern. Maybe a black droid with skull-like deco on the dome.  Or a glow-in-the-dark droid, which I would be willing to commit illegal acts to obtain.  R2-B00 is certainly a sight to see with rolling wheels and articulated ankles, but one detail I should point out is the opportunity that Disney missed.  This droid's paint sadly does not react to black light.   I was expecting a glowing, insane nightmare robot and what I got was pretty benign.   Ah well.

Like the silver figures of 2002ish-2006ish and the Holiday Edition figures and other Event Droids, you probably could skip this and your collection wouldn't care.   Because toy-only characters aren't really a big part of the canon, this little robot's appeal is probably squarely in the court of your love of color.   You have no reason to own this figure, but the way I see it you should have a toy that's just for Halloween so you can listen to your Oingo Boingo records while futzing with it and handing out candy to the tiny tots.

Collector's Notes: I got mine at Disneyland.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,298: October 31, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,297: R3-M2 (Rogue One, Droid Factory)

R3-M2 from the new film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Star Wars   Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Probably Not Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 total droids
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $29.99
Availability: September 2015
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: All different types of Astromech droids populate the Star Wars galaxy.  Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors.  These four new Astromech figures are featured in new film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  May the Force be with you... and your Droids!  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  Here's a surprise - R3-M2 has a new dome mold, the only one in the set.   Some older renderings of R3 droids - specifically R3-01/R3-M3 [FOTD #1,301] - have domes like this one, so maybe Disney has just cracked open the door to give that one another shot.  I hope so, Hasbro's take was always a little murky.

The body looks similar to other recent droids, with stripes running up and down plus a positively giant one running down its back.   The off-white body and earth tones merge to look like a robot that could be rolling down shag carpeting, perhaps next to a space princess in bell bottoms.  It feels very 1980s - and so does the dome, yellowed by the sun or stained by coffee in appearance.   It has a textured eye - possibly a first in Astromech droid toys - and lacks much of the detail from the other ones.  There are fewer panels and sensors here, plus the addition of a seemingly true-to-movie-R3s-but-we-never-complained-before silver equator at the base of the dome.  This seems to be a key R3 feature from the movies, but your toy collection completely lacks it.

So in short, this new dome means you could have reason to re-buy every R3-series droid.  Oof.

The feet have silver "toes" and like all Disney droids since the second wave, there are no wires on the feet.   A shame, because these are largely very good - and this missing feature is a permanent asterisk when it comes to determining if the figure will suggest the door is still open for a revision later.  With a couple hundred droids out there to collect you probably don't need - or want - droid revisions, but we've been getting quite a few of them in recent years.   Demand something new!  You're worth it.  This is new, so get a R3-M2 if you love your Astromechs like I do.

Collector's Notes: I got mine at Disneyland.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,297: October 27, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,296: R2-BHD (Rogue One, Droid Factory)

R2-BHD from the new film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Star Wars   Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Probably Not Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 total droids
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $29.99
Availability: September 2015
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: All different types of Astromech droids populate the Star Wars galaxy.  Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors.  These four new Astromech figures are featured in new film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  May the Force be with you... and your Droids!  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  It's kind of weird reviewing background droids with no backstory.  It's also weird reviewing figures from a movie I haven't seen yet.  Guess what? R2-BHD could fit these criteria and more - I just don't know.  What I do know is that this is a silver plastic droid with silver-er panels and paint deco, and that apparently someone deemed it interesting enough to sell as a cardboard standee.   Right now I don't know anything about it - is it a good droid, a bad droid, an alien's droid, or a deactivated pile of parts in the corner of Baze Malbus' ship?  Could be.

Comparing the droid toy to the droid photograph, it looks like Disney's toy crew got this one right.  The body is (basically) grey/metal/silver, with painted silver highlights that pop nicely.  It adds something to the toy, much like C2-B5'a black-on-black turned out quite nicely.   R2-BHD has silver panels, highlights, uh - toenails? - and a little red sensor under his shiny black eye.   They even painted the little dots in the neck region of his body, which means... I don't know what it means.  I haven't seen dots in there before.  Maybe they're some sort of "Simon" game.  I have no idea.  All I can tell you is that the deco matches the picture, and you can tear off his arms and legs if you want.

I like it because it's different.  We've had two (count 'em) two different silver R2-D2 action figures during the time where Hasbro thought that was a thing that we'd all like, one of which is a U.K. exclusive from a The Saga Collection "Episode III" multi-pack that you are only just now realizing that you never bought.   (Don't look for my review, I still haven't bothered to open up any of those silver action figures from the 2000s.)   This R2-BHD isn't 100% the same color, though, and for that reason he's interesting enough to plop in whatever diorama you may have.  Mine is "all the too many droids I have" diorama, which is under construction and I hope will be done in mid-2017.

Because it's different I'd suggest that you should get one.   Is this a good reason?  No.  Is there any really good reason to own more modern-era astromech droids than there are different figures from the entire original 1970s and 1980s line?  No, but I'm doing it anyway.  Don't judge me.

Collector's Notes: I got mine at Disneyland.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,296: October 26, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,295: C2-B5 (Rogue One, Droid Factory)

C2-B5 from the new film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Star Wars   Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Probably Not Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 total droids
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $29.99
Availability: September 2015
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: All different types of Astromech droids populate the Star Wars galaxy.  Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors.  These four new Astromech figures are featured in new film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  May the Force be with you... and your Droids!  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  If the name C2-B5 sounds familiar, it should - a few of them are being made.  Disney has a die-cast metal one being sold, plus Hasbro has one as the AT-ACT pack-in droid you've been fretting over.   If you just want a 3 3/4-inch C2-B5 and aren't picky about its Hasbroness, or just don't want the AT-ACT, this version is a cheaper alternative with more articulation.   I'll do a more direct comparison between the two when I get the AT-ACT version in the near future.

You've seen this droid mold before.  Many times.   Every straight-up R2-style Astromech from Disney since the wireless legs were introduced uses this tool, but the deco is unique in that it's black plastic with silver - and black - painted highlights.  It's the executive edition droid, and so far we don't know much about it other than it's potentially Imperial and may be related to Darth Vader, but I don't think it's official either way at this point.

Deco is unique - there are many other black astromech droids, but black ones with glossy black detail and silver highlights are scarce.  Mine has a blue sensor light, while some of the other photos show a red one.  You'll recall in the movies, these tend to switch colors as a course of function.   Each leg has silver details and even the central foot has a silver stripe on it, while the back of the dome has a big green light and a rectangular red box.   It's probably the droid you'd vote most likely to look at home in a serious scenario thanks to its formal coloring and lack of splatters, dirt, or other signs of aging.

As with the other Disney droids, you've got rolling wheels and jointed ankles on the two big legs.    It holds together well and looks like it could fit in pretty much any Empire installation, vehicle, or diorama.   The fact that it has more articulation and is a cheaper buy-in than Hasbro's AT-ACT bonus figure may make it especially appealing to droid fans, although the true completists may have been left wishing for another, different droid just to mix things up a bit.  Do we really need multiple C2-B5 figures?  Maybe - we don't know yet, but we'll know if we care in about two months.  At least the design is cool.

Collector's Notes: I got mine at Disneyland.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,295: October 25, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,294: R5-SK1 (Rogue One, Droid Factory)

R5-SK1 from the new film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Star Wars   Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Probably Not Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 total droids
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $29.99
Availability: September 2015
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: All different types of Astromech droids populate the Star Wars galaxy.  Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors.  These four new Astromech figures are featured in new film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  May the Force be with you... and your Droids!  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  Is it Skippy, the Jedi Droid?

I can say the set is a good deal, but I can't always say the set is worth your while.  Disney's droid 4-packs are a screaming deal - single droids (the ones you build and customize, or the special carded ones) are $13 each.  The 4-packs are $29.99 - $7.50 per droid, a perfectly good deal for an exclusive by even Golden Age of Figure standards.   The real question is this - should you care?   3 of the 4 droids in the Rogue One set are easily, unquestionably new.  R5-SK1 is likely to be an insignificant background droid in Rogue One, and it looks a heck of a lot like R5-D4 or R5-D8 figures you may already own.  Or perhaps a Disney build-a-droid you picked up and assembled from parts.   But it's not - it's different!   You may call it "just different enough to make you mad" and you wouldn't be wrong.   There are differences but any but the most picky droid fans won't notice and won't care.   Since you are these people, well, I'm here for you.   I love you all.

R5-SK1 uses the "Disney" chassis - left and right legs are identical, with no foot wires.  There is no antenna on the dome.  All three feet have wheels - and you may have dozens of figures like it if you've been getting all the Disney stuff so far.  There's not a lot new here as tooling goes - but deco?  Oh yeah.

The dome is basically the R5-D4 deco with the double-border around the top, the filled pie slices, and the rectangles around the posts on the sides and on the back.  This isn't unique - but the filled black eyes on this design are unusual, and unique to the "R5-D4"-flavored domes sold at Disney theme parks.  Previously sold R5 domes had plain silver eyes when found in the Droid Factory bins.  It still carries the hole for the hats.

The torso is a riff on the R5-D4 design, but different.  There is blue under the "armpits," and the little greeblies in the front have a lot more blue than usual, including the small ladder formation on the right side of his person.  If you have The Saga Collection R5-D4, you'll notice some blue in that lower body region.   On the back, the body has 3 rectangles filled in with red paint - very unusual and uncommon for the Disney park droid bodies.   For a white droid body, there's a lot more paint here than usual, and it's different enough from the other bin pieces where I would call it notable.

The central middle leg is unpainted white.  There's nothing new here.  The side legs are also similar if not identical to the ones I'm comparing from the "revised" wireless legs - the silver toe, the blue stripes, the little blue dot - there's no obvious difference.

Constantine to R5-D4's Kermit, the R5-SK1 droid is indeed different enough that you should be able to tell them apart but perhaps not different enough that you could tell without knowing what signs to watch out for.   I'd say the black eyes, the blue details on a white-with-mostly-red body, and the red rectangles filled in the back will be the most telling signs should you ever stumble upon a loose one in a collection or on eBay.   Not knowing its role in the movie - but guessing - I'd say you would be able to skip this one except for the fact that it comes as part of a set with 3 other compelling, very different-looking droids that you do want.  So yeah, you're stuck with this one, but at least it's slightly different from the others.

Collector's Notes: I got mine at Disneyland.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,294: October 24, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,293: Rey (Rogue One)

REY (Jakku)
Rogue One   Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. B7072 No. B9842
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Staff, backpack, projectile, launcher
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: October 2016
Appearances: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Bio: Rey is a resilient survivor, a scavenger toughened by a lifetime of dealing with the cutthroats of the harsh desert world of Jakku.  (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: Because she's popular, here's Rey.   We found out Rey was the new Luke last September, and her action figure selection confirms this - back in the 1990s we got a bevy of Lukes from the original movie with unique helmets, hats, ponchos, and other accessories.   Rey currently enjoys 5 different (well, 4 unless you're an accessory completist) 3 3/4-inch action figures, 4 of which share similar if not identical bodies.  If you're an all-in fan of Rey (and boy howdy am I) you probably really appreciate it when Hasbro puts in new parts and makes big changes to the figure.  This one delivers enough changes to be worth your while.

The big changes over Rey [FOTD #2,191] from last year are the head, the rocket launcher, and the torso wrappings.  The arms, legs, and torso seem to come from the same (I presume) digital sculpt as the others and other figural products.  There are minor differences - feel free to compare the markings on the boots - with the plastic outfit seemingly a little more saturated in deco.  There's a hint of yellow in here, as opposed to the more muted ran color of the original.  It stands apart.   It also stands quite nicely.  Another cool bonus - despite having chest wrappings and a wrapped head, Rey retains neck articulation this time.  The figure has a good face sculpt and decent deco - the head is molded in the wrapping color with a painted face, which actually serves Rey well.  It helps to avoid the whole skin translucency issue we see with other toys.

While her staff and backpack offer nothing new, that rocket launcher on her arm is a delight.  I'm not saying you'll love it, but for those of us who love the toys of the 1990s where a big spring-loaded weapon dongle was standard issue?  I  believe we'll all love what they're trying to accomplish here.  The painted, arm-mounted launcher is modeled after her speeder vehicle with the orangey red color and some added deco to bring out a little detail.   She has no real problems wrapping it to her forearm, and most shockingly to me she has remained standing on my desk for days without toppling over due to an imbalance.  It's a decent, bulky weapon too - I'm impressed!  The blue blast-capped rocket shoots out of the launcher fairly nicely, but it's not as amazing as the distance you'll see on the Nerf launchers.  It goes a couple of feet, which isn't bad.

So!  Do you need this Rey?  Probably not - the cinematic weight of the costume can't be ignored, but its brief on-screen presence probably won't mean this will be your first Rey purchase.  I love strange costume variations and unique helmets and hats, so seeing this figure on the market so soon shows Hasbro does indeed remember how to milk a hero for all of his or her costume variants, and I'm pretty jazzed I didn't have to wait 20 years to get one.   It's way more interesting than a repack with new accessories or a lightsaber, and the actual toy component is pretty good and quite creative.   I assume it'll sell well, because it's Rey, but in and of itself it's an interesting piece and far more exciting than the rocket launcher kickboard accessory from 2015.  Maybe we can get a scarred, unmasked Kylo Ren next.  (I'm being sincere, I'd like one.)

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,293: October 20, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,292: Darth Vader (Rogue One)

DARTH VADER Version 920
Rogue One   Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. B7072 No. B9843
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, cape, projectile, launcher
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: October 2016
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: An imposing figure standing two meters tall and encases in ominous black armor, Darth Vader is the emissary and enforcer of the Emperor's commands.  Vader helped the Emperor carry out the elimination of the Jedi Order and the rise of the Galactic Empire.  Now, he is charged with rooting out rebel activity and any threats to his master's reign.  (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: Holy crap another Darth Vader.   Very few of his action figures are based specifically on the original 1977 movie suit, as Rogue One supposedly aspires to do, but if you compare some of the publicity shots to this Hasbro figure and the Funko items and other products you'll notice they don't all match.    This Hasbro figure lacks the red lenses, but it does have the robes over the shoulder armor.  Funko's (and one of the publicity standees) has the robes under the shoulders - which is how they did it in every movie save for the original - and generally they have the red lenses.  Based on rumors floating around, it was Disneylucasfilm's goal to make it as perfectly Star Wars as possible and this figure does a pretty good job of pulling that off.  It's not as awesome as the super-articulated 2006-2007 figure - the one that came with Obi-Wan's robes and a coin and was super-articulated and was $7 - but it's still good.

Unlike the bulk of The Force Awakens and Rogue One toys, Darth Vader has a sixth joint.  His waist is articulated, making this one a lot closer to the 1995 figure you've all decided to hate.  His lightsaber even lacks the "flare" at the base of the blade.  The inner "skirt" cape has a couple of cuts so you can fit this figure in some vehicles, although it's a tight squeeze - they don't fold down perfectly.  The arms are spread out, a little more action-oriented than I was expecting, but he can hold his lightsaber in menacing ways that imply the figure could fight in a duel.  I don't expect to see it ignited on film, but who knows?

The deco largely matches other Vader figures based on the original film, complete with horizontal ribbing on the gloves and the big green chest light.   It's pretty good, but you've probably got a few Darth Vaders.  Or a few dozen.   He's missing the neck chain for his cape, which is plastic and removable.   He's also seemingly just a smidgen beefier than my imagination thinks he should be, but that might just be the camera angles in the movie.

Rounding out the set is a rocket launcher with an energy blast on the tip.  It's shaped like Darth Vader's belt buckle.  It is ridiculous.  He has no problems holding it, and it feels like it fell out of the 1990s and was probably rejected back in the day.  I dig it - it's a lot more fun than the various build weapons that had nothing to do with anything last year.  Impressively, Vader can stand while holding the heavy weapon - nice job, Hasbro!  That's a rarity with spring-loaded accessories.

You don't need another Darth Vader, but it's a new movie and really who doesn't want a new Darth Vader?  Your existing figures are probably just fine, but if you need a souvenir for the new movie this is a good one.  He has a nice gesturing left arm that can't hold his lightsaber, but it's a decent enough toy overall.  I like it more than the one they gave us last year.  If you see one, go ahead and get one.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,292: October 19, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,291: Kanan Jarrus (Stormtrooper Disguise, Rogue One)

KANAN JARRUS Stormtrooper Disguise
Rogue One   Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. B7072 No. B7278
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Helmet, blaster, pauldron, projectile, launcher
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: September 2016
Appearances: Star Wars Rebels

Bio: Kanan Jarrus was a Jedi Knight among a small group of rebels known as the Ghost Crew.  He carries a lightsaber and a blaster - an uncommon practice for a Jedi.  (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: There have been many versions of Kanan Jarrus so far, but this one - shockingly - isn't just a Stormtrooper with a new head.  The figure is a whiter plastic, and it seems each and every part is new - you'll notice details which differ slightly from previous Stormtroopers.

The head sculpt is completely new, with one of the most expressive faces on a Star Wars figures in years.  Most faces are just a boring, resting face - once in a blue moon you'll get a screaming face or closed eyes, but this Kanan has a head that shows what he's thinking.  Or smelling.  A raised eyebrow and sneer shows determination or loathing for the Sith... or perhaps he just smelled a fart.   You decide.   It's incredibly distinctive and a real departure from what Hasbro has done, well, almost always.  Smiles are rare, frowns aren't particularly common, and so many aliens/droids/helmets are incapable of emoting anyway.  Hasbro deciding to make an all-new sculpt from head to toe is curious, but the decision to give the ball-jointed head this much personality is most intriguing.  I hope we see more of this as the Rebels trickle continues.

Articulation is exactly what you've come to expect, with 5 joints.   The ball-jointed neck is the most interesting change of pace from the previous animated Stormtroopers, but the helmet is nifty in that Hasbro cut out chunks of the interior to fit Kanan's hair.  Thank you, Hasbro!  Sometimes it's a tight fit or scrapes, and while this is indeed a tight fit I appreciate the foresight of mixing up the helmet to make it fit better.

The energy launcher is, well, it's there.  It fits in his right hand quite nicely, and it launches adequately.   His lightsaber and blaster also fit nicely, giving you options.  Heck, you can even pop that pauldron off and use this as a standard Stormtrooper, which is what I plan to do if/when it hits clearance.

As this is an all-new figure instead of a simple head swap, I remain surprised.   It's a win for Hasbro, although not necessarily one for the bean-counting we see so much of in product development.    If you buy Rebels figures you've probably got this one already, and if you don't he's a good place to start.   I'd go as far as to say if you only buy one cast member from the show, this is a good choice.   Here's hoping the line goes long enough to get Kanan's changing look in from the end of Season 2 and the beginning of Season 3.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,291: October 18, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,290: Sabine Wren (Rogue One)

SABINE WREN Take Two
Rogue One   Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. B7072 No. B7282
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Helmet, 2 blasters, zipline gauntlet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: September 2016
Appearances: Star Wars Rebels

Bio: A Mandalorian Warrior, Sabine Wren is an explosive expert and graffiti artist - qualities that make her an excellent fit as one of the first Rebels against the 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: Available very briefly in 2014, the first take on this Rebel sold out quickly - and had a helmet deco variant which I'm still looking for to this day.  The new Sabine Wren debuted the same week as the season three version of her costume.  The figure is based on the season two version.   Ah well.  It's still cool! You'll still want it.   Packed at one per case, along with Stormtrooper Kanan, I'm going to bet this is one you're going to want to snap up first.

Sabine Wren now stands above her previous figure.  Her colorful removable helmet makes her even taller.   She still has only five points of articulation, but sports a much more dynamic pose - this is sort of in line with what we got in 2002 with the "Saga" line.   Her right arm is posed down, casually.   Her left arm looks like it was posed to grip her blaster while it's still in her holster - very cool.  It seems that this is a "collector" figure, mostly due to the character and deco, but the pose is very non-traditional compared to the rest of this line so far.   She's more like a tiny statue developed on Hasbro's budget, even though her joints all work exquisitely.

When it comes to deco, the level of detail is much sharper than there are more paint applications than her previous outing.  They also changed her skin color, so she's not another white girl.  The hair fades form a dark bluish black color to the green tips, and the face is painted quite well.  Her lips and eyes don't quite pop like the art on the show, but she more or less looks like she should with the "5" on her shoulder, painted checkers on the shoulder armor, armor on the opposite shoulder painted with a small creature, a screen on her gauntlet, painted knee pads and gauntlets... they did a nice job.  They also didn't paint numerous elements, like the spots on the front of her boots and her elbow pads.   This is most likely due to making sure the figure comes in under budget, because the extra deco on the hair and helmet and everywhere else doesn't come cheap.  Maybe she stole a few pennies from the Stormtrooper and K-2SO.   But I digress - they did a nice job making a better figure with functioning holsters than last time.  I'm sure customizers with a magnifying glass could improve on her considerably, but Hasbro might find this a challenge even in The Black Series given just how much is going on here.

Both silver blasters fit in her hands and holsters without much fuss, but the thing Hasbro wants you to pay attention to is the "zipline" accessory.  It's OK - thematically appropriate, interesting, and creatively non-lethal in a line where "Wars" are the theme and 50% of the title.   The wrist bit is modeled after Boba Fett's gauntlet, with a string going through it sporting hooks on either end.   You can attach them to something, and she can slide down it to adventure or safety or whatever you so choose.   It's OK.   I like that it works, that it fits, and that she can carry it without tipping over.  I also love that it's recognizably Star Wars-y, which The Force Awakens' Combine weapons largely were not.  "It's a gun!"  "It's a claw!"  Who cares?   Giving Sabine a functional (and fun) accessory that looks like it belongs in this particular franchise was a good move.  I don't know if kids will find her to enjoy it, but I hope so - it's worthwhile.  And splendid.

Get yourself Sabine.  It's a girl figure, it's from a popular and unmerchandised facet of your hobby, and it's a Mandalorian.   Your skipping this figure for any reason other than budget means you are making a bad move.  This is the best 3 3/4-inch Sabine yet and by virtue of being wave 1 in a launch line, you might actually find her this time.  Do so.   Hopefully Hasbro can do a Season 3 version and a super-articulated one down the road, but I'm not holding my breath.   The Clone Wars toys petered out long before the show, much to my disappointment.  Rebels  has been delivering a pretty good (if small) selection of wonderful vehicles and very good figures, I hope they continue after the show's end.  I mean, who among us wouldn't want Hondo Ohnaka, a couple of Ugnaughts, or even another plain Stormtrooper or six?

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,290: October 13, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,289: Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot (Rogue One)

IMPERIAL TIE FIGHTER PILOT TIE Striker
Rogue One   Vehicle Pack-In
Item No.: No. B7105
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, 2 Nerf darts, TIE Striker
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $39.99
Availability: September 2016
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: A streamline variant of the classic TIE fighter, the TIE striker is used for atmospheric patrols over important ground-based Imperial installations.  The TIE striker's versato;e design also allows it to soar in space, where it can accompany traditional TIE fighters in chasing down enemy starships.  (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: Troopers and pilots are popular, but the Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot is an odd one in terms of revisions.  Despite being one of the figures released in the modern era  back in 1996, and despite over a dozen releases and variants, Hasbro hasn't done a super-articulated version or a completely new sculpt of the movie pilot since 2004.   That one kept getting tweaks like new legs and other alterations, but never a complete revision, and never ankles.  This new one?  No ankles.  It has 5 points of articulation, and the chest console is seemingly glued in place - mine was a smidgen off-center.  At first glance I thought it was a taller figure than the rest, but comparing it to the new Stormtrooper it's actually shorter - and a little plumper.

As one might hope, it can sit perfectly in the TIE Striker vehicle - even its new, strange update of the blaster mounts perfectly in the lid of the ship.   This is one of the reasons I'm not freaking out about the off-center console - we're probably going to see this figure again and again, now that Hasbro has it.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if it got packaged with new TIE variants, or maybe some day a 100%-new TIE Fighter - which, depending on how generous you're feeling, we really haven't had since the old days.   It's a much better pose than most of the pilots, and it'll look great on a shelf.  It's just going to stay in that pose, but given the shoulders and elbows of previous figures I'm actually not going to complain.

Deco is sharp - as is the texture.  The body suit is lovingly fabric-y, with creases and bumps that compliment the many pockets and patches.  Each shoulder gets an Empire symbol,  with the left arm getting some nice coloring and the chest having a nice big red square - a rarity on these figures.  I can only assume it's based on the flight uniforms we see (or don't see) in the new movie, and it doesn't seem to have any specific pilot markings to identify it with a tear or a stripe or other adornment.   This is a standard issue pilot.

Short of giving it grey gloves and boots - which, Hasbro, I would love you forever if you do - this is probably the closest looking and feeling TIE Pilot variant we have when trying to modernize the 1982 original.  I'd be beside myself with joy if Hasbro carded it individually in "Kenner colors" at some point, or just in the normal ones.  It's a nice pilot - it's a good trooper. The helmet and suit detailing look great, and the joints and pose show how far we've come since the good - but admittedly aging - 2004 figure came to be.  It lacks articulation, but it looks more authentic than any other pilot figure at this scale and it fits in the ship.  It works for me.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend getting the ship just for this figure, but it's a fantastically weird ship that looks like the missing link between the Revenge of the Sith Jedi Starfighter and the regular TIE Fighter.   It's also quite long.   Since I utterly love new vehicles, especially trilogy-era vehicles, you know I love it.  It doesn't do much other than shoot and flap its wings.  Oh, it can shoot - the green darts have quite a bit of range, and the toy can store 2 on each wing as well as one in the launcher.  It only includes two.   If the current going rate seems excessive, know that I paid that for a B-Wing in the box back in 1989 with a smile.   I love ships.  It's a shame we're only seeing (so far) 4 brand-new molds and of them only two are completely new vehicles, but I'll take 'em.  Heck if I know when the next time Hasbro will have a chance to give us new Rebel and Imperial craft.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,289: October 12, 2016