Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,894: Lobot (The Vintage Collection)

LOBOT Somehow, Lobot has returned
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F4462
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #223
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $13.99
Availability: December 2021
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back
Bio: Never far from Baron Administrator Lando Calrissian's side was Lobot, Calrissian's aide and Cloud City's computer liaison officer. (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: When it comes to the older characters, it's hard to know why Hasbro makes some figures. Over the last few years we've found out that some classic faces are hints - we got a new Emperor pre-order before his appearance in The Rise of Skywalker, and we got new Lando Skiff around the same time the outfit showed up in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Retro faces aren't always here to announce a returning favorite in a movie or streaming series, but it happens often enough that Lobot seems conspicuous. His last new figure was in 2004 and other than possibly showing up in the Lando series in a year or three, we don't know of any excuse for him to appear on anything any time soon.

While Bo-Katan Kryze has the best new articulation I've seen, and the Mythrol has some of the best 2016-2021 style articulation I've seen, Lobot is something in the middle. The hips are somewhere in between - the legs don't quite swing forward without a fight, but look like an evolutionary step closer to what we got with Bo-Katan and Kuiil. It's a ball-and-socket joint, but you have to twist the thigh to get them to swing forward. Functionally, it's decent. It looks great. But the user experience is a bit more fidgety than I would like, making it a good-but-not-great one. (It's not like you're going to play with him much, anyway.)

Arm articulation is good if a little stiff, making this a good example of a designer trying some new things to make a better figure. He can hold a blaster with two hands, pretty much every joint moves well - but the elbows are a little stiff. I really don't like the mid-torso joint (why not have it articulate at the belt so it isn't ugly?) but it does work just fine. I very much liked the fairly stiff 2004 Original Trilogy Collection Lobot, but this one looks more like the performer and is significantly more modern in appearance. The head sculpt is good and the printed face is excellent, with features seemingly slightly more defined than the fair eyebrows and pale lips seen in the movie. This isn't a complaint - when you're dealing with a head this small, things have to be exaggerated or you won't even see that they're there.

So you've got a good figure, with a confusing accessory - Hasbro opted to do the Disney-era Stormtrooper blaster rather than the Original Trilogy version. There are some minor changes, like the extra bit hanging off the side, that lets you know this isn't the correct one from the movie. For all I know it has to do with legal reasons, but given how many incorrect lightsaber hilts we've seen over the years it's probably just an oversight in production. It's also better than no accessory.

Seemingly not essential if you've got a Lobot, this is a really good update of a character that hasn't got a lot of attention over the years. It's his fourth 3 3/4-inch figure, and it's the best - if you feel like getting one, you should. He sits, he stands, he looks good - there's not much more you can ask for here. Maybe in 15-20 years we'll see Hasbro innovate more and come up with another version, but I assume this is going to be the last Lobot most fans will ever need. (Unless he shows up in a new costume, played by a new actor.)

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,894: January 27, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,893: Bo-Katan Kryze (The Vintage Collection)

BO-KATAN KRYZE One of the Best
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F4465
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #226
Includes: 2 blasters, helmet
Action Feature: Removbale helmet, blasters fit in holsters
Retail: $13.99
Availability: December 2021
Appearances: The Mandalorian
Bio: A gifted warrior and legendary Mandalorian, Bo-Katan Kryze is the last of her line. She leads a team of Clan Kryze Mandalorians striking back at the Imperial remnant. (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: Impressive - but not without faults! When opening Bo-Katan Kryze one of the first things I noticed was the new construction of her legs - the hips look a lot more like classic 1980s o-ring G.I. Joe figures, and those had a spectacular range of movement. (But, of course, crumbled once the rubber band needed replacing.) This one does something a bit better with a ball-and-socket joint allowing for a full range of movement, with added bend-and-swivel knees, swivel thighs, and other joints ensuring she has a spectacular range of movement. Her holsters aren't glued to her thighs either, so she can go in a ship and sit down if she likes. It's not merely a good figure for collectors, it's a pretty good toy too - and balancing that has been difficult in recent years.

My praise of this figure is mostly glowing, with a couple of minor quibbles. Deco is excellent. The sculpt is excellent. Articulation is excellent. There are two nitpicks I'm going to dump on before we get on to more praise - one, the "owl" shoulder tampos are sloppy and off-model. You probably won't notice them much, but they're just bad, and Hasbro can and has done better at this size - the 1995 Kenner Boba Fett was sharper than this. Two, the holsters are a little too tight for the blasters. You can get them in there but it's really really really tight and may lead to paint scrape over time. Other than that, you've got a figure that shows just how good Hasbro has gotten at making human figures at this scale, which is kind of infuriating given that the line is still largely reissues and repaints much of the time.

Bo-Katan's head looks just like Katee Sackhoff on the show, complete with headband and wig. The face paint is really good, with teeny tiny eyes, painted lips, and spot-on eyebrows. I'm kind of amazed that we haven't been hearing universal praise in the fan community for getting a popular Mandalorian - one who has been in at least three TV series - for basically being perfect. Look at any Rey or Leia from a few years ago, and it's amazing how Hasbro has seemingly slapped a real photo of a real person on a 3-D plastic head the size of an M&M. While the figure has a helmet, it's not a traditional helmet - the complete head must be removed, and replaced with the helmet head. One advantage this has is that the figure's hands can hold the neck peg like a handle, so she can carry around her helmet. The detail on the helmet head is also excellent, but my sample's rangefinder doesn't move - and I'm not sure if it's supposed to move, either. The deco is superb, with gritty black paint visible on the back, some silver scraping, and other scuffs on the front. I'm sure there are improvements for a future release, but this is way better than anything we ever get at this size. She's probably a little better than the 6-inch figure.

I've had this figure standing up on my desk, without stand or other assistance, for several days. Even with the smaller feet, Hasbro designed her with a good center of gravity - perhaps aided by the non-removable backpack and decent ankle joints - ensuring that she won't flop over before the play battles start. The silver painted armor looks great, with brighter silver scuffs and lots of sculpted detail like her wrist rockets, pockets, and some seams on her clothes. Considering what we grew up with in the 1970s and 1980s, it's a remarkable improvement that's mind-blowing over what we were getting just 5 or 10 years ago, and a figure that certainly makes a compelling argument of why this figure should cost $14. (But not the reissues. They still really don't seem to have "it.") I love the colors and while I would love some more paint on this figure's boots and better shoulder tampos, it's still a mass-produced 3 3/4-inch figure. This might be one of the very best we'll see in this line, but I hope not - there are plenty of characters to do, redo, or just plain upgrade now that we see what Hasbro can deliver when allowed to make a 100% new figure. (And while we wait, I'd also like a Koska Reeves, please and thank you.) Unless you have it out against the series, definitely make sure you pick up all these 3 3/4-inch The Mandalorian figures. I've not been disappointed.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,893: January 25, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,892: Kuiil (The Vintage Collection)

KUIIL One of the Best
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F4466
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #227
Includes: Backpack, blaster
Action Feature: n/
Retail: $13.99
Availability: December 2021
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: A vapor farmer on Arvala-7, Kuiil came to seek peace in an out of the way world, which is now being trespassed upon by criminals and mercenaries. (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: When you get a figure this good, it reminds you why you collect The Vintage Collection in the first place. The Mythrol used good versions of the old, weird bend-and-swivel hip joints so he could sit well and look awesome at the same time. But Kuiil uses a ball-and-socket joint, much like you saw with Stikfas, Xevoz, and even classic Beast Wars toys. You get a lot of range of motion with fewer parts and less manual labor for assembly. If done right, everybody wins! Other than a lack of accessories, everybody wins with the Ugnaught. I have spoken.

Hasbro has, to put it simply, struggled to get the colors right on Kuiil - this one is correct. The 6-inch The Black Series figure is too bright, so it needs a repaint - and the 6-inch Credit Collection figure isn't exactly better. The Kenner-style The Retro Collection figure is both the wrong size and the wrong color, but that's OK. Is this hypocrisy? No, because Kenner got aliens so off-model in 1979 that we're very approving of such choices in that style. (Confidential to Disney/Lucasfilm: please make all pre-release design characters in Kenner style first, that way I will not complain if they're off-model. Thank you.) This guy has his scarf, a removable backpack, and a blaster. Heck, he's even got a separately molded (but non-removable) helmet that really adds to the look of the figure i a way paint can never replicate. You're paying $14 for one figure... but it's a very good figure, with excellent sculpted texture, wonderfully painted eyes and facial hair, and a surprisingly ornate paint job on his hat. Because it's an Ugnaught it may be destined to pegwarm, but I recommend you just buy it. It's good. You'll pick it up and futz with it and go "oh, they did a good job with this one."

The sculpt of the figure perfectly captures the animatronic mask and outfit, so there's no reason to dwell on it. I can't imagine they'll do better in my lifetime. Articulation is also good, with a head turning over the scarf, elbows that can bend a little more than 90 degrees, and those marvelous hip joints seemingly designed to sit on a Blurrg should Hasbro ever make one for this scale. (He sort of fits on the Mission Fleet one, which is too small.) The skirt part of his vest was designed with enough clearance so the new hip joints can swing forward without a fight, and the knees have a good range of motion too. I'm counting about 26 meaningful points of articulation here, thanks to surprise joints like a knee that both bends and swivels below the knee. This is a figure that seems like it was engineered by someone who played with recent releases and said "These are good but I can do better." And to you, sir and/or ma'am, you were correct. This is great.

Kuiil can stand, hold his blaster, and look amazing doing it. He's so good that I would probably stop collecting The Black Series if Hasbro would give us some kind of promise to do those characters in the 3 3/4-inch format. (It's a pretty short list of absent faces at this point.) It just goes to show Hasbro is still capable of greatness at this scale, and I sincerely hope everyone reads this sees how good this figure is, and buys it, to show Hasbro that there is still money in this format rather than ceding it to the 6-inch line. Not that the 6-inch line doesn't have a few rockstars, but I really like this one a lot more.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,892: January 20, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,891: The Mythrol (The Vintage Collection)

THE MYTHROL Toy Debut
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F4464
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #225
Includes: Pistol, puck, binders, tool
Action Feature: n/
Retail: $13.99
Availability: December 2021
Appearances: The Mandalorian
Bio: Once the Mandalorian's bounty, the fledgling Mythrol is now trying to make a living in the office of the Magistrate of Nevarro. (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: The Vintage Collection has really turned itself around with its new releases - it seems every wave or two, a figure seems like the very best 3 3/4-inch action figure Hasbro ever gave us. The Mythrol is another one of those "best ever" candidates, thanks to a great sculpt, a surprising abundance of gear, superior articulation, and paint that goes above and beyond what we're trained to expect. It feels like Hasbro read a bunch of reviews and decided to make something amazing purely to spite critics to have nothing to say.

The blue, semi-anonymous alien was one of the first characters we met in The Mandalorian and was one of few sniveling cowards in a sea of sincerity. The heavily made-up Horatio Sanz had on a brown costume presumably meant to keep his character moist, and it was replicated here nicely looking something like a bomber jacket or old-fashioned pilot's suit. Uneven lapels struck me as a surprise, but it and every detail on the costume look great. The boots are a different brown, as is the pouch on his belt. He has special embellishments on his shoulders, and they're painted - as are other silver and gold accents. The wrinkles all look good, the pleats and creases all align nicely. Be it Disney's asset team or Hasbro's sculpting department, just the outfit is pretty amazing - and then they do a bang-up job replicating the alien head and gloved hands, too. With little to no articulation, it would be one of Hasbro's best sculpts in recent memory.

Deco makes up for some lackluster figures lately. With the recent The Emperor having very little neat to show for it, the Mythrol has so many decorated accents and trims to his outfit, you may almost miss just how insanely ornate the head is. A shiny blue skin has additional pink and blue accents! The eyes really pop, and after being used to most alien heads being molded in color, this is a really excellent figure. With reissues of other figures at $14 it's easy to complain what we're getting just isn't that great, but The Mythrol is a figure you look at and can see where the money went. It's better than a typical figure - and it has great articulation, too.

Whoever engineered this one deserves a medal. He can use all of his accessories - binders rarely fit well, but here? They fit. The blaster fits in his left hand, the pick and the torch fit nicely in the right. His arms swivel and bend so he can look decent using all of his equipment, which can be tough when anything demands a weird hand shape or specific arm pose. What I really love, though, is the hip articulation - they designed this guy with sitting in mind. You'll have no problems getting him to sit in a chair, and I assume once my Razor Crest shows up he can plop in the seat right behind Mando without any problems at all. Future figures may be measured against this one, as his wrists and elbows even have a little more give in them than usual.

If that weren't enough, you get a tiny little holographic bust in the form of his "wanted" puck. Hasbro painted it with red letters, which was pretty spectacular, but also ensured the image went from blue at the top to colorless near the base - just like on the show. His other gear is molded in color and is generally great, but I don't have any specific praise other than "it's good, it's really good." The puck itself was a surprise winner, mostly because it's the kind of thing you would expect to be held back for a convention exclusive. But no, it's here, for $14.

Hasbro hasn't made all that many figures for The Mandalorian (not counting metallic repaints) at this size. I believe this is #13 since the show's 2019 debut, which is kind of astonishingly slow - but it's good. It wouldn't have been this perfect had it came out in December of 2019 when the character first appeared, so I'm glad we're seeing better figures as lead times (and prices) go up. You can go ahead and buy this one and you'll be glad that you did.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,891: January 18, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,890: Crosshair (Imperial, The Black Series)

CROSSHAIR (Imperial)
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Dark Red Star Wars: The Bad Batch Packaging
Item No.: No. F2933
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #09 - Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Includes: Helmet, blaster, sniper rifle, backpack
Action Feature: Blaster fits in holster, helmet covers head, backpack is removable and can store rifle
Retail: $24.99
Availability: September 2021
Appearances: Star Wars: The Bad Batch

Bio: Formerly a member of the Bad Batch, Crosshair’s loyalties shift after his team defects from Imperial service. Committed to the Empire, Crosshair leads a new squad of enlisted recruits. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: When initially launched, I got a preorder in for Vice-Admiral Rampart but Crosshair (Imperial) sold out immediately. I was surprised to see him return, in stock, in December - so I went ahead and grabbed him with a Mando exclusive to qualify for free shipping at Walmart. The figure is the same tooling as the previous release, but with a $5 upcharge. Why? I assume a PopCopy employee has an answer.

Despite the upcharge, there's not a lot new here other than deco and a helmet. back in the 2005-2008 period of the 3 3/4-inch line, we frequently got repaint waves - often developed very quickly - with no new tooling to get troopers out. At that scale and price ($5-$7) "close enough" was acceptable for all these clones and droids and troopers. The Black Series is supposed to be a premium collector format, so seeing the wrong pauldrons (there's no 99 on the show, nor is there a spike) and no battle-damage deco at all make me assume either Walmart jacked up the price because they know they can get it, or Hasbro increased the price because they know they can get it. A newly-tooled helmet isn't enough to warrant that kind of price increase, and exclusive prices at Walmart (and elsewhere, but especially Walmart) have been all over the map lately.

If it wasn't for the show accuracy, I would say this is a spectacularly cool figure. A version 2.0 seems possible, because Crosshair's unmasked head gets messed up as the season goes and they could justify an all-new figure later. (This is not without precedent.) He stands well, holds his weapons well. The holster works great. The backpack can stow the rifle. I love the new helmet with its green visor, revised face, and articulated rangefinder. This is an awesome action figure, no doubt - even without painted silver scuffing, the sculpted scratches and dents look pretty great. I doubt most fans who watched the show won't even realize it's not completely accurate, and I assume Lucasfilm and Hasbro know this too given the character was largely seen in dark places. It's cool. It looks neat. If you never saw the show you'll just love it to pieces.

The unmasked helmet has Crosshair's trademark crosshair over his eye, and the figure's mutations make him look less and less like the prime clone. I hate that I both love and dislike the figure. If this were from some video game I never played, I'd say "this is awesome! Go get it! Treat yourself!" without a thought about accuracy. As a major character from a TV show, it's disappointing - not bad, not awful, just not as good as it should be for a figure like this. And I bought it anyway, and I really like it. If a newer version comes out I'd say skip this one - heck, the previous one's paint was lacking, so hopefully some day we'll just see a very fancy, very premium Evolution of Crosshair 2-pack where they smooth out the rough parts of both releases and trick us into spending another $50-$60. Until then, at $25, I can't deny that this is one awesome looking chunk of plastic.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,890: January 13, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,889: Jyn Erso (The Black Series)

JYN ERSO Fourth Edition
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Green Rogue One: A Star War Story Packaging
Item No.: No. F2889
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #01 - Rogue One: A Star War Story
Includes: Blaster, scarf
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $22.99
Availability: December 2021
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star War Story

Bio: Putting behind a checkered past by lending her skills to a greater cause, Jyn Erso is impetuous, defiant, and eager to bring the battle to the Empire. Used to operating alone, she finds higher purpose by taking on a desperate mission for the Rebel Alliance. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Sometimes low expectations can bring a good surprise! After three releases - the regular individual figure, the SDCC exclusive variant package debut, and another release in a Target-exclusive 3-pack with a unique Death Trooper and Cassian Andor - I did not expect nor did I want another Jyn Erso. For the fifth anniversary of Rogue One, Hasbro did an online exclusive series of figures to celebrate with the photoreal face paint - and it's good. It's breathtakingly good. And when you pick up the 2016 releases and compare them, you will learn just how precious and sentimental you are about your old toys. I'd never toss out an old 3 3/4-inch Luke figure from the 80s or 90s (or I assume 00s.) But the 2016 Jyn Erso, I got no reason to ever look at her again. This new one is remarkable.

I've got a few figures to open still, but this one I opened within minutes of the box arriving from work. And I ran back to get my 2016 Erso to compare - and it's amazing. Old Jyn Erso figures were pumped out due to a large demand for Rey being unmet during the movie launch, and they sold well - and I assume long-term collectors will get rid of them after seeing the new release.

If you have the old figure, this one is virtually the same with a new head and some tiny improvements. First, there's the face - printing her face on here completely changes the figure's entire personality. I'm know giving side-eye to all my original trilogy humans because I assume this means upcoming Leia reissues are going to look amazing, and maybe it means we'll get some really good Han Solo and Luke figures at some point. The picture says it all. Less obvious are minor improvements on her outfit - the zippers and buckles are now a shinier silver rather than a dull grey. The brown boots are a little richer. The badge on her vest near the waist is a bit cleaner, but still not perfect ias far as I can tell.

I used to think The Black Series was a line where latecomers got screwed out of awesome things as the line goes as Hasbro seemed very hesitant to bring anything back as new fans discovered the line - and lately we've seen them reissue the Carbonite Block and Salacious Crumb from SDCC (Amazon and Disney parks, respectively) as well as some other great things. Now that we're seeing good figures improved to the nth degree, I'd almost say it's worth skipping any main character that looks like it could use some help. We've seen photo real upgrades on so many main characters that it's hard to say no to some of them once you see it in person. Get her if you're so inclined, just prepare by selling your old ones while you still can. And you probably can't. They'll just want the new one.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,889: January 11, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,888: Hevy Battle Droid (The Vintage Collection)

HEAVY BATTLE DROID Star Wars Battlefront II
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. F2711
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #193
Includes: Rifle, smaller rifle, backpack, antenna
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: June 2021
Appearances: Star Wars Battlefront II
Bio: The Heavy Battle Droid was a modified version of the B1-series battle droid,[3] being equipped with firing programs to help in combat. (Stolen from Wookieepedia. 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: One of the good thing about droids, they're easy to do as retailer exclusives with variant deco. GameStop had this guy as a 6-inch figure, but the 3 3/4-inch Heavy Battle Droid was a shared "fan" exclusive at most online retailers (and not big box stores.) It takes a good Battle Droid mold from 2012 and adds a lot of metallic red paint plus a bonus blaster for a small upcharge. Is it worth it? For one, sure. For army building... that depends on how much you love games.

The package isn't as robust as what you get in the 6-inch line, and it seems like the 3 3/4-inch scale is increasingly meant to be for a niche audience. The paint job on this one looks better than his bigger companion, as he's molded in a black plastic and slathered in a metallic red that really pops. There are some silver scuffed bits in there too, and it's subtle. It's hard to explain just how much better it looks - a droid molded in red plastic looks nice, but one painted red on top of that looks like it's the real thing. A movie prop (or CG model) usually has paint over whatever raw materials are used, and this isn't a benefit just for action figures - if you collected Transformers or die-cast cars, fans typically put a premium on die-cast construction. A lost art it may be, but it's really all about paint and weight, and the weight is not all that important. If you take a plastic toy car and completely coat it with paint, the eye can't tell the difference. (A scale, of course, can.) A few extra pennies turns a cheap toy into a premium collectible, plus it has other fringe benefits. For example, white paint doesn't yellow like white plastic does. If Hasbro spent a few extra cents in manufacturing, yellowed Stormtroopers wouldn't be an issue. That's why the extra paint on this Battle Droid looks superb - it's more than color. It's texture. It's an amazing form of visual trickery, and I am all for it.

The mold itself is The Vintage Collection mold we've seen in other colors before, and it's fine. It's not a huge improvement over the 1999 mold except for two things - one, there's a bit of a ball joint in the shoulders and hips so they can pivot in addition to swivel. Two, it can curl up into the ball pose so you can deploy it in that MTT you regret skipping 10 years ago. There are no wrist or forearm swivels, no waist joints, and it's not quite as fancy as the 6-inch armature. You can probably still squeeze some good poses out of him with the small and larger blasters, but it's worth noting that the spindly limbs won't hold up to gravity forever and you will want a display stand with upper body support. A disc with a peg will only be good for a short period of time before he sags and warps. That's not a knock on Hasbro's design - if they used stiffer plastic, there's a good chance the limbs would snap. If they had no articulation below the hip, it might stand up, but fans wouldn't like that. The 1999 models seemed to be the most durable, but at a cost of mobility and accuracy in the sculpt. It's a design that wasn't made with the very best 3 3/4-inch toys in mind, but it's still a good translation of the concept. Sadly I don't think swivel wrists and forearms will work at this size... but maybe someday they'll skip the joints entirely and just give us swappable arms for a future Battle Droid toy. (Despite collectors' requests, articulation is overrated in some figures - 2004 Dagobah Luke's swappable arms were definitely the right move, for example.)

I like the gear - the extra Stormtrooper-style rifle is nice, the default Battle Droid blaster is obligatory, plus you get the backpacks and the antenna to plug in the back. The extra gear has nowhere to stow, so keep track of it carefully.

Having not played the game, I can only say I like the figure. (If I knew a small one was coming, I'd probably have skipped the 6-inch one.) I doubt this is going to be an essential addition to any collection, but it's one I like a lot because it builds out the galaxy with something I don't already own. We get so many reruns, updates, and remakes of existing toys that sometimes a repaint of a new battalion or model of droid can be exciting, and the vintage packaging doesn't hurt either. If the mood strikes you, get it. (If it's on sale, get that army started.) Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,888: January 6, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,887: Stormtrooper (Skywalker Saga, Gold)

STORMTROOPER with Darth Vader
Skywalker Saga Commemorative Collection Walmart Exclusive 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure 2-Pack
Item No.: Asst. E8177 No. E8183
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, blaster
Action Feature: n/
Retail: $14.92
Availability: October 2019
Appearances: Star Wars
Bio: Stormtroopers are elite shock troops fanatically loyal to the Empire and impossible to sway from the Imperial cause. (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: I initially passed on this set - and that was probably the right move. I opened the set and the Stormtrooper figure slowly started to turn its helmet... and then sheared the neck off at the peg. Well. It's a gold repaint of the Solo: A Star Wars Story mold which was reused in the quickly-forgotten tube-packed Galaxy of Adventures line in 2019. It has a blaster and limited articulation. It is gold. The hands are loose on the blaster. And, again, the neck twisted off... so i don't like this figure.

If left carded it's pretty nice. The gold paint reflects all the nice sculpted detail and highlights just how hard they work on making a nice looking figure. Like Vader, I'd recommend it for carded collectors or for fans needing a shelf of gold figures that they'll never, ever touch. This one didn't have the paint stickiness issues I saw on Vader, but there were enough problems between the two that I can't really fathom why anyone would buy and enjoy these figures as toys. I'd say just got get the previous releases, and use this as a trophy/display item. Or better yet, don't bother buying it. Your mileage may vary but "head breaks off" is probably the only thing worse beyond "head falls off" as far as an item's construction quality goes.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. These sets were initially Walmart exclusives.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,887: January 4, 2022