Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,172: Ezra Bridger (Hero of Lothal. The Vintage Collection)

EZRA BRIDGER Hero of Lothal
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6878 No. F9978
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #318
Includes: Lightsaber, Hilt, Blaster
Action Feature: Working holster, lightsaber plugs in belt
Retail: $16.99
Availability: May 2024
Appearances: Star Wars Rebels

Bio: One of the few Jedi trained after the fall of the Empire and an early member of the Rebel movement, Ezra Bridger vanished in the battle to liberate Lothal, disappearing into deep space. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

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Commentary: Is it retool... or pre-tool? Ezra Bridger (Hero of Lothal) shares a lot of parts with the as-of-yet unshipped pack-in figure with the HasLab The Ghost vehicle. From the pictures it lokos like it may be mostly deco changes. That version seems to have the same accessories as this version, but also sports a lothcat and one of Ezra's special helmets. I would say you might want both due to the changes painted on the figure, and this is the lesser of the two releases.

Much like Thrawn not being quite a perfect Rebels figure, Ezra isn't a perfect Ahsoka figure. I do like the engineering overall though - the gloves look good, the waist joint hidden in the belt region is good common sense, and the legs all seem to move without too much fuss. The colors are on-point, the eyes are expressive, and he's even got the scars under his eye. The figure's hair doesn't quite match the cartoon (or live-action), but it's Ezra-esque. It has his spirit, though, and I feel adult collectors in their 40s and 50s don't want spirit so much as authenticity.

This figure seems to be a design made that wasn't quite made to mimic Eman Esfandi - but Eman Esfandi was cast in Ahsoka as Ezra because he kind of looks like the drawings on which this figure was based. Given it's a figure based on a hologram, and the hair isn't quite right, and he doesn't have the scuff, but the outfit is pretty good, this is probably one of the more exciting figures from Hasbro in this scale lately. We've had so many attempts to do and redo Thrawn, Mando, Vader, and others, that accuracy aside just getting another character is some cause for excitement. The costume is fantastic, but the head doesn't match the performer, and as a repaint of a cartoon-turned-realistic figure, it shouldn't. It would be nice if Hasbro sprang for a new head on this one, but given development times (and costs) it's less surprising that a repaint is what we get in 2024. We're having to do a lot more "settling" these days, aren't we?

If you're OK with this figure being what amounts to a concept art version of the costume from the show, it's good. Articulation is typical of this series, with decent ranges of motion. While it's kind of hard to get both hands on his lightsaber, the legs swing forward perfectly and he should be able to fit in your vehicles just fine. The figure's costume fits much better than the one in the packaging photo of the actor, too, although both do match rather well. (The cartoon had a lot more yellow on it.) Approaching the figure on its own merits, it's pretty good. While this is a perfectly nice figure, it is probably a bad move to put out a figure that - assuming fans don't ignore it - will make fans ask for a more authentic version. I think it's nice but the funny thing is if they just pop a more accurate head on this body, I'd also complain about that. That's what we're getting with Thrawn, after all.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,172: September 17, 2024