Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,860: Tusken Raider (2.0, The Vintage Collection)

TUSKEN RAIDER Now with Better Elbows
The Vintage Collection Walmart Exclusive
Item No.: No. F3118
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #199
Includes: Gaffi stick, blaster rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.93
Availability: August 2021
Appearances: Star Wars
Bio: Fearsome desert savages inhabiting the Jundland Wastes, Tusken Raiders are the foremost reason Tatooine colonists do not wander far from their isolated communities. (Taken from the web site. There is no packaging copy.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: At first glance it seemed as if the Tusken Raider offered at Walmart this year was little more than a repaint - thankfully, this was not the case. The partial retool of The Saga Collection Vintage figure from 2006 is a big improvement, and fixes a couple of the complaints we all had about the original figure - and some we didn't think to ask about! If you can get a few of this one, you should, it's a decent army-builder. It's not perfect, but it's much improved.

If you have the original release, this one improves on it with a new head, new arms - with better non-swivel elbows! - new soft goods, and coloring which seems to be more in line with the original 1977 film. (The bad news is that most of the other appearances of the Tuskens seem more in line with the lighter, cream-colored figures.) There was a lot more contrast on the original Kenner toy and subsequent movie appearances - this one is darker, greyer, more Earthy. It's a dirtier, more lived-in costume that even has silver caps on the rebreather. The "face" looks truer to the cardback photo minus some missing brown paint around the mouth mask, and the soft goods are much less bulky. The most exciting improvement are the aforementioned elbows - now they can bend and swivel. The 2006 ones just swiveled, and were prone to falling apart inside the sleeves. The one thing about the new figure I disliked were the "frozen" wrists, which may be fixed by heat and the boiling water trick at your own risk.

The legs and torso are more or less the same, with improved deco. Since he has old-fashioned hips the figure can't sit on a Bantha very well, so a wholly new 100% sculpt would still be welcome - be it from a classic film or their The Mandalorian appearances. With the different colors, it's like a whole new clan of these guys - and since it's truer to the first film, you've arguably got a reason to buy one or two. I might recommend waiting for a rerelease to troop build due to the aforementioned mask issue, but if you don't notice it being off, just stock up now if you can. I mean, you're not going to find them on pegs anyway, but if you did you could potentially stock up.

Collector's Notes: I got mine form Walmart.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,860: September 30, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,859: Offworld Jawa (Arvala-7, The Vintage Collection)

OFFWORLD JAWA (Arvala-7)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F1894
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #203
Includes: 3 blasters, the egg
Action Feature: n/
Retail: $13.99
Availability: July 2021
Appearances: The Mandalorian
Bio: The Offworld Jawas found on Nevarro and Arvala-7 may look different than their Tatooine counterparts, having adapted to their new surroundings, but their obsessive need for technology still drives them. (Taken from marketing copy. There is 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: Sometimes you get a figure because you love it, and sometimes it's because it's a good deal. This Offworld Jawa (Arvala-7) is not a good deal. This doesn't mean it isn't neat in and of itself, but the 2021 figure is just one Jawa - and in The Black Series line, you got two Jawas [FOTD #2,169] for $13. While this one does have a new head and new accessories, it is not a good deal. The only reason you get extra blasters here is because you're getting all the weapons from that 2-pack, but with 1 less figure.

It's a bit of a tightrope to discuss a figure like this. Is it good? Sure. Bit since it reuses old parts from a 2-pack - the figure has only 12 points of articulation, with no knees or ankles - it's sort of a bummer. A completely newly-tooled cyborg Darth Maul or post-Jedi Ahsoka Tano is taller, with nearly twice the articulation, and costs the same - don't do any mental somersaults here, it's just a bad deal and it'll sell because it's on a Vintage cardback. It also looks marvelous - the figure has a new bandolier, a new hooded head, and a cloth robe that makes it look like a new figure. It probably wouldn't even occur to you to think it's old parts until you compare it to older figures, or check the copyright marks on the feet.

This figure has beady red eyes that don't glow in the dark, but do react nicely to black light. The color sings nicely! The coloring looks just like what we saw on the costumes of the aliens Mando gunned down on the show - a surprisingly harsh sentence for parts thieves - and shows Hasbro's parts reuse philosophy. With a new head and cloth robes, plus a swell Mudhorn egg - it certainly looks new enough. And it's an army builder to boot! (The Chieftan will ship with the Razor Crest vehicle early next year.) The figure has no problems using the blasters, which should make it easy to build out a tribe if you get multiple Jawas later. The blasters are nicely painted, and the egg is sculpted to look somewhat hairy. They clearly didn't take any shortcuts here beyond the body of the figure - they dressed it up nicely.

Given recent price increases - and precedent - it's hard to justify army-building this guy. But he looks great, the robe is one of Hasbro's better efforts, the bandolier is great, and I wish I had a dozen more just like him. I just can't justify $14 army builders, but if this were a 2-pack I would have bought every last one I saw. I'll probably wind up with a chief and two random guys - which is good enough for now, I suppose. I like it. I'm glad Hasbro opted to not keep the egg exclusive to HasLab, and I assume this is going to be a popular figure down the road. If you can stomach the price, it's worth it. And if you don't open your figures, it's absolutely worth the money.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,859: September 28, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,858: Darth Maul (Mandalore, The Vintage Collection)

DARTH MAUL (Mandalore)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F1892
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #201
Includes: 2 lightsabers
Action Feature: Lightsabers can connect
Retail: $13.99
Availability: July 2021
Appearances: The Clone Wars
Bio: Darth Maul orchestrated the siege of Mandalore as a means to draw Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to him with plans to kill Skywalker, depriving Darth Sidious of his new apprentice (Taken from marketing copy. There is 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: While Hasbro gives us precious few 100% new The Vintage Collection figures, they're largely all excellent. Darth Maul (Mandalore) is new parts. He's also the second figure of Maul in this costume - we got a 5-jointed one during the Mission Series 2-pack line, which involved 5-jointed figures, in two packs, for $10 each. And you monsters didn't support them nearly as well, thus giving the market the impression that what you only wanted was vintage, so this is the line we have today - and it's good when it hits right. On the bright side this is one of Hasbro's best figures!

I would love to say this is the best Vintage Maul ever, but unfortunately Hasbro made a remarkable one back in 2012 complete with robes, a plastic hood, and macrobinoculars - and it was cheaper. What a difference a decade can make! Of course, this new one is no slouch with better paints, better articulation, and of course robot legs. He has thigh swivels, bend-and-swivel wrists and hips, and his vest is a separately molded piece of plastic. Wow! The face paint is vibrant and expressive, arguably the very best we've seen so far in this size. The horns are painted well, the chest is done perfectly, the belt looks good, the robes don't get in the way of his leg movement, and the gloves seem excellent too. He's not too skinny and he's not too bulky.

With 27 points of articulation, The Black Series fans will no doubt be jealous of this 3 3/4-inch release complete with two-part lightsaber. It's amazing just how far Hasbro has come (and equally amazing how old the reissued figures look) when you pick up Maul and see more articulation than ever without visible pins. Remember pins? Action figures used to be lousy with pins. Getting him to balance may take a tiny bit of effort - the hips on mine were a little weird - but you can swing arms forward and help him balance without too much fuss.

You have to get this one. I don't care if you don't like the prequels or cartoons, this is a superb figure and it was done nicely. I hope Hasbro follows him up with the Solo Maul in a few years, just to see if they can push toy tech further. It's wonderful to see Hasbro find ways to make a $14 figure look impressive despite having fewer accessories, and with rampant inflation in the toy business I have to say I'm a little surprised that this is better than just about any other Hasbro Darth Maul I've seen so far. I hope we see more The Clone Wars figures in this style, because now that Hasbro can make utterly stunning little masterpieces, why stop here?

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,858: September 23, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,857: Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore, The Vintage Collection)

AHSOKA TANO (Mandalore)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F1893
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #202
Includes: 2 lightsabers
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $13.99
Availability: July 2021
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: On Mandalore, Ahsoka Tano faced Darth Maul, clashing Lightsabers in the throne room of the capital city. Ultimately, she was able to turn his own weapon against him. (Taken from marketing copy. There is 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: Sometimes good things come to those who wait. While The Black Series figure was partially recycled parts, this 3 3/4-inch scale The Vintage Collection Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore) is new parts. This matters - so many of Hasbro's releases in The Vintage Collection have been something of a snooze since the 2018 revival, with almost no new classic characters and a whole bunch of rereleases. Themed waves are scarce, which makes collecting something of a chore - if you can't buy figures that go together nicely, it's just clutter - it's not a collection. Thankfully this wave pairs Ahsoka with a matching Darth Maul, and while I would like some other figures to go with them, at least we got a Rex reissue a couple of waves back. This is one of the better waves that isn't The Mandalorian figures, as she shipped with an Offworld Jawa and king of dad jokes Echo, too. Hopefully this wave gets wide release - I assume Jawas will be snapped up by army builders and the rest will just plain sell.

The first Vintage Ahsoka - who needs another rerelease - was put out almost ten years ago, and she's been consistently popular as soon as the old fans started leaving and the kids grew up who loved her as a kid. That's the point of Star Wars - you kind of have to grow into it. This figure is a marvel of Hasbro engineering, she's been open on my desk for a couple of days and she hasn't fallen over. That's a huge deal - most humans will eventually flop over and she's had no problems standing up thanks to her massive 25 points of articulation. In my day, we had four or five. An excellent figure in the early '00s had 22, but some come and go - Ahsoka has no bend-and-swivel wrists, but you do get a thigh cut as well as double-jointed hips. Also a bending knee joint as well as a swiveling joint. I gripe a lot about $14 reissues, but the $14 new figures have been generally superb - the engineering works great, she can stand, she's easy to get action poses from, and she looks ridiculously good. The waist has a lot of good movement in it, and the double-jointed neck gives you a lot of extra personality too.

Her costume is wonderful with dark grey and silver trim. It makes sense given the tone of the show - she's gone from a colorful child to a drab adult with the encroaching Empire. Her lekku are nicely painted, her eyes are glossy, and her lips - to human eyes - are perfect. Her hands and wrists have painted armor and gloves, it's difficult to fault this one. She's great - the stock photos looked so good, I couldn't believe them. The final figure is about that good, too. There's a reason people are overpaying for her right now. (Be patient, more are coming.)

Her blue bladed lightsabers are based on the ones Anakin hands her near the series' final episodes, and again they're great. They look good, the colors are nice, and it's the kind of figure that should make you mad because it shows just how amazing Hasbro of 2021 is. So many of the figures we've been reviewing here are based on engineering from 2010-2013, it's just such a drag. Ten years is a long time in toys - in 1985 Kenner made Duloks, and in 1995 they made ultra-buff Luke and Han and Darth Vader. Goofy, yes, but with much better painting and sculpting - this figure is really good stuff.

We've only had about 10 figures this year that I could remotely call "new," and at least two of those look like they're using some old bits. (Bespin Escpae Leia just mostly looks like an older figure.) There's painfully little new to buy in a sea of Carbonized and Credit Collection repaints, so figures like this ex-Jedi Ahsoka are a real treasure. Get one.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,857: September 21, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,856: Boba Fett (Prototype Edition - Green Head, The Retro Collection)

BOBA FETT (Prototype Edition, Kenner Style)
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. F2025
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $13.99
Availability: August 2021
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: With his customized Mandalorian armor, deadly weaponry, and silent demeanor, Boba Fett was one of the most feared bounty hunters in the galaxy. Experience excitement like that of the engineers and designers seeing the first product samples of their designs with this Boba Fett figure! Inspired by prototypes that are often produced with whatever extra plastic is in the machine at the time, colorful prototypes enable the development team to look past the deco and focus on the sculpt, analyze mold alignment, and adjust for quality. (Stolen from Target.com.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: There are multiple versions of Boba Fett (Prototype Edition) - at least six that I've seen come up for sale, all the ones I've seen on eBay with green helmets are this exact configuration. Admittedly when old-school collectors hear "retro vintage Boba Fett prototype" this is not what they envision. I assume most older fans expected a solid-blue figure with a firing rocket. Also 1970s Kenner figure test shots haven't surfaced in these multi-color looks, as far as I know - it's a whimsical collectible figure either way. It has gorgeous package art and should be rerun because it's neat - mine in particular looks like a box of crayons.

If you got Boba Fett [FOTD #2,692] it's a lot like that - it's a new mold, it seems like an old mold, but it's not the old molds from decades ago. This is the kind of item I see as the perfect exclusive - it's weird, but not essential for your inner child. Strangely-colored action figures like this feel like they're optional - and that is nice when you probably will never ever see one in the wild. I fell into an opportunity to buy one from a fellow collector, who got me this one with a green helmet, orange and blue arms, orange rocket, yellow torso, and red and purple legs. I really like it because it's weird (and why isn't Pheyden doing this yet, Matt?) The sculpting is good, and with absolutely no paint it's kind of criminal Hasbro is charging a premium for this figure - but that's how the collector market works. A smaller audience is more willing to pay higher prices for some unusual stuff, and some manufacturers are happy to do it. (See also, Mattel, Playmobil, Funko, etc. etc. etc.) It's a smart way to keep business booming and further subsidize some of their offerings, because if you can sell a single collector two - or thirty - of the same guy, it'll help pay for tooling on the obscure figures that they hopefully also manufacture. Of course, Hasbro gave up doing weird aliens and droids (my reason for collecting) years ago, so. Yeah. Anyway, at least we got a pretty awesome and colorful Boba Fett out of all of the cost-cutting.

I like this figure and if I saw more at retail in other colorways, I'd probably buy them. (I did buy a couple Vaders.) It's not for everybody, and is absolutely skippable as something that exists outside the diegesis of the saga. It's a weird figure for the sake of weird figures, and while I would probably groan about a The Black Series release like this I won't complain when it comes to Kenner. This is sort of a perfect expression of a goofy idea, and I'm pretty happy to have this color configuration, too. Get one if you can find it.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Ken, who was kind enough to sell me one at cost.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,856: September 16, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,855: Luke Skywalker (Endor, The Vintage Collection)

LUKE SKYWALKER (Endor)
The Vintage Collection Walmart Exclusive
Item No.: No. F3117
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #198
Includes: Lightsaber, hilt, poncho/belt, helmet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.93
Availability: August 2021
Appearances: Return of the Jedi
Bio: Luke Skywalker, a Force-sensitive human male, was a legendary Jedi Master who fought in the Galactic Civil War during the reign of the Galactic Empire. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I like this one a lot. When I was a kid in the 1980s and 1990s, there was no internet like we have today - if you wanted vintage Star Wars figures, you had to network and hit garage sales or flea markets. One of the very last figures I had to track down as a kid - back when things were cheap - was the original version of Luke Skywalker (Endor), which this 2021 release tries to mimic. It's an unusual mishmash of new and old parts, capturing some elements perfectly and others... less so. The big question of if you should make the best replica of the movie character, or the old action figure, is something that Hasbro seems to be struggling with - and this time they said "let's do both."

The core body is the 2010 Death Star Luke figure which has been released and rereleased and you've probably got one. This means it doesn't have the vest on the chest under the poncho - which Luke is probably wearing under the poncho. Or maybe he carries a change of clothes - if you look at the scene where Luke and Leia talk about their mother, and lighten it in Photoshop or whatever, it seems Luke has the vest from Jabba's Palace on. Most if not all Hasbro action figures (and Kenner's 1985 figure) opt to leave the vest off and usually have Luke with his Death Star shirt underneath. Either way, what matters is Luke has the lateral hip movement and bend-and-swivel wrists which were in style back in 2010 when this body was first released. If Hasbro were still in the vehicle business, you would be happy to put this one on a Speeder Bike. Or Playmobil horse, if you've got one on your desk. Luke has no problem holding his weapons, and you can plug the hilt right on the figure's torso. Hasbro was probably right to reuse the same body again. It's very good, and the poncho covers most of it anyway.

Hasbro gave Luke a new head, and like the 1985 original the helmet is molded to he head. The paint job is great, and it looks like his helmet is a separately-molded piece so both it and the face are molded in color. And they look great! The helmet has the markings and scuffing similar to the movie, and the face is appropriately Luke-y. The photoreal paint looks great to my eyes, but nothing digital holds up to perfect scrutiny under the harsh lights and macro lens of our photo studios. Of course, your eyes aren't that good so he should look good to you in most situation. I really like how the head turned out, especially since a lot of Return of the Jedi Luke heads have looked off-model, weird, or just awful. And of course, some are good - Hasbro was right to make a new sculpt here. It turned out nicely, and hopefully they're going to make more of this figure so you can get one.

Accessories include the blaster from Jabba's palace - which Kenner's figure included - but sadly, there's no holster to carry it. That makes this a nice nod to the Kenner original that didn't include a lightsaber, sadly. But that's OK - this one has two. You've got a hilt and a fully-lit blade, both of which are painted nicely. The blaster is similarly well-painted with a copper grip and silver other parts, and given that the figure has glossy boots and an all-new poncho with elastic belt, everything more or less looks right. Elastic as a belt can only look so good - someone may make a better aftermarket replacement - but ht poncho is excellent and hangs nicely, with a good pattern printed on it. The hood is a little bulky, but so were almost all releases of Endor Luke. It's fine. It could be better, and it's probably the best we'll get for years.

With Hasbro's continued reliance on older molds, it can be understandable why they'd bring one back - like C-3PO - and vexing on some others, like Endor Han or Admiral Ackbar. This Luke could have swivel thighs, but the articulation is dang near perfect for vehicle riding and the poncho is a gem. I love the helmet and the nods to the Kenner original, but optional holster belts would be nice too. But why am I complaining? This is a nice upgrade at $13, and as long as you can get one for about that price you'll be a happy camper. As long as the Ewoks don't eat you.

Collector's Notes: I got mine form Walmart.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,855: September 14, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,854: Luke Skywalker (Hoth, The Vintage Collection)

LUKE SKYWALKER (Hoth, Reissue of 2012 release)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F1896
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #95
Includes: Scarf with goggles, blaster, lightsaber with blade, hilt of lightsaber
Action Feature: Blaster fits in holster, hilt hangs on belt, scarf fits around head
Retail: $12.99
Availability: May 2021
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back
Bio: Luke Skywalker led the Rebel defense against the Empire’s ground forces, including massive AT-AT walkers, giving the Alliance time to evacuate the planet Hoth. (Taken from marketing copy. There is 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: It's back! Why? It was pretty expensive from the 2012 release. The Luke Skywalker (Hoth) release from 2021 is very close to the 2021 original, seemingly with the same colors and paint masks - at first glance. There are some subtle differences, and it may be so subtle you don't even need to bother unless skin tone means a lot to you.

If you have and are happy with the Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit) from 2012 [FOTD #1,830], this is mostly an improvement. There are surprisingly few deco changes - the head and the boots are the most obviously changed. The main selling point is photoreal face deco, but there's more to it than usual. The 2012 release has the flesh color painted over a plastic head - the 2021 version is molded in the flesh color, so it looks a lot better to begin with. The lips are now painted, with slightly more subtle eyebrows and more realistic - less doll-like - eyes. Without a doubt, it's the better head. The straps on his boots are now off-white rather than white, and the rivets on the holster for the 2021 releases seem a tiny bit sloppier than the 2012 release - but it varies from figure to figure.

Unlike some other rereleases, this was already a good figure - while there were no thigh swivels in 2012, he did have improvements like lateral hip movement to straddle a Tauntaun. (Which, I should say, Hasbro needs to consider reissuing as well.) The joints are much more nicely integrated into the body than some of his contemporaries, with great shoulder movement and a subtle cut on the gloves for wrist movement. It's very nice. The accessories fit where they belong quite nicely, and everything is kind of perfect. It makes sense to reissue this figure, because other than maybe a variant head there's not much room for improvement. Unless they wanted to go off-model and give us the 1982 deco, but that's probably a few years off.

If you have the 2012 reissue - especially if you keep the goggles on - there's absolutely no reason to upgrade. If you want the mold with the best possible human head, rendered in plastic that much better brings the unique cleft in Mark Hamill's chin to life, you've just got to get this one. There's a reason it disappears quickly from store shelves - it's very good. An all-new mold could be a little better, but I can see why they just decided to improve the one that was already manufactured. Get it if you have the inclination!

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,854: September 9, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,853: Admiral Ackbar 2021 Redux, The Vintage Collection)

ADMIRAL ACKBAR (Reissue of 2010 release)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F1897
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #22
Includes: Communications panel, baton
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: May 2021
Appearances: Return of the Jedi
Bio: Admiral Ackbar oversaw the Rebel attack on the second Death Star, coordinating with starfighter operations led by Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles. (Taken from marketing copy. There is 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: It's back! Why? The Admiral Ackbar release from 2010 was pretty good. It also was, for a very short time, kind of expensive on the secondary market - the 2010 release, that is. After a spike, it stayed at around $30ish, which is - as much as I hate to say it - not unreasonable for a recent $10 action figure. Along with fixing some of the best figures of all time, getting stuff out for fans at a more affordable price has been part of The Vintage Collection reissues' reason for being. Having said that, I thought the first release looked fine and its price was low enough to not warrant a rerun - I guess they must have had the tooling in good working order?

If you have and are happy with the Admiral Ackbar from 2010 [FOTD #1,416], I don't think you need this one. The eyes seemed brighter than the darker gold of 2021, but the costume is more or less the same color and the skin on the figure (and packaging) in 2010 were a much lighter red - which is how I remember the figure. After all, Admiral Ackbar was one of my absolute favorite Kenner toys as a kid. 

There are subtle differences in shading between the two figures, and if you put them side-by-side you'll notice the paint mask for the yellow stripe on his pants was changed, but does it matter? It will to some of you - but even completists may not see a reason to upgrade.

While this was a pretty great figure in 2010, in 2021 it really does feel dated. He has only 18 points of articulation, which is amazing compared to what we had in the 1990s but there isn't much articulation in the hips - and no ankles. The forearms swivel, but there's no movement at the actual wrist. There's no way for him to sit in a chair (if Hasbro ever made one), so he can't have his console device across his lap. While there is hip movement, the legs are blocked by the tunic's stiff rubbery plastic. It probably doesn't matter since these figures - sadly - were not designed with playsets in mind. Also there will likely never be a deluxe Admiral Ackbar with a chair, nor a playset for him.

In short, it's basically the 2010 release with darker skin. The mottling is different, but not significantly so - it's like they took the old molds and gave you new paint masks and possibly truer-to-the-movie coloring. I'm unsure just how red the mask was in real life, so to me this seems like it's probably too dark. I don't have access to the Lucasfilm archives or 4K film transfers though, so I don't know what to tell you. I am happy with the previous version, but this one is an excellent substitute - and cheaper - if you can't get the original for yourself.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,853: September 7, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,852: Han Solo (Endor, The Vintage Collection)

HAN SOLO (Endor, reissue of 2006 and 2011 releases)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F1899
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #62
Includes: Trenchcoat, blaster pistol
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: May 2021
Appearances: Return of the Jedi
Bio: Han Solo and his strike team landed on the forest moon of Endor, where they encountered Scout Troopers and were captured by Ewoks. (Taken from marketing copy. There is 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: Good coat, bad face paint, unpainted blaster.

Hasbro told fans that the reason they were rerunning older figures for The Vintage Collection were to bring us back very expensive figures to make them affordable, and to bring back the very best because there's not a heck of a lot of room for improvement. This does not explain Han Solo (Endor), a figure that was, let's be generous, pretty good for 2006 [FOTD #410] but pretty bad in 2011 and downright awful in 2021. Back in 2006, we were only 2 years into super-articulated figures being something of a normal happening and Hasbro was still struggling with making a really good Harrison Ford face. (Heck, they still are.) The figure's proportions are a little strange with oddly-posed legs hidden by a big cloth coat. The head was fine before when unpainted, but with the added photoreal deco looks something like a blobfish removed from the pressures of the deep. The face looks like it's melting. It's not good. Hasbro was seemingly aware of this from the official photography, which tends to show the figure at very specific angles which flatter the sculpt and hide the flaws - I mean, that's what you're supposed to do. The product photographers at Hasbro are absolute artists, because you probably had no idea just how bad this figure looks until you got it in your hands.

Hasbro shouldn't have brought this one back, and I would assume there may have been better alternatives - like adding a holster to TVC136 Han Solo in Carbonite, and seeing how the photoreal paint worked on that may have proven a cost-effective solution that didn't make you look at the figure with pity. It's also worth noting this figure doesn't have a silver muzzle on the blaster, but the 2006 release does. I applaud Hasbro for trying, but this should've been axed before it left the production stage. I'm sure it may scratch some itches for fans wanting to fill up their Kenner collections, but the genuine article - a real Kenner figure from 1984 - is around $54, and the superior figure (but inferior coat) from the 2006 release sells on eBay for as little as $13. I'm not telling you anything you don't know here - this is just a bad reissue of a figure that didn't age well.

The main reason to buy this figure is for the coat. You can apply it to another Han figure you like better, because it does look pretty good. It's a little bulky - it's impossible to perfectly scale down real-life fabrics to fit these guys - so it doesn't hang perfectly. Sculpted plastic tends to look better at this size, but Hasbro's artisans picked a good fabric that mimics the unique fabric pattern from the film quite nicely. The stitching is also downplayed, not looking as obvious as on the previous releases. This feels like where the budget for the figure went, and Hasbro has been consistently good about improving its patterns and fabrics at this size. Whoever did this, my I tip my hat to you - you did great.

This is a very old figure they reissued. To put it in perspective, it's 15 years old. It would be like if they put out The Power of the Force 1985 figures in the year 2000. It would be like if they put out more original 12-inch G.I. Joes in 1979. It would be like if we saw The Power of the Force 1995 figures in 2010. This is now a very old figure.

I assume the figure deco artist did their very best too, but sometimes you can't polish Bantha poodoo. The head is the same as the 2006 and 2011 releases, which wasn't great - but in its unpainted flesh-colored state, it looked acceptable at best. I didn't have a reason to dunk on it because it's not like they did anything to draw attention to the lips. For the 2021 release Hasbro used its fancy paint printing to give us more lifelike eyes - and I like those! - and a melty smile. It's not unique to my figure, and it seems to be a result of the printing aligning with the existing sculpt - every sample I've seen looked bad, and I don't think any level of paint could make it look better. I was surprised, though, to see it could make it worse. At certain angles it does look pretty good - but deviate from that position, and you lose it.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,852: September 2, 2021