Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,811: R5-Series Astromech Droid White with Red Panels (2015 Edition)

R5-SERIES ASTROMECH DROID White Dome with Red Markings
Star Tours Droid Factory Customizable Figure
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney?
Number: n/a
Includes: Head, 2 legs, torso, central third leg, optional hat
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $12.99
Availability: May 2015
Appearances: n/a

Bio: These figures do not have specific packaging or configurations. As such, we will be treating each dome as a unique "figure" as that part is the most plentiful. There were 25 domes in the first 2012 series and 11 domes in the 2015 batch. While Hasbro had said they didn't design the first batch, they included Hasbro copyrights. This batch does not - markings read "© DISNEY" and "© LFL" as well as "China" on each leg.

Image: Adam's photo dump.

Commentary: The white and red R5-Series Astromech Droid looks a lot like R5-D4, and also the Red R5 Unit Astromech Droid [FOTD #1,897] from way back in 2012. If I didn't know better, I'd assume it was the same part - but there are subtle changes. Should you care? No. But if you're going for full-on completism, there were two runs, they are slightly different, and the "matching" bodies of the time were also changed.

Unless you're completist to a fault, you don't need this. The dome is similar to previous R5 domes, with the same basic pattern - but this time, it's redder. The 2012 version was a little oranger. I would never know this without a side-by-side comparison. Similarly, the panels are the same basic patterns but slightly different. For example the dome's pie slices on top are a little more sloppy this time, and the silver ring "collar" is now the bottom ring, rather than the recessed area between the two rings. Is this worth buying again? Probably not! But it's different enough that you can take notice of it.

The 2015 body is very different than the 2012 release. For starters, the two vertical panels are unpainted - and a bunch of other boxes are now filled in. The 2012 body has sockets for lower legs, the 2015 release has them filled in. The 2012 body is mostly blank on the back, with a few outlined panels. The 2015 body has five red panels filled in. From where I sit, it's different enough to justify buying it - but I also am now side-eyeing my own completism as there are four $50+ vehicles-with-exclusive-droids at Disney parks that I can't seem to easily get. Do I even need this? Probably not.

To mix things up, this build has blue R2 legs (like R5-D4 in the movie) rather than matching red legs. You can see the 2015 feet have some added silver - a box on the front and back on the plus some sculpted silver greeblies stand out nicely for those looking for something different. A silver anklet of sorts is painted around the foot, and the greeblies around the "shoulder" were smoothed out and removed. There's both more - and less - detail on the new one. It's different, and we like different here.

Given the number of Disney astromechs, R5-D4s, R5-D8s, and other very similar droids, I can't actually say it's worth your while to seek out this specific one. I'm reviewing it here just so there's a little more reference that there are indeed multiple versions, but does it matter? Could you even get one now if you wanted one? I have no idea. The lack of names will make it hard to find on eBay and goodness knows what the part bins are like, if they're even still around. For the droid fanatics, you're going to want this one - because it is a different release. For everybody else with dozens (or hundreds) of droids, you're not going to find any reason that this one is any better than the other ones you've got. But it is different.

Collector's Notes: I got this from my pal Shannon who was cool enough to get me a set from Disneyland. Thank you Shannon!

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,820: May 31, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,819: The Child (The Retro Collection)

THE CHILD Kenner Style
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F0937 No. F2023
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Frog, pram, stand, peg
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: April 2021
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: Grogu, known to many simply as "the Child," was a male Force-sensitive Mandalorian foundling that belonged to the same species as Jedi Grand Master Yoda and Jedi Master Yaddle. (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: The smallest retro-style figure to date is The Child, complete with hovering pram. Back in the day with Kenner, you'd see somebody like Salacious Crumb and Kenner said "this is too small to sell on a package by himself." (Kenner did have leftover bagged ones, but I digress.) To make up some bulk, Hasbro included a fairly sizable accessory. There are probably enough parts in the pack to get your money's worth here, but that doesn't matter. You want the kid, you're buying the kid.

Hasbro's sculptors did a nice job with The Child - but it's really not any fancier than The Vintage Collection release with 3 points of articulation. You can swivel the shoulders and neck - that's it. The head is largely unpainted except for black eyes, and the hands are too small to hold anything. His feet are sculpted, but unpainted - which is the way Kenner probably would have handled it. He has but one foot peg hole, which doesn't seem like how Kenner would have handled that. He's cute and small, fitting in well with the figures I've had for decades.

The hovering carriage is arguably too nice. I'm a big fan of Kenner vehicles, and one thing you didn't see in Star Wars was a painted interior. This one has shiny black upholstery, which seems completely overdone given that this would likely have been unpainted as an actual vintage-era toy. The snap-on lid is nice, and the whole thing is based on the Season 1 Finale rebuild of this transport. It looks fine - a little simpler than Hasbro's other offerings, but nothing about it particularly says "retro." Of note, the peg to the dirt stand looks sort of like a LEGO Technic piece. It's spacious and there's plenty of room for the kid and his frog.

It's $3 cheaper than the Vintage Collection release and arguably exactly as good. I'd say you'll buy whatever you find, and these retro guys are arguably more satisfying than anything else Hasbro has done lately. This isn't to say they're doing a bad job - but how can anyone compete with new toys from the line I grew up with? Get it if you dig it, it's fun and arguably $10 worth of entertainment.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,819: May 27, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,818: IG-11 (The Retro Collection)

IG-11 Kenner Style
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F0937 No. F2021
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Black pistol and black rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: April 2021
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: IG-11, also known as Eyegee-Eleven or simply as IG or Eyegee, was a masculine-programmed IG-series assassin droid who was a bounty hunter during the New Republic Era. IG-11 was programmed to follow protocols of the Bounty Hunters' Guild, and had a built-in self-destruct mechanism to prevent himself from being captured while working as a hired gun. (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: Star Wars figures generally get better as they go, but IG-11 (and IG-88 before him) have struggled to get better. Kenner's original IG-88 is pretty spectacular, and served as the basis for the 1996 Shadows of the Empire IG-88 as well as this 2021 IG-11. IG-11 isn't as good as the vintage IG-88, despite effectively being a retooled version of that toy. Also note the final figure has two blasters - the original renders show but one.

Hasbro's sculptors seem to be working from digital scans of the original Kenner figure, but with some flaws. The arms are quite similar to the Kenner original, but the old silver droid had fake joints sculpted on the clawed hands. The new IG-11 lacks those marks, adding in thicker and more substantial (but inaccurate to the show) hands. He can hold the weapons fairly well, but the Kenner original does a better job holding the original Kenner blasters. It would be nice if the hands all fit the weapons like a glove - there's no reason to not give them a perfect fit.

IG-11's legs are largely similar to the IG-88 limbs, but the proportions and some small details are changed a bit. IG-11's limbs do not swing as cleanly as my old IG-88 figures (I have extras, you have to remember these things were worthless in the post-ROTJ, pre-Zahn era) but at least they move. The legs are a little wobbly. He's also pretty much the exact height as IG-88, meaning IG-11 won't fit in your vehicles. The torso is retooled, but is in a similar language to IG-88's. The newer droid's bandoliers are sculpted to the torso with significantly cleaner paint, and two colors to bring it to life. This is arguably far better than anything Kenner would have done - the same is true with the metallic shoulder joints. Kenner would never do that. Hasbro also dropped a few painted dots on IG-11's head, which IG-88 does have. Other than that, it's basically the same head in new colors.

I like this figure - but don't love it. It's a quickie retool, and Kenner was generally not keen on those outside of R2-D2 and C-3PO. Precious few parts are reused, but at least they made the deco interesting. The "lava reflection" color choice is gorgeous, and it's consistent with the "Credit Collection" IG-11 in The Black Series. It's a good figure design, but the execution needs some work. It's also noticing that the blasters are remarkably similar to IG-88's, but they're changed enough so a fan with a good eye will see different cuts and unique choices. It won't hold up as a good copy against a Kenner original. That's this line in a nutshell - it's arguably too good and not good enough at the same time, but packaged collectors will undoubtedly get a kick out of it. Minus the big sticker, anyway. Get it if you can.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,818: May 25, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,817: LOM-Series Protocol Droid (Silver, Droid Factory)

LOM-SERIES PROTOCOL DROID Silver
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: n/a

Bio: The LOM-series protocol droid was a model of protocol droid manufactured by Industrial Automaton. They were designed with insectile features to emulate the species they were designed to serve, the sentient Gand. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Commentary: Nifty! The Silver LOM-series Protocol Droid is a Disney Parks exclusive, made up of any parts you want. Mine has CZ arms, 3PO torso, 3PO legs, and of course the head. It's a pretty neat design, and a silver 4-LOM certainly feels like a "wrong" color Kenner could have done in the old days. Since no LOM torso was manufactured that I know of, you can just use whatever you want.

What I like about this figure is it's convincingly "off-camera." Like Kenner's old Mini-Rigs, you could imagine this guy hanging out in a line behind R2-D2 and C-3PO on the old Droids cartoon, or appearing in the background of Russ Manning's old strips, or being a broken pile of parts in Maz Kanata's castle. Even with wildly mismatched limbs, it would be a convincing fixture in a Hutt's lair. It's a nifty and completely believable design.

Articulation is the same as the rest, with about 20 meaningful points of articulation - and sadly, no blasters. The silver plastic is nice and shiny, but not vac-metalized. It's still rather reflective, so it may fit in well in any bar or Imperial installation too. The joints mostly move nicely, but as with the others the legs aren't anything special. The right shoulder of these arms have an added silver accent, and of course there are some painted wires on the torso. Theres not a lot of paint here, but what's here is deployed where it counts.

If you have the means to get one at or near cost, I'd say it's worth it. It is in no way disappointing, but it's also completely not essential. It's the perfect souvenir figure, but it would be a build you would likely take delight in having found in a store too.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,817: May 24, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,816: Kuiil (The Retro Collection)

KUIIL Kenner Style
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F0937 No. F2022
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Black blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: April 2021
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: Kuiil was an Ugnaught male who had worked a lifetime to be free of servitude. He came to the out-of-the-way planet of Arvala-7 seeking peace, and worked as a vapor farmer who offered valuable skills to those who could meet his price. (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: Whoever designed this Kuiil seems to be a fan of the 1979 Kenner Cantina aliens. The figure is both good and bad, right and wrong, true and false. At first glance he's pretty much on the money, but the more you look the more weird liberties you see. This means they completely got the spirit of Kenner right, warts and all, and applied some artistic interpretation along the way. Sized to match the original Kenner Ugnaught from about four decades ago, the figure is actually more piglike than the mask used on The Mandalorian series.

You could stick this figure in a vintage playset, and it would fit nicely. His head is a snout - a smaller one than the Ugnaught, but more porcine than we saw on TV. The figure has a bit of an underbite, rather than an overbite, with different jowls and facial hair. Like the vintage Ugnaught, the neck can turn nicely and the arms and legs swivel without much fuss - but the head is in this weird valley between "close enough" and "not quite right." In many respects, it feels like the design came through a game of telephone, using incomplete reference photos. In other words, it's pretty much exactly what I would have hoped to get.

The outfit closely matches the show in design, but not in color - again, a great nod to the old Kenner figures. Hammerhead and Walrus Man were close enough in a pre-home-video world, and so is Kuiil - he's got some browns and greens on him, but not quite like this. The figure is much more saturated, and the mustard color doesn't quite mesh with what we saw in the streaming show. Similarly, each of the original Cantina aliens had numerous errors compared to their on-screen counterparts. I assume the inspiration for this entire line could be 1979-1980, given the proclivity toward vinyl capes, T-crotches, and the occasional "broken" hand that is incapable of actually holding any accessory by design. Kuiil's right can grip the blaster nicely, but the left was not designed to do so - much like the original Kenner Ugnaught... and Darth Vader's left hand, Princess Leia's left hand, Walrus Man's left hand, and so on and so forth. It's also possible this figure came from a weird style guide - Hasbro's The Black Series figure is more saturated than what my eyes saw on my screens, although the colors do seem to be broken out in a more precise pattern.

Also true to the old Kenner Cantina quartet/quintet, there are numerous missing (or simplified) elements on his person. The costume on screen is loaded with things like straps on his sleeves, with what appear to be buckles, and numerous layers of fabric they just plain left off. The costume has taller boots than the action figure too, with a fancy belt buckle and loads of additional detail. It's completely possible that this is Kuiil's laundry day outfit too.

I often liken much of this business to a joke - and sometimes, people don't get it. In this case it seems the designers completely understood their mandate, enhancing animal features on a figure while messing with the colors and departing slightly from what was seen on screen to give us a design that's more true-to-Kenner's best efforts of 1978 and 1979. It's not going to scratch the itch of The Vintage Collection fans, nor should it - this is a unique, weird designer art piece. It's great. If you see it for ten bucks and you're a fan of this kind of action figure, you should buy one. Most of Hasbro's competitors charge $18 or more (Super7 ReAction Figures) and indie efforts like Healey Made's Raiders are north of $25. $10 is a steal, given that these are made to appeal to fans of a toy line where much of its early days were sculpted before many of us were even born. I hope Hasbro continues to pump out many more of these.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,816: May 20, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,815: Cara Dune (The Retro Collection)

CARA DUNE Kenner Style
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F0937 No. F2020
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Black pistol and black rifle with strap
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: April 2021
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: Carasynthia "Cara" Dune was a human female Alderaanian who served as a shock trooper in the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the New Republic during the Galactic Civil War. A seasoned warrior, she was an intimidating brawler and a crack shot. (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: Star Wars is no stranger to controversy, usually over things fans made up. This retro-style Cara Dune figure got under peoples' skins in a hurry because she was set for release after the character had seemingly departed the show on the way to her home planet, but before she came out. To give you some context, this action figure was manufactured in January of 2021 - before the news got newsworthy. So Hasbro made the entire batch of wave one (assortments and solids), and those are going to make it out. She's a popular character and likely would have hung around a tiny bit, if the slower sales of the 2020 Carbonized and Credit Collection figures were any indication - but now she's controversial, and not without cause. There's no known shortage - it's just hype right now. It's sort of like the bonkers "lead paint" and "ugly face" recall rumors of 1995 (Speeder Bike, C-3PO, and Princess Leia figures) and the, shall we say, cold appearance of Padme in the Unleashed line were also not exactly true. The products were popular-ish, but hype and bored collectors leads to fanning the crazy flames. Having said that, I'm not saying "wait and you can find her" because that has not remotely proven true for The Retro Collection thus far - if you see a figure at a price you are willing to pay, buy it. If there are subsequent production runs of this particular assortment of characters (and as I write this, I have no information of such things) I would not bet money on her being in them.

I hate writing paragraphs about this kind of thing. Let's talk about the figure. It's good!

This release tries to mimic the house style of Kenner action figures from 1978-1985 and comes close - like with Mando, she's took good. If you pick up an old figure, it's rare that they have more than two colors of paint per plastic piece, and it's unheard of to hav make-up or tattoos. The budget wasn't there - but you're paying $10 in 2021 for a kind of figure that sold for $2-$3 in the 1970s. That would put it at $8-$12 in modern dollars, so it's nice to see Hasbro gave us more value than we got back then - she has two accessories, and a plastic tray inside the bubble to keep her in place. Old vintage Kenner figures had tight coffin bubbles, tape for the weapons, and sometimes cardboard under the feet.

In terms of deco, she compares favorably to some of the original line's better figures. The head has black eyes, brown hair, and painted pink lips - most Leia and Kea Moll figures just had eyes and hair painted. Cara Dune also has her shock trooper tats (red), the bare plastic flesh arm, plus black and teal paint - so four colors - on her chest and arms. Her chest also has some silver on it. However, the belt buckle is unpainted. The legs are black with blue paint. Comparing her to my Kea Moll figure, she stands up very favorably. In many respects she reminds me of some of the early Return of the Jedi figures - the details are sculpted right, and the colors are more or less what the budget gets you through a small fun house mirror. The shades of blue and teal aren't quite what the costume shows, but that's also sort of what I want. The "retro" figures of old were charming in that they did the best they could with the reference they had, resulting in lemon heads, blue jerkins, tall aliens with silver boots, and whatever the heck R2-D2 was.

As mentioned above, the sculpt is pretty good. It looks like they translated this through the funnel of a boy's toy from the 1980s - the boobs are played down a bit more, her hair has a lot of texture going on, the face is rounded, and the muscles are (curiously) not as big as I would have expected. The arms all swivel nicely and the legs do too, without the weird square butts you get once some retro action figures sit. Everything lines up nicely, and the figure fits great in the ships and Mini-Rigs I had within arm's reach. She's great. And she was designed to hold her weapons too - if you have old Kenner figures, you know they're not always the best at that. This one is better, easily holding her rifle or pistol in both hands. There's no weird broken "can't hold a gun" hand here, nor is the grip loose like Kea or other certain figures that just don't seem to want to hold their gear.

This is the second figure from this wave I opened and I like it a lot. Don't get me wrong, Mando's great - but as a kid, those vinyl capes always got in the way. Cara has no cape, and is ready to pilot my vehicles and blow stuff up. This figure feels more like a real toy, which is what I want - super-articulation in no way improved how toys interact with playsets or ships, nor how they stand. The Kenner-style figures tend to easily stand on their own without support, and are great display pieces too. If Hasbro killed The Vintage Collection and just cranked out everybody like this I would be a heck of a lot happier. If you can find this figure, and you're an opener, you should get it. She is a little shorter than some of her Kenner companions of old, but again, this is probably the kind of thing Kenner would have done in the old days. Maybe.

I hope Hasbro looks at this line as a new pillar, possibly for kids, because ten bucks and a consistent scale with lots of old existing tooling and collectors could be fun. The likenesses don't have to be perfect, fans are forgiving of errors, and frankly the format just works. More, please.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,815: May 18, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,814: 3PO Protocol Droid (Blue, Droid Factory)

PROTOCOL DROID Blue with Stripes - It's D-0T!
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 3PO-series protocol droid was a Human-cyborg relations protocol droid produced by Cybot Galactica. The model series had very similar aesthetic design in its casing to other Cybot Galactica droid model series such as the TC-series, 3PX-series, and 5YQ-series protocol droids. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Commentary: It's blue! The Blue Protocol Droid is a decent - and most importantly, different - release. The pin striping only appears on the blue droids, and I think these are unique to the figure - I don't believe this design appears in any story. (I could be wrong.) You can assemble these figures in parts bins - and mix and match. This combo platter goes together nicely and gives you teh blue C-3PO Kenner always wanted to do, but got turned down.   As a reader pointed out, it's also a dead ringer for The Clone Wars' own D-0T!

There were plans for blue and red ones - or prototypes, at least - from the old Kenner line. It's a great concept but they seemed to not want to milk it back then - oh, how times changed. Disney is all about droid repaints and they made for great souvenirs. The stripes on the head look like eyebrows, adding a lot of personality to the same static face we've seen for nearly 44 years. The matching marks on the chest may even make you forget this is the same mold you've bought a few times already.

Articulation is build-a-droid standard, with 6 removable limbs and a grand total of 20 points of articulation and a design modeled from/copied from Hasbro's The Legacy Collection protocol droid. I copied that sentence from the last protocol droid review, because, hey, it's still true. With theme parks supposedly being more open, I don't know if these parts will still be available - or if this activity is acceptable given, well, everything - but you can keep an eye out for them. They rarely showed up on eBay as people didn't seem to be assembling them for the flipper's market, so there aren't many to buy. It's a cool figure for the obsessive completist though, and I hope you can find one if you want one. Hasbro doesn't make anything quite like this in their main line, so your only hope is a tourist or passholder got one and got sick of it at this point. Or maybe you can take a vacation in the future at some point.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney Hollywood Studios. Thanks Shannon!  Also thanks Eddie for pointing out that we forgot a cartoon robot!

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,814: May 17, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,813: Han Solo (6-Inch Value Figure, Solo: A Star Wars Story Line Look)

HAN SOLO Better Late than Never?
Solo: A Star Wars Story "Dollar Store" 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. B3946 No. E1446
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.00

 
Availability: Unknown - I first saw a production sample in a board room in September of 2018, the first sightings seemed to be around December 2020, I found it in April 2021 Appearances: Solo: A Star Wars Story Bio: Han Solo reinvents himself after leaving behind his old life, growing 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 Amazon now!

Commentary: This figure was a White Whale for me for over two years. This Han Solo from Solo: A Star Wars Story has a manufacture date stamp of 81061, meaning he was likely stamped out in April of 2018 - I found it at a Five Below in April of 2021. To my knowledge this particular Han figure didn't ship to food or drug stores in the USA, but other waves did - a lot of The Last Jedi stuff shipped to grocery stores near me for years. I mentioned in Q&A that I was still vexed by not seeing this figure anywhere, and then someone said "Oh our Five Below got some" - so I ran out to mine, and found one. I'm slipping in my old age, or because COVID keeps me from doing the full-on big toy runs with obsessive repetition like I used to do. I got this 6-inch figure with 4 points of articulation for a mere five bucks. The Black Series figure looks similar, with more articulation, a removable blaster, great face paint... really you've got no reason to get the simple 6-inch one unless you're in to this sort of thing. And I am.

I am not great with faces sometimes - but I don't think this figure was sculpted with Alden Ehrenreich in mind. It could just be the lack of deco and odd positioning of the eyes and eyebrows, because it looks a little bit like Han Solo - but not necessarily like the actor. In many respects it looks like an alternate realistic take on a 1980s Kenner sculpt, plausibly a real person but not the person we had in mind. Given the lead time for product, it's also possible (and speculated) that Disney's consumer product division may have nudged the merchandise designs to look a little bit less like the actor - just in case he was recast. Is it true? They'll never admit it, so it doesn't matter. But it's a face that doesn't scream "I'm Hobie Doyle" - but it's close enough that kids would probably be OK with it if they ever saw it. And I doubt American kids did until somewhat recently.

The figure's pose has a great swagger to it, from the blaster arm with his fingers wrapped around the grip, to his other hand looking like oh-so-many old Han Solo publicity stills with the fingers looking like they're almost thinking. The costume is nearly perfect, matching The Black Series figure in almost every way. The bloodstripes are on the pants, the silver pin has the red dot, the only thing missing are the silver rivets on his holster. In many respects, this figure is a great example of how good of a figure Hasbro can make for five bucks, while the $20-$23 collector figures may be overly complicated for what a fan may need. (Obviously, fans will always ask for more articulation - there's no satisfying that demand.)

Not finding this figure in stores always bugged me - and now I have to find Chewbacca - so I'm glad to have crossed one more white whale off my hunting list. He stands well, and he looks fine. I'm sure the head could be a tiny bit better, but I've also got The Black Series figure and this whole 6-inch line is more of a fun, cheap curiosity than a definitive collection of plastic. Heck, Hasbro and Disney seemingly completely skipped The Rise of Skywalker for the format, meaning they are smart because I just can't seem to bring myself to say much nice about that film. If you see this one for five bones, I'd suggest buying it - unless you've got The Black Series figure already. Toys like this are fascinating in that you can see what you can make on a diminished budget, but the dubious decision to focus the entire line squarely at adult collectors - and their increasing wallets as the Star Wars generation gets older - means that super-affordable kid-fodder like this turned out to be uncharacteristically scarce. Such is life.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Five Below, thank you Jim for the tip!

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,813: May 13, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,812: The Mandalorian (The Retro Collection)

THE MANDALORIAN Kenner Style
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F0937 No. F2019
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Black pistol and Amban sniper rifle, sort of
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: April 2021
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: Din Djarin was a human male Mandalorian who worked as a bounty hunter during the New Republic Era. With his Mandalorian armor, IB-94 blaster pistol, Amban sniper rifle, and distinctive beskar helmet, Djarin was both well-equipped and enigmatic—a stranger whose past was shrouded in mystery to others. (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 format may be - heck, should be - where Hasbro does all its new characters first. Why? Because errors make them better. The Mandalorian brings us the season one, episode one armor of the figure through the lens of Kenner sculptors ca. 1980-1981. While Grand Moff Tarkan and Snowspeeder Pilot Luke took elements from vintage figures to make something new out of a collage of new and old parts, there don't seem to be any recycled bits with Mando here. The true vintage Kenner house style tended to give us mostly new sculpts with varying degrees of accuracy - so if a "Kenner style" figure had the wrong accessory, or an incorrect outfit, or was colored wrong, I'd have no reason to complain. If you're an old fan, you may recall the class of 1979 being wildly inconsistent with what we saw on film, with the likes of Hammerhead, Greedo, Snaggletooth, and Walrus Man being the poster children for future "bootleg" art figure fans and evidence that things don't have to be correct to be fun.

Hasbro's new (old) take on The Mandalorian is good - arguably too good. I was expecting it to follow the line's original feel, by taking a post-Return of the Jedi character and modeling it after the figures of 1983-1985. They got close. This figure has more paint colors than anything in that era, plus has a vinyl cape - which Hasbro phased out of new releases by 1982. I genuinely expected this one to have a cloth cape like Lando Calrissian (General Pilot) or no cape at all like 1979 Boba Fett. The weird thing about this figure is that at $9.99, it's the cheapest mass-market/big box release from Hasbro for this character, and for better or worse seemingly being crafted with a bigger budget than the original. I'm almost opposed to this - it's nearly too good. In my hands it looks like a catalog prototype more than a production figure, simply because of things like the colorful knee pad and the painted silver helmet. The one design decision that kind of rubs me the wrong way is the vinyl cape, since I hated those as a kid and I don't think any post-Battle of Endor character would have had one if we were trying to mimic the old Kenner style.

In terms of deco, Hasbro's designer did a good job. The colors are bright, with a bright blue knee pad and stripes on the shoulders drawing the eye. The helmet is brighter than most other Hasbro Mando figures, with a nice light tan on some other elements. The figure surprisingly detailed - he's got quilted sleeves, with the pattern appearing around the back of the elbows. Boba Fett has a similar pattern on his shoulders. Other fans (like the amazing HasNoTalent) have had their take on this style as well, and I like Hasbro's a tiny bit more. Which is good, since this is the one I was able to actually get.

The vinyl cape slides off if you swing the figure's arms back and shrug it off, and when you do you'll see Hasbro painted his backside. I wonder if they were considering a cloth cape - or no cape - during development? With the long neck, I assume it was meant for an added accessory. Once removed you'll see the dark brown armor and some light tan elements painted on the back. Generally speaking, original Kenner figures tended to not get a lot of paint once covered by a vinyl cape or a robe - but there were some exceptions.

Mando's weapons are new. At first glance the Amban Phase Pulse Sniper Rifle looks like IG-88's blaster from the 1980s, and very much shares its proportions with a tuning fork in it. It's weird in the way you want your Kenner weapons - they frequently added bits or changed things for no obvious reason, like Leia's Boushh staff had a grip on it, or the Stormtrooper blaster had the ammo cartridge on the wrong side. It clearly captures the flavor of the old weapons while giving you a blaster that looks like what he carries on the show. Similarly he has a small pistol that looks close enough to the show gun, but black. Both seem like they were designed by someone who gets it.

The highest compliment I can give this figure is he looks like someone Tig Fromm might hire. You could throw this guy in your Mini-Rigs or have him hunt down Thall Joben, and he fits right in with that late-Kenner world (other than the vinyl cape.) It is my sincere hope you bought a case of these, because getting Mando, Cara Dune, and The Child will likely be a retail bloodbath. This is a format I hope Hasbro embraces because most faults are forgiven - you can even name a figure incorrectly, give him the wrong blaster, and make the size wildly wrong and people will say "heh, that's Kenner for you!" I still think it's too good, with too much paint, but for all we know the hypothetical Kenner of 1987 might have given more paint apps to these guys. (Maybe. But the faces of Floyd Malloy and Lava Clan Fire Warrior Karn might argue the opposite.) It would be a dream if Hasbro pumps out more of these and markets them to kids too - I think everybody would be a winner here.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,812: May 11, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,811: R8-Series Astromech Droid Orange with White Panels

R8-SERIES ASTROMECH DROID Orange Dome with White Markings
Star Tours Droid Factory Customizable Figure
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Head, 2 legs, torso, central third leg, optional hat
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $12.99
Availability: May 2015
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: These figures do not have specific packaging or configurations. As such, we will be treating each dome as a unique "figure" as that part is the most plentiful. There were 25 domes in the first 2012 series and 11 domes in the 2015 batch. While Hasbro had said they didn't design the first batch, they included Hasbro copyrights. This batch does not - markings read "© DISNEY" and "© LFL" as well as "China" on each leg.

Image: Adam's photo dump.

Commentary: The orange R8-Series Astromech Droid is one of many residents of the Toys R Us shelving unit I bought when the store was closing - I wanted to make sure there were always new toys on the shelves of TRU, and... it was a good idea. Some stuff just sat on there, so I'm going through those now. This particular fellow is a brightly-colored dome based on a concept that showed up in some guide books and novels, largely existing outside the confines of most visual storytelling. As such, you probably don't even know you're missing R8 domes and you probably also do not care in the slightest.

The body uses the "R7" Astromech body mold, and it looks great. The orange plastic canister has white panels and some silver markings, making it look like some tacky mid-century robot. It's kind of great - if you squint, you might see a soda can. The default builds all seem to have orange central legs and white outer legs. Does this matter? I don't know - I might swap it out with a white foot. (I got extras.) The paint isn't the cleanest, but it isn't bad. You can see some great white outlines on the panels which really do a nice job of highlighting all the work that went into the sculpt. (The sculpt started life as a Hasbro product in 2008.) There's not much to it, beyond the articulated arm holes and a port for the central leg. They all come off, as does the dome.

The dome lacks a big eye - or eye cluster - that we got on so many other droids. It's kind of creepy. There's a little stalk coming out the side, and there's a red light circle you can pretend is a mouth or nose on the inverted orange salad bowl that is his head. A raised ring is painted white, with white slices painted inside. A hole sits there so he can wear a hat, which is a thing Disney apparently thinks fans want with their souvenir robots. Maybe they do! It's goofy, but given how many dozens of robots we all have, goofy is sometimes good.

With the white picket fence panel deco on the orange dome, it would not be an exaggeration to say it's a distinctive droid dome and one worth adding to your stash. Normally you don't describe the visual language of a Star Wars toy as "cheerful" or "whimsical," but the bright colors really do make this look a lot friendlier than some of the other robots. If you have the means to get one for a not-crazy price, I'd suggest picking one up.

Collector's Notes: I got this from my pal Shannon who was cool enough to get me a set from Disneyland. These buggers are on eBay and I would advise you to wait until parks reopen and hopefully people start flipping/building more of them so you can get them at a lower price.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,811: May 10, 2021