Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,477: Dewback with Sandtrooper (The Black Series 6-Inch)

SANDTROOPER with Dewback
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Deluxe Figures
Item No.: No. E0333
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #04
Includes: Lizard, trooper, prod, saddle, rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $59.99
Availability: April 2018
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Sandtroopers dispatched to desert worlds wear specialized gear and are nicknamed sandtroopers.  Sandtroopers ewar standard stormtrooper armor augmented with cooling units, a helmet sand filter, and a survival backpack with extra rations and water.  While hunting for the Death Star plans on Tatooine, sandtroopers used native dewbacks as mounts.  Rugged reptiles with thick hides, dewbacks are plodding but reliable mounts.   When prodded by their riders, they are capable of brief bursts of surprising speed.  (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: The Dewback with Sandtrooper is a must-have.  The trooper itself isn't the best thing you've ever seen, but it's good enough.  The Dewback seems like someone realized Hasbro was charging too much for the toy and decided to take full advantage of the price point with far more moving parts than you need.  The Han/Tauntaun and Luke/Wampa sets were $40 but you could see where Hasbro cut a few corners to deliver at the price - and they did a great job, too.   With the Dewback you can tell they just went for it, and we are all winners as a result.

The Sandtrooper is a new or changed mold, built on the design from the previous troopers.  This time it has a grey, dirty pauldron that matches the kinda weirdly dark brown stains on the armor.  The armor itself doesn't match the others - they're white, this is an off-white, almost pre-yellowed look.  The older Sandtroopers were stark, opaque things while this has a hint of transparency to it.  On a shelf together, this one looks like it doesn't quite fit - its joints are a little smoother and easier to manipulate, and the legs spread out a bit wider to fit on the saddle.  The fingers are incredibly tight, difficult to wrap around the bridle or a rifle.

The torso is sculpted a little differently here, with some elements being relocated or in different shapes.  Little circles are bigger, boxes are a bit more bulky.  It's not the same piece - but it's close.  The belt also looks a bit different, making this a surprisingly altered mold for some reason.  I don't know why they'd do it - it's better than the old one as range of motion goes, but only barely.     The decals on the helmet are changed a bit, with the cheek grey symbols having vents this time.  The black outline on the "ear" grey bits have been dropped.   I doubt you'd notice unless you live and breathe trooper variations, but this sort of thing and missing button deco on the ammo pouches are the kinds of things that stick out in a side-by-side comparison.

The Dewback itself is a bizarre triumph, mixing new and old versions of the creature.  There are jointed claws.  There are rocker ankles.  The front legs have lateral joints.  The tail moves.  The mouth opens, and there's an articulated tongue.  It's good.  The sculpted detail seems to lean heavily on the old Kenner toy with feet that don't quite seem to be the chicken legs of the special editions, but they don't match any existing incarnation perfectly.  It's a new thing, and it works - the head and the mouth are so close to the original Kenner toy and movie puppet that most fans are going to just love it in spite of the stubby tail and possibly truncated proportions.   It sort of hews close to Sideshow's design, but there's more going on here than that. 

The "hair" on the back isn't particularly convincing, but the overall design is good and I like it.   If you look at it as an interpretation of the movie creature rather than a perfect replica, it's a great display piece.  In an era that calls for extreme authenticity, I can see some may find this upsetting.  I dig it.  We're probably only going to get the one Dewback, and it's nice Hasbro worked with Lucasfilm to give us all something that tries to incorporate multiple designs in a single piece.   It's a weird creature, so it only makes sense that the toys continue to be a little strange too.  I like this bunches, and the sculpted scales are some of my favorite work on any Kenner or Hasbro toy.  And I've got a lot of Kenner and Hasbro toys.

It's cooler than the Speeders and meatier than the Wampa and Tauntaun.   When you get this in your hands, you can't help but be impressed by the abundance of scales and the  classic head design.  It's one of those toys that I could see being ran short and fans paying $100 for in a few years, happily, just because it's a substantially nice piece that you can play around with more than your average big creature.  Also: what wouldn't I give for a Bantha in this scale.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,477: April 30, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,476: Porgs (The Black Series 6-Inch)

PORGS Debut
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Scale Figures
Item No.: No. E4254
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #n/a
Includes: 2 Porgs
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: March 2018
Appearances: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Bio: Small.  Mimicking.  Mischievous.  (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: When a new Star Wars movie comes out, it seems more and more the film comes and goes with a lot of "what about that guy?" characters.   We got one lone 3 3/4-inch bird, and the 6-inch scale Porgs - which would have been a great accessory for Luke, Chewbacca, or Rey (or heck, R2-D2) - were announced as a late-addition one-off in a tiny box.  Tiny.  These little guys are about the size of a Minecraft or Bit Figs figure, and are priced similarly to Mattel's kid-driven mini-figures.    Typically random blind-boxed or capsule toy minis were anywhere from 25 cents to a dollar, while Hasbro and Mattel's would range from $1-$3.50.  Since these have paint and articulation, they cost a bit more - they're not bad.  They're just kind of ridiculous products that are hard to merchandise given there's no hang tag and the only place they'd really fit are in Target's seasonal Spring toy section.

Each figure is painted well, one has four points of articulation and is a total gem. The other is a slug figure and a bit of a bore.  I kind of wish Hasbro just put two of the  jointed one in the box - he has swivel legs and teeny-tiny ball joints for his wings.  These allow the wings to be out flapping or tucked in to the body.  Hasbro deserves massive credit for whoever cut the joints in this figure, it's not easy to do and it works nearly perfectly.  It stands, it flaps, it's adorable plus sports big black eyes and painted nostrils.  You'll even see painted claws on the tips of the webbed toes.   It's a tiny figure, and it's expensive for the size, but it's good.   It seems unlikely a better figure could be made at this size with current manufacturing techniques, and while a neck joint would be cool I assume you'd lose some of the pudgy look and stability.

Meanwhile, the "sitting" Porg looks great and has a cute pose.  It does nothing but sit - there are no joints, no feet.  It's a bowling pin.  Hasbro clearly put all the money in paint, ensuring the feathers look good even though they have a little less yellow. You can see specks and flecks in the fluff, and the expression is cute.  The painted mouth and nostrils look great, with rings of color subtly framing the eyes.

The tiny box is only barely larger than a box of raisins, making it the smallest packaging for The Black Series and one of the smallest Star Wars non-micro toy boxes of all time.  As of my writing this I don't know which stores will actually stock this tiny, oddly-shaped item but if you come across it?  Go ahead and get it. It's cute, it's neat.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,476: April 25, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,475: Range Trooper (The Black Series 6-Inch)

RANGE TROOPER Debut
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. B3834 No. E1204
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #64
Includes: Blaster Pistol
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: April 2018
Appearances: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Bio: The Imperial expansion requires the settlement of vital operations on remote outpost worlds.  These frntier Stormtroopers form the bckbone of stubborn defense against would-be thieves or pirates.  (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: The last figure I opened was the Range Trooper.  As of my writing this, I don't know what his deal is other than he looks like an upgraded Snowtrooper, which seems backward given the movie takes place before their first appearance.  The chest armor and kama look similar to the 1980 movie's Hoth soldiers, but the other elements pull from a variety of inspirations.  That helmet looks like some of the variants we've seen in Rogue One and Revenge of the Sith.  It's the first figure I've seen with a gold visor, and the code cylinders on his arms also seem like something I've never seen on a trooper before.  This looks more like a customized leader than a rank-and-file cannon fodder type, mostly because of things like that.  It has more personality than most troopers this side of the Grand Army of the Republic.

There's a big furry collar that sits over his shoulders, and there's an indentation behind his helmet that looks like a plastic one could have been glued there at one point.  I could see it fitting in - and it might have looked cool.  The faux-wool-lined "skirt" looks great, with some of the best soft and furry texturing we've seen on this scale of figure.  Padded layers, scuffs, and dirt indicate the trooper may have seen some action, with boots that look like some sort of cybernetic enhancement.  This makes them a little less stable as feet, but the boxy boots look different than anything we've seen on a humanoid Star Wars figure so far.  They're also, sadly, clean and kind of boring in terms of deco.  Scuffed paint or elements of grease would be cool, just to give us an idea of what they are and how they work.  Little blue and red marks near the calf muscle look neat, but are easy to miss.

Articulation is fine, but with a bulky figure he doesn't benefit from the range of motion on Han or Lando.  Rather, the arms do get to bend more than the usual 90 degrees, but only just barely.   The kama restricts leg movement, and the arms' bulk prevent it from looking cool when double-gripping the variant Stormtrooper blaster.   You can get cool poses out of this guy, but it's not all it could be.   I love its personality and general vibe, but it's not as finger-friendly as the other figures from the wave.  Once I get a decent pose, I don't want to mess with it.  Other figures seem to offer a lot of great options, while this one just isn't as well-crafted in terms of articulation.  Deco and sculpting are still good, but the design may be at fault for making it less fun than young Han Solo, and I don't even assume I'm going to love young Han Solo once I see the movie.  I hope so, though!

It's good enough.  If you're looking for amazing, look elsewhere - the budget went in to making you a good-looking figure.  It's just not a lot of fun.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,475: April 23, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,474: Grand Moff Tarkin (The Black Series 6-Inch)

GRAND MOFF TARKIN Bigger
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. B3834 No. E1202
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #63
Includes: IT-0 Interrogation Droid
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: April 2018
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: An ambitious, ruthless proponent of military power, Wilhuff Tarkin became a favorite of Emperor Palpatine and rose rapidly through the Imperial ranks.  (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: You need to get Grand Moff Tarkin. 

...oh I need to write more?  Very well.  Reusing arms and legs from Grand Admiral Thrawn, Tarkin makes good use of Hasbro's new facial printing technique to get an increasingly lifelike look on this Peter Cushing figure.    The outfit is more grey than green, and just feels "right."  The only things I don't love - the figure doesn't include the better-range elbows we got on New Han and New Lando, and there are pin holes in his pants that are a little unsightly.  Otherwise?  Exquisite.  The new facial printing makes up for a lot, and if Hasbro reissued the first few years of main characters with the new face paint you'd buy them all over again.  Seriously, who wouldn't throw down $20 for a revised Harrison Ford or Carrie Fisher?

26 meaningful points of articulation await you, but he's not going to sit.  So far that isn't a problem, the lack of playsets or vehicles for figures means they're just going to stand around and look cool.  Tarkin can be posed to look down at Leia, or posed gesturing to his crew.  He's posed so he can hold a blaster, but includes no such weapon.  He's even got separate trigger fingers if you're so inclined to give him a gun, but it's also kind of fascinating to think of what this means.  For years we've been trained to expect almost every action figure has a gun or a sword - some weapon, anyway.   Tarkin doesn't. He's a bad guy who's old, grey, and intimidating as Hell.   He has an extra accessory, but it's almost a separate figure - the man himself has everything he needs to impose his vision of order right in that head of his.  The likeness is stupendous, and while I assume Hasbro will have a better version in 20 years this i right up there with the high-end figures.   Or rather, it's probably the best I could possibly imagine getting from an American toy company at any price, let alone about $20.

The bonus droid is a fine bonus, but it's not perfect.  Comparing it to the movie prop, a lot of deco is missing - some of which is pretty significant. The tools are rounded off or generally altered, shortened, or simplified.  The syringe is all silver now, with no clear.  The tongs are loops.    It's good enough, but if someone got a license for high-end 1:12-scale replica parts this is something that could benefit from a do-over with differing safety standards and budgets.  I'm not saying it's worth $20, but it might be if you want perfection.  As a bonus with a $20 figure, it has a clear stand and a jointed base for "posing."  It's really good, but a few pennies of paint this could've been way cooler.

This is a figure for collectors, and you collectors are going to dig this.  I'm sure it could be more perfect, but for the price point and overall quality I'm impressed.  It's a real honest-to-goodness nearly perfect take on the character, and I'm glad he turned out well enough where I doubt any of us are going to demand a do-over.   Pink slippers joke for SDCC goes here.   Anyway, get one if you see it.  Even if it's a few bucks extra, just get it.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,474: April 18, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,473: Han Solo (Solo, The Black Series 6-Inch)

HAN SOLO Solo Edition
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. B3834 No. E1200
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #62
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: April 2018
Appearances: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Bio:  Han Solo reinvents himself after leaving behind his old life.  Now, Solo is growing increasingly comfortable traveling with law-benders and scoundrels.  (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: Given the hubbub about Han Solo it remains to be seen if this is going to be a big deal.  If the movie is good, his higher casepack means you'll be glad you can get him.  If not... well, Rogue Redux I guess.   What we have here is an excellent action figure of a popular character, but even in a good year classic Han Solo isn't the draw it once was.   There's a reason he wasn't in rotation all the time, and now we're seeing him as the focus.  Is this a good thing?  It might be.  I hope it is.  Please buy stuff.

Han is a good figure - it looks like Alden Ehrenreich in a Han Solo-esque outfit.  The vest and jacket are gone, as is the 1990s licensing mantra of "Han Wears Black."  (See: Galoob products, 1995-1998.)  The shirt is black, the jacket is brown, and there are shoulder patches.  It looks pretty cool - and he can hold his blaster, or you can put it in the familiar holster, on the familiar pants, with familiar boots.  From the waist up, he looks like a whole new man.  From the waist down, you've seen figures like this before.   The sculpting is really sharp, but the Ehrenreich likeness is pretty impressive.  Sure, I've only seen him in Hail, Caesar! but this looks a lot like the singing cowboy doofus I remember and the smuggler I'll see in about a month.   The new printing technology is pretty great, with shiny eyes and a soft-but-good printed-on likeness on a great sculpt.  It's so good, I'd say it adds fuel to the fire of the long-running rumor of Kenner and Hasbro's Harrison Ford likenesses being intentionally iffy due to how contracts were signed.   If things can get this perfect, Hasbro either needs to go  back and try again or come clean about how these are off for a reason.  I know faces are hard to capture properly, but New Han and New Lando are astonishing.

What I found particularly amazing on these figures were the elbows, which have an increased bend compared to even some of the double-jointed elbow figures of old.   Hasbro really did a bang-up job making these figures look awesome when you pose them, no doubt influenced by other similarly sized products from Japan.   If Hasbro can give you a better product at a fraction of the price, their future just got a little bit brighter - as long as they can keep the reins on which characters get made and what the market wants as far as quantities go.  There are stories there.  Hopefully they will share them some day.

Han's blaster looks like Han's blaster, so you get everything you as someone who has not seen the new movie should expect.  It's a good likeness, with good articulation, good paint, and good sculpting.   It may not be 100% true to the final movie, as these figures were pretty much designed prior to the current director coming on board.  With reshoots, things may have changed - I don't know.  I just know what I see is good, and hopefully what we see in the theaters will be equally good.  If you've got cash burning a hole in your pocket, you should get one of these.  Now I want a matching new Chewbacca, please and thank you.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,473: April 16, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,472: Lando Calrissian (Solo, The Black Series 6-Inch)

LANDO CALRISSIAN Solo Edition
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. B3834 No. E1206
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #65
Includes: Scarf, cape, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: April 2018
Appearances: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Bio:  Smooth and sophisticated, Captain Lando Calrissian stands ready to retire from the life of a smuggler and instead become a full-time gambler (or "sportsman," as he calls it), shuffling from card game to card game across the galaxy.  (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 Wookiee Weekend!   I guess!  Whatever that means!

I really didn't give a hoot about Untitled Han Solo Movie until I heard they cast Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian.  He was a good comedy writer, and on Community.  And Atlanta was great.  Plus those Childish Gambino records were pretty great.   Unfortunately, it is not his movie - that honor belongs to Han Solo, and it doesn't seem anybody particularly cares about him just yet.   This includes retailers, as the only big store to do brick-and-mortar midnight for these movies is going out of business.   Early reaction seems to be indifference or exhaustion, which is sort of how a lot of everybody feels about current affairs in general.  It's just too much, even when it's awesome - and this figure is awesome.  (That's why we're looking at him first.)

When Glover was campaigning for Spider-Man, I thought "Oh cool, I'd buy an unmasked Spidey of that."   Instead we got Lando - which is better if you're more of a space fan than a cape fan.   Now in bright yellow with a scarf and cape and really awesome hair, Lando is just friggin' awesomer than ever.  The black cape has blue lining and a glossy collar.  The outfit has a black flap and pocket, with pants that look fairly similar to his Cloud City outfit.  The big silver blaster is new and fits in his holster fairly well, while the face sculpt and deco is a vast improvement over most figures Hasbro has done.  The scruff and facial hair look really good, and he has eerie glossy eyes and an arched eyebrow.  And awesome sideburns.  And a striped scarf.   And a red-and-orange striped belt.  The figure is really the first, best look I've had at the costume so I can only assume that it's accurate to the film and will probably unironically serve as a men's fashion template in the next 6-12 months.

The figure's engineering is slightly improved over older figures, and this seems to be the new normal.  The elbow cuts are a bit deeper so you can get more than a 90-degree bend in them.  This means they can point the gun up with the arm itself facing mostly down.  It looks and works better than some of those double-jointed elbows a few years ago, with the legs having a decent amount of forward mobility.  Rocker ankles and bend-and-swivel wrists remain fantastic, and I still had the mid-torso cut joint.  From the cut up, it's yellow plastic.  From the cut down, it's painted.  This is not appropriate.  The match is close, but if things discolor with age it's going to look like garbage.

The pistol is a new design with a removable silencer - or barrel extension - or whatever it is.  I didn't realize until I put it in the holster and I tried to fish it out.   It's a fun surprise, sort of.  I'm not a big fan of "undocumented features" when they could be called out on the packaging or used in the marketing, especially if they could result in customer confusion or lost pieces.

Hasbro's new facial printing technique seems to look even better under the scrutiny of a camera's macro setting, so what you have here is a pretty fantastic figure.  I don't know if you need it - but I'm pretty pleased as punch to have it and I can't wait to crack open the 3 3/4-inch one.   If the movie looks as good as the action figures, I will be very happy.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,472: April 13, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,471: Rey (Crait Defense, The Last Jedi Line Look)

REY Crait Defense
The Last Jedi Home Video Battle on Crait 4-Pack
Item No.:    No. E0321
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 figures, 4 blasters, poncho, lightsaber, staff
Action Feature: Force Link sounds
Retail: $24.99
Availability: February 2018
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: At long last, Rey has found Luke Skywalker, the last Jedi Master in the Galaxy.   Hoping to find a hero of legend, she must unlearn what she has learned as Skywalker challenges her expectations.  (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:  "Just different to make you mad" has been a recurring theme here, especially since 2005 when Hasbro put a lot of toys in circulation in a short period of time.  And again in 2006.   And again in 2007.   "The same figure with dirt on its shoes" was a common thing, and this Rey does it with salt.  She's pretty much the same as Rey (Jedi Training) [FOTD #2,445], the made-in-China figure with less hip movement and better accessory detailing.    Love how her face is painted, it's a lot sharper and has a lot more personality than the single-carded Rey from last year.

Deco is sharp but it's pretty much the same as the carded figure, save for batch changes and one added point of decoration - salty boots.  Inspired by Bolivia, Rey has white on her shoes.   That's why this one is special - we've seen the same thing with R2-D2, Chewbacca, C-3PO, Darth Vader, and we've seen grass stains on Stormtroopers too.   I realize many may furrow their brow, but I applaud Hasbro for having actually made it different.   For the last two films, we got a Rey and a Jyn that looked pretty much the same.  This is not fun nor is it terribly interesting.   While I'd rather have a new figure, that wasn't an option.  A change beats no change, variations may not always be exciting but I'll take any sort of change rather than a third nearly identical Rey.   She's the least interesting part of the boxed set, but at least she is a little bit different.   If you see this set in a store, go ahead and snag one.  You're worth it.  For $25ish, the set is too.

Packaging Notes: This is a good box.   The footprint is the same as the previous Disney movie 4-packs, which were designed to be the same size as the digital download boxes a few years ago so a fan could collect them all on a shelf together.  This isn't widely promoted.  The box itself is much better than the rest of the 3 3/4-inch figure line, with a much better use of the space.  The back has bios for all four figures in multiple languages along with shots of figures that show them with (or without) their accessories, and there's no big use of white space like on the Kohl's set.  Hasbro did a great job here.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,471: April 11, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,470: First Order Walker Driver (The Last Jedi Line Look)

FIRST ORDER WALKER DRIVER Crait Defense
The Last Jedi Home Video Battle on Crait 4-Pack
Item No.:    No. E0321
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 figures, 4 blasters, poncho, lightsaber, staff
Action Feature: Force Link sounds
Retail: $24.99
Availability: February 2018
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: The First Order unleashes armored walkers into combat, manned by a crew of specialists coordinating the movements of the complex vehicles.  (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:  The one bad thing about The Force Awakens being the trooper-iest movie in years is that The Last Jedi is a snooze by comparison.   The First Order Walker Driver is a new mold, but it's clearly derived from the First Order Snowtrooper sculpt we got several times since 2015.  It's not bad - it's just similar. 

The 5-jointed figure has a remarkably smooth neck ball joint and decent swivels at the shoulders and hips.  He can sit well - which would be great, had Hasbro made that Gorilla Walker from The Last Jedi.   The shiny white helmet is great, and the grey looks cool - not unlike the Coruscant Clone Troopers.   He's missing a flourish on the left shoulder, and possibly a few other details.  The pouches are off to the sides rather than the front of the hips, most likely to allow for easier leg movement. (I approve.)  He has no problems standing and looks perfectly fine.

I love that it's not identical to a figure I have, but I admit that it's close.  I would have loved a wholly new design with a new helmet or new colors - sort of like the AT-AT Driver looked vaguely like a white TIE Fighter pilot - but such is life.  Maybe Abrams and friends will dump new troopers galore on us for the next entry.   This figure is perfectly good - but not exciting.  Hasbro did a good job executing it, it's just kind of a boring design and that's no fault of the big H.

Packaging Notes: This is a good box.   The footprint is the same as the previous Disney movie 4-packs, which were designed to be the same size as the digital download boxes a few years ago so a fan could collect them all on a shelf together.  This isn't widely promoted.  The box itself is much better than the rest of the 3 3/4-inch figure line, with a much better use of the space.  The back has bios for all four figures in multiple languages along with shots of figures that show them with (or without) their accessories, and there's no big use of white space like on the Kohl's set.  Hasbro did a great job here.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,470: April 9, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,469: Rose (Crait Defense, The Last Jedi Line Look)

ROSE Crait Defense
The Last Jedi Home Video Battle on Crait 4-Pack
Item No.:    No. E0321
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 figures, 4 blasters, poncho, lightsaber, staff
Action Feature: Force Link sounds
Retail: $24.99
Availability: February 2018
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: Part of the support crew that keeps the Resistance starfighters flying, Rose has hated the First Order since she was a child.  Now able to fight back against the enemy, Rose keeps her focus on her mission.  (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:  The costuming in The Last Jedi really strikes me as odd - some people wear the same clothes as the last movie, some change in front of our very eyes! The Rose (Crait Defense) figure wears the poncho we saw in the Resistance Ski Speeder at the end of the movie, and by that I mean you didn't notice it at all.   She went from a yellow speed suit to a First Order officer disguise to this.  Well, it's basically the disguise - her boots and pants are First Order-issue, while the white undershirt was probably there the whole time.  Why the poncho?  I have no idea.  Modesty?

The poncho is brown with little slices in it so she can swing her arms forward.  Each arm has a jointed wrist, and they're small hands unlike the meat paws we're used to getting.  She can hold her blaster easily, and it's a gunmetal silver take on the black ones we got with the yellow outfit figures.   The plastic poncho - oh, how I wish it was cloth - comes off when you pop her head off.   Underneath you can see her necklace, and she looks great.  Nothing looks too out of whack, the head sculpt is good, and the deco is as it should be.  What's better, she can sit!  The legs can swing forward and don't stop at some weird angle.  The hair is great, the face deco is wonderful, and she delivers a decent figure experience.  I'm amazed they bothered to make this costume, and I assume they were hedging their bets that she might be a phenomenon.  Like the movie, Rose seems to have received mixed reactions.  I enjoyed seeing her on-screen, even if she and Finn were dorks.

Hasbro did a good job with the figures in this line, even if you don't love the character choices.  The texture is good, te paint is sharp, and the likenesses are so good you have to assume someone forgot to tick a box to get Harrison Ford's face 30 years ago as the reason they all look... close.  But not exact.  This is a good set for the money, and a last hurrah for the line's retail support as it transitions to Force Link 2.0.  

Packaging Notes: This is a good box.   The footprint is the same as the previous Disney movie 4-packs, which were designed to be the same size as the digital download boxes a few years ago so a fan could collect them all on a shelf together.  This isn't widely promoted.  The box itself is much better than the rest of the 3 3/4-inch figure line, with a much better use of the space.  The back has bios for all four figures in multiple languages along with shots of figures that show them with (or without) their accessories, and there's no big use of white space like on the Kohl's set.  Hasbro did a great job here.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,469: April 4, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,468: Vendor Droid (Gold, Droid Factory)

VENDOR DROID Gold
Star Tours   Droid Factory Customizable Figure
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney?
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Removable limbs
Retail: $12.95
Availability: April 2017
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: The CZ-series communications/business droid was a droid series produced by Serv-O-Droid, Inc. The CZ-series was released as Serv-O-Droid began to wane in its position as a dominant droid manufacturer.   (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Commentary:  The new head! The Gold Vendor Droid needs to be reviewed - along with other droids - because that's why we're here.  I know that.  We've got a job to do!

The dull gold finish is nice, with a C-3PO body in this sample being the vehicle for a newish head.  The gold head looks good with yellow eyes and a silver... visor?  Price scanner?  What is that, anyway?     The can head with a partial dustbuster hat is sort of out of place, but it's not like anyone has been good at giving us new droids in any sort of realistic style lately.

I appreciate that Disney used the best super-articulated build-a-droid tooling available, but a few months in to having this I wish they made something new, cheaper, and simpler because what the heck do I need ankles for on these guys?  5 joints would have been great, particularly given the dozens of combinations you can build from these parts.   It's a good, sturdy figure with more articulation than any of the main characters in the main line from the last three movies, so... that's where we're at now.   It's a great way to populate the bases they don't make or the vehicles nobody is doing, and being an "animated" figure it has less of a place in any existing collection.  It's a cool souvenir, but it's solely for the crazy collector person.  You know, like me.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney Hollywood Studios.   Thanks Shannon!

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,468: April 2, 2018