Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,946: Battle Droid (Droid Depot set, The Black Series)

BATTLE DROID Droid Depot Set
The Black Series Galaxy's Edge Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. F3400
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Babu Frik, Pit Droid, Battle Droid with blaster and antenna backpacks, K-7R1, and CB-23
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $74.99
Availability: March 2022
Appearances: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace   

Bio: The soulless ranks of the Separatist armies are dominated by tall, thin B1 battle droids controlled by centralized command center. They often suffer programming glitches that manifest as personality quirks. (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This Battle Droid is the same as the Best Buy carded figure (which I haven't opened yet), and both are almost the same as the 2019 Battle Droid [FOTD #2,579] sold in the main line. For army builders, the slight deco variations are just what you want. For everybody else, this means there are three "just different enough to make you mad" Battle Droids in this line - and counting.

It's worth noting that the 6-inch Battle Droid is one of Hasbro's stronger efforts. I don't care if you hate the prequels, it's a good figure - there are lots of joints, good option parts, and he can crouch down like in the movies. The design is very good and not nearly as spindly as some of the 3 3/4-inch Battle Droids we got after the 1999-2000 Episode I line ended.

What I don't like is that the deco is seemingly the same paint masks, but slightly differing colors. The silver scuffing all seems the same, with added dirt markings in slightly lighter dirt. In a display you could probably see these as slightly different - they're good markings, and the change in brown is at least a change even if it isn't a significant one. Changing up the scuffs and markings make army builders worth re-buying, although in this case all three tan Battle Droids are probably close enough to identical that it may not be worth buying all the flavors.

I would have preferred Hasbro spend a couple of pennies and add red, yellow, or blue shoulders to give us another squad variation. But they didn't. If you bought this set anyway, it's one more to add to your ranks. Or more junk for the drawer if you're trying to keep your displays tight. Or you can display one with the antenna, and one with the backpack. I was hoping they would have updated the damage, but they didn't.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Shop Disney.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,946: July 28, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,945: Imperial Death Trooper (The Retro Collection)

IMPERIAL DEATH TROOPER Kenner Style
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F4200 No. F4457
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.99
Availability: May 2022
Appearances: The Mandalorian, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: Elite soldiers, death troopers are encased in specialized stormtrooper armor with a dark, ominous gleam. They serve as bodyguards and enforcers for figureheads like Moff Gideon. (Stolen from the marketing copy. 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: Trying to get in the heads of the current Hasbro designers and how they view "retro" is tough - heck, so is understanding what Kenner was aspiring to do in 1978-1985 - but you can see some of the thought process when you look at this Imperial Death Trooper. I'd love to see more Rogue One guys in this format, but this one is a nice start - clearly the designer was copying the body language of that original 1978 Kenner Stormtrooper action figure. The same stiff pose. The non-articulated neck. Even the blaster integrates the original Kenner Stormtrooper gun in its design - there are just some added greeblies bolted on to it. We know Kenner likes to do things like that for some of their old weapons, and it's a pretty good nod to the actual movie design too.

This trooper has a torso about the same size as the original regular Stormtrooper, but much longer legs. It's a little weird, but hey, whatever, fine. Many of the lines and details are definitely inspired by the old Kenner toy, with two functioning hands this time. There's even the silver guns, which I assume Kenner would've left unpainted but I'm not complaining they're decorated here. The green lenses are also an interesting choice, as the lenses of troopers are largely depicted as black in the older toys regardless of the accurate coloring. (I would've gone with black lenses, but that's me.) The figure's armor also lacks the holster or the unique buckles over the shoulders, but I would argue that the Kenner house style is to get some of the details wrong - as long as it evokes the figure, it's close enough to be acceptable. If you disagree, I assume you also don't like Kenner R2-D2. If you do, well, there's no hope for you.

 I find the details to be a little softer and rounder than I would like, but it's still a nice, glossy figure that looks like someone did their homework when making this figure. This figure is almost unpainted, and I assume Kenner would have done something similar. I like it, even if it seems to be a little too wink-wink to the fans of old Kenner figures. I might buy a few more if I see them. I doubt you need an army of Kenner-style Death Troopers, but I might. I admire their devotion to such a niche product and I can't wait for the supposedly not-too-far-off Kenobi wave. (Which, I admit, looks a lot less consistent with their design cues. Lots of vinyl capes and no telescoping lightsabers, what's up with that?)

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,945: July 26, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,944: The Armorer (The Vintage Collection)

THE ARMORER Small Debut
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F1093
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #179
Includes: Hammer, tongs
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: December 2020
Appearances: The Mandalorian
Bio: The Armorer forges beskar armor in the ancient tradition of her people with exacting precision; when combat is required, she proves to be efficient and resourceful (Stolen from the 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 forgot to review The Armorer! She came out nearly a year ago and turned out pretty well - she's basically a smaller version of the 6-inch figure, with some pretty fancy deco. She was fantastic for late 2020, before Hasbro really made a big leap forward with better hip joints and improvements in deco. She's still great! She's just not as good as the recent Bo-Katan Kryze, Kuiil, Ahsoka Tano, and other figures from these shows. This figure is very much like the character - there are reasons to love her, and there are reasons to find her a little iffy. She's fascinating, but not perfect.

This figure is a stunning display piece, but not a great toy. It takes a little effort to get a good pose out of her so she doesn't fall over, and the older bend-and-swivel hips aren't great about helping her stay up. Once you get them in place - a challenge, given the rubbery skirt piece - they're unlikely to budge without more fidgeting. The arms are great, and the elbows have a nice cut in them that lets you set up some good combat or blacksmithery poses. The helmet is double-jointed, so this mold seems to have been future-proofed for an "unmasked" variant if Hasbro ever wants to do one. (I'm hoping a few characters remain mysterious and unnamed.) What's neat about the helmet is a layer of dirty detail, minor signs of age or use are baked in and really look sharp. Hasbro did a great job painting this one so the plastic head looks like metal, as opposed to the "Kenner" one which very much does look like plastic.

It's worth noting her cape is also exquisitely painted and inflexible, with lots of sculpted hair detail and some nice paint to bring it out. I also love the quilted gloves and bulky boots, which all seem like design cues from 1980s costumes and figures. The rich, almost metallic chest armor looks great and so do the painted metal bits on her belt. Hasbro didn't skimp on the detail here, even though I'm sure they could do a premium version this one is pretty spectacular for the asking price when it came out.

Her accessories fit in her hands a little loosely, but they mostly stay put. It would be awesome to have had a deluxe version with a forge and other accessories, but I suppose that may come down the road. For now, Hasbro delivered the goods with a decent figure. She's sculpted well, painted nicely, and jointed as good as you can reasonably expect for 2020/2021. It also would be nice to see her re-enter circulation as she never really sat around and I'm sure lots of fans may have never actually seen this figure. I saw more of her Carbonized exclusive release, but I think I prefer this one. I like the Kenner one for other reasons, but both of these figures are very good examples of their respective formats and I can't assume Hasbro will go back and re-redo the Armorer unless she gets a significant costume change. Go ahead and get this one if you skipped her, even if she is somewhat prone to falling over.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,944: July 21, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,943: Ahsoka Tano (The Retro Collection)

AHSOKA TANO Kenner Style
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F4200 No. F4459
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 2 lightsabers
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.99
Availability: May 2022
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: A Clone Wars veteran and now wandering Jedi, Ahsoka Tano forges her own path in the galaxy, righting injustices that she discovers. (Stolen from the marketing copy. 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: It's kind of funny, just a few weeks before I got this retro Kenner-style Ahsoka Tano action figure, I got Hasbro's The Vintage Collection Ahsoka Tano (Corvus) [FOTD #2,927] which is one of the very best Hasbro 3 3/4-inch action figures we've ever seen. I'm also more than a little obsessed with demakes (Namco's Famicom/NES port of Pac-Man Championship Edition is a hoot, as is Eden Pixels' Alwas Awakening, also for NES.) Since I was a kid during the 1980s seeing figures like Ahsoka in this style brings to life a visit to Lionel PlayWorld that never took place - each batch of these is a rare treat. It's my hope Hasbro continues to bake a new batch or two every year. Eventually it won't be profitable to cater to Generation X kids (and Xennials) that refused to grow up, so I take this kind of toy as something you have to either treasure, or ignore.

This particular Ahsoka Tano brings the ex-Jedi into live action and then puts her through a hypothetical Kenner fun factory. The pose and colors are great, and I'd argue she's probably a little better than Kenner would have squirted out in 1987. I think they nailed the shoes, but the pants are a bit rounder and much less sharp in their folds than I would have expected. Take a look at the 1978 Obi-Wan Kenobi or 1983's The Emperor or 1984's Anakin Skywalker. Or the Imperial Dignitary. The cuts around the hips are usually incredibly sharp, and the sculpted layers of fabric are similarly stark. Ahsoka's are rounder and softer (as are all modern Retro figures), giving her a less harsh appearance. Maybe the idea was to make her seem like the molds were showing some signs of age, but that's not my concern. Her pants look like her pants, and some details are a little softer. The painted finger gloves, painted silver armor, and the sleeves opted to not show any exposed skin in the holes - exactly as Kenner would have most likely done. (Heck, some small Kenner figures didn't even have painted eyes as the 1980s went on.) It's a little surprising that her belt has brown, blue, and silver paint given most figures of that era had little or none. Han Solo (Endor Trenchcoat) had a crotch that was totally blank, but the coat generally covered that up. It gives what would have been a very blank gray field of nothing a little more variety - and that's good. Her top has a little blue, too.

The head may be too good for the old Kenner era, but for all I know this fantasy 1987 Kenner Star Wars line raised prices for the extra accessories and said "hey, let's give her white face markings, painted lips, painted eyes, that ridge on her brow, and oh yeah - let's give her blue and white tails, too." Humans very rarely had painted lips in the original line (Hoth Leia comes to mind), and an injection molded head with two colors of plastic was generally unheard-of. I think Hasbro made a smart decision to focus on representing key landmarks of the character's face rather than dialing back the paint to mimic what we may have seen back in the day, particularly because Ahsoka without those blue stripes would just be disappointing. Despite these upgrades, she still plays a lot like an old toy with jointed hips and shoulders, plus a jointed neck. Hasbro's current sculptors graced us with a jointed neck featuring only slightly restricted articulation. A lot of old Kenner figures didn't have a big range of movement, so I appreciate that they made a figure that captures the flavor of the original while probably breaking more than a few rules of how limited those old toys would have been. Also she fits in my old Kenner vehicles (and my one Adventure People vehicle) without a hitch, which is really what matters most.

Her two lightsabers are modeled after the 1980-1983 Luke Skywalker model (Bespin/Jedi, later Hoth Pilot and Gideon's Darksaber.) Both have curved hilts but basically look just like what Luke had, other than length. She can hold them but the grip isn't too tight - this is also like a lot of old Kenner figures. Some would just drop the weapons. (Look, I loved those old figures but they're not infallible.) Hasbro absolutely made the right decision with their design, but I really would have loved her to have had a better grip on them. It's perfectly fine, but it's not perfect.

I've seen a handful of these guys hanging around Walmarts and Targets, which always kind of surprises me - but it also shows I might be out of touch with what some fans want. (My assumption is we're pretty starved so everything looks good.) Hasbro's retro Marvel figures are perfectly nice but don't scream "1980s Kenner" to me like Hasbro's retro Star Wars. There's a flavor that has to be captured. If you put Ahsoka on a big cardback in a line-up with the other 90+ originals and recent new sculpts, I think she'd fit in well enough. (Confidential to Hasbro: please make us a big poster checklist and hand it out at a convention, preferably one I am at.) Figures like this retro Ahsoka are probably not going to please fans who demand mega-articulation and authenticity. I assume they're not going to delight people who just want a top-notch figure of the character as seen on their TVs. Figures like this are primarily for old toy fanatics, and considering we're all getting a lot older I can't imagine we're going to enjoy this kind of thing forever. Like the NES homebrew scene, I recommend you enjoy her for what she is, and for as long as Hasbro continues to make this kind of figure.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,943: July 19, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,942: Clone Captain Ballast (The Vintage Collection)

CLONE CAPTAIN BALLAST Tealer on TV, also named "Howzer"
The Vintage Collection Amazon Exclusive
Item No.: No. F2886
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #210
Includes: 3 more clones, helmet, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $62.99
Availability: January 2022
Appearances: The Bad Batch

Bio: "Howzer" was a clone who served as a Clone Captain in the Grand Army of the Republic and eventually as a stormtrooper captain in a battalion of the Imperial Army, shortly after the Galactic Empire's formation. (Taken from Wookieepedia. There is no bio on the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Another day, another repaint! I'm sure my disdain for what feels like an endless torrent of repaints for minor characters and not enough major characters - the titular The Bad Batch group still isn't out in any collector format in full, and none are in 3 3/4-inch yet - but we've got Clone Captain Ballast. It's a 2011 mold with a nifty unmasked head, blue markings that probably should be a tad greener, excellent battle damage, and the wrong name on the box. I assume this may have been developed before the episode aired, because it's so close to being excellent minus a couple of big, weird swings-and-a-miss. "They got the name wrong" is kind of startling in this day and age, though colors can and often do change during production on a TV show. I can't find an obvious production date stamp on the box or the figure, but pre-orders went up pretty close to the first appearance on TV.

His unmasked head has grey, buzzed-down sides and some longer, darker hair slicked back - and it looks great! The eyes are a little more piercing than the show, but that's not necessarily bad - he really seems to be staring into something. The eyebrows are good and there's plenty of life in that face of his. Should you leave his helmet off, his pauldron is rather loose - comically so. You can just have it spin around, it would have been nice to have Hasbro glued it down, or design it to grip the neck peg. It looks good, though, and I like the silver battle damage.

His armor on the recycled 2011 body is good for 2011. Today we know Hasbro can do better, so I'm hoping we see a new Clone mold some day - until then, this is what we have. The scuffed-up patches of blue look great, but I'm less and less sold on silver battle damage. It's shiny, and that doesn't quite seem right anymore. Depending on the room lighting, it blends right in on the white armor, and sometimes looks odd against other colors. It's distinctive, the patterns are good. I also like the painted communicator on the wrist. I just wish things more closely matched what I see on screen, but that sort of thing happens all the time when you try to get toys on-shelf (or on-pre-order) for a new show as it airs. I can't explain the name issue, though.

Articulation is the same as it was 11 years ago, which was a tad awkward but basically good. Today the weird gait, seemingly overlong legs, and increasingly dated arm articulation will probably result in most samples of this figure remaining carded or being opened, examined, and shelved until you move or decide to give up collecting and sell it/put it in storage. The helmet does an excellent job of keeping that loose shoulder pad in place, but since you won't be playing with this one, will it matter?

I am happy to see more figures in this line, but in another, more accurate way, I'm not. Given how many photoreal reruns, gold repaints, and other 3 3/4-inch figures that recycle old tooling to give us something "new" when straightforward reissues might make new fans happy, or when the main characters from a show are absent, it's kind of hard to say "wow, I'm really glad to have this." Hasbro did a good job refurbishing an old design to the best of their ability and delivered it on the quick - that's worthy of praise. At the same time, figures like this feel less and less essential to my general happiness about collecting this line at this scale. It's adequate, but Amazon was sitting on them for quite some time and having already bought hundreds of clones, I can only hope that there are a few fans out there that were giddy to actually get their hands on this figure. I'm just not one of them.

Collector's Notes: I got mine on Amazon. Interestingly the price has been going up and down, but is back up to going up again.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,942: July 14, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,941: The Mandalorian (Beskar, The Retro Collection)

THE MANDALORIAN (Beskar) Kenner Style
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F4200 No. F4456
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 2 blasters, cloth cape
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.99
Availability: May 2022
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: The Mandalorian, known to a few as Din Djarin, is a battle-worn bounty hunter, making his way through a dangerous galaxy in an uncertain age. (Stolen from the marketing copy. 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: A blast from right now! To modern fans, multiple iterations of the same character is obligatory. You're going to see 50 Iron Man figures per movie. But back in the 1980s, we had one Darth Vader for the entire 3 3/4-inch run of Star Wars (with accessory and packaging running changes,) but it was generally the same figure for the whole run plus or minus a few costume changes for Luke, Leia, Lando, Han, with new gimmicks on R2-D2 and C-3PO, and not much else. Back in the day The Mandalorian (Beskar) probably wouldn't have been enough of a change for Kenner to make and sell a new sculpt - maybe a deco change, but probably not - I assume they'd just keep selling the old one. In 2022, that won't fly, so Hasbro gave the 2021 figure a ca. 1984 facelift.

There are significant deco, cape, and tooling changes between the two retro figures. Hasbro swapped out the vinyl cape for a cloth one - which makes sense, new characters stopped using vinyl capes back in 1982. It hangs strangely, but rule one of Kenner is "you can do no wrong." (Well, if you made Darth Vader green, that would be wrong.) The cape hangs over his back, but you can kind of shove it to the side to get a gander at his rocket pack. All of his armor bits are retooled a tiny bit except the blue knee pad, adding in new detail and Beskar flavoring. The Shoretrooper-like glove armor remains the same, still lacking the blue triangles. His pose is pretty much the same as the original, as is the helmet. It's notable that Diamond Select made a jumbo 12-inch Mandalorian, and used a completely different sculpt - theirs has one "broken hand" that can't hold anything, whereas Hasbro wisely gave him two gripping hands for his two blasters. This is certainly a part of artistic license, because most Kenner originals only had one working hand. Figures with two accessories typically had two gripping hands, and why they didn't just give everybody gripping hands back in the day I'll never know.

His blasters - an Amban phase-pulse rifle and a pistol - are the same as last time. They're good. They look like Kenner guns. The only way they could be more Kennery is to mold them in that weird blue color, which Hasbro has so far avoided for some reason, which is still sort of unsettling given Lando didn't have a black blaster for Empire figures back in the day.

I like that Hasbro gave Mando a cloth cape so he can go in vehicles - like the Razor Crest - without a fuss. Vinyl capes may look interesting but they're a pain to play with. I assume and hope another armor revision is on the way, which means a third figure is probably likely. It would be awesome to see them include the Darksaber (previously from Moff Gideon) and maybe retool him to have a bent elbow like Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker or the first 1978 Han Solo if we're going to get Kenner Mando 3.0 in 2023 or 2024... and I'd probably take that bet.

This is not my favorite figure from this wave (that goes to Boba) but Mando is still a lot more fun than the Vintage collection guys. Sure, the cape could be better. Yeah, the blue knee pad looks silly. But I've still got my old yellow lightsaber Luke Skywalker, a tall blue Snaggletooth, and other escapees from the Isle of Misfit Style Guide Toys. I love it when they do something weird, and this figure's improved functionality with a cloth cape and bonus bolted-on jetpack make it a cool "what if?" toy that seems like something Kenner would have made and sold in the late 1980s. Strongly recommended for Gen X and Xennials and anyone who unironically purchased mini-rigs for themselves. If you don't understand, that's fine. It's emotional. Some toys transcend "this is good and I like it" and hit the "you are six years old again and this figure would hang out next to Jabba the Hutt" and that's something no other figure format can achieve.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,941: July 12, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,940: See-Threepio (C-3PO, Droids, The Vintage Collection)

C-3PO Droids Redux
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Droids Target Exclusive Action Figure
Item No.: No. F5311
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Back panel, thigh panel, chest panel, face panel
Action Feature: Removable panels
Retail: $15.99
Availability: December 2021
Appearances: Droids
Bio: Programmed for etiquette and protocol, Threepio was built by a young Anakin Skywalker, and has been a constant companion to astromech R2-D2. (Taken from marketing copy. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I was so excited for this C-3PO - I got the original from a toy guy at a toy show around 1990, and I always loved it. And this new one? It's not great. Hasbro probably could have (and should have) used a 5-jointed figure only because the panels fly off pretty easily compared to the previous releases of this mold, which have been in circulation since 2010. It was impressive for the time, but once the gimmick doesn't work - in this case, the panels don't quite fit - a simpler mold would have been more fun. The back panel fell off while I was opening the packaging and doesn't want to stay in place.

I like what Hasbro set out to do, and my sample is mostly good - a bit of spare plastic on the knee kept the thigh panel from fitting in place, but was easy to remove. He looks great, and the sculpt is appropriately C-3PO and it looks exactly how C-3PO looks. I love that it's nicely jointed, but a build-a-figure mold would've been more appropriate given the 1985 original used the 1982 removable limbs variant. Take care when playing with this one, because even if you don't touch his back that back panel does not want to stay put. The bright yellow plastic looks great, but if it isn't tightly affixed the dark blue under them will bleed out and really highlight when there's any gaps.

Deco is mostly the same as the 1985 original. Eye paint varies form figure to figure, with many having downward peepers that look iffy. Mine was painted correctly, so when you inevitably order yours online - Target cleared these out months ago - be sure to look at the picture closely. The shoulders, bely, and swimsuit area are brown just like the Kenner original - the hands, too. Weirdly they decided to shade the sides and back of the legs and knees, which were completely yellow on the original. It looks fine, but it's a weird departure and a way to add extra costs that could've been avoided. I love that they kept the blue neck, but the assembly shows some blue that shouldn't be visible - so it's good, but the simplicity of the original didn't translate super well to the new mold layouts.

Given how little love Droids gets, there's nothing they could do to make me skip this one. I'd recommend it for guys my age who are me, but those just wanting a good C-3PO are probably already satisfied with what they own. I assume we'll never see a super-articulated cartoon C-3PO again, so I'd say go ahead and get this one. Just lower those expectations - quality control wasn't the best, and form fit is below average. But it looks cool, so carded fans will no doubt enjoy it and its coin. Hopefully they'll do some other characters. Like, oh I don't know, Vlix. Get this if the price is right, because hey, maybe we'll get some Ewoks some day. It's not like they don't have exploitable molds. Well, mold, at least.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,940: July 7, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,939: Bo-Katan Kryze (The Retro Collection)

BO-KATAN KRYZE Kenner Style
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F4200 No. F4460
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 2 blasters
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.99
Availability: May 2022
Appearances: The Mandalorian

Bio: Bo-Katan Kryze has been fighting for the future of Mandalore since the Clone Wars. The last of her line, she leads a team of Clan Kryze Mandalorians striking back at the Imperial remnant. (Stolen from the marketing copy. 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: For a Mandalorian that appeared on three TV shows Hasbro and company took their sweet time delivering Bo-Katan Kryze to plastic. In the last year we've had a Vintage figure, a The Black Series figure, a Mission Fleet figure, this figure, and a 6-inch "value" figure I haven't been able to find yet but I'm told it's coming. (I've seen pictures.) I'd like to say that it's a miracle that we got her at all, but this one may not be a perfect interpretation of the old Kenner aesthetic. The sculpt is spot-on, but the deco takes a couple of bad swings.

The sculpt looks just like a real toy figure from a couple of decades ago. It may lack some of the literal shine of the original Boba Fett, but everything else seems about right. Since she has two blasters, and she has two hands sculpted to hold weapons. She doesn't have a removable helmet - which Kenner didn't always include with its figures, as it was rare for figures to have two accessories (let alone three.) Everything is a bit simpler, but most of the major milestones are here - there's a knee pad, her armor has the diamond-shape and three notches above her belly, the twin non-functioning holsters are there, you can see the sculpted, unpainted armor and lots of stitching and pockets - but not everything. In many respects, she looks like a figure that'd be right at home in the Droids Kenner line of old minus deco and accessories. She can hold her blasters well, she can stand and sit, and she fits well in most of the vehicles I grabbed to play around with. (Fisher-Price Alpha Star for the win.) Her rocket pack is one part that feels a little more modern - if you look at it from the side, it's sculpted in a way that seems like it was made to be easy to pry out of the mold, whereas Boba Fett figures had separately molded rockets. I don't know if this is the exact shape Kenner would have used, but it's certainly one way to keep it simpler and the little dab of paint at the top of the rocket really sells the illusion. Much like Boba Fett (Morak), her helmet and rangefinder shows signs of an imaginary Kenner sculptor that saw the 1979 Boba Fett and said "we can do a better job" - her rangefinder is up, painted, and looks great. And she has vents sculpted on the back. I really dig this figure's design.

Deco is mostly great! I know you have to be picky about paint ops to keep costs down, and I assume licensors may insist on things, so I'll say I love the bright blue. It's very bright and feels very 1984-1985 when the figure colors were more saturated. The grey seems to be pretty good too, the brown is fine and nice. There are two spots that came up weird - the helmet's too good, the ornate owl eyes on the helmet are too crisp and sharp for me to believe it as an old Kenner figure. They could have left them off, or just put blobs or a couple of dots or a swipe of grey (like the off-model Imperial symbols on some old drivers) to skirt the fine detail issue. Second, the silver armor was mostly just left blank - they painted it on the back of her hands, but not the chest or thigh pieces and I don't know why. I would've gone with all or nothing - the blank chest armor is kind of distracting, so having made it or the body suit a different texture would've helped a bit. It's still a great figure, but they really need to break up the big blank body a bit with some new hue.

I still really like this figure - this whole wave caused me to pull out old Mini-Rigs, Rebels vehicles, and other 3 3/4-inch space toys because it's so good I just wanted to play around with it like when I was a kid. They really nailed the personality of the old figures and I'd happily buy her again if she got repainted as another character (or got a silver armor paint variant.) It's kind of amazing to live in an era where "Star Wars Action Figure" can mean such different things - maybe it's a $200 Hot Toys figure, or a metallic repaint, or a big-headed figure on a base. It's amazing to me that they actually, finally went back to do Kenner-style figures and I really, really hope they keep doing more because I'd love to have a Darth Maul, Pre Vizsla, Jango Fett, Wedge Antilles, Slave Leia*, and any vehicles they could do as cheaply as possible (see also: 2012-2014 cheapo vehicles like the AT-DP) because the darn things just make me happy in ways that buying, opening, and posing a 6-inch figure from The Black Series can't. Back in the 1990s I hoped either Playmates would do 5-inch figures or Kenner would just pick up where the old line left off - and what we got was really neat, but not "classic." With any luck, The Retro Collection will go beyond 1-2 waves of 6 per year because I will buy them all.

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

--Adam Pawlus

* - yeah I know Disney will never do it, it was just she or Oola - and Wedge and Tarkin - were probably the 3 movie figures that struck me as "missing" back when I was a kid/teenager. Followed by the Sandtrooper, Blockade Runner Trooper, Han Solo (Stormtrooper), and the Cantina band. You can see why I thoroughly enjoyed the 1990s The Power of the Force range.

Day 2,939: July 5, 2022