Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,633: Maz Kanata (Holographic, Solo: A Star Wars Story line look)

MAZ KANATA Holographic
Solo: A Star Wars Story Force Link 2.0 Exclusive 5-Pack
Item No.:   No. E2262
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, also Kylo Ren, First Order Snowtrooper, Rey, Captain Poe Dameron
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: ???
Availability: Late 2018
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: Maz Kanata was a Force-sensitive humanoid female who was born over a millennium before the brewing war between the First Order and the Resistance. Living in an ancient castle on the planet Takodana, Kanata gained a reputation as a "pirate queen" by allowing traveling smugglers to reside in her home—as long as they honored her prohibitions against politics and war. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  Things don't go as smoothly as you hope.  This Holographic Maz Kanata was going to be US Toys R Us exclusive. Then Toys R Us closed - so Hasbro offered it to Entertainment Earth.  They neglected to ship it there, so then they just kind of filtered out and showed up - a friend of mine found them in those seasonal calendar stores.  I never saw them anywhere, so I got my set from a UK eBay seller.

Given how over the sequel movies most toy fans were - in part because of the repetition, repetition, and repetition in the line - I bet a lot of people don't know and don't care they're missing this set. The only truly new figure in the set is Maz, a holdover from The Last Jedi that saw release for Solo which was recast here in blue, with no paint.  This would've been a better carded exclusive - the detail is great, and the blue is darker than a lot of the holographic figures from the heyday of the format from 2005-2009.

She has 5 points of articulation, and has no problems standing or sitting.  It's a quality figure, the engineers of the old Kenner line would be proud of this one.  The backpack isn't removable, and I'd go as far as to say that this is a pretty nifty figure in a style we rarely get these days.  I probably paid too much for this set, so if you get it at a good price, you're a winner.

Force Link 2.0 Notes: "I am no Jedi, but I know the Force."  "I assume you need something.  Desperately."  Blasters. It's not much new here.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from eBay.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,633: October 29, 2019

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,502: Maz Kanata (Solo: A Star Wars Story Line Look)

MAZ KANATA Talking Edition
Solo: A Star Wars Story Force Link 2.0 Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. E0323  No. E1676
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster pistol
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: April 2018
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: Maz Kanata was a Force-sensitive humanoid female who was born over a millennium before the brewing war between the First Order and the Resistance.   (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  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!

Commentary:  While almost identical to a figure we got a few years ago, this Maz Kanata will not be the figure's last appearance in toys this year.   She seems to be selling well despite a similar Maz Kanata [FOTD #2,273] being sold in 2016.  The problem, like so many problems since the reboot, is we are generally given a choice between new characters we don't know yet (some of which turn out to be pretty insignificant as toys go) and barely different versions of characters we own - Solo's line really leaned in to those.  Maz is a bit more interesting than her 2016 version, but to the typical fan she's the same figure with a new gun and a non-removable jet pack.   For most, the desire to have a Maz figure should be enough. Weirdly this one is desirable, but the 6-inch one is not according to Amazon pricing at press time.

The figure does a good job delivering the character in a costume from her cameo in The Last Jedi, where we found out that she has a labor dispute and her hobbies may have been described by Russ Hanneman.   She has 5 points of articulation including the ball-jointed neck, with deco that's pretty good to the naked eye.  Numerous dongles and beads and gems are painted, plus her hands seem to be the right color - which wasn't the case all the time in 2016.  Her necklace, belt buckle, glasses, wrinkles, socks, toes, and just about everything is well-textured and decorated.   This is great, as Hasbro and other companies often leave details in whatever color the rest of the limb happened to be.   More detail is always welcome.  She's by no means perfect, but given the size and price point we get a pretty good paint job here.  She's stable and the jet pack - and I have no idea why she needed one in the movie - is a nice touch here.   I'd rather have had a figure of a new character instead since she has tooling changes, but I guess that's life.

Hasbro did a great job here - the fact that I don't see her, or a lot of wave 1 Solo figures sitting, says to me either Hasbro did a great job or isn't done shipping the wave yet.  I would not classify this as an essential purchase, but it's certainly very good and I'm not sorry I have it.  

Force Link 2.0 Notes: "I am no Jedi, but I know the Force."  "I assume you need something.  Desperately."  Blasters.  These do seem to be taken from the film archives - and there are more, but the Force Link 2.0 band eats "AAA" batteries.  I probably got about an hour of play out of this set.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.   This figure was originally slated to be a part of the first Force Link line for The Last Jedi but got bounced to this wave for some reason - other figures from those waves were bounced to Entertainment Earth as exclusives.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,502: July 26, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,467: Maz Kanata (The Black Series 6-Inch)

MAZ KANATA The One, The Only
The Force Awakens The Black Series 6-Inch Figure
Item No.: Asst. B3834 No. C3289
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #49
Includes: Rifle, lightsaber hilt, box
Action Feature: Articulated goggles
Retail: $19.99
Availability: September 2017
Appearances: The Force Awakens

Bio:  A thief whose tattered, threadbare clothes and lackadaisical attitude conceal a sharp mind and expert codebreaking skills, DJ believes there's no difference between sides in this new galactic war.  (Taken from the figure's 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:  A great figure that's kind of cheap on the Internet right now, Maz Kanata is based on her The Force Awakens appearance - meaning she's got no jetpack and she's not a hologram.   For some reason Hasbro dragged their feet on a number of cool The Force Awakens figures until a couple years after the movie, and this one came out in time for the sequel.   It's a good figure - but it's also about 4-inches tall.   There's a bit more plastic here, but it's basically about the same kind of product as a 3 3/4-inch super-articulated figure at a significant mark-up because of how these things sell in assortments.  Also she has a killer paint job.

Maz has more color in her socks than many figures have on their whole bodies.   The oranges, yellows, pinks, and browns offset a blue sweater with a brown vest, and a brownish orange belt divides the sea of blue from the high-waisted brown pants.   The movie style was inspired by one of J.J. Abrams' teachers, and it shows - you could see her teaching a class.  The rings and bracelets tell a story, as do the big glasses.   I believe these are the first corrective lenses on a Star Wars action figure to see release in a store, as glasses or monocles are rare in this saga.  (See: Noa, Screed.)

Her metallic skin has numerous wrinkes, and it looks stunning.  The light shines off it and gives it a rich sense of detail, plus her eyes are a little less creepy than they are in the movie.   It's kind of fascinating to see so many rings and special details on a figure like this, because it says a lot about the movie design too.   We've seen numerous aged characters eschew adornments.  Jabba the Hutt wears a tattoo and a smile, and he's about 1,000 years old.  Yoda was 900 and had a brown shirt, brown pants, a jacket, and a necklace with a belt.   Maz clearly has a distinctive sense of style with more color and accessories than we would see on most characters across multiple movies.

Articulation is good, and it needs to be given that you're getting a 4-inch figure at a 6-inch price.  Bend-and-swivel joints are used on the elbows and knees, plus she has rocker ankles.  This is good, but the small feet also show Hasbro's ongoing problems with foot pegs.  The holes are so shallow no stand could use them, and there's no other standardized stand for these action figures.   Thankfully her center of gravity allows her to stand unassisted, but with 24 good points of articulation you can get a lot out of her. I was unable to get her thigh cuts to move, but it could just be my sample combined with a fear of snapping her legs off.

This may be the finest figure in The Black Series in terms of decoration and could even be one of Hasbro's most lavishly decorated action figures.  Most figures tend to be fairly simple affairs with a couple of colors, so this one really did a nice job.  And on top of that you get her blaster, Luke's lightsaber hilt, and a chest that opens.  I wish it had a hinge joint instead of a piece of plastic that bends, but that's how these things go sometimes.   Hasbro did a nice job giving us a weathered-looking wooden box, even going as far as to paint the rivets under the lid.  I am in awe that they bothered, but clearly they got their paint budget's worth out of this one.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,467: March 28, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,273: Maz Kanata (The Force Awakens)

MAZ KANATA Takodana Encounter
The Force Awakens   Home Entertainment Pack
Item No.: No.  B6815
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, hilt, backpack, staff, 2 blasters, 4 figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99
Availability: March 2016
Appearances: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Bio: The colorful Maz Kanata holds court in an ancient castle on Takodana.  With centuries of experience, she reigns as the most knowledgable smuggler around.  She has an uncanny knack for sensing the shifting tides of fortune in the galaxy.  (Taken from the figure's 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: Toy companies can speak in some very sterile - and strange - terms, so instead of being a "gift set" or "DVD box" this is a "Home Entertainment Pack," as Hasbro refers to movies, cartoons, and the like as "the Entertainment."  It's true!  I've been in the meetings.   The crown jewel of this entertainment pack is the sole new figure, Maz Kanata.   Your friends will say "Katana" because reading is hard.  The set also contains Finn (roughly the same as the single figure), Rey (with a Lightsaber and slightly better deco), and BB-8 (with barely-changed paint masks.)  We might look at these later, I'm still waffling.  The set itself is worth your while just because you'll want a Maz, it's on sale for cheaper at big stores now, and you probably don't have a Maz if you didn't buy this set.   The line for this movie is pretty small so far, so if you have any doubt whatsoever about a character appearing in the sequel buy the toy now.

Maz is a short figure, the stand-in for Yoda and to some extent the more mystical aspects of one Ben Kenobi.   She knows about the Force without telling you how maxi big it is, presumably because she's seen some things, man.  After all, with those glasses and dime eyes she's probably seen quite a lot.   The lenses are clear plastic pieces attached to her head.  They are not adjustable, but they do magnify her eyes a bit.  I'd love it if they moved, but hey, she's small.  You can't get everything  You can come close, though, a her leg joints swing forward cleanly granting her access to just about any modern vehicle without a fight.  She might slide around due to her height, but all five joints move nice and cleanly.   Her deco is above and beyond the call of duty given Hasbro's recent, erm, less-than-collector-friendly output as of late.  She has painted bracelets, necklaces, belts, boots, chains, pouches, the works.  I'm sure you could do a slightly better job as a customizer, but as mass-produced toys out of China go this is one of Hasbro's best works in this size in recent memory.  The textures are great, and she looks better than the rest of the line would have me think Hasbro is currently capable of squirting out.  The skin texture, the careful wipe to get the skin the right shade of orange, it's pretty much all here.

Her own personal accessory is a small silver blaster.  Undecorated, it seems to have the design down pat without the exact coloring.  Paint on weapons has been a luxury fans haven't enjoyed as often as they might like, and while we saw some paint on lightsabers in the 1990s I'm trying to think if we saw many painted blasters before Attack of the Clones.   I'm not thinking of many.   Even after, it's a scarcity - but this set also includes a neat trunk with a weak bending flexible hinge to shut it, and a little latch to keep it closed.  Oh, and a lightsaber hilt to gift to Rey.

The mantra for this feature and much of what I write about Star Wars is "just different enough to make you mad."  If you were all-in since day one for this line, you've got little to no use for Finn, Rey, or BB-8.  However, you're going to really want Maz and her blaster, and probably a spare lightsaber and the trunk.  If you haven't been buying this line, I would recommend the Takodana Encounter as highly as possible at current sale and clearance prices.  If you don't have the figures, it's an attractive buy at $20-$25.   A changing of the guard seems to have directed Hasbro to the future - this would make me scared Hasbro may not revisit Maz without an appearance in the movies.  And we don't know if she's in the next movie yet.   If nothing else, I'd suspect you won't see many Maz toys for a few years so do yourself a favor and buy one before the secondary market prevents you from doing so. 

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,272: September 9, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,266: Hassk Thug (The Force Awakens)

HASSK THUG or Varmik
The Force Awakens   Jungle and Space Figures
Item No.: Asst. B3445 No. B5668
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: "Combine" backpack,  blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99  
Availability: January 2016
Appearances: The Force Awakens

Bio: Hassks are primitive aliens that prowl the shadowy alleys of spaceport towns. The Hassks were ill-prepared for the evils of advanced technology or off-world vices, and many travel with their littermates as roaming thugs, itching to make trouble.  (Taken from the figure's 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 Hassk Thug is one of a few of this species in Maz Kanata's castle, although there's at least one named one - Varmik.   He's a triplet and they all look alike - an instant army builder, if you could find any.  Each of their outfits are a little different, and the actual creatures look a  bit different from the final toy.  Their eyes are way creepier, their teeth sharper.  Their bodies have full male-pattern baldness.  This guy looks a bit cleaner, like an ape werewolf.  The color is pretty good with trying to convey what we saw in the movies, but "thinning full body hair" isn't exactly something I think could easily be done.  As such, it ain't perfeft, but it's not like you've got options - and Funko's isn't disgusting either.

The movie design looks like a recently deceased creature whose hair is falling out and who, I assume, has a touch of vampirism or lycanthropy.   The figure itself is quite hairy, with grey and browns mingling in a way that doesn't quite match what we saw on screen.  It looks more like an aging and greying Wookiee, which I suppose 20 years ago would open the door to a new 3-pack of all 3 brothers with exposed skin and thinning hair as an exclusive.  Today, it wouldn't shock me if this were the only Hassk figure we ever see just because the figures-per-year are generally confined to  window of September to March and then naptime until the next movie, which will no doubt focus on the next movie.

His face look more like an ape to me, with rounder, hairless features and lacking fangs.  The deco is good - I love the wrinkles, the eyes, the individually sculpted teeth, and the pink interior to the mouth.  The factory did a bang-up job making the sculpt look good, but the sculpt doesn't look very good - and it wouldn't entirely surprise me if this was a result of the assets granted to Hasbro to develop the figure.  In many respects, the figure feels a lot like the 1979 Cantina aliens - they were kinda close, kinda wrong, and a lot of fun.   And we can do better.  But we love them anyway.

The bonus accessory is a backpack which you can plug guns on to make a backpack with guns.   Why you would want this, I do not know.  I know the reasoning is usually "kids like it," but most of the weird bonus accessories serve more of a purpose.  If a figure has a gun, a second gun isn't going to do much for anybody - but one that shoots?  OK, that's something.  A backpack can be used with other figures, and the green deco looks good.  It's clean.  I just don't need it, and the combined mode leaves me wondering what I should be doing with it as it's not very Star Warsy.  If or when Hasbro reissues this figure, they will no doubt leave this out and you won't miss it.

Because there are precious few aliens in this movie line, I'd consider this a required purchase.  The designs of The Force Awakens which made their way to the toy line are a mixed bag, but at least are different enough from previous toy lines that I can say it's different enough to be neat.  If you want to wait around for something more authentic I do not blame you one bit, but I assume you'll be waiting a long time.   For now, I'd say buy the Hassk Thug if you can find it for $10 or less - it's better than the alternative.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,266: August 26, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,262: First Mate Quiggold (The Force Awakens)

FIRST MATE QUIGGOLD and  Sidon Ithano
The Force Awakens 2-Packs
Item No.: Asst. B3955 No.  B5896
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, cape, Sidon Ithano figure, rocket, launcher
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: January 2016
Appearances: The Force Awakens

Bio: The First Mate to the dashing Sidon Thano, Quiggold handles the pirate's business.  Often in need of fresh hands aboard his pirate vessel, Quiggold recruits those looking for work in spaceport cantinas and taverns. (Taken from the figure's 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: It's space Smee! First Mate Quiggold comes to us a tiny bit taller than he probably needs to be, but it's still a solid figure with six points of articulation.  For some reason, Hasbro gave him a not-functional neck and a very functional waist joint!  How nice.   The creature's design is solid, effectively taking cues from early Jabba the Hutt concepts and the Vogons of the 2005 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie.   He's the first - also possibly only - Gabdorin we've ever seen, and for some reason he's wearing sandals.   I'm pretty sure this has got to be out of vogue by now.  He's got a peg leg - this means he's a legit pirate!  It's pretty clean and shiny too, with some nifty textures that are supposedly derived from a fuel filter.  The front looks almost padded, while the back looks like some sort of metal mesh with swell silver painted on top of a fantastic textured sheet.

His costume texturing is some of the line's best, with loads of cloth detail they didn't bother to smooth out like on some other figures.  The arms are posed to be about the least combat-ready a figure could be, and he's got a rocket launcher that may as well go straight to the trash can.  It's a nice launcher, sure, but it's too big for him to hold and look reasonable.   Hasbro includes these accessories to give the sets a little added value visually speaking, but the reality is they're crummy.  It's a well-engineered gun, sure, but if a figure can't hold it, what am I supposed to do with it?  There was a lot of this in the G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra line as well.  Gorgeous guns, ideally sized for an action figure twice as tall.  The blaster has silver highlights and a red rocket.  The designers and engineers did a fine job with it, it's just one of those accessories that serve no real purpose.  I may not be crazy about the armor up figures, but at least those fit cleanly over the action figure.

I'd be a bad toy writer person if I didn't point out that Hasbro did a bang-up job on his face.  Not only is the sculpt good, but wipes and special paint applications bring out the dark brown of his head as well as the light pink snout.  On top of all of that, the figure can actually balance very well despite only having one legit foot. Given Hasbro and Kenner's history of keeping figures upright, this is amazing!   Paired with the captain Sidon Ithano, the set is pretty good for $15 or so.  I daresay it's totally worth your money - the 2-packs are basically a good deal, even if you junk the premium accessories in each one.   Besides, two new aliens from a space bar aren't things you're going to see a lot of, so this one is a worthwhile purchase if you ask me.  Quiggold also looks like he could fit right in with your Jabba's Palace dioramas, but right now it's not like our shelves aren't collectively overflowing.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,262: March 17, 2016

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,260: Sidon Ithano (The Force Awakens)

SIDON ITHANO and  First Mate Quiggold
The Force Awakens 2-Packs
Item No.: Asst. B3955 No.  B5896
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, cape, Quiggold figure, rocket, launcher
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: January 2016
Appearances: The Force Awakens

Bio: The era of frontier lawlessness that followed the Galactic Civil War led to the rise of the colorful pirate Sidon Ithano, the subject of many an exaggerated cantina tale. (Taken from the figure's 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: It's the Crimson Corsair! Sidon Ithano managed to carve a deep groove in fan imaginations after making appearances in the toy line, the movie, and an eBook you'll never read.   He's a Delphidian, a new species we've never actually seen without a mask - the helmet is modeled after that of General Grievous, so what you have here is a good pastiche of Star Wars-y elements.  He has gloves, a red shirt, grey boots, and dark red pants - it looks like a rough pirate as space pirates go, not too shabby but not particularly well-assembled either.   As space pirates go, this is a thrift store space pirate.  He's got a cool helmet but everything else probably came off the shelf.   Kylo Ren isn't much better when you get right down to it, it would seem that the sequel trilogy is mostly populated by fanboys and cosplayers.   Whatever Postnik Yakovlev analog the Empire had on retainer to come up with the Darth Vader suit on a moment's notice apparently stopped working.

Thanks to the cape, Sidon isn't going to be doing much.  The head doesn't easily pop off and the cape is quite stiff - so even though this figure can sit pretty well, there's little chance he will go piloting any of your toy vehicles.  (It doesn't hurt that there aren't really any new vehicles for him to pilot.)   There's an awesome blaster in a holster on his hip, which is sadly decorative.   His helmet is glossy, and his clothes are somewhat tattered - the textures are quite nice.   "Quite nice" actually might be an understatement - since (my assumption, anyway) Hasbro moved to digital sculpts, we're seeing more and exaggerated textures on textiles.  You'll see all sorts of fabrics rendered in plastic, with the pants and cape being striking to say the least.   Mr. Ithano has no problems holding his blaster, and the arms rotate nicely.  This figure doesn't have a lot to do other than stand and look cool, which it does, but it's also sort of obnoxious.  On one hand, Hasbro took a stellar design and gave us a perfectly adequate action figure.  It's not bad, it's not great.   It does the job and it meets the minimum requirements of what I personally need a Star Wars action figure to do.

I have no doubt some of you are sitting there reading this hoping for a 6-inch version, or a super-articulated 3 3/4-inch version to pop up at Walmart.  I'm there with you.  I do have a place in my heart for the 5-jointed figures and as far as most characters go, that's possibly all I need.  If it stands and sits and fits in a ship, I'm a happy collector - and this one comes close.  I don't assume we'll see a lot of upgrades in the short term so I'm going to recommend you buy this set anyway - I mean, it's even less likely we'll see another Quiggold.   I look forward to more weird aliens and pirates because of how valuable they are at poking at our collective imaginations, but I do fear that our collective ability to obsess over an alien in a background of a bar scene has been robbed from us thanks to overmerchandising in the publishing program and the fact that everybody has a backstory right out of the gate.   We've been robbed of our sense of wonder via commercial reasons, and while it doesn't mean we can't enjoy a nice action figure - and this is a nice action figure - it's not like when the kids of 1979 got Walrus Man and had to invent his life story out of whatever was creeping around in their heads.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,260: March 15, 2016