Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,747: Darth Vader (The Black Series 6-Inch)

DARTH VADER Classic Revision, also sold in 40th Anniversary Packaging
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Blue Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. E9365
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #01 - Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back
Bio: After the Death Star was destroyed, Darth Vader became obsessed with finding Luke Skywalker. He sent probe droids across the galaxy, finally locating the Rebel base on the remote ice planet Hoth. (Taken from Hasbro marketing materials.)

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 Darth Vader seems to exist to show just how much Hasbro has come in a few years. The first 6-inch Hasbro Vader came out in 2014, and since then we've had a few revisions. It was a good figure - but the costume was a little baggier in spots, and the helmet wasn't as good - but it did have a chain for the cape, which is now gone. In terms of proportion and articulation, this figure is a huge improvement with a mix of new and old parts - you may recognize elements from the 2017 40th Anniversary Collection releases, which improved deco considerably as the production run went.

As far as I can tell the legs and upper arms are the same as that Rogue One/Star Wars: A New Hope release. The torso has a balll joint now, and the helmet seems new - the deco is new, at least, with shiny black lenses rather than red ones. The helmet also has dark grey/silver highlights painted on it, which is something licensed products very rarely include - and fans quite often miss, myself included. The glossy elements are much cleaner than some previous releases, and while the soft goods aren't perfect they're weightier and look great. It feels like you're getting a richer product here, even though there's not a lot of new articulation and the ratcheting elbows aren't as smooth as other new releases. The double-jointed knees from the old figures remain, as does the old item number in the sole of the boot. But you won't notice. That's the power of draped cloth.

The chest armor pops nicely, just shiny enough over a chest console that seems newly-tooled. The coins lots don't look quite as much like coin slots, but there's some nice color here and it's not overwhelming. The lightsaber belt hook remains, hidden under the thick cloth cape. In many respects it seems Hasbro took lessons from the quality of the $80 8-inch "Hyper Real" figure, giving the general look and feel of the figure in a $20 form. I don't know why you might want that $80 figure unless it's your only figure - this one just feels amazing without the weird, rubbery limbs. Real joints feel and look great, and it has an imposing silhouette too.

When I saw this figure was coming, I didn't realize just how much better it would look or feel - now that I compared it to the other Vaders, it's clearly the best one so far. You might not feel you need another one, but if you don't have any get this one in either its 40th Anniversary retro packaging or its The Black Series 01 line look. It's good - and maybe there will be a better one in a few years - but right now it's pretty gosh darn amazing. I wish the ankles were a bit stiffer and the hands were a little less stuff, but these things are clearly still an evolving product.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,747: October 30, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,746: Heavy Battle Droid (Gaming Greats, The Black Series 6-Inch)

HEAVY BATTLE DROID Red
The Black Series Gamestop Exclusive Gaming Greats 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: No. E9621
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #n/a
Includes: Blaster pistol, blaster rifle, heavy cannon, antenna backpack, antenna
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99
Availability: February 2020
Appearances: Battlefront II

Bio: Star Wars: Battlefront II features Heavy Battle Droids, modified B1 Battle Droids armed with heavy blaster rifles and shield emitters to deflect most incoming enemy fire. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: While I haven't played the recent generation Battlefront games - or really, anything since the EA handover - I do like this Heavy Battle Droid a lot. I don't know if it's worth the $5 premium over the regular droids, but you do get two additional blasters - a Sandtrooper rifle, and a First Order Stormtrooper cannon. There are no new molds in this pack, but the deco and configurations are mostly unique in this set.

The droid deco is mostly red like on Geonosis, but with additional dark grey markings and totally different battle damage. It's different, but good - I almost wish they kept adding stuff, like maybe a white panel on the backpack to bring it even more wacky detailing. The damage scuffs all look great, and he's just as good as the other droids in terms of enhanced articulation with moving wrists, ankles, and tons of arm articulation. This is a figure that gets more and more impressive the more I look at it, especially since it can crouch down and somehow remain standing hours after holding up a heavy rifle. I don't know how it does it, but these are some good joints here - and they're all integrated into the figure in a way that isn't remotely obtrusive. I don't assume it can stay for months or longer on a shelf without support, but anything this spindly that can stand on my desk for a day with a giant weapon is worth citing as impressive.

The Battle Droid blaster is unpainted this time, with no scuffing or battle damage. It's a lighter dark grey color, so it looks like an action figure weapon. Other releases with Padme or Battle Droids tend to be black and weathered. Similarly, the Sandtrooper rifle is all grey too - but in all fairness, some of them are. The antenna on the backpack telescope down and up, and the cannon has an articulated grip. It's also missing a piece from its Amazon (and later shared) exclusive Stormtrooper release, which I still need to open and review. It's missing part of the rifle near the grip from the other release that serves as a support stand - they're all like this, so it's not incomplete - but it does set it apart from the other release.

While in no way essential to any movie collection, the Gaming Greats line has been a great collection of repaints (and retools) for fans - I wish they numbered them, too. I love the whole idea of "familiar troops with new weapons fight new battles further along in the timeline," because that's how I played with my toys as a kid - seeing Battle Droids running around with First Order gear is perfect. I'd love to see more of this kind of thing (not necessarily from the games) in the toy line and storytelling, because it's fun and it encourages you to try your toys in new combinations. I'd strongly recommend this figure, but I like weird things.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from GameStop.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,746: October 29, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,745: BB-Series Droid (BB-8-style droid, black and silver body, black and silver head)

BB UNITS BB-8-style droid, black and silver body, black and silver head
Galaxy's Edge Trading Outpost 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure - Target Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. E9916 No. E9935
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: BB-9-ish-droid in red with some white and silver
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: Galaxy's Edge
Bio: Collect stylized droids! (From the packaging. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This BB Unit is your obligatory black repaint. If you collect toys, you know of this and maybe you've even got a shelf of black Scourge/Nemesis Primes, black Cobra Commanders, black Stormtroopers, black astromechs, black Clone Troopers, black Wolverine, and it's my understanding that sometimes they even make black Batman figures now. As a sub-category it's kind of cool - I used to have a black toy shelf in a bookcase before I moved away to work at Entertainment Earth forever ago, and still haven't put those back up.

The pattern is usually some level of taking a red (or white, or blue, or green) toy and wanting to paint it black. It's something that works - they sell, people like them, and they tend to look cool. Sure it's a cash grab, but when the thing you're collecting is an evil clone or an in-universe mass-produced consumer good like a droid, it just plain makes sense. The black absorbs a lot of detail, but the silver on BB just pops - the panels have a lot of lovely paint, and the antenna looks swell.

The head is cute - but that's a pro and a con. BB-8's head can't not look cute in these colors. There's nothing menacing about it, it looks like the adorable round beeping robot just had a goth phase where it's still just as adorable as always. Maybe if the eye was red it could look more menacing, but that big black eye just reads as permanently cute. Blame Funko for popularizing them. The body doesn't look wildly different from BB-9E, but the added silver does pop nicely.

Overall I'd say this was a great program with 9 worthwhile droids - even if some looked alike in weird ways. Disney put out a few of its own BB units in various colors, some of which Hasbro has yet to touch, so there's plenty of room to grow and make new colors with these robot bodies. I hope they do so - and I'd recommend getting this set if you can still find it for ten bucks.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,745: October 28, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,744: BB-Series Droid (BB-9-style droid, red and silver body, white and red head)

BB UNITS BB-9-style droid, red and silver body, white and red head
Galaxy's Edge Trading Outpost 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure - Target Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. E9916 No. E9935
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: BB-8-ish-droid in black
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: Galaxy's Edge
Bio: Collect stylized droids! (From the packaging. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This BB Unit has the same exact head as the blue body one - why? I assume someone goofed. Same paint apps, same pattern on the head. Given all the droids have color-coordinated heads, I assume this red and white model is the "correct" one - but I love 'em all the same.

This model has a BB-8 body in red and silver, with a BB-9E head in white and red. It's cute - it looks like a cherry tomato with a head. Like the others it has a flat bottom so it won't roll away, plus a barbell peg between the head and the body for two moving pieces. The red ball has a silver pattern that matches the blue ball droid, just with different colors - it works well. This would've made a great holiday series droid, too!

The head is the same as the other one - I tried to find obvious differences but was unable to do so. It's a really cool pattern and I guess they look like siblings, or Player 1 and Player 2, or Bub and Bob. He's got a black dot in a big red eye dish, and seems like something you should see in the back of a Sandcrawler. Or maybe doing admin work in a base somewhere.

I like this droid, but I like colorful robots - I hope Hasbro cranks out some other ones, maybe clear, maybe orange, or maybe really grimy. We got hundreds of Astromechs, so it's nice to see the BB family expand a bit more - there are still other unmade droid heads from the movies and cartoons to explore, too! I'd say this is a neat set, but as always get the colors you like at a fair price if you can.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,744: October 27, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,743: Luke Skywalker (Dagobah, The Black Series 6-Inch)

LUKE SKYWALKER (Dagobah)
The Black Series 40th Anniversary 6-Inch Figure or Deluxe 2-Pack with Yoda
Item No.: Asst. E7549 No. E8084 or No. E9642 for the 2-pack
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #n/a or D4
Includes: Lightsaber, blaster on the single figure, add spare hands and Yoda and a backpack plus a cane for the 2-pack
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99 or $39.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio: Commemorate the 40h Anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back with Luke Skywalker & Yoda figures. At the urging of Obi-Wan, Yoda agreed to instruct Luke, developing his Jedi abilities. (Taken from the 2-pack box.)

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 Luke Skywalker (Dagobah) is a gem. I'm not crazy about how it was priced versus what you get in the boxes, but there are two versions so you can pick. Why you wouldn't buy Yoda 2-pack to open and 40th to keep carded, I don't know. Interestingly, both flavors come in Kenner-infused packaging - the single Luke is on a 1980-style package for a figure that didn't exist back then. It also shows Yoda and the backpack, which are not included. Those accessories do come in the $40 boxed set, along with alternate hands. If you can only afford one... get the 2-pack. Also get the 2-pack for friends, they'll thank you, it's a marvelous if somewhat incomplete gift.

The Luke figure itself may well be the culmination of everything Hasbro has learned since the 2013 introduction of the format. The pinned joints are gone, instead getting those inset 3 3/4-inch style joints in all the limbs with the improved range of motion we started getting in 2017 and 2018. Luke's arms and legs can really bend well - not "double jointed" well, but closer to 135 degrees, which is a vast improvement from 90 degrees (or less) that we usually see. The knees have similar movement, with rocker ankles. Wrists bend and swivel, and pop out to be replaced with a one-hand headstand hand or a "using the Force" hand. It's good to have options - and variations on these previously existed with some of the 3 3/4-inch figures.

Luke's backpack fits like a glove - and fits Yoda like a glove - while not hindering his center of gravity. I've reviewed thousands of figures, and Hasbro has struggled to make figures that can just stand up with a good sense of balance - usually 6-inch ones topple over on my desk. Luke has stood upright, with or without Yoda, for days. I don't know if the boots are just a bit wider or if someone went out of their way to make this perfect, but it works. I remember Hasbro saying it could do the 1-hand headstand, but I wasn't able to make it work. A two-hand headstand would be cool too, but the set lacks a Dagobah base (which should've been included, honestly) or a second "headstand" hand to make it work. He would need the added support to do this for more than a few moments.

The likeness on Luke is pretty good - for whatever reason, Mark Hamill looked a lot like Iggy Pop around the same time. The hair is short and sweaty, he's a little gaunt and pouty, and probably is also on his way to Kill City with James Williamson. It doesn't quite match the new heads Hasbro put out for the other Lukes, but it's good in its own right. It's a good head - and from certain angles is eerily like the actor. I assume if they gave the face deco another shot it'd be perfect, but as it is, it's good. Maybe the lips are a little dark, but the sculpt is there, and they did a good job giving him good bones and excellent texture throughout.

The default hands can grip the backpack strips or the blaster or lightsaber. Thanks to the range of movement, you can get some great poses out of Luke - but it's not like he used those accessories much in this costume. The spare hands are the real gems, adding a ton of personality to the figure in your displays.

Between Snowspeeder Luke, Dagobah Luke, and the various Luke reissues, you've got a lot of options this year - but at press time this one is the most impressive. He can stand easily, sit in other 6-inch scale vehicles, and look good doing it. If Hasbro remakes Bespin Luke I hope they take a few notes from this guy, it's a great example of how far we've come in a few years.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,743: October 23, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,742: R2-Series Astromech Droid (R2-Series silver dome with purple, white body with purple, bartender)

ASTROMECH DROID R2-Series silver dome with purple, white body with purple, bartender
Galaxy's Edge Trading Outpost 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure - Target Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. E9916 No. E9934
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Removable third leg, drink dispenser, 7 removable cups
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: Galaxy's Edge
Bio: Collect stylized droids! (From the packaging. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Yet another non-named R2 Series Astromech Droid in a deco that's familiar, but doesn't actually exist in another format. While there are purple droid bodies, this particular layout is unique. I believe this shade of purple hasn't been used on another droid either - plus this may well be the only time Hasbro has sold a white body droid with a silver-and-purple dome.

What makes this droid particularly interesting is that it's another in a short list of bartender droids - so far, there have only been a few. R2-C2 (twice,) R2-D2 (also twice,) and a nameless red and white "Jabba's Batender" are all that we've seen so far - they don't have too many places to go given the limited number of playsets, but hey - at least this one can go anywhere your imagination wants. The gold tray is very much like the other trays, and the amber drinks are also very much like the other glasses. I would've loved to see something different, but maybe we will next time.

The mold is very much like the other build-a-droid molds we've had since 2008. It's good! Sure, there have been smaller non-build-a-droid molds since then, but this is the gold standard that serves as the basis for virtually every astromech from Hasbro (and Disney!) for over a decade. The middle leg pops off, all three feet have wheels, the head turns, and the outer ankles move a bit. It does what you would expect just as well as a prop from the movie.

What makes it interesting are the colors, and also the story it doesn't quite tell. There's no backstory behind the purple drink droid that I can find, but at least it's notable for being a unique shade of purple with a layout we don't see a lot. Under the two tool panels under the head are a couple of purple boxes that are usually left blank. The back of the figure is also largely left blank.

I had to go through my droid stash to confirm it - which means there's a lot of similarity out there - but this configuration is new, and there's no silver with purple dome in the previous decades of droids.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,742: October 22, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,741: BB-BOO20 (Droid Factory Line Look)

BB-BOO20 Disney Parks Halloween Exclusive
Star Wars Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $12.99
Availability: August 2020
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 resides at the sun-bleached dunes of Pasaana amongst the native Aki-Aki. Join BB-BOO20 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: A theme park exclusive in a year where you probably shouldn't go to theme parks! BB-BOO20 follows an interesting and odd pattern of Halloween releases since 2016, when we got R2-B0016, which was followed by R3-B0017 in 2017, R4-B0018 in 2018, and R5-B0019 in 2019. Rather than do the less recognizable R6, R7, R8, or R9 droids they just skipped ahead to the BB-style. Why not? (And hopefully they'll go back and do R6 droids, as they started to appear in the films.)

The gimmick this time is to make the build-a-BB mold look like a pumpkin - and Disney succeeded. The orange ball has silver markings (I would've gone with black or some sort of glow in the dark paint) while the head is green, to look like the stem from the vine. Sort of. I admit, when I first saw this it didn't read to me as a pumpkin at all, and certainly not as a jack-o-lantern. It looks neat, the colors are charming, but it's not quite as obvious as the ghostly, skeletal, or candy corn predecessors. And I still don't know R2-BOO16 was going for other than looking like the colors you would assign to a Halloween-themed tag cloud.

Inside, BB-BOO20 has a bone-like core. I appreciate that. Or maybe they were trying to go for a pumpkin seed/gut look? They could have left it unpainted, but instead took the pea soup green plastic core, painted it with some boney highlights, and painted some inner lights on top of that. This is overkill - but if they're going to charge you $13 for a BB unit that's probably really only worth $5-$7 tops, at least you got some extra paint out of it. Even if you can't see it.

The holiday droid category is fascinatingly weird - some of these guys look like they could fit in with your movies, and Disney certainly did write a little story placing each and every one of them off-camera in movie or TV settings. I don't think it's essential, in part because I don't believe Hasbro is ever going to build-out The Rise of Skywalker or Pasaana, and "holiday" stuff is kind of an odd duck here. I could see this guy rolling around on a sail barge or in the back of a Sandcrawler, but he doesn't have a great place in a diorama just yet. But he's orange and green, so I love the colors and it's the kind of weird and ugly thing I love in my droid collection. My ridiculously large droid collection. Did I mention Disney alone offered more droids in the last decade than Kenner made total kinds of figures in the 1970s and 1980s?

Collector's Notes: I got this from a third-party theme park seller. Which I'd recommend - $20 or so for a $13 figure is quite the mark-up, but shipping, tax, parking at a theme park, $7 doesn't seem quite so bad.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,741: October 21, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,740: Admiral Ackbar (The Black Series 6-Inch)

ADMIRAL ACKBAR Classic Revision
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Green Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. E9356
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #01 - Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: Return of the Jedi
Bio: During the Battle of Endor, veteran commander Admiral Ackbar oversaw the Rebel attack, coordinating with starfighter operations led by Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles. (Taken from Hasbro marketing materials.)

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 Admiral Ackbar was done in his The Last Jedi uniform, fans asked "So... are we going to get the original costume?" For a while it seemed unlikely as the Toys R Us exclusive 2-pack version sat and got marked down, with fans getting the double pack for less than the price of a single figure. But time changes thing - a 4-pack of Clones was $100, and then less than $100, and is now over $500. Things are crazy, and fans are still crazy for the classics. A meme since the dawn of the popularized internet, this figure means different things to different people. To some, it's a million "It's a trap!" jokes. To me, he was one of my absolute favorite toys as a kid. I loved the design and I was crazy about seeing him come to life in the TV special Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi when I was growing up.

To kick things off... it's OK. I don't love the engineering of the legs. The figure absolutely has almost all of the elements you could want, but they don't all come together nicely. While the Stormtrooper from this wave is effectively perfect - and would've sold fine had they reissued the old one - Admiral Ackbar has a few snags. While there is a magnificent sculpt here, the carving-up of said sculpt is where the problems come in. And you might not even notice them - these are just things that irk me.

But let's start with the good. For starters, the alien skin. The colors are much darker than The Last Jedi release, but they're also seemingly exactly the same sculpt as that previous figure. The mouth opens, the left hand can grip a blaster, and everything seems to be exactly the same in terms of texture and wrinkles. I can't say if they were squirted out of the same molds or not, but it wouldn't surprise me - they certainly look and behave similarly. You can open his mouth, bend his wrists, and the elbows have a good range of motion. I don't have any issue with cutting corners where it makes sense... and it makes sense. The skin is mottled differently and is truer to the 1983 film, but I have a hard time knowing if it's just a little bit closer or not. But I don't think anyone is going to pick this up and go "this is wrong," because it looks and feels right.

The uniform is similarly a perfect sculpt - the bib/vest is a little rubbery, just how it looks. The legs stand nicely, the arms can move well, and it behaves just like any other figure you may have bought recently with no visible pin joints on the body. The only thing it can't do is swing his legs forward, and that's because of the bib vest. Hasbro also added in those new double-shoulder joints so they can shrug forward and back, which is awesome. Wildly unnecessary, but awesome. The textures all look good, and if you leave the figure in the box you're going to love it. You can even pull it out and throw it on a shelf - it's going to fulfill your wildest expectations, if you're just going to look at it.

The nitpicks that bug me are all in the upper thigh region. If you look at it, there's a yellow stripe running down the leg. This has been on every Ackbar since 1983, but this is the first time it's been carved up into this larger quantity of pieces. If you align the yellow stripes on the side, Ackbar becomes pigeon-toed. He can stand, but he looks goofy - this isn't the kind of thing we should see on a figure in 2020 when it's based on a movie from decades ago. You can rotate the legs out a bit so the feet look normal, but then the pant legs look weird. Depending on the angle of the figure on your shelf, this may not bug you at all. Since Admiral Ackbar was probably my favorite alien from this movie as a child, I'm easily vexed.

While Ackbar is missing his Kenner staff, he's pretty much everything else you would want out of this figure with bend-and-twist knees featuring an incredible range of movement, rocker ankles, and the aforementioned additional shoulder movement. There's even a good waist joint in there but you won't get much out of it since it's blocked by the vest. The paint is mostly good - mine had a lot of weird scrapes, some more visible than others - plus a lot of excess plastic over some of the joints near the white plastic. It's not bad - but you might want to examine the figure prior to picking which one you'll buy to open.

Next stop, I hope: Max Rebo!

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,740: October 20, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,739: Imperial Stormtrooper (The Mandalorian/Rogue One, The Black Series 6-Inch)

IMPERIAL STORMTROOPER 6-Inch Redux
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Orange Star Wars The Mandalorian Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. E9352
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #02 - Star Wars: The Mandalorian
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: The Mandalorian, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Solo: A Star Wars Story

Bio: Stormtroopers are elite shock troops fanatically loyal to the Empire and impossible to sway from the Imperial cause. They wear imposing white armor, which offers a wide range of survival equipment. (Taken from Hasbro marketing materials.)

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 origin of this Imperial Stormtrooper is tough to nail down - early documents indicated it was from Rogue One, and the box says it's from The Mandalorian - which didn't have a lot of pristine white troopers in it. It also had a number of 501st Legion members bringing their own armor to the sets - which is notable as that would crack open the door for lots of variation in those dioramas you're building out. This particular 2020 trooper is an all-new mold with flourishes clearly designating it from the Disney-era. Between this figure and Dagobah Luke, Hasbro is spoiling us with their skill - and everything that came before is starting to look a little less awesome with the improvements rolled out 2020.

Since we got a Sandtrooper (and subsequent Stormtrooper) in this line dating way back to 2016, it's kind of funny to see how these lines evolved over time. In 1978, the Stormtroopers didn't have necks or waist joints - we got those in 1995. Swivel biceps and knee joints were added in 1999, so by the time we got the 2013 6-inch line with its nearly 30 points of articulation it seemed we probably maximized what Hasbro could do. In some ways, that's very true - the new 2020 figure doesn't have as many joints. Hasbro really upped the ante with the range of motion, so now the new elbows and knees have almost the same range of movement as double-jointed limbs from 7 years ago. Considering the weaker range of movement on the First Order Stormtrooper elbows being barely able to bend 90 degrees, it's an engineering (and no doubt budgeting) miracle.

It's glossier than its predecessors with proportions that may or may not be more accurate - the chest armor is now a vest and it seems just a tiny bit off. The shoulder armor hangs off a rotating piece in the shoulders, allowing for increased movement but probably increased breakage over time. We got a different belt design, lacking the dot "buckle" up front and the holster. It's clearly the same Stormtrooper you've always loved, but just a little different. Even the helmet is tweaked a bit. It has a lot in common with the 3 3/4-inch Rogue One trooper.

The figure seems to have a greater range of motion despite an increase in joints no doubt thanks to smarter cuts around each moving part. The joints aren't as ratchety as previous figures, meaning you can get a smoother experience when coming up with poses. You don't have to worry about the ankles clicking in place just off-balance enough that the figure flops over. He just stands.

The helmet details are changed a bit, with the eyes and mouth appearing just a bit different than before. It seems the eyes may be wider apart, and the mouth is just a smidgen off from the original films. Of more interest, though, the grenade/detonator on the back is recolored a bit and cuts in the white armor seem to expose more of the body glove. This is kind of neat, as it's ridged and not the plain smooth black we usually get.

Where this figure shines best is how Hasbro hid all the joints. They made a fuss of removing pins in Marvel Legends at Toy Fair 2020 but made no such mention with Star Wars, which sometimes has a lot of visible eyesores and sometimes doesn't. That's where this figure really impresses. If you pick up the 2013 trooper design, you'll see gaps between the shoulders and the body, or sets of pins in the arms and legs. The belt is a bit too big, as opposed to the 2020 version where almost all articulation is on the black body glove and you can't see any pins. Not a one. Rather than using the same old pin joints we've seen on bigger figures for years, Hasbro adapted the super-articulated 3 3/4-inch joint style which just plain looks and works better in this scale. It's like a little tiny suit replica, minus the lack of dark, dark green lenses in the helmet. They're just very glossy black this time, but I'll take glossy.

I do notice some pinching in the soft plastic, particularly in the shoulders. I don't know if this means this plastic is more prone to warping and distortion over time or not, but it's something to look for - it seems to correspond with where the packaging clips on to the figure. It's not cradled as gently as it should be given the materials, and hopefully we'll see the packaging altered for future runs so this won't be an issue.

With rising costs and weirdness in toy production overseas, you only get one blaster - but that's all you really need here. Perhaps weapons packs or deluxe troopers will follow, but this is the one you're going to want to troop build. Hopefully Hasbro continues running them for years to come, as it can stand and sit without a fuss. If there were more vehicles this would be very exciting, but it's nice to see figures future-proofed should a massive Troop Transport or some sort of Imperial tank ever get produced. (It won't, don't get your hopes up.) If you're not a troop fanatic and are happy with your existing army, don't worry - you'll be fine. But if you want to see Hasbro make tons of corrections to previous trooper mistakes, this is $20 (or $40, or $600) well spent.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,739: October 16, 2020

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,738: BB-Series Droid (BB-9-style droid, black and white body and black head)

BB UNITS BB-9-style droid, black and white body, black head
Galaxy's Edge Trading Outpost   3 3/4-Inch Action Figure - Target Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. E9916 No. E9931
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: BB-8-ish-droid in purple
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: August 2020
Appearances: Galaxy's Edge

Bio: Collect stylized droids!  (From the packaging. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This BB Unit is the Moira Rose/Tim Burton/1930s Disney edition  in black and white.  It has the same basic nuts and bolts as the other BBs, but looks a bit more like a soccer ball.  The head is very similar to BB-9E.  This new one has a bit more silver on the head and none of the red or blue, but seems to be more striking thanks to the extra metallic paint.  Even the antenna are painted!  Details seem a little less sharp, but things are basically all in the same places.

The body deco is unique.  There's a white plastic ball with black circles and unique silver markings inside, making it look almost like a whole new droid body. (But not head.  You've seen heads like this.)   Like the others, the ball is flat on the bottom and it won't roll of your desk or shelf without a good push.  That's pretty much all you can ask for.

While not amazing or vibrant, it totally looks like something that could be rolling around in Maz' castle on Takodana.   Perhaps the droid is pals with Bazine Netal, which should be a figure and isn't yet.  (Hasbro really nailed most of The Force Awakens, didn't they?)  I'm thrilled Hasbro got to put out new color droids instead of more of the same, so if you're into that too you can maybe still find these sets.  Somehow.  I feel for you future eBay and Amazon people thanks to the lack of names on the boxes, one of my big pet peeves is naming toys or toy lines in such a way where they may be impossible to easily track down on eBay.  One of my holiest of molies is a 6-inch Solo: A Star Wars Story Han Solo in the little yellow box - I have no idea if it came out in the USA, and may never find out.  (I also need to get the Rise of Skywalker-era ones, but I digress.)

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,738: October 15, 2020