Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,121: Morgan Elsbeth (The Retro Collection)

MORGAN ELSBETH (Kenner Style)
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6874 No. F7303
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: n/s
Retail: $11.99
Availability: October 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: Ahsoka

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: Good but a few rungs short of great - but still not something I see in the stores much. Morgan Elsbeth was a surprise choice for Ahsoka, given the rich slate of antagonists and her lack of nifty toyetic gear. I'm actually surprised we got her with Marok, and not Grand Admiral Thrawn or the two not-Jedi. It's not because she isn't an interesting character, but because Thrawn is a blank check for fan funds and the two Jedi have a specific play pattern. Hasbro opted to make this witch with no gear at all - no sword of Talzin, or "just because" Beskar Spear, or something. I assume the sword was considered a spoiler, and the spear wasn't even on this series, and I assume her accessory budget just got gobbled up by Sabine's retro arsenal of 3 weapons and a helmet. But I can't prove that.

So is what we got good? It's fine. I've heard some people say that Kenner's expertise was to boil down a figure to its most crucial elements while also making it the best sculpt they possibly could. Figures like 1983 Klaatu hold up quite well, and the level of detail on a lot of those later figures are particularly stunning for the time. Morgan Elsbeth is a bit simpler, and has one of the better poses for a modern Retro figure. She has a tiny hint of a slouch, which makes her look more human than 2023's impossibly stiff Mon Mothma figure. He elbows have a bit of a bend to them, and the arms stick out a tiny bit. Her pose shows more signs of personality than a lot of other new Kennery figures, which is great. Her hair looks like it was nicely-sculpted too, and her face looks more specific to the performer than a lot of the other figures. At some angles, it's obvious who she's supposed to be - I would wager the sculptor had better reference on this one. I love how the skirt flows, even as "pants," and the top looks sort of like a cross between Jedi robes and Asajj Ventress' Bride of Frankenstein-wrapped arms. Kudos to the sculptor.

 Articulation is typical - you get 5 Kenner joints, as always. The legs swing forward so she can fit in some vehicles, but as with some other "big pants" figures she may not be able to slide past the interior blockages of a MTV-7, or ships where the cockpit is too small. Also the area of her lower waist piece may get in the way of swinging the legs forward. The legs will move, but you may need to force it a bit.

The only place this figure falls short for me is the head deco. The body is colored precisely as it should be, with flesh-painted fingers, a belt, and a silver detail. Her face lacks the key make-up details from the show. Obviously you don't get her final appearance as that would be a spoiler, but leaving off the little forehead tattoo was an unfortunate choice. If someone sold a paint mask so I could apply it, I'd spring for it. The Funko figure has it, and that's the other line where I think you can point to simplified and missing details as a design choice, and they opted to do it. The Vintage Collection Morgan has it, and it looks great. There aren't a lot of Kenner-era face tats to compare to, but I think they would've made an exception and included one for Morgan.

I like this figure a lot - I wish she had some magic clip-on green bits for her hands, or any accessory, but such is life. Unless Hasbro cut the run on this wave, I assume a lot of fans may see her somewhere some day, at markdown. I have only seen a sprinkling of the wave pop up at Target stores since last October. This is one of the better overall retro figures, even if the detail is a little soft and she's missing a key painted detail. While arguably not as exciting as a droid or a blue Imperial guy, I can't deny the sculptors nailed it and this is one of those figures that I could just as easily see being rare and expensive in a few years. Assuming there are still Kenner kids left to want her, of course. If you can find her at a good price, and if you still love Kenner, I'd recommend this one.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,121: April 2, 2024

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,088: Morgan Elsbeth (The Vintage Collection)

MORGAN ELSBETH Sans Pole
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F7311 No. F7345
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #295
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: October 2023
Appearances: Ahsoka

Bio: Morgan Elsbeth was a Force-sensitive human female Nightsister who was instrumental in the construction of the Imperial Navy during the reign of the Galactic Empire. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

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!

Click here to buy it at Walmart now!

Commentary: Can I go on a tangent? I hate that spoilerphobes run the business now. Back in 2002, Hasbro released a Jango Fett figure with a decapitated head before Attack of the Clones. I could have done without that - but now Lucasfilm is keeping stuff so tightly under wraps for "surprise" or whatever that Hasbro can make a really nice action figure like Morgan Elsbeth, a character with multiple great options for accessories on the shows, and what do we get? None. In The Mandalorian, she had a beskar spear that would become a big deal on the show - no such weapon is included. In Ahsoka, she had Talzin's Sword - another significant weapon, also not included here. The character also got a significant Super Saiyan makeover which could have allowed for alternate body parts or even little clear Magick energy bits - also none of those were included here. So you get a perfectly nice figure with a superb skirt, but she's $16.99 just like the figures with alternate heads, alternate hands, and actual gear. It's just not here, there's no value, and so far the figure seems to be selling well. (Oddly, The Black Series figure's price is dropping precipitously as of last month. $10 off a new figure is a pretty bad sign, but she also had no gear.) Confidential to Hasbro and Lucasfilm: if you want to keep the accessories a mystery to us during pre-order or presentation phases, do it. Mattel used to do it. We can see what the gear is after the figure ships, rather than be charged for a figure with no accessories that I assume is unlikely to ever get said accessories. But, as I said, I digress. This is a nice figure, and I have to parse "this is a nice action figure that was manufactured well" from "what insanity is this insane pricing with no accessories." Perhaps the problem is The Vintage Collection itself - in years gone by, we'd get coins, or holographic figures, or even droid parts. Something. Hasbro could easily hide a spoilerly accessory behind the figure in the bubble, or they could take the attitude of Hasbro in 2002.

But here in 2023, you have a good figure. The hair is a separately-molded wig with multiple shades of gray. The strands are exquisitely sculpted, with tiny buns on the back, a part in the middle, and more hanging down framing her face. If there was an award for best-sculpted hair, this would probably get it - we never had it quite this good in the old days. Her face looks like Diana Lee Inosanto, complete with fantastic and tiny make-up elements. Take a look at her forehead, her eyebrows, and her lips - everything looks perfect. Her top looks great with sculpted folds of fabric and perfectly painted Ahsoka belt. Her costume did change a bit between The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, while keeping the basic silhouette and color palette. It's kind of obnoxious - sort of like Finn's costume changes between the first two movies being his pants. In Morgan's case, she has a skirt with perfect little pleats. It's really impressive - the fabric pattern is black and red, with more texture than I'm used to for soft goods. The execution is, again, tip-top.

Her articulation is good, but nowadays "good" is "nothing special." For a figure with no weapons, no reason for combat poses, and no reason to sit, rocker ankles, ball-jointed hips, and an exceptional range of motion are nice - but Hasbro could also have cut them a bit and given us a simpler figure, possibly at a lower price point. (They don't want to do this, they want to sell $17 or higher figures. And if they threw in coins I'd probably pay the extra money without a fight.) Her wrists only swivel, and her arms have a good range of movement - but the elbows stop at 90 degrees. I know some fans complain when I say this - but she could probably be a salt shaker with arms and most fans would never notice. She's just going to stand around, or be carded - there could be cost savings for Hasbro which could be put into accessories or a lower price point on the assortment.

Looking at the legs under the dress, my first reaction was "Did they announce an Asajj Ventress and I forgot?" Those could totally be reused for other figures - but we haven't had a new one in over a decade. We're about due. (She's popular and could probably also reuse the skirt, just add lightsabers and a new head/upper body.)

So is Morgan Elsbeth a good figure? Yes. Is she worth $17? I mean... no? You've got a well-executed barebones figure here. The fact that the lining of the dress is red and it has this nifty black pattern printed on the outside is really amazing, but all she can do is stand - and with skinny legs and lots of articulation, she might need help. I have many similar gripes about Retro Morgan, but she ain't here yet. So for now I'll say if you love the character, and you love 3 3/4-inch figures, this is your best bet... but The Black Series may be even cheaper online.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,088: December 7, 2023