Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,194: X-Wing Pilot (Human Woman, The Vintage Collection)

X-WING PILOT
(Human Female)

The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Shared Exclusive Action Figure Set
Item No.:
No. F9395
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 Pilot figures with 3 Rebel Blasters like the Troopers and 3 Rebel Blasters like Luke's Pilot blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $54.99
Availability: September 2024
Appearances: ???

Bio: Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's a lady
Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady
Listen to me people she's a lady
Yeah yeah yeah yeah she's a lady
Whoa whoa whoa she's a lady
Talkin' about the little lady
Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa
She's a lady
Yeah yeah yeah she's a lady
Whoa whoa lord, she's a lady.
I can't live without that
She's a lady
Ooh ooh she's a lady. (Taken from Tom Jones.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary:
The X-Wing Pilots continue with a representative of the Human contingent! I was ready to roll my eyes and grouse about how we're getting an old mold again with a new head of an (as far as I can tell) anonymous extra or Hasbro employee... but she turned out pretty well. Maybe it's the bright lights bringing out her best, maybe it was the pizza I had at dinner, but the figure is fine. Your socks may not be knocked off, but for whatever reason tonight I was impressed, even by the imperfections. The unpainted silver greeblies in her sleeves are sharply sculpted, and even in orange they show Hasbro did some nice work. Molded separately in color, the white vest looks sharp. The panels on her chest look great, the buttons are nicely painted, and the suit is mostly orange with black gloves and boots. The separately molded hoses and straps look far superior to the unpainted, tightly-sculpted ones we got in 1979 and other than the old, outdated hip joints the body is still pretty decent.

Her helmet is the same basic template as the entire set, which borrows a look from the Ahsoka series. Two stripes run down her helmet, one of which is super wide. The colors don't necessarily correspond to a specific show character that I noticed, but perhaps your eyes are more eagle than me at my old and increasingly impatient age. I seem to recall Hasbro saying these are original pilots. There's no weathering or damage deco, but for a made-up figure that's fine. I can add some if I want.

I don't recognize the face, which may prove awkward down the line. I've met a lot of people from various companies involved with these toys and I look at a wonderfully tight hair cut, sharply painted eyes and lips, and excellent eyebrows... and I also hope she isn't reading this and going "dude, we met at the party with the Jenga thing remember?" Hasbro's ability to make a human head seem eerily real yet small enough to shoot out of your nose is incredible, and also, not recommended. But I can say that whoever this is, I hope she's happy with the results because I absolutely believe that this is an actual person somewhere.

Given Hasbro's anxieties about SKUs and tooling budgets, I'm genuinely curious why we got an anonymous pilot in an era where vehicle play isn't really a thing anymore. It's a very nice figure - a magnificent demonstration of Hasbro's capabilities in head sculpting and facial detailing that, at this size, is unbeaten in the business. But given the sprawling franchise, the split focus between "classic" and "new," and a massive lack of support of new entries in the series, it seems like an odd choice. If you can get this set for a fair price I think you'll be pleased and impressed if you're looking to add new Rebel pilots to your collection, and of course to see Hasbro prove that they could make more amazing characters from the original trilogy were they so inclined.

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

--Adam Pawlus



Day 3,194: December 3, 2024

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