Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,546: Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard, The Black Series 6-Inch)

LANDO CALRISSIAN (Skiff Guard)
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. B3834 No. E1214
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #76
Includes: Pike, helmet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: October 2018
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: Once a smooth-talking smuggler, Lando Calrissian changed from a get-rich-quick schemer to a selfless leader in the fight against the Empire.  When his old friend Han was held captive in the palace of Jabba the Hutt, Lando joined Princess Leia in a mission to rescue him from certain demise.  (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: For the first time in a while, Hasbro decided Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) doesn't need a blaster.   This one is more in line with my memories of the 1983 original, with a helmet and a nifty bladed weapon.  I saw a guy make replicas of these in the 1990s, and said that the pommel or butt or whatever at the bottom of the staff was cut-up soda bottles from the 1980s.  He sure could make some cool stuff out of old garbage - but I digress.  This is not garbage.  Hasbro seemingly can't make anything worse than "pretty good," with this Lando figure being timed to come out after the costume had a cameo in Solo: A Star Wars Story as something Tobias Beckett tossed on when at Kessel.  We saw Lando wear it in Jabba the Hutt's palace in Return of the Jedi.

This recreates his old costume nicely - there's an armored bracelet on the right wrist, a smattering of soot and dirt, yet the pants are white and completely clean.  I don't know about you, but when I wear nice pants in a light color they're the first things to get dirty.  Hasbro has decorated its Siege toys from Transformers similarly - curious applications of grime all around. There are signs of wrinkles and wear, with an exquisitely decorated helmet.  You can slide it down a bit so your audience can see who is wearing it.  With tusks, spikes, and painted rivets, it's great.  I'm sure there's some high-end version that's better, but this is the very best Skiff Lando helmet I've ever owned.

Articulation is pretty impressive, as the flesh neck can rotate at the base where it meets the body and at the skull.  The elbow on one of mine had some excess plastic that had to be removed, as it was hindering movement. I assume that's a one-off, though.  He has no real problems getting both hands on the pike, provided the elbows are clear of that material.  One hand has a trigger finger sculpted for a blaster, so if you get a spare gun you can always give it to him to display on that 6-inch Skiff Hasbro will never make.

The Billy Dee Williams likeness is also excellent.  The face is a little less glossy than previous "hyper real" releases, but the eyes still have a nice shine to them.  Detail is a little soft, but the facial detail is printed on with a newish process that kicked off in 2018.  This is a good one, and another entry to that too-small group of figures that fit in Jabba's throne room.   I hope we see some more soon!

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,546: December 27, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,545: R4-H18 (Droid Factory Line Look)

R4-H18 Disney Parks Christmas Exclusive
Star Wars Disney Droid Factory
Item No.: No. ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Bar tray with removable drinks
Action Feature: Pops apart
Retail: $12.99
Availability: October 2018
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 droid faithfully serves the elite guests at the casino city known as Canto Bight.  Join R3-H18 on his adventures 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:  Merry Giftsmas!  I got myself R4-H18 a few weeks ago, the latest of the in-universe additions to Disney's merchandise galaxy.   This little fellow is a redeco of the R4 mold we've been getting for years in a milky clear plastic with silver highlights.  It's festive - sort of like a snowflake, or an undesirable replacement shell for a GameBoy.   It's ghostly, ethereal, and mildly angelic.  It isn't Star Warsy, but it's weird and I'll take weird these days.  Disney has delivered the goods with most of its droids as of late, with things that look like candy, or glow in the dark, or just plain look awesome.  This one is fine.  It's not amazing.

The figure has the same articulation and swappable parts as all the rest.  Thanks to dome clearance issues, you won't have it standing while wearing both the drink harness and third leg.  The cups are all removable, and look like candles or Christmas lights.  The fit is tight, but the motif is cute enough.  I almost wish they saved the whole lights thing for a tree-themed droid, but it still works.  The figure is pretty lacking in color otherwise.

I won't lie to you - this is not my favorite holiday droid.  I'd go as far to say that it would be skippable were it not for the fact it's the only time I've seen this color of plastic on a Star Wars figure.  If you have dozens or hundreds of droids, this is one more - it won't change your life, it's not a character from the films, but you can buy it and put it on a shelf if you like.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from some guy on eBay.  The going rate seems to hover around $20 delivered shortly after release - it's a bit of a mark-up for a $13 droid, but tax + shipping is pretty close to that. Also just parking at Disneyland is enough to make me say "$20 it is."

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,545: December 25, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,544: Jawa (Droid Factory Line Look)

JAWA with Sandcrawler
Star Wars Disney Droid Factory
Item No.: No. ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Sandcrawler, blaster, Gonk Droid figure
Action Feature: Holster
Retail: $99.99
Availability: September 2018
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Jawas were a sentient species of meter-tall humanoids native to the Outer Rim desert world of Tatooine.   (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  I was having a hard time deciding which quote to start this with, so I'll give you two.  Luke Skywalker: "What a piece of junk!"  Ken Masters: "I have proven the difference between us: you just suck."  I have bought every Jawa made in the 3 3/4-inch scale, including saving up and blowing a handsome sum to get the vinyl cape one back in the 1990s.   This new Jawa is a bad Disney copy of the 2015 The Black Series figure from Hasbro.  That one had a 2-pack of Jawas with above average articulation with amazing textured detail and awesome sculpting.  This one has residue of that articulation - you still get swivel wrists, but also the worst shoulder joints on a 3 3/4-inch scale figure that don't look good and don't quite come down.  The legs don't move - not a big deal - but you get vestigial joints on the elbows. You can see were the joints were, but Disney was too cheap to tell the factory to sculpt them over to look good. The texturing looks a lot worse, and the plastic feels harder and cheaper.  It's not quite a slug figure, but Disney clearly spent no expense in making this item.  I assume they would believe any hardcore fan already has a dozen Jawas (or more) to populate the vehicle, so this under-decorated sloppy piece of junk is just one more for the army.

The blaster slides in the holster, and the very loose wrists have no problems holding it either.   Details on the bandolier are bulky and muddled, like a copy of a copy.  This is a figure that looks like it suffered generation loss from someone making a mold of a production figure, and then making a mold of that.    I should say something nice about this one.  The head is nice - the wrappings are subtle and the yellow eyes peer out from the hood nicely. The hood is also unique, but looks like it was a bad toy from years gone by.  Even vintage Kenner stuff didn't look this awkward.

I generally don't dump on Disney figures because there's no reason for it.  This one is weak, a perfectly fine addition to the back of the vehicle or someone to hide in the driver's area.  I've seen better, and so have you.  Kenner's vintage 1978 Jawa was better.  Kenner's 2-pack from 1996 was better, with superior texturing and better shoulders.   There's no Jawa I wouldn't rather have than this one.   For a first attempt it'd be acceptable, but after 40 years we've seen better and leaving in remainders of excised articulation is just plain sloppy.  This is why you need a humorless jerk in the licensing approval department to do the bare minimum of criticism of any consumer product, rather than someone rubber-stamping something for their own theme park.   I can accept errors in the form of editorial control, like a wrong color or someone fudging a rarely-seen part of a costume.  Beat leaving on landmarks from an old Hasbro figure?   You can do better, Disney.  And if you can't... well.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from ShopDisney.
--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,544: December 20, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,543: Gonk Droid (Droid Factory Line Look)

GONK DROID with Sandcrawler
Star Wars Disney Droid Factory
Item No.: No. ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Sandcrawler, Jawa figure
Action Feature: Removable hatch reveals interior
Retail: $99.99
Availability: September 2018
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: The GNK-series power droid, also known as the gonk droid, was a type of well-known power droid manufactured by Industrial Automaton that used binary codes. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  Disney manufactured toys with Hasbro at one point, but now seems to have no problem either borrowing tooling or copying figures and making new ones with quality ranging from decent to knock-off.  This Gonk Droid comes with the Sandcrawler Playset and is actually pretty great.  It copies the Target-exclusive brown Power Droid from a few years ago, giving you a similar appearance with slightly different engineering.  That figure had bend-and-swivel legs and ankles.  This new one has swinging legs like the 1979 Power Droid, and you can see traces of where the joints were on the sculpt. Clearly, they copied Hasbro's work and didn't do a good job cleaning it up. (The companion Jawa does this much worse.)

Aside form the weirdness of the copy, it's a good figure. The cables on the legs are different, and some of the interior details are different.   Also, both the "dome" of the droid and its interior have small holes inside for compatibility with things like Disney hats and the Sandcrawler's own grappling arm accessory.  It's a clean figure, painted in the 1999 CommTech Power Droid's colors.     I like how they copied most of the greebles, but the placements and sizes frequently change.  You'll even see some added color in the interior of its head, which was a real stunner.  Why add paint and sculpted bits on the hidden part of the toy?  It's weird, but a nice change of pace since Disney's droids tend to drop detail compared to Hasbro counterparts.  I'd say this is a lateral move - it's different enough to be interesting and worth your while.

You will want this droid.  The Sandcrawler it comes with is no slouch, and if Disney sold it alone for $10-$13 I'd still recommend it. (Confidential to Disney - put it on a Vintage-style cardback in 1979 Kenner colors. Hasbro can't be bothered, so please fill the void and do this one. Thank you.)   I like how this figure changes things up a bit, but the vestigial articulation sculpt marks makes me feel that it's at least a little pathetic.   Granted, you won't be looking for those, nor will any children that receive this figure in the behemoth that is Disney's Sandcrawler.   Get the whole box if you can - and prepare to hate the Jawa.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from ShopDisney.
--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,543: December 18, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,542: Kylo Ren (Solo: A Star Wars Story line look)

KYLO REN Cape and Helmet
Solo: A Star Wars Story Force Link 2.0 Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. E0323  No. E1244
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: September 2018
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: Kylo Ren, a Force-sensitive human male, was the Supreme Leader of the First Order and Master of the Knights of Ren during the era of the New Republic.  (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  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!

Commentary:  This is a weird one.  Kylo Ren in today's review is the Force Link 2.0 carded release - and it's dang near identical to the Force Link 1.0 pack-in figure from last year.  You can get that one at Ross for a couple of bones, this one has a different sound chip and a green symbol on the foot.  Is it worth it?  I guess?    It has a cape, a helmet, and a lightsaber making it a unique configuration until The Last Jedi figures if you missed it before.

Rilo Kiley has an issue being weighted forward a bit, meaning the cape helps keep him standing upright.  Our not-hero has 5 points of articulation and feels pretty sturdy.  I like how Hasbro made the figure with minimal paint applications - there's the silver on the helmet, the belt buckle, and some gloss on the boots. And that's it.  Figures like this make me think Hasbro could do a "low cost" figure assortment with unpainted or lightly painted figures some day, which would be a change compared to today where the assortment price comes out of a target cost of an average of the figures in the assortment.   Really good figures - like Ephant Mon - cost Hasbro a bit more, so seeing them create this line with a moonshot program of a $5 or $6 retail could be awesome for all of us. (This won't happen.)

This is a good figure with plenty of sculpted detail, whose only real problem is being a figure you may have bought, with a Force Link band, at a lower price, last year.  I love the clean paint job, the wonderful textures, and the pose is no stinker. A wrist joint would be nice, but since his hands match his arms it doesn't make sense for Hasbro to do one in the context of cost.  As of right now, Kylo Ren is one of the most fascinating characters in the saga - a bad guy, a little good, seemingly written as a weird wink and a nod to old-school fans while carrying political weight due to the iconography and the company he keeps.  How will he shake out in 2019? I can't wait to find out.


Force Link 2.0 Notes: "The darkness in me grows stronger." "I will let nothing stand in our way." "I know what I have to do."  Lightsaber hums, clashes, and bolts.  It's a good one.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,542: December 13, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,541 L3-37 (Solo: A Star Wars Story line look)

L3-37 Elite
Solo: A Star Wars Story Force Link 2.0 Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. E0323  No. E1684
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: October 2018
Appearances: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Bio: L3-37, abbreviated L3, or Elthree, or Vuffi, was a feminine custom self-made piloting droid associated with Lando Calrissian who was active during the reign of the Galactic Empire. She was a one-of-a-kind droid, assembling and improving herself with scraps of other droids,[7] including her torso, which she pieced together from an old astromech. Her brain module began as part of an R3-series astromech droid, including data from an espionage droid, custom coding and protocol droid processors.  (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  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!

Commentary:  I know not everybody loved - or saw - Solo: A Star Wars Story, but scheduling it strangely has given in the benefit of a longer tail at retail than most of the other movies.   We're actually getting all of the planned figures (that I know of, anyway) and seeing L3-37 in stores rather than being sold only overseas or as an online exclusive is a net positive.  Well, maybe not for my business, but my goal in life is to see you get the toys you want - and this time, you should be able to get this one.  According to Blu-Ray bonus features, this droid was a self-modified astromech.  Details from reference guide state her guts are R3 modules, with her arms, legs, and torso all seeming to contain cannibalized astromech parts.  She's also kind of a snot, which is in line with R2-D2 and other tiny robots.

This is a weird figure - her legs have wires hanging down with tabs that fit in slots, but were not glued in.  As such they hang strangely.  Legs swing forward like vintage 1970s Kenner action figures, and the arms also swing forward.  The head has two joints - one on the torso, another at the base of the skull - making it a simple-but-good figure.  She stands, she sits, she comes without weapons - it's a decent figure that could have benefitted a bit from more paint.

I love the design.  Droids that look like they came from a pile of junk hold more than a little appeal to me, and being able to examine her and recognize elements from other robot designs as well as old tech? What a treat!  Her eye looks a little like an old floppy disk drive, and I love how she seems like a remix of off-the-shelf parts.

It's rare that we get cool new droid figures.   Seeing a new design of a new character that's not just a previous droid with a new head or in new colors feels like a cause for celebration, so I'm really happy Hasbro got her out for all of us.  The ramshackle design is the kind of thing that reeks of Star Wars, but then again all of the designs in this movie looked like they belonged in a galaxy far, far away... and my toy box.   Kudos to Hasbro for sticking with it and getting us pretty much all the major players in 3 3/4-inch, and if they'd like to throw a few more our way I'd be happy to pick them up.  I'd also buy another one if we get a "Vintage" one, but for now this makes me very happy.


Force Link 2.0 Notes: "You're beginning to entertain my servos." "Don't just blindly follow the program!" "Rise up my droid bretheren!" "Execute a little free will?"  "Resist the oppressors!  Argh!"  Explosion sounds.  This is one of the very best sound chips - get yourself a Force Link 2.0 reader (on clearance) for this one.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,541: December 11, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,540: Range Trooper (The Vintage Collection)

RANGE TROOPER More Joints
The Vintage Collection Action Figures
Item No.: Asst. E0370  No. E1649
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #124
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: August 2018
Appearances: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Bio: Range troopers were a specialized variant of the Galactic Empire's stormtroopers. They were equipped with helmets similar in design to both the Imperial combat assault tank pilot's and Coastal defender stormtrooper's helmets, heavy armor with fur and a chestplate much like that of cold weather assault stormtroopers, and were armed with E-10R blaster rifles.  (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  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!

Commentary:  I like this Range Trooper a bunch - the 3 3/4-inch scale The Vintage Collection figure is both more and less authentic than the 6-inch version that came out with the movie.   I'm surprised- the blaster matches the uglier on-screen white blaster, which is no doubt this color thanks to Disney's desire to sell authentic and legal replicas of on-screen firearms.  The deco is quite nice, and largely matches the illustration on the packaging. The layer of filth and wear seems appropriate to the smaller scale, with signs being rubbed down by a mittenful of the deadly yellow snow.  Some of it seems to be natural wear, and other areas were rubbed in with a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area.

The one area the 5-jointed figure tops this one are the boots.  The Force Link one has some dirt baked in, while the Vintage one is totally clean.  On the other hand, the vintage one has deco o the thigh straps and more painted lights on the boots and chest.  Both figures were clearly derived from the same digital reference file, and for that reason the army builders out there will undoubtedly want some of each to mix up their Vandor-1 displays.

The figure enjoys enhanced articulation, with the thigh cuts and lateral hips you've come to love. The coat has a little flex to it, so you can get him to do some posing. Just not a lot. The arms hold the blaster nicely, and the wrists are well-jointed too.  He won't be sitting, but I assume I probably will need to get over the fact that this isn't a priority for Hasbro and other collectors as much as it is for me.  This is a figure that has a great range of movement and looks awesome on its orange-backed packaging, but you're not going to cram it in a MTV-7 without a fight.      Given that fans that saw the Force Link 2.0 Range Trooper mistook it for a Vintage figure at first, you may not necessarily need both versions - but they're different enough to add something to your dioramas and displays.  I'm happy to have both, thanks to the differing levels of the deadly yellow snow crystals on the costume.  I'm glad it exists.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,540: December 6, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,539: Han Solo (Vandor-1, Solo: A Star Wars Story line look)

HAN SOLO (Vandor-1)
Solo: A Star Wars Story Force Link 2.0 Mission on Vandor-1 Gift Set
Item No.:   No. E1093
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, 3 more figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $29.99
Availability: September 2018
Appearances: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Bio: Never one to plan ahead, Han Solo goes where opportunity calls - and a chance for a big score finds him riding across the wilderness of Vandor-1. (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: A decent figure with sensible articulation, Han Solo (Vandor-1) has got a lot where it counts.   Hasbro has slowly been rolling out articulation instead of paint applications - some toys have molded, inset wrists or boots because that way there's no painting to be done.  It also keeps the figure nicer, longer.  The fringe benefit is you get more articulation - the oft-dismissed "5POA" figure actually has nine joints thanks to those boots and wrists, giving it a bit more bang for your buck.  And if you have a Force Link 2.0 band, you also get actual "bang" noises.  (...No, the gun kind.)

Han's molded black  boots do have a dusting of snow, and a nice even finish.  The gloved hands have no problems holding the blaster, which has a brown painted grip this time.  Goggles are molded on the not-quite-Alden face, obfuscating the fudging of the actor likeness quite skillfully.    With the fur coat largely unpainted, Hasbro did take the time to paint the belt on the front and the back, including some of the greebles (but none of the rivets.)   In another economic move of brilliance, Hasbro sculpted - but did not paint - the red bloodstripes on his pants.  Since they're covered by the coat, I'm glad decided to spend their deco budget on elements we could actually see.

I realize this is a very by-the-numbers commentary, but that's what you get with this figure.  It's not bad.  It's not amazing.  But it does show a smarter team at Hasbro giving you a little more for your money, putting in design decisions that seem to have delivered the best possible product with the given budget and resources available to this Force Link 2.0 line.  Without the chip, maybe we'd get a lower price or more gear - but we still got something that looks nice for the size and price.    He won't be doing any sitting, but that's what a nice coat can do for your toys.  Recommended, along with the rest of the set.

Force Link 2.0 Notes: "Uhh... I've got a bad feeling about this."   "I'm feeling pretty lucky."  "We've got a problem here."  "Admit it - you're impressed."  "Heads up - coming through!"  Blasters.  It's a soundalike, and not a good one.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,539: December 4, 2018