Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,972: Migs Mayfeld (Morak, The Vintage Collection)

MIGS MAYFELD (Morak, but not called such on the package)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. F5566
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #229
Includes: Helmet, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: August 2022
Appearances: The Mandalorian
Bio: Ex-Imperial sharpshooter, Migs Mayfeld was once the smart-mouthed leader of a gang of criminals. Mayfeld’s skills help The Mandalorian to rescue Grogu from Moff Gideon. (Stolen from Target. There is no bio on-pack.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: "Haven't I seen you some place before?" Migs Mayfeld is almost the same as Din Djarin (Morak). There's a new head, but what I find the most interesting is that they corrected the figure between his packaged sample phase and the final release. On Target.com, the photo has the red sleeve with the yellow boxes - the final figure is plain gray, as seen in the photos here. It's worth noting the 6-inch figure also incorrectly had the red sleeve on the final, so it's good they corrected it for what I guess I am going to keep assuming is the scale-of-record.

As you saw in the last one, this figure seems to be a mix of new and old parts. The result is a figure with a state-of-the-art head, with excellent deco, on a body that's kind of old hat. The articulation isn't as good as the newest figures, as the weird swivel/hinge hip is still there, but at least he looks incredible. If I didn't have Din to compare him against, I'd say he's awesome - but Hasbro cut corners, and putting identical damage on the torsos and helmets who should share piloting duties/diorama duties together is a bad look. It was done to comical effect in Transformers War for Cybertron: Siege where over half a dozen Decepticon jets had the exact same battle damage markings. Much like Din and Migs they were an excellent design, it's just the repetition that is utterly silly.

What's really amazing about this figure is the head. The 6-inch one is good, but I would say he looks even better at this size - the facial expression is nearly an eye-roll, a pre-sneer that you can practically hear saying something like "good job, dummy." It's Bill Burr, and it's funny that Hasbro may have produced the very best stand-up comic action figure sculpted likeness to date. The beard may not be perfect, but it's tough to do at this size - it's certainly good enough, with the eyes and face turning out quite nicely.

The legs surprised me - mine had upper-legs swiveled around, so I elected to keep them that way so it looked different than Din. The damage on the boots was also painted slightly differently, and I'm all for it. Overall Hasbro did a good job on this one, fulfilling their destiny of budget-cuts with reusing tooling but also giving us two incredible head sculpts. It's one of the few things that makes The Vintage Collection a bit of a heartbreaker - when Hasbro makes an all-new figure these days, it's almost always one of the very best things they've ever done. And then they fill the wave with reissues and reused parts that they've proven aren't as good as what they can do, but since we're unlikely to get a new Imperial Juggernaut for these guys to pilot I guess it might not matter anymore. 

Without a vehicle or a playset, these guys will either just stay carded forever or be opened and stand in a nice display shelf somewhere. It also serves as a reminder that somehow, for some reason, Hasbro can give us figures if Ming-Na Wen, Bill Burr, Katee Sackhoff, Pedro Pascal, and others that look excellent. And complain as I do about redux figures, I think we can all say we'd like to see what this new Hasbro design and engineering team can do (if anything) to get us a perfect Harrison Ford in Star Wars at this point. Clearly, the technology exists to do amazing work - but I digress. If by some miracle your Target still has 75% off Migs Mayfeld figures, go buy one. It's good for $15 and it's a steal for under $5. I regret not clearing them out at that price.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target. He was marked down 75% off weeks after being released and was completely gone from most stores in under two months - that's astonishing impatience on Target's part.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,972: October 27, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,971: Din Djarin (Morak, The Vintage Collection)

DIN DJARIN (Morak)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. F5835
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #251
Includes: Helmet, blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: August 2022
Appearances: The Mandalorian
Bio: Din Djarin, also known as "the Mandalorian" or simply "Mando," was a human male Mandalorian warrior during the era of the New Republic. (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: "Haven't I seen you some place before?" Din Djarin (Morak) gives us the Mandalorian in an Imperial driver disguise. It's a time-honored thing - one of your heroes has got to wear the armor of the opposition, or it's not really Star Wars. Mando shares a body with the Target exclusive Space Boston figure, Migs Mayfeld, which went straight to clearance for some reason. Hopefully you got one, or several.

The figure looks like it came from a Han Solo (Mudtrooper) figure that doesn't exist - Hasbro could tweak this figure and get another squeeze out of the mold. Djarin's shoulders and legs seem to be the same as the Scarif Stormtrooper/Tank Driver molds, with new forearms and a new torso. And a new head. Also helmet. It's the rare "different enough to make you happy" release that sensibly uses the parts that were arguably mass-produced in-universe, while giving you appropriate new pieces. The good thing is that he can stand, sit, and hold his weapons. The bad thing is that we've gotten much better leg joints since then, so these go back to those annoying ones you got to get your fingers in and twist around. These aren't the good ones, but at least they can move. I expected more. The detail is as good as always, looking filthy and used, wrinkled as need be, and generally seeming like something that could've been off-camera on Endor or in a sketchbook of the original trilogy. It's the rare kind of "derivative" that's actually complimentary.

One place Hasbro can't skimp is the heads - and they didn't. Din Djarin got a nice head sculpt with a good portrait that looks a tiny bit flummoxed, complete with helmet hair molded as a separate piece. Things are clean and even, and most importantly you can look at it and go "Oh, it's Pedro Pascal" in the same way that you don't with Han Solo figures. The mustache is good, the eyes are clear, and the eyebrows are a little on the thick side - but it's usually necessary to exaggerate when you're a head the size of a pea.

If you're a fan of Mando, and you probably are, this is a figure you won't want to miss. The head is nice, the suit is good, the deco is great, the articulation is about as good as you can expect for three or four years ago. The helmet fits on the head and the blaster fits in the holster - other than all the hip joints being not fabulous, everything about him was engineered well and painted appropriately. I'd say get one if you can, or add it to an online order for something else to qualify for free shipping.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,971: October 25, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,970: Dark Trooper (The Black Series)

DARK TROOPER (Mold Debut)
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Orange Star Wars: The Mandalorian Packaging
Item No.: No. F4066
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #28 - Star Wars: The Mandalorian
Includes: Helmet, backpack, pistol, rifle, rocket
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $31.99
Availability: September 2022
Appearances: Star Wars: The Mandalorian

Bio: Hulking Imperial combat droids with gleaming black armor and powerful jet boots, the Dark Troopers are a poweful design.. (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: The Mandalorian continues to be Star Wars, mercifully getting much of The Black Series' love and the ongoing storyline's best designs and ideas. This Dark Trooper was a major force on the show's second season, but older fans will recognize it as a central focus of the classic Dark Forces PC game. This figure feels like an updated pastiche of the three phases of robot enforcer, bringing in a popular and memorable character from the old Expanded Universe to the new Mouse-approved continuity. You'll also recall Grand Admiral Thrawn, loads of concept art/RPG items, and so many other goodies that I assume Mara Jade has got to be on the short list. With the Fromm Gang. Because to not do those would be cruel.

When Hasbro started doing "deluxe" figures I generally rolled my eyes - in most cases they weren't much better than the complex, multi-part basic Chewbacca figure we keep getting time and again for various Wookiees. Sometimes we get a few more accessories, but is it worth the extra cost? This might be one of the few times where I begrudgingly say yes. The figure has a lot going for it, and one thing I absolutely hate that isn't a dealbreaker. Just calibrate those expectations for a release that's almost the Dark Trooper figure of your dreams.

When it comes to deco and articulation, this figure may be the best Hasbro has ever done. The elbow rotates at both ends, and bends. The fists are removable, and the knees also swivel on both sides. He can't sit, but with close to 30 joints he's no slouch. Unless, of course, you want him to slouch, because the double-jointed neck and ab crunch let you do that. I love that he can grip his blaster with both hands, I'm loving that he can punch a door, and I'm surprised his hands hold the blaster with no fuss - that's a rarity. It fits like a glove! The glossy finish with silver joints looks marvelous, but I'm not crazy about the clear center of the joints. It's just like K-2SO - it gets the job done, but it's not pretty, it looks kind of cheap - but it's fine. For a tall, shiny robot made of tons and tons of parts, you have to do what you have to do to make it all work, and this figure is literally and figuratively head and shoulders above the basic figures.

But he's got a vest, and I hate it. Remember Masters of the Universe Classics? Those vests were largely form-fitting, sturdy things. This one is a bit of a floater - it covers up the robotic chest, so I assume it's sharing parts with another release. The shoulder pads move and are connected to it, but when you take him out of the box the first thing you realize is that the chest is hollow and squeezable. It's like a fake muscle suit on your invincible killer robot army, and while it looks superb, it feels like a cheat. I'm sure if a Hasbro designer is reading this they're rolling their eyes at me, but you don't want your big bad evil robot guy to feel flimsy. Considering just how well detailed the limbs are, how everything moves perfectly, how the sculpt perfectly matches the show, and how the red eyes peek out from the dark helmet-ish head, it would stand to reason that everything about this figure should be perfect. And let me tell you, it's close.

If your figures live in the box, you'll never notice - and if they go on a shelf and you don't touch them, who cares? But I think you'll want to play with this one. There are plenty of fun options in how to pose him, and with alternate fists and foot rockets that fit in the soles of the boots - such a clever idea! - you'll want to buy an army of these. I wouldn't be shocked to see exclusive variants with alternate parts some day, or another, similar robot sharing pieces down the road. There's a lot to like here and if they ever do a Tython meditation rock I could see them throwing in one or two more of these guys with Grogu and a price tag that would make you wince.

Should a Japanese toymaker crank out a kit with a solid chest or a die-cast metal edition, you'll probably prefer that one. The glossy black and articulation of this release is tough to beat and in a year with a lot of good figures, this could well be your Star Wars release of the year (between $20-$50, at least.) If you see it, get one. If you like it, maybe get two, and some sort of flight stand so you can use those otherwise semi-useless foot peg rockets.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,970: October 20, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,969: 1-JAC (Disney Droid Factory)

1-JAC Bounty Hunter
Droid Factory Obi-Wan Kenobi Boxed Set
Item No.: No. n/a
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: 3 more droid figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $49.99
Availability: September 2022
Appearances: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Bio: All different types of Astromech droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. These four are featured in Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is the way... for you and your Droids! (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Sometimes you see a figure and think you know what to expect - and oh, how you are wrong. 1-JAC defies expectations. Since Disney already had a great 4-LOM [FOTD #2,835] two years ago, I thought we would just be getting that droid again with new blasters, new paint, and a bandolier. Simple! But no - Disney made an entirely new mold, and this time, the heads don't really swap easily. The limbs aren't a perfect fit either. I have no answer why Disney would make a completely new figure over just adding accessories to an existing mold, other than it must have been cheaper.

Compared to 4-LOM figures, this figure is about half a head shorter, with a more detail head and a less detailed body. The blasters are molded to the legs, and the hands are new sculpts that can't hold accessories anyway. To go through that level of effort I have to assume someone at Disney said "we don't want droids shooting people" or something like that, which is just a guess on my part. If Hasbro did this, fans would burn them at the stake, but for some reason Disney gets a lot more latitude. Maybe it's because it's a "it's this or nothing," and while it is better than nothing, it is not very good. It's not as good as Hasbro items, and it's not as good as the last Disney product with similar features - but the sculpting on the head is nice, and it looks fine standing in a box. The articulation is nothing special, with some of the softest sculpted detail on droid knees that you've ever seen. It looks almost unfinished - but again, if it's this or nothing, this is is a better choice.

He has no problems sitting, and mine stands without any fuss. It's not like other figures where you have to work to find a "sweet spot," it's pretty easy to center everything and plop him on a table. If you need someone to look cool, this looks cool - the wires on the belly are nicely sculpted and painted, and the compound bug eyes are superb. I love the "facial" greebles, and the bandolier is excellent. It's just the actual droid body seems like it could have used another few weeks under the virtual sculpting knife.

Since I skipped The Black Series one, I'm happy this got made - but it could have been better, and I bet Hasbro doing it as a remold of an older figure would still be better than this. Given how few 3 3/4-inch The Vintage Collection droids get made, I have to wonder if Disney has unofficially taken over that segment of the line - but nobody really talks it up much so we'll never know if there's a directive there. It's not like we're getting much for Obi-Wan Kenobi anyway, but it is peculiar that The Rise of Skywalker got a better droid line than alien/human/main character line, isn't it? This set is pretty good for the price, but I wouldn't say it's essential. I will say that 1-JAC does look pretty nicely scaled next to the Retro Kenner guys, though.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from my pal Greg. Thanks, Greg!

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,969: October 18, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,968: Boba Fett (Morak, The Vintage Collection)

BOBA FETT (Morak)
The Vintage Collection Target Excluive 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. F5864
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #252
Includes: Backpack, pistol, rifle, helmet
Action Feature: Removable helmet, working holster
Retail: $20.99
Availability: July 2022
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. Over the course of his career, he became a legend. (Stolen from Target. There is no on-pack bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: While the price is appalling, the Boba Fett (Morak) is an excellent 3 3/4-inch action figure. Similar to the Throne Room version, the figure has great armor deco, excellent face paint, and a lot of moving parts - but so do the $14 retail figures. I assume they're charging us a Boba Fett tax now (but I have no proof) and I also assume Target's short attention span on new exclusive releases may mean this could be on clearance pretty quickly. The on-shelf date was intended to be October 2, but I found one October 1 and lots of fans found them trickling out in September. I assume the production run is massive.

Temuera Morrison's face looks good - too good - for this figure. On the show he had pretty gnarly skin, and his appearance on the show once he repaints his armor is a bit of a mystery. On The Mandalorian, the helmet is his face once he gets it back. On The Book of Boba Fett, he doesn't wear it much. It's a good head - it just could stand to look a little worse, with a little more paint, especially for $21. The subtle wrinkles on the brow are fantastic, the eyes are piercing, he's just absolutely excellent - and hopefully there's a "Tython Jedi Ruins" version coming somewhere with appropriately gnarly skin. It's a weird place to be here, because they captured the actor's face pretty dang well here. This is another "hall of fame" sculpt for realism, and whoever put in the work should be applauded.

The same is true for the body - the joints are cut in ways that aren't obtrusive. The swivels are good, the knees bend well, the boots are painted nicely, the knee pads are separately molded pieces. The helmet looks great (except it lacks an articulated rangefinder), the jet pack is excellent (but the rocket isn't removable), and the blasters are both pretty good too. His hands are accepting of the accessories, and as much as I feel it's my job to give you a reason to not buy the figure, I don't have one. But I'm biased - I love the show, and the costumes on the show are some of my absolute favorites. The repainted armor is good, with just tiny hints of the painted-over scuffing. The belt buckle is excellent, and it looks like the backs of the hands reuse the Scarif trooper armor, just like Mando, and just like the Boba costume on the show. I love the tiny painted detail on the wrist rocket, and the red lights on the chest armor are so subtle you could miss them.

The big pants are still here and the joints are, once more, well-hidden. The knee joints are behind massive pant legs, which are covered by some cloth robes that further hide some of the detail. It's also in front of the holster, which has a blaster that fits incredibly well. He can stand, he can sit, and you can squeeze him in the existing The Vintage Collection Slave I vehicle... which I assume means he'll fit in the 2022/2023 version too. Depending on if you prefer the Book of Boba Fett look or not, this could be one of the very last Boba figures you ever need to buy. It's great. You can spend the $21 and know you don't have to buy him again and again unless you really want to, and I'm honestly very happy with the Retro one I already had - but this is much more impressive, and you can see why it's twice the price.

It's unpleasantly expensive, but if you're being choosy about your figure purchase at least it's a good one and not another undercooked rerun. I worry that the price will continue to keep creeping up while the variety of this line continues to be rather blah - but they delivered on what the future Boba Fett of your dreams may well be. Grab it if you see it at a price that suits you, and hopefully it won't bother you as much as it does me.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target. 

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,968: October 13, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,967: Echo (The Black Series)

ECHO The Bad Batch, but not explicitly labeled as such
The Black Series 2020 Line Look Red The Bad Batch Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. F4348
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #11 - The Bad Batch
Includes: Claw, blaster pistol, helmet, backpack
Action Feature: Removable helmet, claw plugs over datalink arm, removable backpack, blaster holster
Retail: $24.99
Availability: May 2022
Appearances: The Bad Batch

Bio: Echo was a soldier in the Grand Army of the Republic, known for his strict adherence to orders and rules - hence, the nickname, which was sarcastically gifted by his clone brothers. (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: For whatever reason The Bad Batch skipped 3 3/4-inch completely for its main characters so far. For The Black Series, Clone Force 99 has shown a lot of shortcomings - Crosshairs and Hunter were missing some key paint apps, even Wrecker. Echo looks pretty great, and I assume that's because this figure was developed after two price hikes in recent years. Having gone from $20 to $25 I expect a "premium" figure to be somewhere between "excellent" and "perfect," and this one certainly hits "excellent" pretty well. It also makes a compelling argument for Hasbro to consider some sort of platinum-edition figures and just go all-out because some key paint operations - specifically, the abundant armor scuffing - is generally absent.

This is not to say he's completely clean - you can see some excellent black or silver splotches that would look just phenomenal if you didn't know something was missing. If you just saw this figure with no context, you'd love it - sure, you'd notice the sculpted crapes and scratches that are unpainted eventually, but the red trim, the Clone Force 99 skull and logo, and the copper vents on the backpack will distract you from any perceived slight. The figure's holster works, the articulation is great, and he has plenty of accessories - all of which can attach to the figure without fear of losing them somewhere.

The figure is a mishmash of new and old clone parts. The helmet is somewhat difficult to position because it also has to fit like a glove with the Lobot-esque cyborg headpiece, but you can do it with some tools and patience. (Note: no toy aimed at kids should require either.) The pale clone head looks great, and as someone who is almost a zombie thanks to his near-death experience in The Clone Wars is a neat fit for this month of monsters. (Granted, he's not a monster, he's a nice guy.) For a figure sold to an American mass-market audience, it has all the articulation you'd expect and an overall acceptable range of motion. 

There's so much going on with Echo that it is reasonable that he may cost a tiny bit more than some others - which makes it sting when we see figures with less deco be sold for $8 more than this guy. Hasbro did a good job here, there's even a red "tooth" on the "mouth" on the helmet that's the size of a pin prick. It looks like someone went to the mat here to do a good job, and while we can all nitpick and show how they could do even better, this is an improvement over most of what Hasbro has done with Clone Force 99 thus far. If you only get one Bad Batcher, this may be the best (or at least most interesting) one so far. 

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,967: October 11, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,966: Black Krrsantan (Comic, The Black Series)

BLACK KRRSANTAN Figure Debut
The Black Series Publishing - Shared Exclusive
Item No.: No. F5585
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Bowcaster
Action Feature: Harness has clip for bowcaster
Retail: $27.99
Availability: August 2022
Appearances: Marvel's Comics

Bio: The ferocious and skilled Wookiee gladiator turned bounty hunter, Black Krrsantan has worked for the likes of Jabba the Hutt and Darth Vader. (Taken from the box flap.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Hasbro's really taken to The Black Series in recent years, particularly the myriad repaints, retools, and reissues at premium prices. Long after the figure's tooling debt was paid many times over, we're getting an upcharge on an upcharge for Chewbacca with Black Krrsantan. The figure's body dates back with the blue box Chewbacca from 2014, which was retooled and repackaged for the 40th Anniversary Chewbacca from Star Wars, a Vandor-1 Solo: A Star Wars Story version, a red-boxed The Force Awakens version, Zaalbar, a 40th anniversary The Empire Strikes Back version, a deco variant/repack for Galaxy's Edge, and of course the Archive Series version. Oh, and Amazon's The Empire Strikes Back 2-pack with the dismantled C-3PO. At the very least that puts Santo here as the 10th reuse of this body, and now that the basic figures are $25, it stings a little that suggested retail price of this re-re-reissue is about $28. Is it neat? Sure. Is it worth it, is it as cool as it could have been? Not really.

Made no doubt to tie in to The Book of Boba Fett where the Wookiee is bulkier, fluffier, greyer, and generally better looking, this comic-specific incarnation does a good job of serving its purpose - minimal new tooling to maximize a return on the investment while providing fans with something that is arguably new. If Hasbro put this level of work in a 3 3/4-inch The Vintage Collection figure, we'd probably happily accept it because we're used to it - but in the bigger line it's something of a disappointment. Back in 2014, the elbows couldn't bend very well so our dark-haired pal here has little room to move to carry his bowcaster. The armor is nifty, and the new head does a great job as an idealized version of his head from numerous comic book stories. You get the roaring mouth with pink painted interior, you get the scar, and you get some lightly-colored braids. What you don't get are uniquely colored fingers and toes, as Hasbro decided to skip deco completely on the limbs and body, unlike the many Chewbacca figures which have light brown and dark brown hair. Santo's armor has no paint, while Chewie tends to have multiple painted ammo cartridges. In effect you're paying more for less, and since a TV-specific Krrsantan is coming, I assume this version will be less desirable at some point next year.

The fingers are pretty stiff, but you can pry them open to get the bowcaster in there. I vastly prefer the back storage, mostly because it's neat and frees up some space on the figure's sides on a shelf. Krrsantan joins Marvel characters 0-0-0, Dr. Aphra, BT-1, a new Leia, Jaxxon, and of course, Sergeant Kreel.

I admire Hasbro for coming up with a way to get a popular new character out quickly - even if, I assume, it was probably at Disney's urging before The Book of Boba Fett even aired. It's not great - but it's exactly the level of new elements one might expect when development started prior to anybody seeing the series. I appreciate that they went to bat and gave it to us, but on the whole The Black Series has been an interesting exercise in "good enough for now" with so many figures getting new faces or entirely new figures down the road. For those who love every new body type of Wookiee they can get, this is a must-buy. The sculptor did a great job on the head and the body, while dated, was excellent for its day. It's better than nothing, but something better than this is coming next year - so maybe you'll just want to wait a bit.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,966: October 6, 2022

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,955: Imperial Stormtrooper (6-Inch Value Figure, Black Logo Line Look)

STORMTROOPER She watch channel value
Star Wars "Dollar Store" 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. F5823 No. F5829
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.00
Availability: July 2022
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Plastic-free packaging! (Taken from the figure's packaging. There is no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I wanted to say much nicer things about this Stormtrooper, but it's good-not-great. But it's $5. It's a 6-inch figure with four points of articulation - the shoulders, the neck, and the waist. It also is a smidgen shorter than The Black Series Stormtroopers at a mere5 3/4-inches - but it's $5. Given that Hasbro charges us $12 for a 5-jointed 3 3/4-inch figure and $25 for a 6-inch collector figure, I think it's worth noting the massive chasm between these kinds of products, and just how far away we've gotten from collecting toys. This is a toy - the stuff we usually collect is priced to make the best mass-market product you can make to pry money out of adult fan wallets. While some of these cheaper 6-inch figures do lack articulation and some paint, again, they're $5. I've had my old Wilton 1983 Stormtrooper and Darth Vader cake toppers on my desk for a while now, and this figure is better than that.

If you're a customizer, it seems pretty easy to fix this one up a bit. The deco needs a little help - while Hasbro did paint the front and back of the neck, they left the back of the elbows and knees unpainted. You might want to customize that. A few applications on the helmet were also left blank, but I (foolishly?) think you can probably touch these up with some sort of fine paint marker if your hands are steadier than mine. All in all, the figure's paint job is about as good as the vintage Kenner Stormtrooper, and if Hasbro made this exact sculpt with this exact paint at 3 3/4-inches tall and the exact same price, I would run out and buy 50 of them. I'll never army build at $15 - but $5? I can afford to army build at $5.

I noticed the blaster - molded to the hand - is an original trilogy-style pre-Disney one, lacking that extra scope we started seeing around Rogue One. This lead me to assume they probably reused the Titan Hero Series 12-inch size figure sculpt, but they didn't - this is new. The chest greeblies are all different, the pose is different too. The arms are a bit more natural, the legs are a smidgen further apart, and the end result is a perfectly good Stormtrooper figure.

Hasbro will never do it, but I'd love to see them make a 3 3/4-inch bagged and cheap figure line like Hasbro did for Marvel in 2019 (Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Panther were great, Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America were also available. This "cheap" format doesn't work for every character - but it would absolutely work for Darth Vader, C-3PO, Stormtroopers, and probably Inquisitors and some other odds and ends. But I digress. For what this figure is, and what it costs, I can recommend it as a great toy for a kid or as an ideal at-the-office toy because at $5, it's less heartbreaking if it gets stolen. I love this entire line of figures - warts and all - because it's only 19 figures after 7 years, and the only one I still can't find is Chewbacca. It's cheap and fun, and not overwhelming - and as far as I know (not counting packaging variants) there's only one major deco variant, and that's a C-3PO I'll show here soon.

If you find one, I'd say buy it - give it a try. You might feel inclined to touch up the paint a tiny bit, but for $5 I think it's one of the most satisfying purchases I've made of a Hasbro product in recent memory. I don't get to say this a lot, but you absolutely get your money's worth here. "Wah that looks like a fast food Happy Meal toy!" some of you may say. And to you I say "I doubt you've seen anything remotely this good in years."

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Five Below. This figure comes in a new assortment (F5823 started with plastic-free packaging in 2022, B3946 was the previous assortment form 2015-2022, which sometimes had an open tray or open window, and sometimes had a plastic sheet.)

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,965: October 4, 2022