Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,109: Mon Mothma (The Retro Collection)

MON MOTHMA New!
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: Blaster, plus Wicket W. Warrick, 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 (or maybe Rogue One)

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: To say that a Kenner-style Mon Mothma was unexpected would be a gross understatement. If you gave me 50 guesses as to which figures Hasbro would remake (or make) for its 6-pack in 2023, she would not be on it. I would have banked on an astromech repaint, or new Jabba's Palace aliens, maybe even Nik Sant or Wedge Antilles finally - but the first lady of exposition? With a blaster? Never. But, I can understand why - with her, the quantity of human women characters in the Kenner-style original trilogy action figure line increases to two. (Also due to inconsistencies on the parts of who voiced and was interviewed about EV-9D9, I don't count the robot - but Sy Snootles, sure.) For those keeping track at home, Urgah Lady Gorneesh and Kea Moll also exist.

But as to this one - why? I want to know. The figure itself seems to have had her hands "inspired" (or swiped) from Kenner's Princess Leia Organa figures - they're a little different from, but incredibly close to, Battle Poncho Leia. Everything else seems to be new, but generally seems to be inspired by the newer retro figures in that her posture is too good. The dress legs are "pants" like The Emperor, with flat, unpainted inner legs. There's no wavy pattern like Anakin Skywalker. She can stand with no problems thanks to her massive "feet," and my sample has no problems holding her blaster - a reuse of Leia's.

The outfit looks like she should, with multiple layers of robes and the same necklaces and general look we saw in Rogue One as well. Due to how her neck looks I wouldn't necessarily argue with you if you said they sculpted her from that movie and it's close enough and stylized enough that it could be either Caroline Blakiston or Genevieve O'Reilly. Customizers have made much better retro head sculpts - and worse, also worse - and this one is bland, but fine. It doesn't really look that much like either performer, which is how a lot of old, real Kenner figures turned out - nobody's picking up Han Solo and going "oh, this looks just like Harrison Ford." But Mon's hair looks right, the eyes are clean, and she more or less has everything where it should be. She can fit in many vehicles as long as her pants don't get in the way, too - her range of movement is better than that old mail-in Anakin Skywalker.

Had this figure been released in the 1980s I have no doubt she would have been one of those figures you saw at flea markets that didn't sell even at a buck or two - but wait a couple of decades, and now she's exciting because she's new and having a moment on the Disney+ series Andor. I like that she got made, but she's an odd choice. Hasbro gave us Grand Moff Tarkin [FOTD #2,588] in 2019, and that made sense as a character people felt was absent for decades. Snowspeeder Pilot Luke Skywalker [FOTD #2,698] was a head-scratcher as X-Wing Luke fit the bill, and similarly I would've probably expected Death Star II Luke (as the body sculpt exists under Battle Poncho Luke) as the token "new figure." Hopefully they keep this program going so we can get more new classic trilogy figures alongside the reissues, but I'm not overly optimistic Hasbro's new post-layoff structure will be game. Unless the notion of making new products based on existing molds is attractive and cheaper, in which case, maybe that's all that we'll get. If you're getting this set anyway, Mon Mothma's one of the star attractions - but if you don't want the other five figures in this set (or at least Yak Face) I assume you won't be buying it.

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 3,109: February 20, 2024