Monthly Archives: March 2024

#3575: Morgan Elsbeth

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

MORGAN ELSBETH

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0054:  Morgan Elsbeth, a character of witch-y background, shares her name with Morgan Le Fay, witch of Arthurian legend, befitting Star Wars’ long-seated ties to Arthurian legend.

If you ask me to pick the things that stuck out to me about Morgan Elsbeth’s first appearance in The Mandalorian‘s “Chapter 13: The Jedi,” I don’t know that Morgan herself would have really jumped out at me, but she’s one of the parts that stuck around, getting upgraded to one of the main antagonists of Ahsoka.  She’s gotten action figures of all the main variety out of it, and I’ve opted to cover the Retro-style one, because why not?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Morgan Elsbeth is the final figure in the Ahsoka show tie-in assortment of Star Wars: Retro Collection.  The figure stands just shy of 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  The sculpt is all-new, and it’s not bad.  It’s nothing thrilling, I suppose; Morgan’s outfit is kind of pedestrian as far as Star Wars looks go, but they do their best with it.  Like a proper vintage release, she’s got her skirt from the show sculpted into a pair of awkward legs.  It’s very silly, but it’s very proper to the style, and it helps to sell the idea well.  I do feel like the hands are a little large, and the arms a little skinny, for a proper vintage figure, but it otherwise feels pretty authentic.  Morgan’s color work is kind of bland, but that’s accurate, I suppose.  There’s some red and some off black.  Paint application is kept to a minimum, but what’s there is well applied.  Morgan is packed all on her own, with no accessories of any sort.  That’s unfortunate.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I bought Morgan for one reason and one reason only: I was buying the rest of the set.  It felt silly to just skip her and Ahsoka, so I didn’t.  She’s fine.  Not thrilling.  I get her relevance to the plot, but I do wish we’d gotten someone else instead, since a number of other notable characters didn’t get moved over to this style.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3574: Mega Man

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

MEGA MAN

MEGA MAN (JADA)

Fun FiQ Fact #0053:  Mega Man is known as “Rockman” in Japan in reference to the musical genre rock & roll, something hammered home by his sister robot being named “Roll.”  His original name gained further relevance given the “Rock, Paper, Scissors” nature of the games.

Mega Man is one of my earliest video game experiences.  As a kid, I didn’t do much with video games, but I did dabble with PC gaming to a minor extent.  Amongst those games was one of the DOS Mega Man games.  Admittedly, the gameplay kind of confused me and I didn’t make it far, but it did instill in me an attachment to the title character.  And for me, you know that’s always gonna lead to action figures.  Just my luck, Jada has continued their surprisingly solid jump into the action figure game with a line of Mega Man figures, and I’m looking at the Blue Bomber himself today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mega Man is part of the first series of Jada’s Mega Man line, alongside Fire Man and Ice Man.  He’s based on the classic Mega Man design, which is really hard to beat, when you get down to it.  The figure stands just shy of 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 28 points of articulation.  Jada continues to impress on the articulation front; there’s a really nice range of motion on most of the figure’s joints, and his poseability is fantastic given his design and scale.  Of particular note, the elbows and knees both get further than 90 degree bends, even with only a single joint, as well as rather sizable gloves and boots.  His sculpt is all-new, and works well around the articulation.  He offers up something of an evergreen version of Mega Man’s classic design.  It translates well to three dimensions, and it’s a rather cleanly rendered sculpt.  There are some spots where it’s a little on the softer side, but it works okay for his design.  There are two different heads, one with a slight grin, the other gritting his teeth.  They’re internally consistent, so it’s clearly the same guy between the two.  Mega Man’s color work is seemingly pretty basic, but actually has a good deal of subtlety to it.  Of note, the darker blue sections get a faint airbrushing to give them a slight accenting.  He’s even got the red detailing on the bottoms of his feet, which is an awesome touch.  Mega Man is packed with two pairs of hands (fists and a open gesture combo), a buster cannon that can be swapped out for either of his forearms, a blast effect, and an articulated display stand for the effect.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been after a solid Mega Man figure for a while.  There’s no shortage of options, but none of them quite hit the spot for me.  After enjoying Jada’s Universal Monsters line so immensely, I was excited to see what they would do.  They did not disappoint.  Now, can I please get a Protoman?

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3573: Cyclops

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

CYCLOPS

ONE:12 COLLECTIVE (MEZCO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0051:  I have reviewed a total of 43 Cyclops figures here on the site, going back to the very first week of reviews.

My love of Cyclops is, of course, no secret.  It’s honestly only grown over the years, and more and more, he’s becoming one of those characters that I just want to own as many versions of as possible.  This means, in part, going back and picking up certain Cyclops figures I opted to skip the first time around.  When Mezco released their two versions of the character, I was obviously in for the Jim Lee-inspired one, but there was a variant that I passed on…at the time.  But, this isn’t that time, so, well, here we are.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Cyclops was released in the fall of 2019, as part of Mezco’s One:12 Collective.  The standard version was the Jim Lee costume, which hit first, followed shortly by the PX-exclusive, which is the one I’m looking at today.  This one is based on Cyclops’ classic ’70s era costume.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has over 30 points of articulation.

Like the standard version, this Cyclops sported multiple heads.  He’s got the standard calm expression, as well as one with gritted teeth (which is more reserved than the outright scream that the standard release got), both of which are sporting the full cowl.  He’s also got a fully unmasked head, which is also on the calmer side.  They’re all consistent with the “likeness” seen on the standard release, which is a respectable enough look for Scott.  I’m still partial to the Legends heads, but these work.  All three of the heads work with the light-up feature in the neck, which is the same assembly as the regular.  It’s not super bright, but it’s better than nothing, I suppose.

This figure is built on the same base body as the regular release.  It’s pretty standard fare, and still fits well for the character.  He’s using the same wrist bands and boots as the modern style figure, as well as a slightly darker, but otherwise unmodified version of the underlying bodysuit.  He’s also got a unique belt piece, and a pair of shorts over the bodysuit.  The wrist bands and boots aren’t accurate to the design they were going for, but the belt has at least been similarly modernized, so it feels more like a stylistic choice than an actual mess-up.  I really like the fact that they gave him back the shorts, as it was the one major thing missing from the other release.

Cyclops’ accessories set-up was pretty good.  He gets the two extra heads, plus five extra visors to swap out between the two masked ones, which includes two extra standards, two “smoking eye,” and two different extremes of blasts.  There’s a pair of sunglasses meant for the unmasked head as well.  He also gets three pairs of hands, in fists, open gesture, and a flat/visor operating pose combo, as well as a display stand that matches the other release.  He does *not* get the bomber jacket, which is fine, since this design shouldn’t have that anyway.  At least there’s the extra head.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I opted not to get this one new, in part because he was more expensive than the already rather expensive standard version.  I came to regret that choice later, but I didn’t pay it too much mind.  Well, All Time got in a collection of epic proportions last week, and it included a metric ton of 1/6 and 1/12 figures.  This guy didn’t appear to be amongst the Mezcos at first glance, but we dug him out during the second batch, and I just couldn’t say no.  Both Mezco Cyclopses exist in an odd space for me, because I don’t find myself enjoying them as much as the comparatively cheaper Legends versions of the same looks.  But, I do still like them, because they’re Cyclops figures, and I just have a tendency to like those.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  They’re still processing that epically proportioned collection this guy came from, and it will be hitting their their eBay storefront for the next few weeks at the very least, so definitely check that out.

#3572: Rumble

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

CONCEPT ART DECPTICON RUMBLE

TRANSFORMERS: STUDIO SERIES (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0051:  In 2018, there was a blue humanoid cassette bot released to tie-in with the Bumblebee movie, who was named Frenzy.  In 2024, there was a blue humanoid cassette bot based on concept art from the Bumblebee movie…named Rumble.  There has as of yet been no Bumblebee movie red cassette bot.

My love of Soundwave extends, at least somewhat, to his cassettes.  They’re his little buddies, and you always have to have at least a few of them, right?  What I’ve settled into is a desire to have certain ones in every style, and those certain ones are Laserbeak and Frenzy.  The trouble is, there’s some confusion about who’re Frenzy and who’s Rumble.  Now, I’m a firm supported of the blue guy being Frenzy, and I’m not about to let a label on a package tell me otherwise.  Okay, I might let it tell me otherwise, but I’ll still go to great lengths to file a formal complaint…in my mind.  The point is, sometimes, if I want a Frenzy, I have to convince myself a Rumble’s not really a Rumble.  Case in point.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Concept Art Decepticon Rumble was released in the ninth Core Class assortment of Transformers: Studio Series, which serves as the first Core Class assortment of 2024 for the line as well.  He’s alongside Mohawk and (humorously) a re-pack of the 86 Frenzy, who’s red, so as to be animation accurate.  In his robot mode, Rumble stands a little over 2 inches tall and he has 18 workable points of articulation.  He’s actually surprisingly mobile; the articulation scheme here does a lot in its small space.  The mold is all-new, and it’s a fun one.  I really dig this design; it grabs all the classic cassette boi vibes, but also modernizes a bit.  I love working the thumper weapons directly into the arms, even if it’s at the cost of him not actually having hands.  He gets two guns, which he can’t hold, but you can mount them on his back, I guess, so there’s that.  Like Ravage before him, Rumble turns into a prism thing, which can be fitted into the Voyager Soundwave’s torso.  I found the transformation on Rumble a lot simpler, and a lot less fiddly than Ravage, so I far preferred it.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Since there were no cassettes beyond Ravage in the movie, I didn’t expect to get anyone else to go with my Bumblebee Soundwave.  This was a pleasant surprise.  He sort of fell into a different batch of figures I was buying when he came in, so I forgot about him, and wound up opening him while in the car for a long road trip, which was another pleasant surprise when I realized just how much fun he was.  Sure, his name may be wrong, but he’s still an awesome figure.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3571: Silver Surfer

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

SILVER SURFER

MARVEL SUPER HEROES (TOY BIZ)

Fun FiQ Fact #0050:  Though first introduced all the way back in 1966, the Silver Surfer wouldn’t join the world of action figures until 1990, with the very figure I’m looking at today!

I have a lot of gaps in my knowledge of how *exactly* I encountered a number of classic Marvel characters for the first time, and Silver Surfer is part of that.  I feel like something to do with the FF would be how I knew him, but I don’t recall seeing any of his appearances on the ’90s cartoon until after the fact, which means that, like last week’s Daredevil, I’m leaning more on comics appearances, I guess?  Exactly which ones, I don’t know, but there certainly had to be something.  I mean, obviously, there were figures, too, right?  Right.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Silver Surfer was released in the first series of Toy Biz’s Marvel Super Heroes line in 1990.  The figure stands 5 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  He’s rather typical of the earliest figures in the line, in terms of articulation and design.  There’s a slightly tweaked version of this figure from Series 3, which I looked at a few years back.  That one was vac-metalized, a process that also removed the neck joint from the figure.  The vac-metalizing removed a ton of the sculpt’s sharpness (and it’s not an exceptionally sharp sculpt in the first place), so this one does wind up looking a little bit better.  He’s still a little odd looking on the proportions front, and I don’t care for the face, but it’s not *awful*.  In contrast to the chromed finish of the Series 3 release, this one gets a flat silver finish.  It’s not as immediately stunning, but it works fine.  He also gets paint for the eyes on this one, which is a minor change-up, but enough to be somewhat notable.  Surfer is packed with his board, which for this release is really thick and bulky, and also more of a skateboard than a surfboard.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

My first Silver Surfer was actually the 10-inch release, followed closely by the CD-Rom pack-in 5-inch figure.  The Super Heroes ones wouldn’t cross my radar for quite some time.  I got the chrome version back in 2016, when I snagged a bunch of loose Toy Biz figures at a con.  It wasn’t until a few years ago that I was able to track down the standard version, when one came into All Time.  I expected to like the chrome one more, but honestly, the sculpt works better this way.  He’s nothing to write home about, but he’s okay in context of the rest of the line.

#3570: HK-87 Assassin Droid

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

HK-87 ASSASSIN DROID

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0049: The HK-87 Assassin Droid’s design is based in part on an unused concept drawing by Ralph McQuarrie for the character that would eventually become IG-88.

Well, I didn’t *intend* to miss a review yesterday, but the day just wasn’t having any of it.  Have no fear, I’m back and on track once more, and jumping headlong back into the Star Wars side of things.  I’m going back to the Retro Figures well again, this time having just a little bit more Droid-related fun with the HK-87 Assassin Droid!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The HK-87 Assassin Droid is the sixth figure in the Ahsoka tie-in assortment of Star Wars: Retro Collection.  This one is specifically meant to be one of the rank and file HKs, seen in both Mandalorian and Ahsoka.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  The sculpt is all-new and unique to this release.  It’s a pretty good breakdown of the design seen in the show, filtered through that vintage lens.  The design is the totally stripped down version of the droid, without any of the belts or cloaks they tend to wear in the shows.  It allows for extra customization, I suppose, if you were so inclined.  Beyond that, the details are generally hitting the broader design pieces, and they’re pretty cleanly handled.  His color work again goes for one of the rank and file droids, so he’s got the mix of grey, tan, and red.  It’s again a little broader and stripped down than the show design, but it works, and it sells the idea pretty well.  The HK is packed with a vintage styled-version of the battle droid blaster.  It’s surprising that no cloak or anything is included, but this does match with the more paired down approach of the vintage line.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

The HK design’s a fun one, and it’s one I’ve been wanting in some format, but I was’t sure I wanted to spring for the Black Series version.  This one hit just as I was trying to make the decision, which made the whole thing a lot easier for me.  It’s a basic figure, much like the rest of the line, but he’s fun.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3569: Mekaneck

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

MEKANECK

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE MASTERVERSE (MATTEL)

Fun FiQ Fact #0048:  I’ve reviewed all of the Mekanecks in my collection, which means at this point, all I have to do is review each new one as I add it!

I’ve touched on it here on the site before, but Mekaneck has been my favorite focus in Masters of the Universe since my earliest days with the franchise.  As such, he’s my top want in any given incarnation of the franchise, and I always get excited to see him crop back up.  Classics was perhaps the longest wait for the character to join a given style, but Masterverse took a little while itself.  But he’s finally here, and I’m checking him out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Mekaneck was released in Series 11 of Masters of the Universe Masterverse.  He’s under the “New Eternia” banner, alongside Tri-Klops.  As with the others in that sub-brand, he’s taking the classic look and putting a few upgrades into place.  In his most basic mode, the figure stands 7 inches tall and he has 33 points of articulation.  The extended neck grants him extra height and movement, of course.  Mekaneck is actually largely new, at least to me, sculpturally.  The old “barbarian” body has been worked out with the Revolution re-launch, and this is an upgraded version.  It’s got harder angles, it’s generally smoother, and the articulation works a touch better.  He’s got an assortment of character-specific parts, which include the head, chest armor, and his left arm bracer.  The head does a nice job of capturing the vintage look, while also giving it just the slightest bit of an updated flair.  The new shaping sits a bit better with the general aesthetic of the line, and it sits much nicer on the head than the Classics version.  The new chest piece is surprising, given that they had already sculpted one for Stinkor, and the two usually share.  I do like the shaping on this one more than the Stinkor version, even if they’re ultimately very similar.  The new bracer piece gives Mekaneck an asymmetrical set-up, mirroring his vintage figure.  It’s got a peg-hole in it, for the purposes of mounting a shield, if you so choose.  Mekaneck’s color work is pretty nicely handled; it leans into metallic shades, which I really dig.  He also gets mirrored lenses for the goggles, fixing one of my biggest issues with the Classics release.  Mekaneck is packed with five segments to his extended neck, his club, two sets of hands, and a shield.  The neck segments can be swapped in and out, allowing both additional posability, and much more modulation to the length of the neck.  Further, the top of the club is now removable, and it’s on the same joint system as the neck, so you can give him an extended club as well.  Or, mount his club in place of his head, I guess.  Dealer’s choice, really.  The hands come in gripping and fists; the back of the box shows a relaxed left hand, but it’s not present in the box.  The shield is a fun piece; the front shows a graphic inspired by the Road Ripper, which Mattel seems to have decided to link to Mekaneck now, if this and the Origins figure are anything to go by.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I can’t help but love a good Mekaneck figure.  The Classics Mekaneck was just okay, never really strong.  But, between Origins and this guy, I feel like I’ve gotten some very good Mekanecks.  Honestly, this figure is everything I wanted the Classics figure to be.  He’s just so immensely fun.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3568: ARC Trooper Captain

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

ARC TROOPER CAPTAIN

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0047: Though there have been numerous figures based on the 2D Clone Wars‘ Captain Fordo, his name as only been used officially one time for a figure.

Have you ever loved something from afar? That’s my relationship with the original Clone Wars and its tie-in figures. I loved them, but the airtimes for the original shorts made them tricky to catch, and the line was pretty majorly scalped at the time. Nevertheless, I still hold a fondness for it. One of my favorite parts remains something I actually *did* get to experience firsthand during the original run, which is Clone Captain Fordo and his original figure. And me being me, that translates to buying more figures on top of the one I already have, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The ARC Trooper Captain was a Walmart-exclusive Star Wars: The Black Series release, released in packaging styled after the original 2D tie-in line, and under the Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary banner. He hit in the Spring of 2022, alongside similarly styled Mace Windu and General Grievous figures. The figure stands about 6 1/4 inches tall and has 29 points of articulation. Fordo is largely based on the molds introduced by ARC Trooper Echo. As they’re both ARC Troopers, it’s not the craziest idea, I suppose. If you want to get technical, it leaves a number of inaccuracies on the armor, but the flip side is that he’s based on an animated design to begin with, so there’s a degree of a grey area there. The most glaring things, really, are the ammo pouch being on the wrong side and the permanently affixed backpack. He does get a different helmet, this time using the more proper phase 1 helmet. It’s based on the updated version of the helmet mold, and it’s been modified to include his rangefinder. The paint work on this figure is decent and fairly basic. Most of the line work is pretty clean, but there’s a little waviness on some of the red lines. I was surprised to find that, even though the helmet is glued in place, the underlying head is still molded in flesh tone plastic, rather than just matching the helmet color like other troopers without removable helmets. I assume it’s somehow linked to the mold’s original use, since the other ARCs have all gotten removable helmets. Fordo is packed with two small blaster pistols, a medium rifle, and a long rifle. He’s still saddled by only the one trigger finger, and he doesn’t get Fordo’s usual modified pistols, but it works out alright.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I loathe dealing with exclusives, and Walmart exclusives top that list, so I did no hunting for this guy in-store, even though he’s Fordo and I love Fordo. Instead, I played the waiting game, and it paid off, as I was able to snag a sealed one from All Time through a trade-in. He’s got his flaws, but I’m very forgiving when it comes to Fordo. There’s no denying he’s quite fun.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront

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#3567: Daredevil

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

DAREDEVIL

MARVEL SUPER HEROES (TOY BIZ)

Fun FiQ Fact #0046: Daredevil’s first action figure was in Mattel’s Secret Wars line, despite the character’s absence from the comic event the series was tying into.

I can’t tell you exactly where my love of Daredevil came from. It had to be comics related, because his cartoon presence in the ’90s was pretty scarce and I don’t recall seeing any of his appearances in first run. I certainly recall one of his early team-ups with Spider-Man from the first essential collection, and I think I had a small stash of Daredevil back issues. Whatever the case, I was invested from a pretty early age. Obviously, my first figure was from ToyBiz, but, curiously, it was neither of the two figures I’m looking at today. Weird, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Daredevil was released in the first series of Toy Biz’s Marvel Super Heroes in 1990. He then received a repainted release in 1994’s Series 5. The figure stands just under 5 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation. At this point, Toy Biz was very much working through the left over stylings of their DC line, which had aped a lot of Kenner’s Super Powers, albeit in a more rudimentary fashion. The sculpts on the first Marvel Super Heroes have a lot in common with Toy Biz’s in-house sculpts from the second series of their DC line. They’re up-scaled about half an inch, but they keep the articulation scheme and ever so slight preposing. DD’s sculpt was technically unique, but it was also very similar to other Series 1 figures, just with some DD-specific elements added. The head’s the main selling point, of course. It’s a little on the soft side, and the horns in particular are rather nubby. But, given the era, it’s not terrible. The body features sculpted elements for his belt, holster, gloves, and boots, which is more than a lot of DD sculpts have offered. The Series 1 release is in his classic all red, which is largely just molded plastic, with minor paint work for his face and logo. The Series 5 release upgrades him to his then-current armored look, which changes up his paint tremendously. It also means that the paint doesn’t remotely line up with the sculpted costume elements, but, honestly, given the softness of the sculpted details, it’s not the end of the world. The plant is particularly fuzzy on the second release, and it doesn’t hold up particularly well to wear on either one. Both releases included an “exploding grapple hook”, which is a missile launcher. It’s black on the Series 1 release and silver on the Series 5.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

My original Daredevil figure was from the Spider-Man Animated line, but the repaint of this guy came pretty quickly after. I recall that it was featured in a story in a Spider-Man magazine I had growing up, and this guy was at Cosmic Comix, so my dad bought him for me. His sculpted details jumped out as wrong, and that’s when I learned about the magical world of repaints! I only added the original release to my collection a few years ago, when one got traded into All Time. They’re both definitely dated, but I still dig them.

#3566: Sabine Wren

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

SABINE WREN

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0045:  The vintage Star Wars line featured only three instances of removable helmets: Leia as Boushh, Lando as a Skiff Guard, and Luke in Stormtrooper Disguise.  The Retro Collection has re-released two of those and added two additional figures.

I don’t have a lot in the way of Sabine Wren coverage here on the site, or in general in my collection.  It’s not from a dislike of the character, so much as, I suppose, a contentment with the figures I already have.  I do like to pick up a new figure every once in a while, though, and her appearance on Ahsoka gave us all sorts of new potential venues for figures.  Let’s dive into the retro side of things, I guess.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Sabine Wren is the fifth figure in the Ahsoka-tie-in of Star Wars: The Retro Collection, which hit late last year.  This is Sabine’s third figure at this scale, and the the third with the 5POA set-up.  Also, the second with a removable helmet, for what it’s worth.  The figure stands just shy of 3 3/4 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  She’s got another all-new sculpt, this time more clearly inspired by Kenner’s later run vintage figures.  It captures her updated design from the show quite nicely.  There’s some fun little details, like the lightsaber hilt sculpted onto her belt.  As touched on above, she gets a removable helmet, which works pretty well.  Her head’s a touch smaller to accommodate it, which is in keeping with the style of the older figures, and the helmet’s a touch larger.  It’s a good look, and the helmet stays in place snuggly.  Her paint work is pretty respectably handled.  There’s a good mix of colors and accenting, making for some fun pops of color.  Sabine is packed with two blaster pistols.  They’re in different colors, an exaggeration of the slight tweak in detailing on the blasters in the show.  She’s also got a lightsaber, which continues the Bespin Luke style of saber.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

This figure and Chopper were really the ones that sold me on this whole assortment.  They just jumped out as being rather fun, which was appreciated after I’d kind of lost momentum with the Book of Boba Fett set.  I rather like this one.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.