Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,103: Pyke Soldier (The Black Series)

PYKE SOLDIER or, Pyke Syndicate Foot Soldier
The Black Series 2023 Window Box Line Look The Book of Boba Fett Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. F9983
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #07 - Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett
Includes: Pistol, Rifle
Action Feature: n/a (not even a holster)
Retail: $24.99
Availability: December 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

Bio: During the Clone Wars, the Pykes became the galaxy's preeminent spice dealers, funneling illicit substances to Coruscant's crime families. After Jabba the Hutt's death, they expanded their spice trade to encompass Tatooine. (Taken from the box packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I can't say that the Pyke Soldier made a big enough of an impression for me to want a 6-inch one, but right now there aren't any 3 3/4-inch ones. We did get a very nice Quay Tolsite [FOTD #2,550] in the 3 3/4-inch line, which I find to be odd because I'm probably never going to army-build at $25 a hit. What's particularly interesting is this entire wave - with Cad Bane, Mando, the Pyke, and the Tusken Chieftan - is incredibly bland in their packaging. Four black boxed figures with pale gray and green, no color or life in the dull, dull boxes. On top of that, everybody is dark, mostly brown, mostly dandy, but not at all striking if you were to encounter them on the pegs. I don't know why they went out of their way to keep the boxes so dull, but here we are - the figures don't "pop" either so hopefully they'll sell to pre-orders online.

Hasbro did their typical great job with the figure, taking the sculpt and carving in some joints as competently as always. Sadly there's no special "spin" on it - if you look at promotional images, this figure looks exactly like it. Hasbro nailed it - he has a rifle, and he can hold it. There's also a pistol with no on-board storage, which I as a fan find frustrating as I need somewhere to put the extra parts. (Maybe tuck it in the hood next time?) He can hold either or both weapons nicely, and the level of detail is impressive. You can see some great fabric textures in his robes, the boots are about as nice as always, and the quality is what you've come to expect. I'm a little sad that there isn't more to it, because sometimes we got clever swappable heads, or face plates, or something to enhance the figure to encourage play beyond "pose figure, put on shelf, ignore" or "buy, leave in box, store." If it were 2005 we'd probably see "Quick-Draw Attack!" or "Removable Mask for Fish Reveal!" This is just me being an old man - because in my day, for about 3 years, these things had actual honest-to-goodness play features. Not so anymore! Fun is for the weak! You don't want to be seen as a toy company if you're selling to adults, I guess.

At least the engineering is good, with big boots keeping him upright and preventing him from toppling over while I type. That happens with surprising frequency, so when someone is sturdy, and poses easily, and stands well, and looks exactly like it should, that's wonderful. Short of stitching in some play fun features, or maybe adding a spray of dusting on the boots (which, at $25, they could've done) I don't think Hasbro could do better here. The pins on the tunic are great, the head texture is marvelous and the first really good look I've had at the back of the masks. I would love a removable mask, but heads are expensive so you get your one head and that's it. If you think you want one of these guys, I can tell you the one I got is well-built and has a great clicky joint mid-torso that allows him to ab-crunch and swivel with the best of them.

My token complaint anyway: I wish it was Vintage or Epic or Retro so I could buy more, and I also wish Disney and Lucasfilm would stop pretending spoilers matter to fans. I don't mean "oh no they ruined the twist" spoilers, but this is a company that had Han Solo in the trailer for The Force Awakens, as well as Leia confirmed in it, but kept toys off the market (and skipped some entirely.) It's five years later, and we still don't have Old Man Maul from Solo. There's nothing about the Pykes that would have ruined the plot of The Book of Boba Fett, and if Disney or Hasbro or Lucasfilm are watching, please pull whoever's head is in the mud out and tell them to put stuff on-shelf day-and-date with the new shows. Or better yet - before. People bought Zuvio before they knew who he was. Mando was sold out before that show aired, and it took forever to catch up. People really do like buying figures early and letting their imaginations soar, and you'll get a second boost when they see and like the show. Hopefully you'll have stuff ready and on-shelf for The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew. I assume it's too late for The Bad Batch Season 3 at this point. You can hide things like Grogu - that was a good surprise - but anything in the teasers, the trailers, the first episode (or first act), just make the toys already. We want to love this stuff, but with no toys, no guide books, we have no physical manifestation to memorize and it certainly makes it much harder to learn names or get into the shows. All I'm asking for is to give you my money before I know I don't (or do) like the show. (I like this one a lot, and I'm mid-rewatch as I write the review.)

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,103: January 30, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,102: R4-X2

R4-X2 with Y5-X2
Star Wars Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: R4-X2 and Y5-X2 figures
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $19.99
Availability: ca. Fall 2017
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. These Resistance droids are assigned to the main cruiser of the embattled Resistance forces. May the Force be with you... and your droids! (Taken from the packaging)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I got too many droids, and also, there are a few I infuriatingly was not able to get. But I did get the very nice R4-X2, which riffs on R2-X2 from the original film. Because you apparently can't trust your lying eyes, that droid was originally made as a black figure, but later as a dark green figure, and subsequently this fella and Y5-X2 were made in a similar style using the Disney droid molds... which were based on Hasbro molds.

One of the reasons I didn't open this set until last month was a lack of curiosity - there were no new parts and I mistakenly thought they were pretty straightforward repaints. Not so! The body is very similar to R2-X2, with black and silver painted elements. The dome looks very late-1980s, with green block patterns that remind me of the Industrial Automaton logo. The nice addition that really struck me was the Resistance logo on the front and back of the dome, which is something we just usually never see. Ziro had a droid with a faction symbol, and it's possible R2-X2 did too (I haven't seen reference photos from behind of the actual prop), I don't remember another droid with this symbol on it. It's kind of funny you'd think it would be a handy tool for subterfuge. A Stormtrooper could just roll one of these in a Rebel base and hope nobody asks any questions. If you can paint Chopper black, who's to say it won't work?

The dome is white plastic with green detailing, plus silver and black elements. There's a lot going on here, so it's interesting to look at and, for better or for worse, one of the more exciting figures from that movie. (Hasbro's line gave us a few new faces and also some very samey figures.) I like this one, although after seven year it is notable that the sequel trilogy's sophomore installment hasn't been expanded on in merchandising much, and the entire saga sort of just flailed around and avoided making new and interesting ships and playsets. It would be nice to have a place to put this figure, which is the only real knock I have against it. You don't own a Resistance capital ship, therefore you likely have no need for figures to fill one out.

The price of this set just makes my head hurt - they sold us two droids for $20 back then, and now it's one for $15. (Back then it was one for $13.) At its original price this set was a great - if obscure - pairing, and while arguably not exciting with two nearly identical droids, at least you felt like you got your money's worth. Prices have gone up on this set, but it's charming.

Collector's Notes: I got mine in 2017 and I'm pretty sure my pal Shannon picked it up for me - but it's been in my "to open" pile for seven years! Well, thanks Shannon.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,102: January 25, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,101: Boba Fett (Dune Sea, The Retro Collection)

BOBA FETT (Dune Sea)
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6874 No. F8564
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Rifle, Gaffi Stick, Robe
Action Feature: Removable cloak
Retail: $11.99
Availability: December 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

Bio: The Star Wars Retro Collection features design and detailing inspired by the original 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from a galaxy far, far away. (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! 

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: It's funny to think that other than Krrsantan (a comic book character), every figure in this wave previously appeared in a small-screen Star Wars series. Heck, Boba Fett (Dune Sea) appeared in (and was sold as a figure from) The Mandalorian already, so it's interesting to see Hasbro take two years put out what a wave of mostly The Mandalorian characters for a The Book of Boba Fett wave. It's not a bad wave at all, and it's really telling that with this Dune Sea version - after a Prototype, regular version, and Morak re-armored version - Boba Fett technically has more figures than Han Solo and Princess Leia in The Retro Collection. Heck, if Hasbro had the desire they could keep it going with Empire Strikes Back deco, white proto armor deco, Holiday Special/Droids cartoon deco, and even proper The Book of Boba Fett revised armor. And he'd sell.

Upon reveal Hasbro seemed to take care to obfuscate the plastic figure under the cloth robes, which feel similar to that of the Jawa. They look nice, but have a giant hood like a lot of the older Jedi figures. It's a good accessory, and Hasbro should be lauded for it. The rifle seems to be an all-new one, and the gaffi stick is basically the same 1978 Kenner one we all know and love. (If you don't know it and love it, go get some Kenner figures.) Much like the bulk of the old line, none of these accessories are painted. it's kind of amazing to have a Kenner Boba Fett figure that has exactly zero elements of the classic 1979 Boba Fett figure.

Boba seems to be all new tooling, but in this era of digital sculpting you can see some shared digital sculpting elements with Boba Fett (Morak) [FOTD #2,935]. The legs are incredibly similar, retaining the holster loop for a blaster that isn't included - but they removed the knee pads. The sleeves seem to share similar wrinkles to the elbows of that figure too, but the hands and gloves are new. The scarf-like neck also shares elements with the Morak figure, but the shoulders have deeper grooves and, of course, no pauldrons. To top him off, his all-new head actually looks a lot like Temuera Morrison... just a little botoxed out. Very subtle traces of scars seem to be left - maybe it's my imagination - but everything got just a little too smoothed out. His expression looks right, and his eyes seem appropriately old-Kenner-esque.

This is not the figure I expected - I was assuming we'd get a new version based on his revised armor, or the white prison suit, not the Tusken garb. (Memo to Hasbro: I would like to buy those other costumes, too.) I was excited to see how he looked under the robe, and I was not disappointed. Hasbro did a nice job with the texture on the torso, but weirdly, the rest of him looks a little smoothed out. (Before Maul was revealed, I was wondering if they would share parts. I'm glad to say they don't.) Whoever did the soft goods really gets how to do them correctly, but I would've loved to see a bend in the elbow or a slightly different posture on the plastic figure. But I'm nitpicking - Hasbro did a job that's consistent with the rest of the line, so if you like those I expect you'll like this too. As a younger fan I was obsessed with the stories and concepts fo the unmade post-The Power of the Force toy line that never came to be, particularly with things like a Bantha (which would still be nice) or Grand Moff Tarkin (which we got in 2019.) A "Boba Fett that survived" figure (TWO of them, at that) would have been a lot of fun back then. I'm a lot older now, but the figure is just so much fun to play with and shows that (at least to me) style and personality go a long way. My The Vintage Collection nomad Boba is in a display case... but this one? We've been having fun. I just wish we could have another wave of thees guys.

Vehicle Notes: I think I'll start doing these for Retro as appropriate. Boba Fett (Dune Sea) can fit in the original and Shadows of the Empire Kenner Slave I pilot seats. He does fit nicely in the Attack of the Clones/OTC model. He is too thicc to fit in the pilot's seat clips of the XL The Clone Wars and The Vintage Collection version - it spits him right out. He fits just fine in the 2012-2015 "Saga Legends/Mission Series" mini version of the Slave I.

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

Unsolicited Wish to Hasbro: I would love to see more figures from this series. For example: the R0 droid drummer, a new or reissued Max Rebo, the Rancor Keeper, a revised Boba Fett with the new costume (and removable helmet?), Cobb Vanth, Lortha Peel, more Tuskens... I could go on. Everything about this show looks like a fun toy. I'd also love a Retro Bantha.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,101: January 23, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,100: Pre Vizsla (The Vintage Collection)

PRE VIZSLA The Smaller One
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6878 No. F7319
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #299
Includes: Darksaber, helmet, rocket pack, 2 blasters
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: October 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Bio: Pre Vizsla was governor of Concordia, a moon of Mandalore, during the Clone Wars. Behind closed doors, the led Death Watch, a secret group of commandos seeking control of Mandalore. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I'm writing up Pre Vizsla about a month before this goes live, and as I do Amazon's got him in stock for retail price. That's usually a sign that there is too much product in the marketplace - which is a shame, it's a good figure. He's got a lot of stuff in the box (especially compared to the new deluxe Jango Fett), and while I hesitate to say "it's a great price" it's certainly similar in deco and features to a deluxe figure. (Admittedly, the blast effects are replaced by the Darksaber, and I'd say that's a fair trade for an $8 discount.) Fans have wanted a 3 3/4-inch scale version of this character since he appeared in the cartoon, and I would argue he's worth the wait.

Mr. Insurrectionist reuses parts of previously released The Vintage Collection Mando figures, which makes sense - the cartoon did the same to keep animation budgets reasonable. The head, helmet, backpack, and belt are new, as is the deco. He stands well, holds his accessories, and has exceptionally good detail. I like the limited damage on the armor, and the helmet looks really cool. There's not a lot of new sculpting, but everything seems to fit together pretty nicely. I especially like the head - this smaller one looks a smidgen better than the 6-inch scale one. He's just a little more gaunt, and the scruff is a smidgen lighter. Could it be better? Maybe - but it's super impressive to see such scowling, many dark bags under the eyes, the scars, and the distinctive cranky glare of the character. It looks like he could talk to you.

The accessories are good. There are two blasters which fit in his holsters or hands. The helmet is nice and has those distinctive Death Watch markings on the forehead, plus a glossy visor. The Darksaber is particularly nice, with that great white crackle deco on the black blade. The only thing I don't like is the jet pack - the peg is a little loose in the back hole. I would have preferred a more snug, secure fit.

If you're still buying figures from outside the movie(s) of your choice, this is a good one. With an amazing and tiny portrait plus subtle red lights on his jetpack and gauntlet, Hasbro did a good job here. Compared to other basic figures, for a redeco/retool, they did a really nice job. The timing is confusing, but I'm happy that he exists in the size I like best. I hope they do some more figures from his arc, as the slow, slow drip of Maul and other Mando Commandos has been welcome - but when you spread these things out over several years, I don't think Hasbro gets credit for building the group. At least they're going to get credit for making a really good figure and making enough of it so you can get it at retail price.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,100: January 18, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,099: Marrok (The Black Series)

MARROK Nobody expects the Imperial inquisition
The Black Series 2023 Window Box Line Look Ahsoka Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. F7111
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #08 - Star Wars: Ahsoka
Includes: Lightsaber, cape
Action Feature: Lightsaber has removable blades
Retail: $24.99
Availability: October 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: Ahsoka

Bio: Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy. (Taken from the box packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: You can't trust a man what's made of gas, and Marrok is no exception. Maybe he's a man in armor who was powered by magic and exploded! Or maybe he was some sort of enchanted armor with no man. What we know is we didn't see much, a refreshing and odd mystery in an era of Star Wars where we're used to things being over-explained. The figure made it to shelves pretty quickly after the Ahsoka show aired and odds are we won't be seeing this ex-Inquisitor again. He has a familiar half-blade lightsaber that looks like the one Reva carried, he has a cloth cape, and he looks sort of like a classic knight in armor. The name Marrok also calls back to a knight of Arthurian tale with a warwilf connection. Dave Filoni strikes again.

To my eye, the character comes off as a spooky, rusty set of ghost armor like you saw on Scooby-Doo cartoons. Pop culture junkies more or less knew his deal without a word, just because the design is familiar enough that we almost instinctually know what the deal is here... despite not knowing it at all. The figure meets the typical milestones for a 6-inch figure, with a peg on his hilt to store behind his neck and the normal articulation. After smooth joints on many figures, this one is very stuff - you can feel a hard push with each stage of movement on his knees. I'm not crazy about it. But he is sturdy, he stands well, and he poses nicely. You can't complain about the range of movement on his elbows, but you can complain his hands are incredibly stiff and that this makes it difficult for him to hold his lightsaber, particularly with that obtrusive peg poking out the middle. It's just unpleasant accessory/figure interaction.

In terms of sculpting, the figure looks like what you saw on screen. The suit has some pointy shoulders, some Vader-esque armor lights, and has some nice dirt and rust. It looks like something that belongs in a museum. Given Hasbro probably had about zero idea what his deal was, this format captured his general vibe pretty well. He's just a quiet thug with a nice cape that hangs over his shoulder, in the background, and generally doesn't make a big fuss about things. A figure like this can be hard to nitpick in terms of sculpt given the lack of really good photos of the real costume, but it seems to match publicity photos well. The armored parts do seem a little light, and the plastic doesn't quite seem to have a hard metal look. The lighter gray seems to let a little light in, which sadly makes it look more like an action figure than a little replica.

If you liked the Fifth Brother, he's very much like that. He gets the job done, the peg on his lightsaber is just awful, the colors are mostly there, and he's a neat Imperial bad guy. Like so many figures, Hasbro did a good job with the expected level of articulation, but there's nothing here that takes it to the next level. Fans of this format should mostly enjoy how this figure was done, and the material used for the cape seems very good for the size. I'm also happy for fans of this particular costume - if Hasbro didn't have it out before we all saw the show, I assume he'd probably never be made as an action figure. This is why it's sometimes important to have stuff out before the series or movie, otherwise we'd never get a Zuvio.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,099: January 16, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,098: C1 Droid (Advent Calendar 2022)

C1 DROID Droid Cosplay
Star Wars Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Silver BB droid, Nutcracker R5 droid, Gold R4 droid, Giftwrapped Power Droid with bow, Elf R6 Droid with hat, C1 droid
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $69.99
Availability: August 2022
Appearances: n/a

Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. Open up the Sandcrawler to reveal and build 6 new droids to celebrate along with them for 25 days this season. May the Force be with you... and your droids!" This droid is optimized to function in the sparsely settled, unspoiled frontier world of Vandor. Join R6-SNO on their adventures throughout the galaxy! (Taken from the packaging. Yes, the one quotation mark and reference to R6-SNO, who is not included, was on the box in three languages.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: One of the fun things about growing up - which, for better or worse, some of you got to see in real-time - was that I (and you!) get to learn things. Back in the 1990s, toy collecting was a lot of fun because the lines weren't too big, and there were plenty of reference books or people you could ping somewhere to explain something to you, and now there's a bazillion web site reviews with photos of this Advent Calendar C1 Droid that don't actually say what he's supposed to be. A yellow, white, and black dome with brown "shoes", yellow "suspenders," and green "pants" make me think Chopper is dressed up as an elf, but maybe he's supposed to be some other thing. My Christmas pop culture knowledge more or less stops in the 1990s, so anything that came later (Elf on the Shelf) I know because I saw it in a bookstore, or in Toys R Us, or some other retail sighting. But if it was in a Rankin-Bass special, I'd probably get it. And it's not the Great Ak.

This little guy is loaded with paint apps and has a few nice moving parts. The chest has a swing-out arm, the dome has two nicely-jointed arms and a dish hat, and each foot has a rolling wheel on it. The layout is nice and clean, but it is weird to pick up a Star Wars figure and say "I don't get it." (I had the same experience with a lot of LEGO sets based on LEGO Star Wars cartoons I haven't yet seen.) But it's a droid! And it looks perfectly nice. Is it a panda? It's probably not a panda. But the limbs all pop off nicely and as much as I would like to say something like "and I will treasure it always," it's probably going to be crammed in a box or a shelf until I get my displays up, which may be never, so I am sitting here shrugging as to its purpose while walking away from this review asking myself just how much money I've spent on things that, let's be honest, are not doing me any good.

If you understand this on a deeper level than I do, then know it's of a good quality and there's nothing wrong with it. I'm just looking at it saying "...what are you?"

Collector's Notes: I got mine from some guy on eBay for a lower price! And thus ends Christmas days of the robot.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,098: January 11, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,097: Wicket W. Warrick (The Retro Collection)

WICKET W. WARRICK 2023 Remake of 1984 Figure
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Hasbro Pulse/Shop Disney 6-Pack
Item No.: No. F6988
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Hood, spear, plus Mon Mothma, Yak Face, Emperor's Royal Guard, Gamorrean Guard, and Admiral Ackbar
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $72.99
Availability: November 2023
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: Star Wars Retro Collection includes Star Wars action figures from the 40-plus-year legacy of the Star Wars Galaxy, including movies and live-action series. (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: When I was very small, I was given a lot of Star Wars figures. One of the first ones I remember chasing down was the very first release of Wicket W. Warrick, who was "NEW!" and one of the figures near the end of the original line. Figures were usually $2-$3 in the old Kenner days, unless you went to somewhere like Long's Drugs, where they were a whopping $5. My parents never let me hear the end of how much more he was there, but we got it, and I don't remember seeing a lot of him ever since. This probably made me an incredibly cheap collector, because when you get right down to it a buck or two is nothing compared to what you might spend on gas (or today, shipping.) But I digress - this was a figure I absolutely loved as a kid, and the new version is the same, but different.

He feels different. The original toy's hoods were much softer and more rubbery, the new one can bend but feels more like plastic. The materials Kenner used back in the day were very distinctive, so it's clearly a different feel. The spear is also different, the details are a little botoxed-out and it feels a smidgen more waxy. Overall the accessories both look good enough, but are colored just a bit differently and any toy dealer worth his salt can look at them and see at a glance (or touch) they're not the originals. And that's the way I like it.

The figure is good, but different. I prefer the original deco - Hasbro didn't paint Wicket's nose quite right, so he looks a bit more like a koala and less like an Ewok. You can see in the pictures that an original Wicket had the whole nose painted, while the new one missed some of the sides near the face. The detail are darker and seem a bit glossier with lips that look less like lips and more like make-up. The brown plastic is also darker, but these are things you're unlikely to notice unless you're seeing them side-by-side or have a close personal relationship with an original that dates back to the days where you were much shorter than you are now.

If I were Hasbro, Wicket is absolutely one of the figures I would want to reissue - as a kid I was about the heroes, aliens, and droids - and this one is much cheaper than an actual original. If money is no object I'd steer you to the genuine article, because while the retro one is good it's just off enough that it would bother me. But again, this is one of my favorites from when I was a kid and I adored Return of the Jedi toys like no others. If you didn't have one as a kid, this reissue is probably going to be just fine - it's not identical, but it shouldn't be. Time has passed, and clearly something has been lost in translation over time with how to do old-style figure sculpting. But it's close, and for what you get in this set for the price I didn't hesitate to buy it. Even though I had five of the six figures, it's like a new thing and for all I know these will be the last-ever Return of the Jedi Kenner figures I'll buy for the rest of my time on this planet. (If Kenner's reading and wants to do more, I'd be happy to see Lumat or Paploo again.)

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse, who seem to have sold out days after shipping. Check ShopDisney for availability too.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,097: January 9, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,096: General Hera Syndulla (The Vintage Collection)

GENERAL HERA SYNDULLA (Three of Three)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6878 No. F7318
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #300
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: October 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: Ahsoka

Bio: Since 2010, The Vintage Collection has paid homage to the iconic Kenner toy era of Star Wars history. VC300 celebrates the line with General Hera Syndulla - for the first time on a TVC cardback! (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Packaging Change Notes: For the first time in years, Hasbro actually updated the template for the back of the card. While it doesn't show upsells for other figures in the wave any more, it does, for some reason, show an illustration of the card front on the back, with the figure you can see in person on the other side standing in front of it. Originally this layout was used to show the original release of the figure - and with a wave of almost entirely new figures, I don't think it's a particularly good use of the space. It is more pleasing to look at than, say, The Retro Collection's all-text extravaganza. The previous TVC cardback look was fine, I'd be happy to see it brought back but with even more figure previews. (There was enough blank black space for 2-4 more figures without shrinking a thing.)

Commentary: It's easy to poke fun at Hasbro for congratulating themselves, given how many Vintage figures had stiff joints and were prone to falling over earlier in the line, but General Hera Syndulla is actually excellent. At $16.99 I don't necessarily have to be bowled over with a massive array of parts and paint applications, but what we get has to be good. If I pay $17 for a figure with five blasters and one has bad QC, that's upsetting - so I'm glad that Hera is pretty much as perfect as you can reasonably expect in 2023/2024 at this size.

While I do feel it's a bit overkill to give us Retro, The Black Series, and Vintage versions all at once... it's Hera. Hera's cool and I don't think it matters if you like the shows or not, because this figure is a good one. Her revised live action costume gives her a flight cap with goggles, a swell jacket with cool patches, high-waisted X-Wing mom pants, and black boots. She looks like a post-Return of the Jedi figure that you wish was around 40 years ago, but with the face and general build of one Mary Elizabeth Winstead you liked her in 10 Cloverfield Lane, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Passions, Death Proof, and a bunch of other genre fan things - so it makes sense the expressive performer would get a Star Wars.

Thanks to the green make-up, the figure looks fantastic - instead of "did they get her human skin color right," we see a correctly green-molded plastic face with the details of the actress. It may not be 100%, but it's close - the eyes, cheeks, and eyebrows look bright-eyed and more like the character is thinking, rather than merely being there. It's good, particularly since the face is the size of a shelled peanut.

Like most of Hasbro's new-sculpt humanoids, this is a good figure with a nicely jointed body. She stands easily, and balances well. You have the ball-and-socket hip joint with thigh cut, which means she shouldn't have too much difficulty fitting in The Ghost in the next year. The jacket vest piece looks great, and the gloved hands have no problems holding her blaster. Knee joints have no problems bending to 90 degrees, and the elbows bend just a bit more than that. Given her lekku head tails, the neck also has a good range of movement with non-jointed molded-on goggles above her forehead. It's a good, functional costume that doesn't get in the way of itself like, oh, most of the prequel Jedi outfits.

Deco is also great. She has a painted rank badge, painted patches on her arms, and another painted design on her back. Her lekku have light green patterns on them - subtle, so you might miss it - and everything else is more or less molded in color. The only exception is her shins, as her boots are molded black and the lower pant legs are painted orange. In some lines this can look horrible - orange over black usually looks bad. Here it just looks merely OK, as the amount of paint and the color match was pretty good. I'd probably have preferred to see it molded in orange and painted black for the boots, but this no doubt was the cheaper solution.

You don't necessarily need three versions of streaming Hera, but they're all good examples of their respective lines. I'm biased so I love Retro, but this one is a much better achievement given what they managed to do with the budget. Maybe it could be a buck or two cheaper, but we really don't have much to complain about here. All the joints are good, she has her obligatory accessory, and I'm not left wanting Hasbro to fix her later. This is it, this is good enough, so seek this one out and be glad Hasbro has no reason to do a fancier version down the road.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,096: January 4, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,095: Professor Huyang (The Black Series)

PROFESSOR HUYANG Old Droid
The Black Series 2023 Window Box Line Look Ahsoka Packaging
Item No.: Asst. E8908 No. F7110
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #07 - Star Wars: Ahsoka
Includes: Removable backpack, tool, pad
Action Feature: Removable backpack has jointed arms
Retail: $24.99
Availability: October 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: Ahsoka

Bio: Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy. (Taken from the box packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Originally seen in The Clone Wars, this Professor Huyang action figure seems to be an all-new sculpt that fell victim to budgeting cuts on its way out the door. My sample is stable and stands well, with just the right articulation and some nice gear - but the coloration and paint isn't quite right. Normally I don't advocate for "premium finish" reissues, but this is one of the few cases where I might say Hasbro should consider it in a year or two. It's a good figure - but it's not a great figure. As I write this, the price on Amazon dipped a bit - a disturbing trend with 6-inch figures shortly after they hit stores. It might be back up by now, but this is the kind of trend you don't want to see with new, collectible figures within weeks of release.

Looking at the droid, Hasbro seemed to be working from great reference. The sculpted texture on the droid chest is great, a much more streamlined and sinewy take on the slightly chunkier robot we saw in the cartoons. The joints in the design translate nicely to functional joints on the action figure, with a vinyl apron being just flexible enough to not get in the way of posing his legs. The double-jointed neck does much to add to his personality, letting him cock his head as he examines his accessories or be posed "talking" to another figure. I found the figure to be generally stable and had no problems posing him in any way I wanted, although the shoulders were a little stiff and didn' move exactly like I expected. Due to their design, I assumed they had the "ring" we used to see in older figure shoulder joints - they don't. Whoever sat at the computer sculpting this one did a great job overall, as the parts fit together well and everything looks like it should. The only shortcoming might be for safety reasons - the figure had a big antenna on his left shoulder in the live-action show, and it was either retracted or removed to a small nub for this release. The figure even has a backpack with moving limbs - which no doubt added much to the cost - with some paint on them too.

Unfortunately, cost is a real issue and when it comes to deco I feel it came up short. The figure was molded in plastic that seems closer to the cartoon coloring, rather than the "painted" opaque look of the live-action show. Had Hasbro used different materials or painted the whole thing, I think he would look great. Even his tool lost the red pommel deco hit, and his biceps are unpainted despite having paint on the TV show. I think fans would bristle at paying "deluxe" prices for this one, but I do wonder if there's a way to do this for $1 or $2 more - and how would he look? The eyes aren't quite the right color, but it's close. If you don't compare the figure to a still from the show you'd probably say "yup, looks like Huyang" - and being a new character that's likely. It's not like we've been staring at him for 30 years so we know when the hair is wrong or a panel is misplaced, but you can look at him and tell a few things didn't quite turn out as the designers likely intended. Heck, maybe it's just because the TV show design was unfinished when the figure left China.

It's rare that Hasbro can get a Disney+ series toy on-shelf with a show anymore, but Huyang came pretty close at just a couple of months. I'd love to see stuff day-and-date - or before - the show comes out, as that used to be commonplace... but it does come with a cost of potential accuracy. We've seen Transformers Studio Series toys get delayed until after the movie comes out to shoot for improved accuracy, with kid line toys getting out on-shelf first minus the authenticity. That might actually be a really good compromise - get a "kid version" (or Retro Kenner) version out fast and cheap, while delaying the "collector" version for later so they can nail it. When you're looking at a premium figure - and at $25, this is a premium figure - fan expectations are for sub-perfection and Professor Huyang is tantalizingly close to perfect. A customizer with a steady hand probably already perfected him, but for those of us untalented hacks, we'll have to settle for "good enough." But "good enough" is actually really well done... minus the pesky paint problems.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,095: January 2, 2024