Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,469: Rose (Crait Defense, The Last Jedi Line Look)

ROSE Crait Defense
The Last Jedi Home Video Battle on Crait 4-Pack
Item No.:    No. E0321
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 figures, 4 blasters, poncho, lightsaber, staff
Action Feature: Force Link sounds
Retail: $24.99
Availability: February 2018
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: Part of the support crew that keeps the Resistance starfighters flying, Rose has hated the First Order since she was a child.  Now able to fight back against the enemy, Rose keeps her focus on her mission.  (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 costuming in The Last Jedi really strikes me as odd - some people wear the same clothes as the last movie, some change in front of our very eyes! The Rose (Crait Defense) figure wears the poncho we saw in the Resistance Ski Speeder at the end of the movie, and by that I mean you didn't notice it at all.   She went from a yellow speed suit to a First Order officer disguise to this.  Well, it's basically the disguise - her boots and pants are First Order-issue, while the white undershirt was probably there the whole time.  Why the poncho?  I have no idea.  Modesty?

The poncho is brown with little slices in it so she can swing her arms forward.  Each arm has a jointed wrist, and they're small hands unlike the meat paws we're used to getting.  She can hold her blaster easily, and it's a gunmetal silver take on the black ones we got with the yellow outfit figures.   The plastic poncho - oh, how I wish it was cloth - comes off when you pop her head off.   Underneath you can see her necklace, and she looks great.  Nothing looks too out of whack, the head sculpt is good, and the deco is as it should be.  What's better, she can sit!  The legs can swing forward and don't stop at some weird angle.  The hair is great, the face deco is wonderful, and she delivers a decent figure experience.  I'm amazed they bothered to make this costume, and I assume they were hedging their bets that she might be a phenomenon.  Like the movie, Rose seems to have received mixed reactions.  I enjoyed seeing her on-screen, even if she and Finn were dorks.

Hasbro did a good job with the figures in this line, even if you don't love the character choices.  The texture is good, te paint is sharp, and the likenesses are so good you have to assume someone forgot to tick a box to get Harrison Ford's face 30 years ago as the reason they all look... close.  But not exact.  This is a good set for the money, and a last hurrah for the line's retail support as it transitions to Force Link 2.0.  

Packaging Notes: This is a good box.   The footprint is the same as the previous Disney movie 4-packs, which were designed to be the same size as the digital download boxes a few years ago so a fan could collect them all on a shelf together.  This isn't widely promoted.  The box itself is much better than the rest of the 3 3/4-inch figure line, with a much better use of the space.  The back has bios for all four figures in multiple languages along with shots of figures that show them with (or without) their accessories, and there's no big use of white space like on the Kohl's set.  Hasbro did a great job here.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,469: April 4, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,460: Resistance Tech Rose (The Last Jedi Line Look)

RESISTANCE TECH ROSE Rose Tico, Because We Must Obfuscate Last Names Now
The Last Jedi Basic Figure Teal Assortment
Item No.: Asst. C1531  No. C1534
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Taser, rifle
Action Feature: Force Link sounds
Retail: $8.99
Availability: September 2017
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: Rose Tico was a female human who served in the Resistance as a maintenance worker during their conflict with the First Order, whom Tico had hated since she was a child. Tico's sister, Paige, was a gunner in the Resistance.   (Stolen from Wookieepedia.  Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.  Note: this image is of the same figure from Kohl's exclusive set.  It's fundamentally the same figure.

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

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  I saw Resistance Tech Rose at Walmart prior to "Force Friday," along with Finn and C-3PO just sitting there for a few days while other figures came and went.  "Uh oh," I thought, "Unless she's the new Rey we're in trouble.   Rose started to move after the movie came out, but she was not popular prior to its release.   As a space mechanic, she gives life to part of the Resistance we don't see much.   The character is a good one, the actress was a delight, and the figure is perfectly fine.   I wish Hasbro didn't release a super-articulated version of the same costume at the same time - and then rerelease this figure in a 4-pack at Kohl's - and then include the same figure in a subsequent wave yet again - but that's what planning can get you.   Much like Rey, there's a lot of the character in basically the same costume one too many times.   It's a good figure, but what we got was overkill.

Mercifully, it's a good figure.   The eye paint is sharp, the hair sculpt is good, and the printing on her speed suit is fantastic.  I'm not sure why they opted to mold her mustard-colored hood as a separate piece of painted plastic, but it's not much of an eyesore.  Her cargo paints have painted bits, her various greeblies are decorated nicely, and the belt can hold her taser weapon.  Mostly.  It's not a perfect fit, but you can wedge the tab in there.   They could've done a better job here.   She has no problem holding her rifle or her taser in her hands, nor does she have problems standing or sitting.  Other than the belt/tab compatibility issue, Hasbro did a solid job here.

The outfit has a lot of decent details, including her secret society ring from the film.  That's a nice touch.

Can you believe we live in an era where my complaint is that Hasbro made a perfectly good figure and made enough of it to go around in multiple channels and in multiple styles?  I feel ridiculous.   I enjoyed watching Finn and Rose be idiots and get thrown in prison for a parking ticket in Space Vegas.  They're charming, underqualified special agents on an adventure that's beyond their pay grade that makes a bad situation worse - yet they're charming and I am glad they didn't die.   I'd be curious to see her on a live-action TV show, and at least so far it looks like we aren't going to see seas of unsold Rose figures.   If you don't have a Rose, this is a good one - the super-articulated one is better and has more painted details, but this one is cheap and very good.  Get what makes sense for your budget and availability.

Force Link Notes: "Blast them!" "Bullseye!" "I can fix anything!" "We have a mission to complete." "You can’t give up on the Resistance."

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,460: March 5, 2018

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,443: Rose (First Order Disguise, The Last Jedi Line Look)

ROSE (First Order Disguise) with BB-8 and BB-9E
The Last Jedi Deluxe Action Figure 2-Packs
Item No.: Asst. C1242 No. C3530
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 3-piece rifle, blaster, 2 extra figures
Action Feature: Force Link sounds
Retail: $14.99
Availability: November 2017
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: Rose Tico was a female human who served in the Resistance as a maintenance worker during their conflict with the First Order, whom Tico had hated since she was a child. (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:  The second costume for Rose hit late, after the basic version sat for a while.   She comes with two small droids - one of which is Hasbro's only 3 3/4-inch scale BB-8 on the market - making this an extra-desirable set.  BB-9E is available from Disney too, but this is Hasbro's only version.  This is the only woman First Order figure, even if it's really just a Resistance person in disguise.  In short, it's a good set.

When I first saw Rose, I thought "Wow, her uniform is super duper blue."  Then I saw the movie - it was also super duper blue.   She has 5 joints and her "skirt" is stiff enough to restrict hip joints from swinging forward.  The hat is cool, I like the First Order symbol on it.  The face looks determined, and her hair matches the other costumes pretty nicely.  The boots and gloves are glossy, and there's a cut in her skirt on the back side - this might actually help with movement if her legs swing backward.  They don't.    She stands well and looks decent - Hasbro could probably make an army builder out of the body if they had more heads to use.

A bonus accessory is a big blaster cannon.  It's not bad, but it's not useful - she really can't hunker down over it and grab on due to the limited articulation.  If you have super-articulated Stormtroopers, they may get more out of this accessory.  You may disagree but I don't find it to be useful.  It's neat as a decoration, but after thousands of figures I don't need decoration - an accessory that serves no real use is just a waste of plastic and resources.  Hasbro could've made a few more pennies on this figure and left it out, or perhaps gave us something a bit more  useful.

Due to what you get in the set, I would argue you get your money's worth.   You get a normal 3 3/4-inch scale human plus two small droids for $15.   All three have sound chips, so it's a decent suite of stuff for the price.  You may not necessarily want another BB-8, but that seems to be a recurring theme in the line - to get some really cool stuff, you're going to make a purchase or two that feels a little punitive.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,443: January 3, 2017

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,417: Resistance Tech Rose (The Black Series, The Last Jedi)

RESISTANCE TECH ROSE Full name - Rose Tico
The Force Awakens The Black Series 3 3/4-Inch Figure Walmart Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. B4054 No. C3620
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Rifle, communicator?
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.92
Availability: September 2017
Appearances: The Last Jedi

Bio: Part of the support crew that keeps the Resistance starfighters flying, Rose  has hated the First Order since she was a child.   Now able to fight back against the enemy, Rose keeps her focus on her mission.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary:  I don't know much about Resistance Tech Rose other than she was said to be a Finn love interest in an early casting thing and she's also the sister of Paige (sold separately.)  I thought "Oh please, just because they're both Vietnamese and in the Resistance doesn't mean they're sisters" but research shows I'm an idiot and they're sisters.  

For those of you who follow the Fifteen Commandments ("Thou Shall Not Squint," thanks Mel) it's hard to read her suit.  It said "GLD" which apparently is Ground Logistics Division.   What she fixes specifically we don't know, but she looks like the ground crew in  The Force Awakens.  I think it also says "Landing Officer" but you try to read type that small - an impressive feat for Hasbro to reproduce on such a small figure.

There are numerous layers of costume here, like an undershirt and a belt.   It's a start.  You can see a lot of texture here with tons of wrinkles and the signs of action, plus various painted silver details on her pockets and such.   They didn't skimp on detail here too much, minus the one-color shoes which is basically normal these days.  (Painted soles?  Insanity.)  Thanks to the not-too-ornate costume and excellent articulation, you can give her tons of personality.  Also, it seems Aurebesh only comes in one font which is pretty disappointing when you consider how many flavors our alphabet come in.

I really like this figure - it makes use of the hip joints, thigh swivels, and even has a controller of some sort that can clip to her belt. I love the face sculpt, the hair looks surprisingly great, and there are little patches, buttons, and other greeblies on her suit.  She even has a hood on the back!   They painted the barrel of her gun!   And that little accessory, whatever it is, may be important since the standard and fancy 3 3/4-inch figures both have it.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,417: October 16, 2017