Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,313 Luke Skywalker (Force Masters / Epic World of Action)

LUKE SKYWALKER Force Masters Pack
Epic World of Action Target Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. G0363 No. G0778
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Green lightsaber, 4 other figures with accessories
Action Feature: n/s
Retail: $34.99
Availability: July 2025
Appearances: Return of the Jedi, or really The Book of Boba Fett

Bio: Jedi Masters take on Sith Lord Darth Vader in this 5-pack of Star Wars action figures inspired by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Force Ghost Yoda, Ahsoka Tano, and Darth Vader. (Taken from the Target's web site. Package 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: It would be hyperbolic to call this Luke Skywalker the worst figure in the line, but it's probably the least interesting in the set. The worst one of all time was a Target exclusive from a multipack - check out Luke Skywalker (Battle at the Sarlacc Pit) [FOTD #1,508] from 2008 if you want to see what really cheaping out looks like.

This figure is a slight tweak of 2024 Epic Hero Series Luke Skywalker [FOTD #3,142]. That was a perfectly good figure for what it was, and for what it cost. The quality of the figure is still quite good for an under-$10 5-jointed toy-style action figure that feels like a modern take on what Kenner might have done. It has one gloved hand and is light on paint, other than the surprisingly good face, belt buckle, hand, and now green lightning. Does the green lightning make sense? No. Did Batman having a neon green Deep Dive suit? Also, no. But sometimes you get a redeco to grab kids and make another sale on your tooling investment, and that's what we get here. The figure itself is fine, but no longer has the Grogu backpack. I think that's a mistake - but probably one that kept the set's price down. Since Grogu has been in and out of circulation with other toys, having the backpack might be handy for any kid who actually go into this line. (As far as I can tell, that sort of thing didn't happen and I blame the line's slow roll and wide focus.)

What makes this figure interesting? Green. The green lightsaber is indeed a Luke/Anakin saber, but it's the wrong hilt. It's a weird error in 2025, as Hasbro has been better about getting it right and/or just using Obi-Wan's hilt because it would be close enough to work in this case. This is the only green "Power the Force" lightsaber with all the crackles and bolts. It looks neat. Luke's wrists also have a very small amount of green lightning on them, which I assume fans will see as out of character (they're right) while the toy nerds will see it as too slight and barely visible to be worth the pennies for paint (they are also right.) I like it because it's a weird flex and an intentional design choice, which we almost never see in Star Wars toys. Once in a while we get to see someone make something up, but that's increasingly rare - style comes from the style guide, which comes from Disney, and is not always exciting.

I wouldn't recommend getting the set just for this figure, but the whole set would be a nice gift for a kid that likes Jedi (and Sith.) Luke and Ahsoka are the least changed in the set, but the lightsaber makes him look distinctive enough that I'm not complaining. That is, not complaining for sale prices. If you're in the future and this set is $50 or $60 you might be complaining, but today it's $35 or less. It's worth it for $35 or less, and I really like this series as a product not focused on the increasingly overblown "premium collector experience." It's a toy, not something trying to impress jaded aging people who are trying to walk the line between recapturing their youth and their jaded sense of fun, with the added bonus that some people still seem a little ashamed to be buying toys. Which I find hillarous, because unless you're a hardcore toy collector all little plastic men are viewed as kiddie fare. $8, $80, $400, it's still a doll to the normies out there so buy whatever makes you happy.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target on sale for $24.49. Presumably it'll be on sale again soon if it's not already.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,313: January 22, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,271: Cobb Vanth (The Vintage Collection)

COBB VANTH Unarmed
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. E7763 No. G0919
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #371
Includes: 2 blasters
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: July 2025
Appearances: The Book of Boba Fett

Bio: The marshal of Mos Pelgo, a small town on Tatooine, Cobb Vanth has earned the trust of the townsfolk as a capable peacekeeper and leader. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

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: Back in 2024, I predicted this Cobb Vanth would be coming. (I'm not special, we all saw this coming.) The Cobb Vanth [FOTD #3,187] with the armor seemed all set for a quick retool with a few minor changes so Hasbro could sell us a second figure - and here he is! It's pretty much what I expected - same general figure and blasters, no helmet or armor, slightly different scarf.

The good news is you get all of the articulation of the non-armor articulation of the previous figure, a working holster, and a great likeness of Timothy Olyphant. The sculpted texture remains excellent, and the figure's neck appears a little longer, no doubt in part thanks to needing to work with the excised armor piece. The scarf helps hide this pretty well, but it's hard to not notice.

Functionally, he's good! The hands can hold the blasters. The holster can hold the small blaster. He stands, he looks good in a diorama. You can't ask for a heck of a lot more in 2025, where each new mold is probably going to get at least one reuse if possible.

His painted belt buckle remains, and his gloves have painted fingers. That's good! And that's most of the figure's paint outside his head. I wish there was more going on here - it seems pretty simplistic, and a Retro figure would probably have about as much paint. A little boot scuff would be nice, but again, it's basically that Deluxe figure minus a few parts. There don't seem to be new paint masks here. Admittedly there's not much more to add, other than some paint on the boots, or maybe some of the pockets or other areas on the pants. It's always tough to know where to draw the line of "good!" or "good enough!" here, because I would have loved a little more paint for $17 on this particular figure. But, he's probably going to stay on the card, or his boots will be covered by display dirt (or another figure.) And we probably wouldn't want to pay three bucks for a better one... but also, maybe? It's tough to say, some of these guys like R2-D2 aren't making the most use of the budget, while some others like Fennec Shand absolutely were A+ figures with accessories to match.

Cobb Vanth is good - but just not as impressive as the figures with extra gear and alternate heads for roughly the same price. I assume the assortment is averaging out costs, but this is one of the figures with an amazing head, and great sculpting, and so-so deco and gear. It's fine - I understand separate scarves aren't free, but it's not as cool as other swappable bits and pieces. For diorama lovers and Mando-adjacent completists - and maybe movie fans, we'll see - this will likely be an in-demand figure when the character shows up again. Releasing it between things, rather than before (or during) the launch of the new stories. We haven't seen him in a bit, but a good, new story can change everything in moments. Maybe get him now if you see him - after the deluxe figure sold slowly, I assume Hasbro planned the run on this guy accordingly.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,271 August 28, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,264: B5-R4 (The Book of Boba Fett, Droid Factory)

B5-R4 The Book of Boba Fett Set
Star Wars Droid Factory - Shop Disney/Park Exclusive
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: #361
Includes: 4 figures, drink harness, drum harness, salad harness
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $44.99
Availability: May 2025
Appearances: The Book of Boba Fett   

Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. These droids can be found in Garsa's Sanctuary on Tatooine. May the Force be with you... and your droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Fwip your lid with B5-R4. While not fully appreciated, Disney's droid game has been pretty good when they decide to make something neat on TV - sometimes they translate well to toys. Sometimes not. This one's in between. I find The Book of Boba Fett a show that excelled in the craft of Star Wars, if not the art of storytelling. Each episode is loaded with cool creatures, amazing sets, wonderful droids, and the alien costumes were very realistic.

White with the most desaturated green this side of Naboo, B5-R4 looks pretty good and has some similarities on other R4 units you've seen before. Usually they're greener, and instead of the slightly rounded lines of R4-J1, it's a little more straight. But similar. I had to check because the little guy seemed pretty similar, but upon closer comparison you can see they're merely just very, very similar. The coverage is unique - it's a new paint mask - with some unusual patterns like a circular notch taken out of one of the white trapezoids on the dome. The white eye box looks great, as does the gold around the silver on the holographic projector. The robot has the silver on the shoulders and generally does a great job of looking like the prop on the show. Maybe the gold/bronze band around the head could be a bit more pronounced, but aside from that? This is very good.

I don't like the drink harness as much, but again, it's probably as good as we're going to get. It's not the same one as R2-S4M or the other drink bots, but it's similar and it's gold. It comes with eight removable glasses and two silver plugs, plus has two empty indentations that aren't being used. It does not have the clear windows on the sides of the drink tray, plus the drinks don't have the green garnish seen on the show. Is it reasonable to expect this? Probably not. The fact that the little glasses have any texture or paint is pretty remarkable, and speaks to the low expectations I have from repaints of repaints of repaints with the occasional bit of remolding. It's good we got a new part, and I like the little silver greeblies sticking out of the front. If it were a little darker gold overall, I'd say it was very good - but it's fine. We don't have an official Garsa Fwip figure, much to my chagrin, so I doubt a lot of fans who aren't customizers with 3D printers will ever get to build out Garsa's Sanctuary anyway. I find this vexing - "scene building" gets thrown around as a reason some fans collect, but it's hard to do when you're missing the main key players. And the minor players. But the low-hanging fruit, the background droid repaints? Those you've got.

I hope Hasbro or Disney keep building out The Book of Boba Fett in 3 3/4-inches, mostly because there are just so many wonderful designs that make great action figures. This droid turned out acceptable for what all parties were trying to do... minus, you know, making enough of them to meet demand. For something that's a few years late it's a good set. 4 droids for $45 is a steal in 2025. I'd recommend the set to those with an affinity for automatons, but I wouldn't say to pick it up to future-proof yourself for that Garsa Fwip Playset. I don't think Hasbro is going to revisit this show much.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney. It was posted on May 4, and abruptly sold through. Check the theme park or eBay for this one. I hate directing people to eBay, but given the cost of admission (and parking, and a plane ticket, and a hotel) it might be your least worst option. At this point in my life I'd pay a small mark-up just to not lose 1-2 days of my life across state lines for a shopping trip with paid parking.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,264: August 5, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,258: R0-1N6 (The Book of Boba Fett, Droid Factory)

R0-1N6 The Book of Boba Fett Set
Star Wars Droid Factory - Shop Disney/Park Exclusive
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: #361
Includes: 4 figures, drink harness, drum harness, salad harness
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $44.99
Availability: May 2025
Appearances: The Book of Boba Fett
Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. These droids can be found in Garsa's Sanctuary on Tatooine. May the Force be with you... and your droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: While super creative and a great idea, R0-1N6 is not accurate. Does it matter? The droid figure itself seems roughly where it needs to be in terms of color. If it reminds you of The Force Awakens R0-4L0, it should! The body has more painted black panels, but the dome is pretty much the same with some gear. But not necessarily the correct gear.

Wild prediction: you'll see this drum kit part again for Christmas, be it in an advent calendar or by itself, as a Little Drummer Droid. Let's see if it happens.

The droid mold seems to be heavily modified and made with the future in mind. The torso was reopened with panels open (or missing) with arms, each of which was given a drumstick. They're delicate, and probably something that any kids would lose. The side panels are particularly interesting because, while doors were removed, there are multiple connection points. You can see where other arms or gadgets might wind up in a future figure, whatever they may be, which could be exciting. If you need a drumming droid that looks great and has so much potential for expansion and customization, this is it. It looks cool as-is and I bet we'll be excited to see it deployed later.

And on the other hand, I don't like the drum parts as much. The hi-hat on the head is fine - but if you reference the show, there's a problem. The droid in The Book of Boba Fett doesn't wear a harness - he seems to have a drum kit set up in front of him with additional pieces. What Disney did here was create something that works as a toy, but a freestanding accessory would probably have been a better idea as this doesn't seem to be an easily reused part. Given that Disney went through the trouble to make a new part, it would be nice if it matched. Were this released in 2021 or 2022 I'd say "Hey, it's probably based on concept art so good try! Thanks for getting it out early!" Instead it's three years late so I have higher expectations unless the error is part of the bit.

In and of itself, this is a neat robot. Just having a drum droid is fun - if this existed as some whimsical Disney idea and not something from a show, I'd say "my dudes, you must buy this." Accurate toys are awesome. Wildly creative and wrong toys are awesome. Toys that are kind of right and kind of wrong need to swing harder to hit the sweet spot, because what you want is the bonkers 1979 Walrus Man and maybe not the "try again"-ness of a number of Return of the Jedi Luke figures in the early 2000s. I'm going to strongly recommend this figure for droid fans who don't like Disney+ content, or people who just want a droid that's trying something new and special. But if accuracy is your game, you're probably going to be fine to get the figure, and ditch the harness if a fan makes a better 3D printable drum kit.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney. It was posted on May 4, and abruptly sold through. Check the theme park or eBay for this one. I hate directing people to eBay, but given the cost of admission (and parking, and a plane ticket, and a hotel) it might be your least worst option. At this point in my life I'd pay a small mark-up just to not lose 1-2 days of my life across state lines for a shopping trip with paid parking.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,258: July 15, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,254: GS-C1B (The Book of Boba Fett, Droid Factory)

GS-C1B The Book of Boba Fett Set
Star Wars Droid Factory - Shop Disney/Park Exclusive
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 figures, drink harness, drum harness, salad harness
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $44.99
Availability: May 2025
Appearances: The Book of Boba Fett
Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. These droids can be found in Garsa's Sanctuary on Tatooine. May the Force be with you... and your droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: It's good! The GS-C1B figure delivers what I expect from a droid in that it's not perfect, but more or less gets the job done. If you compare them to their photos, it's basically a C-3PO body with a new head and an added restraining bolt. The figure lacks the restraining bolt, but you get the new head. While not perfect, it's worth noting a) Hasbro's barely doing any droids, b) Hasbro's barely done anything for The Book of Boba Fett, and c) the head is really what matters. I'm of the mindset that if the head is right, and the colors match, you're basically in good shape - but once the head looks wrong, it's hard to let it go.

The same protocol droid body has been used by Disney for ages, and it's very similar to Hasbro's 2009 Legacy build-a-droid construction. You don't get ankle joints, but it's a good and sturdy design. I'd go as far as to say Hasbro should reconsider figures like this for their own lines, if it means getting costs back under control. I don't miss the ankles on a figure that's just going to stand up straight. The shoulders swivel, the wrists also swivel, and the elbows bend and swivel. Every character doesn't need every last joint, and this one gets the job done. His hips swing forward, but he's not going to sit well in a vehicle - that's really the only downside. But I'm not putting him in ships. I guess I'm not putting him in Garsa's Sanctuary either, as nobody has made one despite it being loaded with cool robots and aliens.

The head is new, and looks great. The metallic paint really makes every detail pop, plus you get gold eyes and a silver mouth thing. It matches the body quite nicely, despite their vast age gap. The paint makes the body look amazing, too, and this is probably one of Disney's best paint jobs on any of its many droid figures. It's impressive, and I think you'll like it up-close.

Seeing how much I like this figure, and since Hasbro hasn't made one since 1997, I'd also like to see Disney do a new EV-9D9. I bet it'd be pretty good. But until then, I'd just recommend you get this guy. He's not bad for the money, especially in this day and age, and it's not like you already have one at home. Go get yourself some new droids, you deserve a nice treat.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney. It was posted on May 4, and abruptly sold through. Check the theme park or eBay for this one. I hate directing people to eBay, but given the cost of admission (and parking, and a plane ticket, and a hotel) it might be your least worst option. At this point in my life I'd pay a small mark-up just to not lose 1-2 days of my life across state lines for a shopping trip with paid parking.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,254: July 1, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,246: J7R-T (The Book of Boba Fett, Droid Factory)

J7R-T The Book of Boba Fett Set
Star Wars Droid Factory - Shop Disney/Park Exclusive
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: 4 figures, drink harness, drum harness, salad harness
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $44.99
Availability: May 2025
Appearances: The Book of Boba Fett
Bio: All different types of astromech droid populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. These droids can be found in Garsa's Sanctuary on Tatooine. May the Force be with you... and your droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: The day I got J7R-T in the mail, I was annoyed. This was a day with the big Hasbro pulling-of-pre-orders-pre-price increase. My fellow droid fans missed out on this set due to little stock at Shop Disney - but more should be at the theme park shops if you're willing to pay the cover charge. Oh, and the Target Retro set was cancelled across all pre-orders. It's a glass-half-empty kind of a day. The droid deco is new, the accessory is new, but there are some missing features and signs of cut corners abound. Also, this set came 3 1/2 years after the show was more or less done, and the box copy incorrectly places them at Garsa's Sanctuary and not Boba's Man Cave. I don't blame the copywriter, or the graphic designer who needs a kerning tutorial, because this is an obscure droid. If you didn't read Wookieepedia or the digital trading card thing, you wouldn't necessarily know who it is since this era of reference books is, as the kids say, mid.

That's a lot of complaining to get at "this is about what we expect from Disney these days." Shortcuts are common - they went with the best available mold, including the no-wire reversible legs. The dome not only lacks the antenna from the show, but is missing a ton of distinctive facial greeblies. I doubt anyone wanted to drop $10,000-ish to change the existing R5 head mold, but when you see the dome on the show it's got a big hologram projector beauty mark under its right eyes. It stands out, like Lemmy's mole. Also, keep in mind, it's my job to complain. If this weren't a collector toy presumably at least partially for adults, and designed by the IP holder 3 years late, I'd say "good enough!" If it were a toy sold at a store for kids, I'd go "it's good enough, it'll do." Disney got the deco right on the mark, and it's a really nice colorway. The dark red on the dark gray body looks really nice. After hundreds of droids, I'm always amazed when I can say "this looks different" - which I can't say about 2 of the other droids in this set. So while it's not accurate, it looks really cool... and if I treat it with the same standards I'd treat Walrus Man, I'd say it's worth a look for the asking price.

The waiter droid harness isn't bad. It has two rotating arms with two removable plates - I hope you like salad. I assume it's arugula, which can power your city for a year if it comes into contact with rugelach as the energy they release cancels out the matter in a blinding explosion. But I digress. It's a new tool, and was designed to work with the droid posed at an angle. Many of the drink trays don't do that particularly well - I prefer it this way, as the third leg can stay on board. The meal deco and sculpt looks very good, you can even see the cucumber rinds painted separately from the cuke guts. For its size, it's quite impressive. If you require an exact match for the show, this isn't it. It's good enough.

  Between Hasbro and Disney, we've received very little non-Retro from The Book of Boba Fett since its conclusion in 2022. We got New Pants Boba, four flavors of Tusken Raider male, the Tusken lady, Cad Bane, Krrsantan, Luke, Fennec Shand, and Mando & Grogu. Everybody dropped the ball on droids (until now) and the many character actors (Jimmy James, Machete) and cool aliens (Boss Bossk, Mayor McCheese.) The show holds up well to a rewatch, and is one of the absolute best Disney+ series in terms of creature shop action. I'd love to see more toys from it.   

[It has been noted I left off Bib Fortuna, which I would say is a The Mandalorian character due to his not really being alive or doing anything beyond a clip show flashback for The Book of Boba Fett.]

 Since Hasbro has seemingly almost completely abandoned droids in its lines, I don't anticipate we'll see a corrected" dome toy for J7R-T between now and the heat death of the Universe. I annoy myself bringing up the toy's shortcomings, because it's fine. I assume we're never going to get another automaton salad bar, and if my options are this or nothing? This is fun. It serves a new function (and entree) with colors we don't usually see. The price of the set is acceptable, particularly given the current economic condition that threatens to harsh my plastic mellow. I say get this set, and save your scorn for people who get in the way of you getting your toys, video games, and rock and/or roll.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney. It was posted on May 4, and abruptly sold through. Check the theme park or eBay for this one. I hate directing people to eBay, but given the cost of admission (and parking, and a plane ticket, and a hotel) it might be your least worst option. At this point in my life I'd pay a small mark-up just to not lose 1-2 days of my life across state lines for a shopping trip.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,246: June 3, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,238: The Mandalorian (Epic World of Action)

THE MANDALORIAN 2025 Kids Line
Epic World of Action "Power the Force" Basic Figure
Item No.: Asst. F9405 No. G0099 (same 2024 SKU, new 2025 figure)
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Cape, Darksaber, Pistol
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: February 2025
Appearances: The Mandalorian/The Book of Boba Fett
Bio: The Mandalorian is a formidable bounty hunter in an increasingly dangerous galaxy. (Taken from the packaging)

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: After getting huge distribution last year, Hasbro decided to follow-up its 5-joined The Mandalorian figure with The Mandalorian! The figure is pretty much the same as the Speeder Bike The Mandalorian [FOTD #3,212] from a month back, except it trades the traditional Darksaber and bike for an energy-crackling Darksaber and a blaster pistol. If I were you I'd probably just buy the one with the bike, unless you're an accessory completist.

It's not a bad figure - quite the opposite. For $8 in today's economy, this figure is pretty excellent. Adjusted for inflation it stacks up well against nearly any figure from cheaper eras, given that he has about 15 points of articulation and three accessories. Deco could be better, but the target audience will probably find the separately molded belt and bandolier plus shiny silver armor to be more than enough. It stands up well to similar recent figures from Mattel (Jurassic World) and Spin Master (Batman, DC Comics) for roughly the same price in recent years. Hasbro has tended to make its Star Wars product "premium" so it's really refreshing to see that not only can they deliver something great that measures up well to the competition, but it's actually really good.

If you want a super-articulated figure with all the joints and most of the paint, The Vintage Collection delivers the goods well. If you want something half the price, this gets the job done. There are no wrist or ankle joints, and yeah there are missing greeble paints and knee pad deco, but that was true of a lot of Kenner-era figures in the 20th century. I like how bright his silver paint is, and am generally impressed how good the figure looks given how few paint applications we got here. The character's basic look and personality were captured well, and he stands nicely. He can fit in some ships - being a 4-inch (rather than 3 3/4-inch scale) figure he's a little big, but hey, that's where we are now.

The newness of this figure is an overloaded blue Darksaber. It's a weird one - I don't know why they picked blue, but well, here it is. If you aren't hung up on the coloring, it's a really awesome accessory. It seems like some 1990s-style "extreme" accessory, crackling with comic book-style energy that really stands out compared to the perfectly nice regular black blade releases with a white edge. Since Mando no longer carries the weapon on the show as of 2024, it makes sense that a kid could see this as a new weapon for the character, rather than a representation of what we saw on the series. He holds it well, just like his pistol. The pistol comes with other releases, but I believe this particular Darksaber may be exclusive to this release of the figure.

If you want all the parts and pieces in the Epic Hero Series/Epic World of Action line, you'll need this one. And the one in the N-1 Starfighter. And maybe the speeder bike, and the single card too. A new one is also coming with a Mech suit. That means if you're buying these lines, there are five figures based on the same basic sculpt that you can buy, three of which come with a vehicle or mech suit. The only aspect of this particular figure that's presently unique to this release is that Darksaber, and yeah, I'm enough of a dork to say "I'd pay eight bucks for a good goofy accessory." If you just want a cool figure to chuck at a kid, this is it.

Inflation Notes: According to the US Inflation Calculator, this is a pretty reasonable deal. Comparing the prices of Hasbro or Kenner "kid" Star Wars figures from various eras, this figure has more articulation and is generally cheaper than his ancestors.
1978: $1.97 ($9.60 in 2025, 12-backs)
1995: $4.99 ($10.40 in 2025, POTF2/Power of the Force)
2005: $5.24 ($8.52 in 2025, Revenge of the Sith)
2015: $7.99 ($10.71 in 2025, The Force Awakens)

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,238: May 6, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,233: Grogu (The Book of Boba Fett, The Retro Collection)

GROGU Kenner Take Two
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6874 No. F8567
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Frog, reproduction of Jedi Training backpack
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.99
Availability: December 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

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: I had this The Book of Boba Fett Grogu since it came out in December 2023, and didn't open him until December of 2024. I'd seen him at Ross before I opened my full-price one. Why did I take so long to bust open this The Retro Collection figure? There wasn't much new on the box - nothing is bad, but I had all the parts in the box so I prioritized opening other figures. Four of The Book of Boba Fett Kenner eight figure wave were old molds with different accessories, three of which had no actual changes to the figure itself. If you look at The Child [FOTD #2,819] from 2021, the main differences are that the first release had a pretty nice Hover Pram with display base. It wasn't a full figure worth of plastic, but it was meaty enough to make the figure not seem like a rotten deal at $10 even though it kind of was. (I still like it.)

The 2023 edition takes that same Grogu The Baby Yoda Child figure with his unpainted bluegreen frog, and adds a pretty clever accessory - a remake of the original 1980s Kenner mail-in Survival Kit blue backpack accessory. You put this on your Luke Skywalker (Bespin Fatigues) figure so he could carry around Yoda, because Kenner wouldn't make a Dagobah Luke in his sleeveless costume until 1996. You had to rough it. You had to pretend. (I hope Hasbro makes a Kenner Dagobah Retro Luke some day.) The 20023 blue backpack sculpt has a couple of changes like the copyright info inside, and your various Luke figures can still wear it to carry Grogu. It's a smart move by Hasbro and really cool of them to bring back an easy-to-loose vintage accessory that you can also put with your 2020 Luke and Yoda retro remakes.

The figure itself is good. He's a little tall to be in scale with the rest of the characters (like Kenner would probably have done), with a jointed neck and jointed arms. I think Kenner of old might have given him some more paint - his hands and eyes are the only deco hits here, even the original Jawa had more going on. The feet are sculpted, but unpainted. If you're the kind of picky weirdo who absolutely needs to keep "The Child" from 2021 separately identified from this 2023 Grogu, good news - Hasbro carved the new F8567 SKU on the bottom, as well as a date stamp. (Mine reads 32401.) The other markings are the same as the previous release.

So which Kenner Grogu do you get - this one, or The Child with the hover pram? The Pram edition feels like you get more for your money. The backpack edition has a scarce 1980 accessory in it. The figures are, for all practical purposes, identical. It's sort of like asking which R2-D2 you should get in the 1980s - they're all pretty much the same, plus or minus a mechanism in the dome. Given the relatively low prices I'd say just buy both if you're a fan of the format and can get them at or under retail price. He's a cute little guy and you may someday want the backpack to give a Dagobah Luke figure if Hasbro ever squirts one out. It's a shame this figure and wave never really hit the mass market big box stores in America, so I can't tell you if he was ever truly a pegwarmer or not, but I imagine he would have sold just fine at regular price. He's very small for the money (just like Yoda!) and he doesn't come with a lot of cool gear, but he probably subsidized the rest of the wave - and The Book of Boba Fett Kenner figures were some of the very best.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. As I write this we're probably two weeks away from Target shipping their Retro Star Wars six-pack with a whopping five new classic character figures - I confess I am sad this means we won't see more The Mandalorian-era Kenner guys for a while, if ever again, but it has been a pretty good run and I'm generally pleased with the vast majority of what we got and how it was done. Consider checking your weird collector stores (you know the ones) and scooping up any that are priced oddly low, goodness knows I've bought a few extras.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,233: April 17, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,219: Fennec Shand (The Retro Collection)

FENNEC SHAND In all the sizes
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6874 No. F8565
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Removable helmet, 785MK Firepuncher-X sniper rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.99
Availability: December 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

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: One of the figures I was the most excited to get in The Retro Collection somehow escaped my review log. I don't know how - Fennec Shand was on my wish list way back since I heard they were doing Kenner-ized The Mandalorian figures a very long time ago. A warrior since - and probably before - The Clone Wars, she's seemingly immortal and also never changes her clothes. Truly, the Fran Lebowitz of Star Wars, with a gun.

I know there are people who don't like what Hasbro is doing with this line, and prefer a $40 fan-made figure. Well, I like a $10-$12 figure, and this one turned out pretty well. It doesn't suffer from Bespin Luke Pose-ism, with her arms sticking out a little bit - the left hand on my sample can hold the rifle very well, while the right one will sometimes drop it. Figures by Kenner-actual tended to not have longer coats, so the squared-off butt that's revealed when her legs swing forward always weirds me out a bit. But other figures had this too. It's OK, it won't hurt us. The cut in the hips is very good, so her legs can move forward enough that she can sit in one of your vehicles. Or stand in it, if it's a Slave I or equivalent Firespray-class gunship. My requirements for good figure engineering are usually "can stand," "can sit," "can use their accessories," and other than some weirdness with the right hand, she's functionally perfect.

Kenner figures from 1979-1985 usually came in two flavors. There were ones where Kenner had good source material, and ones where they fudged it. Whoever saw Chewbacca clearly had a grasp of the costume. Walrus Man took more creative liberties. Fennec is more of the former - this is a simplified (but not by much) take on her costume, which is lighter on texture but still has the major milestones. he belt, the red triangles on her coat, the red band around her hair - and also her hair. If Kenner made this figure in the 1980s, you wouldn't get the separately-molded braid. They'd just lop it off. She has her red elbow pad, and while all the matching color bands in her boots and gloves are absent, that's fine. Kenner would have (and frequently did) leave that kind of thing unpainted.

The only place the figure's head and deco comes up a little short is the head. Ming-Na Wen had a pretty intense braid thing going on top of her head, and the figure's slightly smoother details downplay this a bit. Her face is a bit lacking compared to early press renders, which had slightly darker skin with no hint of translucency, plus slightly sharper (thinner) paint for her eyes that made them seem a little more realistic. I guess the final figure almost feels truer to what Kenner may have done, but she could just stand to be slightly more opaque. And if you don't like it, Hasbro has a solution - there's a rubbery helmet. It's great. It feels just like the Boushh helmet from 1983, with a slice so she can look out of it. It's not too big, and it's not too small. I'm really impressed with it, especially since Hasbro just opted for swappable heads for The Vintage Collection version.

Even though I forgot to review her earlier, you shouldn't skip this one. This figure never showed up at Target or Walmart, may have shown up at FYE near you, and was mostly an online (and later Ross) exclusive. If you didn't enjoy the character in The Mandalorian or The Book of Boba Fett, if you don't like Kenner toys, you probably don't want this figure. But I very much like these things, so even with a few shortcomings she's still pretty much as good as anything I had from the 1970s or 1980s. For those of you who may have had real Kenner toys as a kid, there's something magical about putting her next to a Luke or a Han as part of some greater toy universe. Also she might be around five bucks if you find her at a markdown store, and she's worth at least twice that.

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

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,219: February 27, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,170: Tusken Warrior (The Retro Collection)

TUSKEN WARRIOR 12-back redux
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: Asst. F6874 No. F8566
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Gaffi Stick, Robe
Action Feature: Removable cloak
Retail: $11.99
Availability: December 2023
Appearances: Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett

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: I was excited when I heard they were doing The Book of Boba Fett Kenner figures. I was not entirely thrilled when I heard one of them was the Tusken Warrior, if only because I was sitting here hoping for Peli Motto, Cobb Vanth, or the revised Boba Fett. But looking at the wave, I can see where they're coming from. The Ahsoka wave threw a jacket on Ahsoka and gave us six all-new molds, while The Book of Boba Fett delivered four new molds and four "but she's got a new hat!" figures. Of those four retreads, this is the best. It's effectively a remastered version of one of the original 12 Kenner action figures!

If old-school Kenner kids still ran Star Wars, I would assume this is a fan's pet project. I don't know if there's a story behind it because Hasbro really doesn't talk about design or anything when it comes to their lower price points - so I just have to imagine someone saw there was a Vinyl Cape Jawa and a Cloth Cape Jawa and said "hey, why didn't they go back and redo the other vinyl cape figures?" In 2022 we got a new Vader with a cloth cape, and in late 2023 we got this cloth robed Tusken. This is the one I wish they made when I was a kid so we could really play with it, or have them steal vehicles. (And ride that Bantha we never got!) The gaffi stick is pretty much the same as an original. The figure itself i a dark brown color with a slightly tweaked paint job on the head. His gloves are now light tan, while the belt pouches are partially painted this time. As repaints go, it's nice to see something different on a troop builder that's arguably a big improvement.

What really got me was the robe. I have a lot of old figures, including a junker Tusken that made its way to my desk - I've been touching up his metal silver parts and off-and-on looking for a replacement cape. I didn't want a vinyl one, I was hoping to get something, well, like this - I wasn't expecting the shoulder part, but it's distinctive. I wish it didn't block the breathing gear on the neck, but aside from that the color, texture, and range of motion is excellent. You can raise his arms with no problems, it hangs well, and it's frankly better than most of the soft goods robes or cloaks we've seen on "modern" figures. Were this a variant from the old days, I'd have tracked one down because it really is distinctive, like the Blue Snaggletooth or Vinyl Jawa. I'm not saying it's perfect - the softer head details don't look as good as a Kenner original - but it's as good and interesting as we're going to get without Hasbro shelling out for improved tooling. If you have to reuse old tooling to save money, this is how you do it - one recreation of something old, and one new spin on a classic.

There is no reason to get back to army-building at my age, but if I saw these in stores (especially on sale) I'd throw down a few bucks for more. I'd love to see Hasbro do another riff on this figure and package it with a Retro Bantha (I've got fifty bucks, Hasbro. Or more!) Rethinking the vinyl cape is something I never expected to see, and I would love to see Hasbro consider doing the same with other figures like Obi-Wan Kenobi or Lando Calrissian some day. Will it happen? No. But it's funny to see that Hasbro could probably put out versions 1.5 or 2.0 of retro figures and make a compelling case for me to give them more money.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. The first (and only) sighting I've had outside an online toy store or a brick and mortar store that wasn't supplied by EE Distribution was a Ross in September 2024, nine months after release.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,170: September 10, 2024