I bet you guys weren’t expecting one of these, now were you? Sure, it’s not been nearly as long a gap between Flashback Friday Figure Addendums as the last two rounds, but four months is still four months, right? What can I say, I like keeping you guys on your toes.
As I’ve been discussing the last two days, one of Hasbro’s focuses in The Black Series this year is doing the whole Rogue One team in one cohesive run. That’s one new figure, and then a bunch of re-issues. For the most part, I either missed out on the original runs, or I didn’t need the update, but I did decide to go for the re-issue of Jyn. I know, it might seem crazy to buy another Jyn, but I’m a crazy guy. Here’s what this crazy guy had to say about the original release:
Alright, the 3 3/4-scale Rogue One stuff is done for now (though I’m sure there will be plenty more things for me to review, going by what Hasbro’s shown off in the last week), so we move on to the larger-scale Black Series stuff.As of late, it’s been a little difficult to say where this line was headed, what with a large chunk of the Force Awakens stuff either showing up too sparsely, or being too heavily packed.It looks like Rogue One might help getting things back on track.The first of the new figures is main character Jyn Erso, who I’m looking at today!
THE FIGURE ITSELF
Jyn is sort of taking the place of last year’s First Order Stormtrooper in regards to release style.She was first released as a preview item at this year’s SDCC, before being slotted into the regular release line-up.She’ll also be showing up as part of the Target-exclusive 3-pack with Cassian Andor and the Death Trooper Specialist some time next month.They all look to be the same figure, but for this review, I’m looking at the regular release figure.She’s part of the first series of Rogue One-inspred Star Wars: The Black Series figures, and she’s figure #22, making her chronologically the first figure in the series.Yes, you read that number right, she’s #22, meaning Hasbro actually kept the number scheme for The Black Series for more than a year.And there was much rejoicing (yaaaaay.)Jyn here is wearing her Jedha outfit, which, from what we’ve seen in the marketing for the movie looks to be a fairly present look.The figure stands about 5 1/4 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.Jyn’s sculpt is fairly decent overall, and is certainly on par with what we’ve come to expect from The Black Series.The hood is kind of bulky and odd looking, but it’s not awful, and it can easily be removed, resulting in a superior figure.The underlying head sculpt is pretty decent, and bears more than a passing resemblance to Felicity Jones (though it’s not quite spot on).It’s a little softer than I might like, but it’s not awful.The body sculpt is also pretty great, with a nice set of proportions and some nice layering on the various clothes.The verst is technically removable, but since the arms still have the jacket sleeves on them, I can’t see many people removing it.The paintwork on Jyn is passable.It’s not anything amazing or anything, but it’s better than a lot of last year’s Black Series offerings, which is a nice improvement.If Hasbro could start adding a little bit of accent work here and there, I think the figures could be even better.Jyn’s only accessory is her blaster pistol (the same as the one included with her smaller-scale counterpart).It’s a little light given the price (and the fact that the same series features are re-issue of last year’s Rey, which has a staff, BB-8, and an added lightsaber), but hood makes up for it a bit.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
Jyn was one of the first items I grabbed from TRU during their midnight opening.I didn’t know she’d be showing up in the Target set as well, or else I’d probably have held off on this particular release.That being said, she’s a solid figure, and a lot of fun to mess around with.There are worse things than owning two of a good figure, I suppose.
That review was written in October of 2016, before I’d seen the movie, or really knew anything about the character I was reviewing. It’s also something of a relic in a few ways other than the writing (which is usually where the relic status on these old reviews comes up), like the rejoicing on keeping the numbering on the line, or the fact that I bought her at TRU. The red box line wound up going much further than Jyn’s meager 22, wrapping up in 2020 with Kit Fisto’s 112. It wound up with quite a run. I was actually pretty positive about this figure in my original review, something I’d kind of forgotten about after she kind of became a go-to figure for ragging on by the fanbase. I stand by it, because she’s actually a really nice figure. It was kind of nice to remind myself of that. This release is overall very similar. Like Kanan from last year, the change-up is the face paint, and it’s a really major change. The likeness was alright, but it’s pretty on the mark now. Totally revitalizes the figure’s look.
Thanks to my sponsors at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure for review. If you’re looking for toys both old and new, please check out their website.
There was one major piece of Rogue One merchandise I haven’t yet gotten around to reviewing.It was sitting there in the store, staring at me, waiting, watching, and….uh, waiting.Sorry, didn’t have a third “w” word, there.Anyway, I finally have said piece of merchandise, so, without further ado, here’s this set with Cassian, Jyn, and a Deathtrooper!
THE FIGURES THEMSELVES
This three pack was a Target-exclusive, and started hitting shelves about a month after the main Rogue One product launch.Of the three figures included, only Cassian is a truly unique figure.The Deathtrooper has some minor tweaks as well, but Jyn is exactly the same as both her standard and SDCC-exclusive releases.
CASSIAN ANDOR
“An accomplished Alliance Intelligence officer with combat field experience, Captain Cassian Andor commands respect from his Rebel troops with his ability to keep a cool head under fire and complete his missions with minimal resources.”
Despite his placement in a big exclusive set, the Cassian seen here is the standard version of the character, seen most frequently throughout the movie.It was oddly scarce in the initial product launch, but by the end of all the Rogue One product, it did end up fairly well represented.It’s definitely the selling point of this release.The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 27 points of articulation.His head is shared with the Eadu version, which admittedly wasn’t the best Cassian sculpt we got, but it looks a little bit better here than it did on that figure.The rest of the figure is a unique sculpt, and it’s a definite improvement over the Eadu look.The details are generally a lot sharper, especially on the jacket, and the overall aesthetics just seem to flow a bit better.He’s still a little bulky for Luna, but not as bad as the Eadu figure.The movement is a lot better as well, thanks to the slightly less restrictive design.Just like the sculpt, the paint on this Cassian is a marked improvement on the last figure.The face is still a bit off, especially the beard, but it’s definitely a step up.The eyebrows are less caterpillar-like, and the scruff is a little more reserved, so that’s a plus.The rest of the body is pretty solid overall.There’s a little bit of fuzz in a few spots (like the tops of his boots), but generally it’s pretty sharp.Like his oh-so-awesome small-scale counterpart, this Cassian is packed with his modular blaster rifle, which maintains the oh-so-awesome-ness.
IMPERIAL DEATHTROOPER SPECIALIST
“The elite soldiers of Imperial Intelligence, Death Troopers are encased in specialized stormtrooper armor with a dark, ominous gleam.These soldiers serve as bodyguards and enforcers for Director Krennic, a highly placed officer within the Advanced Weapons Research division of the Empire.”
For the most part, this is a figure I’ve looked at before, back when it was just the standard Deathtrooper.But, apparently, as a “Specialist,” this guy is entitled to a whole web gear load out, with a shoulder pauldron, some ammo pouches, and a bunch of grenades.It’s a cool piece, and totally removable, should you just want the standard Deathtrooper.Beyond that, his sculpt, paint, and accessories load out is the same as the basic variant.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
I passed on this set when it was new, because paying the cost of three figures and only getting one I actually wanted seemed a bit much.Just after the new year, however, Target got around to marking the set down, to about the cost of a standard Black Series figure. That brought into a reasonable range for me, so I finally got it.I’m glad I finally got this Cassian; he’s definitely my go-to figure of the character.I’m also not unhappy about the Deathtrooper variant, though I can’t say it’s the sort of figure I would have paid full retail for.Ultimately, I think bundling Cassian into this three-pack was a mistake, and I think the fact that the set ended up on such deep clearance speaks to that.I get Hasbro’s desire to get as many Jyns as possible out there, but this exclusive really would have worked much better as a two-pack with Cassian and the Trooper.Three times was just one time too many for the standard Jyn to get a straight re-release.
“A highly skilled soldier in the Rebel Alliance, Jyn Erso is an impetuous, defiant warrior eager to bring the battle to the Empire.Jyn has little patience for debate within Alliance high command, enough so that she takes matters into her own hands.”
More Elite Series?Isn’t there supposed to be a several month waiting period in between these reviews?That’s certainly how it’s been in the past.Well, sorry hypothetical reader, I’m changing things up on you!And I’m doing another impromptu week of Star Wars reviews!So, how about that?For today (and the next two days after, in fact), I’ll be returning to last year’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.I certainly covered a lot of product from this movie, but there’s still plenty I never got around to, which includes today’s focus, which is another figure of main character Jyn Erso.
THE FIGURE ITSELF
Jyn was one of the eight Rogue One-themed Star Wars: Elite Series figures put out during the 2016 “Rogue Friday” event.There weren’t any staggered releases, I guess since it wasn’t a saga movie.Jyn here is seen in the same attire the smaller Black Series figure had, which is what she was wearing during the film’s big climactic final battle.It’s essentially the same look used on most of Hasbro’s offerings, but it lacks the green jacket.The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and she has 16 points of articulation.She’s of course largely constructed from die cast metal, keeping with the same plastic-to-metal ratio as the last several figures I’ve looked at.Metal for the main body and plastic for the head, hands, feet, and vest.While the jacket piece on Poe was a nice softer plastic, Jyn’s vest is made from pretty much the same plastic as the rest of the plastic pieces, so it’s very stiff and a bit restricting, as well as sitting a little oddly on her frame.Her articulation is a bit restricted overall, which is a setback, but as a figure that predates Poe, I’m not that upset.Jyn’s sculpt is reasonable enough.Some parts of it are a little rudimentary, especially around the waist.Her hands look like hands, though, which is always a plus in this line, and I find her head to be pretty much equivalent to the Hasbro versions in terms of quality.I’m not getting a really strong Felicity Jones likeness from it, but the same could be said of at least half of Hasbro’s offerings.Jyn’s paint is generally pretty decent.The colors are nice, and, while she’s not quite as good as Poe, her paint is certainly less thick than earlier offerings.Jyn is packed with her standard blaster pistol.Like the smaller Black Series release, she also has the extended blaster configuration not seen in the movie, though this time around it’s an entirely separate blaster, rather than being clip-on pieces.Also included is her baton, which, unlike the Hasbro version, is actually extended here, and the same display stand that’s included with all of the Elite Series figures.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
With all of Hasbro’s various offerings, I really thought I had all of the Jyns I would ever need (and perhaps even a few more than that).And wasn’t I just saying in yesterday’s Poe review how I only tend to buy Elite Series figures of characters I really, really like?So really, why Jyn?Simple: she was cheap.After grabbing the Poe figure, I happened past a large pile of the Rogue One figures.I didn’t think much about them, but I spotted they’d been marked down to $2.99.At that price, I bought one of each because I’m a sucker fro a cheap action figure.Jyn’s actually not bad.I can’t say I’d have paid full price for her, but she’s better than I was expecting.
JYN ERSO, SAW GERRERA, EDRIO TWO TUBES, & IMPERIAL HOVERTANK PILOT
STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE (HASBRO)
With all of the Last Jedi product floating around, it can be a little difficult to fit in some of my older Star Wars products, especially when it’s stuff that’s only a single movie back.At least the Power of the Force stuff is noticeably different, right?Not so much the case with Rogue One, from which I still have a few lingering figures.Today, I’ll be crossing a few of those off my list and taking a look at the Jedha Revolt boxed-set!
THE FIGURES THEMSELVES
The Jedha Revolt set is comprised of Jyn, Saw Gerrara, Edrio Two Tubes, and an Imperial Hovertank Pilot, all of whom came from the film’s first big set piece, Jedha.This set is part of the Rogue One line, and is very similar to the Takodana Encounter set from The Force Awakens.The real notable difference here is that there’s three new figures and one repack, instead of one new figure and three repacks.Those numbers are better.
JYN ERSO
“Pushing behind a checkered past by lending her skills to a greater cause, Jyn Erso is impetuous, defiant, and eager to bring the battle to the empire.Used to operating alone, she finds higher purpose by taking on a desperate mission for the Rebel Alliance.”
The Jyn in this set is the same one released in Series 2 of the main line.I didn’t get that one, though, because I knew this set was coming.That being said, the mold is also the same one used for the Jyn included with the AT-ACT.It’s not a bad sculpt at all.The paint’s a little different on this figure.It’s not an incredible difference, but there’s enough to notice.I prefer the work on the AT-ACT figure, truth be told, but I guess this one’s passable.She gets the same blaster pistol, and adds in her scarf she wears on Jedha for good measure.
SAW GERRERA
“A battered veteran of the Clone Wars as well as ongoing rebellion against the Empire, Saw Gerrera leads a band of Rebel extremists.Saw has lost much in his decades of combat, but occasional flashes of the charismatic ad caring man he once was shine through his calloused exterior.Gerrera is bunkered on the ancient world of Jedha, coordinating a prolonged insurgency against the Imperial occupation.Saw’s ailing health has not withered his resolve to fight.”
Saw is definitely a big selling point of this set, since he’s a fairly prominent character and this is literally the only proper figure of him released at this point.We see Saw here in his garb from later on in the film, during the “present” sequences.It’s a sensible choice, since his other look is only seen briefly and it’s not the one he’s sporting on Jedha.The figure stands about 4 inches tall and has 5 points of articulation…in theory.All of the joints are there, but you’re not really going to get much range out of any of them.Saw’s not super agile or anything, so it’s not a big loss, but it’s still slightly frustrating.The sculpt is all new to this figure, and it’s a fairly nice piece.There’s quite a bit of detail work going on, and he certainly has a lot of depth.The head has a passing resemblance to Forrest Whitaker, which is nice, and the overall design seems to have been translated quite nicely.Saw’s paintwork is generally pretty decent and clean.I do have one notable complaint, which has to do with the breathing apparatus.It’s just molded in a solid off-white sort of color, which looks a little goofy.It really would have looked better if they’d done it in clear plastic and added a few painted details.Saw is packed with his walking stick which is almost seen carrying in the movie, as well as a small sidearm which he never uses, but is seen carrying on his hip just the same.Both pieces are nicely detailed and great additions to the figure.
EDRIO TWO TUBES
“Edrio Two Tubes is a mercenary pilot who flies alongside his eggmate, Benthic.They share the nickname derived from the breathing apparatus that allows Tognath physiology to process oxygen atmospheres.Edrio’s notice world of Yar Tonga was conquered by the Empire, forcing him to flee as a refugee.With a desire to strike back at the Empire, Edrio and Benthic have allied with Saw Gerra’s movement on Jedha.”
And now for the “who the heck is this guy?” portion of the set, it’s Edrio Two Tubes!Yeah, I don’t know either.But he looks cool, and that’s really the only necessary element for a successful Star Wars character (see: Boba Fett).The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and has the same 5 points of articulation as the rest of the set, albeit in better working order than the ones on Saw.Edrio gets another all-new sculpt, and it’s certainly top notch. There’s a lot of really awesome detail work, especially on the jacket.I dig the similarities between the chest piece and that of the Rebel Pilots.Definitely a cool touch.The only real complaint I have is that he’s a little hard to get standing, but once you get him there, he stays up alright.Edrio’s paint is pretty solid, offering up clean base work, as well as some pretty sweet accent work on his jacket.He definitely has the best work in the set.He’s packed with a big ol’ rifle, which he sadly can’t hold particularly well, due to the limitations of his posability.You can still get a decent “over the shoulder” sort of look, so it’s workable.
IMPERIAL HOVERTANK PILOT
“Imperial combat drivers operate the Empire’s arsenal of armored repulser vehicles, from troop transports to heavily armored hovertanks.Combat drivers are lightly armored, relying instead on the thick skin of their vehicles to protect them in battle.”
No set would be complete without some sort of Stormtrooper variant, and this one actually gets one of my favorites.We got the Hovertank Pilot in the 6-inch line pretty early on, but it’s certainly still cool to get him again in the smaller scale.The figure is largely built from re-purposed parts from the standard Shoretrooper.It’s a more than adequate starting point, as that was a pretty solid figure in its own right.He gets a new head and belt, both of which are incredibly sharp sculpts, which certainly add a lot of polish to the final figure.The paint on this guy is pretty straightforward, off-white and dark brown.It’s all cleanly applied, though, and he looks pretty spiffy.He’s packed with a large blaster rifle, which is the same one we saw with the Shoretrooper, Scarif Squad Leader, and AT-ACT Driver.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
I was rather excited for this set when it was first shown off, but by the time it actually hit about 6 months later, I had sort of cooled down, and was actually in a bit of a tight spot financially.Fortunately, it stuck around for a bit, and I was actually able to pick it up from Target for about half of its original value.I will say, this one definitely has a lot more to offer than the TFA set, since most of the figures are new.Saw, Edrio, and the Hovertank Pilot are all really solid offerings, and are among some of my favorite figures from the Rogue One line.
Heyo! Welcome to another review by yours truly, Ethan’s Super Awesome Girlfriend! Today I’m going to be reviewing the lovely Jyn Erso from Hasbro’s Forces of Destiny line.
THE FIGURE ITSELF
“We have hope! Rebellions are built on hope!” ~Jyn Erso
For those of you who don’t know, Jyn Erso is one of the main leads in the Star Wars film Rogue One. She’s a young woman that’s never really been on the right side of Imperial law, but she always does what she thinks is right.
This figure is about 11 inches tall with 22 points of articulation. One of those points is in the waist which has a slight restriction in movement. All of the pieces are unique to the figure and her outfit is mostly part of the figure’s sculpt, excluding the vest, scarf, boots, and gun holster.
Her hair tries to emulate the character’s hair style in the movie, and it succeeds for the most part using some sort of gel to keep the bangs together on the sides. I mean really, it’s hard enough getting side bangs like that on a normal person so I can cut the doll some slack. The shirt is all molded onto the torso and arms of the figure and looks to be tucked in at the waist. Her pants are also part of the mold of the legs. Both articles include seams, folds, creases, dips, and various other textures to make them more realistic; the pants even look like they’ve been shoved into her boots and even look asymmetrical in their folding. The material of Jyn’s vest is a lot like Rey’s, except it’s a different color and has different designs on it. Printed on the vest are a couple of pockets, one of them with items poking out, a zipper, and patterned texture to make it look like leather. Jyn’s hooded scarf is made of a gauzy material that isn’t completely seamed and so little bits of string keep coming off. Be careful, the scarf may unravel if you’re not gentle. Her boots and gun holster are made of the same slightly flexible plastic and are about the same color too. On her boots there are various buckles, flaps, seams, and creases as part of the sculpt to give off a leather boot vibe. Most of the noticeable paint is on the torso, arms, and hands and it’s okay. There is some grey from her shirt on both her neck and the bit where the sleeves meet skin. Also there is some brown from her gloves on her fingers.
Her only accessories are her gun and her baton. Apparently, most of Jyn’s action figures either don’t come with her baton or it’s all folded up and she can’t use it, which is a shame because I really like her baton; it’s different from other characters. The baton is fully extended and made of hard plastic; parts of it also have a patterned roughness. The figure’s action feature also includes the baton. If you squeeze her legs together the arm holding the baton moves. Her gun looks like an elongated pistol and it’s two different colors, though I can’t tell if it’s painted that way or not. The grip has patterned roughness and the mold also includes various ridges, indents, and do-dads to give it an authentic look. The gun is pretty cool and fits perfectly in the holster.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
This was the third figure that I bought on Force Friday this year (2017) while I was out with Ethan. Originally I was going to wait to buy this figure and the others, but we wanted to get the gift card from target which meant I had to buy 100$ worth of Star Wars merchandise…woooh. Anyways, I really like having this figure because the character was so amazing in Rogue One and I hope to see more of her in the extended universe, like the YouTube series. If not, well, I’m happy she’ll be on my shelf!
“A larger version of the standard combat AT-AT, the AT-ACT walker features a dedicated cargo bed for the transportation of heavy building materials or combat munitions. It was deployed at major Imperial construction projects, such as shipyards and sprawling research installations.”
Toy Fans can be a bit stubborn and short-sighted sometimes.There’s this innate inability to see that not every product is aimed at them, and that adult collectors only make up a very small fraction of the target audience of any given mass produced line. This means that there’s whole chunks of product not meant for us in the slightest, or at the very least, items that are designed with kids in mind first and adult collectors second.After going pretty hardcore into the adult collector sphere for a while, Hasbro has shifted their Star Wars product into a more toy-etic form, in an effort to maximize sales and appeal to the new generations of collectors being brought in by the franchise’s newest films.The new product has been an overall success for Hasbro, but some of the more hardcore sections of the fanbase have been less than pleased.There’s been a lot of crying foul, particularly when it comes to the various new vehicles, which have proved quite divisive.One of the most divisive was today’s item, the Rapid Fire Imperial AT-ACT.
THE VEHICLE ITSELF
The AT-ACT is part of Hasbro’s Star Wars: Rogue One line.It was released about a month or so after the first big product launch for Rogue One.As with the two X-Wings and the TIE Fighter, there’s a bit of assembly required when you open up the AT-ACT.The the legs, small blaster stalks for the head, and the cargo bed are packed separately from the main base body and head, and they need to be snapped into place (which takes a fair bit of force, let me tell you).Once fully assembled, the AT-ACT stands 16 inches tall and 12 inches deep.That’s far from accurate scaling for the 3 3/4 inch figures, which was a point of contention for some collectors.It should really be twice the size at least, if not even larger, since the AT-ACT was even larger than the AT-AT.To give a frame of reference, there’s a shot in Rogue One of an X-Wing fighter flying through the open cargo hold of one of these things.At best, you can probably get one of the old Action Fleet X-Wings through there.That being said, at the current size the AT-ACT’s large enough to dwarf just about everything else in a collection, all while keeping it to a manageable size for production and storage purposes.Could it have been larger? Perhaps, but for most people it’s not going to make a huge difference, and this is hardly the first time a Star Wars vehicle has been underscaled for a toyline.The sculpt on the AT-ACT does a decent enough job translating the film design into plastic form.The important details are all there, and it matches aesthetically with the vehicles from Force Awakens and the like.There’s a little bit of cheating in a few spots (such as the slightly larger head relative to the rest of the body) which has been done to maximize playability with the basic figures, but the overall appearance is still fairly close to the source material.When it comes to playability, there are two main spots that you can place the figures.Obviously, there’s a spot in the cockpit for the driver.While the film’s design has spots for two drivers, this one’s just got space for the one.This is in part due to the down-scaling, but also due to offering storage space for the four Nerf darts used by the firing feature, which I’ll touch on in a little bit.The other main spot for figures is in the main body’s removable cargo bed.It’s actually a pretty neat bit; the sides fold down on both sides, revealing a nicely detailed interior, as well as a plethora of footpegs to hold figures in place.There are even spots for the troopers to stow their rifles, which is a cool touch.The bed can be removed and deployed as a cool little base or installation, which also reveals the interior of the AT-ACT proper.There are even more details, as well as two panels that flip up to reveal footwells that can be used for standing space or additional storage.Paint is minimal on the AT-ACT, but not entirely absent; there’s some minor work throughout, and it’s all pretty decently applied.There’s also a sheet of decals to pick up some of the slack, and those work pretty well too.The AT-ACT is packed with three figures (which I’ll look at in just a second) as well as a cannon and a zipline, both of which can be plugged into either the main body of the vehicle or the cargo bed.A major selling point of this set was the two included action features.To make use of the features will require four D batteries.Both play features can be accessed using the various buttons on the AT-ACT’s back, which can be a little difficult to use.Fortunately, the AT-ACT is Bluetooth-enabled.You can download the “Star Wars: Studio FX” app to your phone and use it to control the AT-ACT remotely, which is a lot of fun.Onto the actual features!The first feature is the walking ability, which is pretty decent.It’s slow, and this thing definitely needs to be on a flat, uncarpeted surface to work best, but it’s an amusing feature.There are a number of associated sound effects and such, which help to sell the feature.There’s also a head movement capability worked into this, which is a little difficult to really get working, but nice nonetheless.The second feature is the titular “rapid fire” feature, which replicates the AT-ACT’s blaster capabilities through use of Nerf mechanics.There are four included Elite-style Nerf darts to use, and I find the feature to be generally pretty amusing myself.Don’t take my word for it, though.Here’s a word from the FiQ’s resident Nerf expert, Tim. Quoth Tim:
“With such an extensive history of military manufacturing such as G.I. Joe, Nerf, and Furby, it’s not surprising that the Galactic Empire contracted Hasbro to help develop weapons like the ones seen on the AT-ACT. The dart cannon in the walker’s head is optimized for size, using a greatly miniaturized version of the tried-and-true flywheel mechanisms seen in blasters like the Stryfe. The cannon uses a gravity-fed, 4-round magazine and an electronic pusher to feed the darts into the itty bitty flywheels, producing some rather hilariously flaccid results especially after the ominous revving noise that precedes each shot. Also, just as a fun side note, if we can assume the darts are in scale with the pilot figure, the full size projectiles would be almost 4-1/2 feet long.”
SERGEANT JYN ERSO
The first of the three included figures is the film’s leading lady, Sergeant Jyn Erso.As the main character, I suppose it makes sense to pack her in again, and they were undoubtedly trying to avoid the issues caused by leaving Rey out of the Millennium Falcon from TFA.That being said, I don’t believe Jyn ever actually interacts with an AT-ACT in the film, so her inclusion does seem a little bit out there.The figure stands about 3 1/2 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.She uses the same sculpt as the Jedha variant of Jyn from Series 2 of the main line.Of course, I never got that figure, so this one’s new to me.It’s a pretty decent sculpt, and I think I like this one more than the Eadu version.The likeness to Felicity Jones is definitely improved.The paintwork also appears to be a step-up from the single-carded released.The basic colors are all the same, but the application is a lot sharper, and she’s also got some extra detailing on the legs, indicating she’s been running around on Scarif’s beaches for a bit (not that it happens in the final film, but hey, let’s go with it).It’s a little on the heavy side, but it looks decent enough.Jyn is packed with her blaster, which is painted silver, rather than molded like the single releases, which looks a lot better.
IMPERIAL AT-ACT DRIVER
The AT-ACT isn’t going to get very far without someone to drive it, right?Well, as luck would have it, the second figure included with the AT-ACT is the Imperial AT-ACT Driver.This is easily the most sensible of the three figures included.The figure stands about 4 inches tall and he has the usual 5 points of articulation (though the hips are a bit limited).The larger scale AT-ACT Driver was a total parts re-use, but I don’t think that’s the case here.He’s definitely got some similarities to the basic Shoretrooper, but there are enough subtle differences between the two to illustrate that they aren’t made from the same molds.It’s a little weird that they aren’t the same sculpt, though, because the AT-ACT Driver has some slight inaccuracies to his design that would totally come from sharing parts with the Shoretrooper.Most glaringly, the skirting on his belt; the driver should have the same style of belt as the Hovertank Driver, but instead he’s got the Shoretrooper skirt, just painted the same color as the pants.It’s an odd choice.The other problem with the presence of the skirt is that it impedes the movement on his hips.Normally, I’m not a huge stickler about such things, but given that this figure’s whole purpose is being able to sit in the cockpit of the vehicle he was included with, it’s more than a little annoying.In terms of paint, this guy is fairly decent.Like the larger scale figure, he uses the deco of the AT-ACT Commander, as denoted by the grey on his shoulders.Where the larger figure kept the dark brown and bone white of the Tank Driver, this figure goes for a more straight black and white scheme.It’s not terrible, just different.The figure includes a large blaster rifle, which is the same one included with the two Scarif Troopers.
C2-B5
I can’t say I know much about ol’ C2 here, given its complete lack of presence in the final version of Rogue One.There were a few potential endings floating around, I suppose it’s possible C2 played a role in one of those.Or, perhaps Hasbro just really wanted to put an astromech in this set.It’s Star Wars.It wouldn’t be right if they didn’t get an astromech droid in there somewhere.This figure’s about 2 1/2 inches tall and has 3 points of articulation.C2’s a head-to-toe repaint of the Mission Series R2-D2 (which was re-released for Force Awakens as well).It’s a pretty standard astromech sculpt, so that’s reasonable.It’s a shame it couldn’t have been one of the slightly better articulated R2s, but they’re undoubtedly going for consistency here.Instead of the usual R2 colors, C2 is done up in a more imperial dark grey and silver.Not a bad look, though perhaps not the most exciting color scheme.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
I was intrigued by this set when the Rogue One product started hitting, but the initial $300 price tag was just too much for me.Rather quickly after the holidays, Target started marking it down to $150.At that price, I was very much tempted, but my finances at the time didn’t really allow me to drop that much on one item.I mentioned it to my parents, but that was kind of the end of it.It disappeared from shelves, and I convinced myself that I hadn’t really needed it that much.Flash forward to my birthday this year, when I unwrapped this.Apparently, mentioning my interest in it to my parents was *not* the end of it.My mom went out the very next day and bought this, and then they hung onto it for six months.This thing got a lot of flak from the fanbase, and perhaps some of it was deserved, but this is a really, really fun toy.I’m definitely very happy to have it!
“A highly skilled soldier in the Rebel Alliance, Jyn Erso is an impetuous, defiant warrior eager to bring the battle to the Empire.Jyn has little patience for debate within Alliance High Command, enough that she takes matters into her own hands.”
Remember back last year when I reviewed those special smaller-scale Black Series figures based on the characters from The Force Awakens?Well, Hasbro also did a set of those for Rogue One, albeit a more concise one.They were a bit more difficult to find, since stores seem to still be swimming in the last few series just prior.I did manage to finally track down some of them, including that set’s version of the film’s primary protagonist, Jyn Erso!
THE FIGURE ITSELF
Jyn is one of the four figures from the Rogue One-themed assortment of the smaller-scale Star Wars: The Black Series line.She hit in late November (well, in theory) and, like all of the small-scale Black Series figures since The Force Awakens, she’s a Walmart exclusive.The figure stands about 3 1/2 inches tall and she has 24 points of articulation.I’m happy to report that they seem to have realized how difficult to pose some of the Force Awakens figures were, and have reworked the articulation scheme for the Rogue One offerings.While I’m still not totally sold on the hip joints, the overall poseablity really great.This figure sports an all-new sculpt, and she’s notable for being a Jyn look that we hadn’t yet gotten in plastic form.Granted, it’s just a slight variation of the main look that we’ve gotten in both the small and larger scales; it’s her main Scarif look, which is her vested look, but without the underlying green jacket that she’s had on the prior vested figures.All of the Black Series Jyn figures have had rather nice sculpts, and this figure is no exception.I honestly think it’s the best Felicity Jones likeness of the bunch (this was also true of the Rey figure from this line), and the body sports halfway decent proportions, which is good for this line.The vest is a removable piece; she looks a bit off with it removed, but it’s nice to have the extra option.The paint work on Jyn is quite good for the scale; there’s not a ton of super intricate work, but the application is all pretty clean, especially on the face.There’s some slight slop here and there, but I find it to be lot better than earlier figures in this style.Jyn is packed with her small blaster pistol, along with two attachments for it to be converted into a sniper rifle configuration.It’s not something we saw in the film, but it did show up in Battlefront, and it’s a cool concept.Certainly a better extra than yet another giant missile launcher.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
This particular series of figures *mostly* eluded me at retail.Jyn was the one figure that I actually saw.In fact, I saw about ten of her right after Christmas, but since she was all alone and there were so many of her, I figured I’d wait.Of course, then I didn’t see her or any of the other figures anywhere for the next five months, so I figured I’d missed my window.Last week, I was killing some time while Super Awesome Girlfriend, and I happened upon a whole rack of the smaller Black Series figures, Jyn included.For half-price no less!I had resigned myself never to find her, but I’m super happy to have found her.Genuinely the best version of Jyn on the market, and a marked improvement over the so-so Walmart-exclusive Force Awakens figures.
And we’re back with the Rogue One toys!Alright, alright.After the initial surge of product for the September 30th “Rogue Friday” event, there’s been a slow trickle of additional products making their way out over the course of the last month or so. Everyone and their mother seems to be getting in on the store-exclusives for this one, including K-Mart, who presumably wanted another chance to send out shampoo to those poor customers who try ordering their exclusive online (genuine flip side question: do you think there’s someone out there who opened a box expecting some Head & Shoulders and instead found themselves with only a Jyn Erso to treat their dry, itchy scalp?)I’ll be looking at the K-Mart-exclusive Jyn Erso today.
THE FIGURE ITSELF
As noted in the intro, Jyn is a K-Mart-exclusive, but more specifically, she hails from the popular Star Wars: The Black Series line by Hasbro.Jyn follows the K-Mart exclusive trend started by Starkiller Base Kylo and Rey, being a standard-sized Black Series figure packed with a large environment base/diorama.Unlike the prior two, however, the actual Jyn figure is more than just a simple repack of her non-exclusive figure, but is rather a (mostly new) figure based on her Eadu look.The figure is about 5 1/4 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.She shares her lower half, hands, and possibly her torso (it’s hard to tell) with the Jedha version of Jyn, which, given what we’ve seen of the two designs, is accurate.In addition, she gets a new head, arms, and an add-on for her poncho.There’s also a removable hat and breathing mask.Unlike the hood from the Jedha figure, the removable pieces here don’t feel overly bulk or out of place.That being said, that’s likely because (especially in the case of the hat), she wasn’t really meant to be seen without those pieces.It’s still a much more pleasant end look, though.The new pieces on Jyn are all nicely sculpted, and match up with the smaller Eadu Jyn in terms of specific details.The new head has a stronger resemblance to Felicity Jones.I’m not sure if that’s specifically the sculpt or the paint, but I feel this figure just looks more immediately like her.It’s kind of too bad she’s got hat hair, or else I might suggest swapping this head onto the Jedha version.One of my more minor issues with the Jedha Jyn was that, while her paint work was clean, it was rather bland in terms of accent work.Fortunately, this Jyn does a lot to fix that, offering a much wider variation of color on her poncho, and making her look less like a cartoon and more like a real person.There’s still some room for improvement, but she’s generally a step up from the regular release.This Jyn includes the same blaster pistol as her Jedha counterpart, as well as a collapsed version of her baton we’ve seen from the trailers (which she can hand from her poncho), a Stormtrooper rifle, and the previously mentioned environment base, which is made to look like a rocky cliff of sorts (if the Kylo/Rey pairing from last year is any indication, we’ll probably be seeing another figure shortly after the movie with a corresponding base).Those accessories, along with the removable hat and breathing mask, mean that this Jyn feels like a much better deal than the standard retail version, even at $5 more.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
Some K-Marts got this figure on Rogue Friday (some even got it a bit earlier).The K-Mart nearest me may have, but they decided to open late that Friday morning, so I went to Target instead.I ended up hitting the store up a week later, which got me this figure.Yay.Honestly, I’m wishing more and more that I’d just skipped the standard Jyn.She’s not bad, but this figure’s just much better (and I’m gonna end up with another standard Jyn anyway, due to the Target set).If you just want one Jyn figure, I wholeheartedly recommend this one if you can find it.She’s easily the coolest version of the character on the market.She’s even worth stepping into a K-Mart to get her!
Alright, the 3 3/4-scale Rogue One stuff is done for now (though I’m sure there will be plenty more things for me to review, going by what Hasbro’s shown off in the last week), so we move on to the larger-scale Black Series stuff.As of late, it’s been a little difficult to say where this line was headed, what with a large chunk of the Force Awakens stuff either showing up too sparsely, or being too heavily packed.It looks like Rogue One might help getting things back on track.The first of the new figures is main character Jyn Erso, who I’m looking at today!
THE FIGURE ITSELF
Jyn is sort of taking the place of last year’s First Order Stormtrooper in regards to release style.She was first released as a preview item at this year’s SDCC, before being slotted into the regular release line-up.She’ll also be showing up as part of the Target-exclusive 3-pack with Cassian Andor and the Death Trooper Specialist some time next month.They all look to be the same figure, but for this review, I’m looking at the regular release figure.She’s part of the first series of Rogue One-inspred Star Wars: The Black Series figures, and she’s figure #22, making her chronologically the first figure in the series.Yes, you read that number right, she’s #22, meaning Hasbro actually kept the number scheme for The Black Series for more than a year.And there was much rejoicing (yaaaaay.)Jyn here is wearing her Jedha outfit, which, from what we’ve seen in the marketing for the movie looks to be a fairly present look.The figure stands about 5 1/4 inches tall and she has 29 points of articulation.Jyn’s sculpt is fairly decent overall, and is certainly on par with what we’ve come to expect from The Black Series.The hood is kind of bulky and odd looking, but it’s not awful, and it can easily be removed, resulting in a superior figure.The underlying head sculpt is pretty decent, and bears more than a passing resemblance to Felicity Jones (though it’s not quite spot on).It’s a little softer than I might like, but it’s not awful.The body sculpt is also pretty great, with a nice set of proportions and some nice layering on the various clothes.The verst is technically removable, but since the arms still have the jacket sleeves on them, I can’t see many people removing it.The paintwork on Jyn is passable.It’s not anything amazing or anything, but it’s better than a lot of last year’s Black Series offerings, which is a nice improvement.If Hasbro could start adding a little bit of accent work here and there, I think the figures could be even better.Jyn’s only accessory is her blaster pistol (the same as the one included with her smaller-scale counterpart).It’s a little light given the price (and the fact that the same series features are re-issue of last year’s Rey, which has a staff, BB-8, and an added lightsaber), but hood makes up for it a bit.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
Jyn was one of the first items I grabbed from TRU during their midnight opening.I didn’t know she’d be showing up in the Target set as well, or else I’d probably have held off on this particular release.That being said, she’s a solid figure, and a lot of fun to mess around with.There are worse things than owning two of a good figure, I suppose.
It’s long been excepted that Star Wars toys will cover virtually every character to grace the screen (even ice cream maker guy), no matter how minor their role or how mundane their position.With that in mind, you know those guys who stand out on airport runways with the illuminated cones and guide the planes in when it’s dark?Well, today, I’m looking at the Star Wars equivalent.Yes, it’s the Imperial Ground Crew, who I’m sure we all sort of knew existed, but never really thought they’d give any serious coverage to on screen.But hey, here’s an action figure of them.
THE FIGURE ITSELF
The Imperial Ground Crew figure is part of the first series of Star Wars: Rogue One small-scale figures, and is in fact the last of the figures in the series to be based on Rogue One (with the last three figures being based on Rebels and The Force Awakens.)The figure stands about 3 1/2 (the same height as a certain main character released in this series.I’ll touch on that in just a bit) and has the same 5 points of articulation as most of the line.In terms of construction and build, the Ground Crew member is noticeably shorter and slighter in build than the other Imperial figures in the line, which seemed a bit odd to me at first.However, a closer examination and comparison to the Series 1 Jyn figure revealed that she and this figure share a very similar body type.So, I pulled up the teaser trailer and, sure enough, this figure is sporting the uniform we see Jyn wearing at the end, and the neck peg on this figure is even compatible with the Jyn figure I have (though, to be truly accurate, she shouldn’t have the hat/goggles).Hasbro just recently showed off the prototype to a disguised Jyn figure that makes use of the same body as this figure.That poses an interesting question: is this figure meant to be Jyn, or perhaps the specific Crew member Jyn steals her uniform from.And, with that in mind, would the build of this figure indicate that we actually have a decidedly female trooper for the ranks?That would certainly be cool if true, and would make Jyn’s infiltration in the film all the more believable.Anyway, all that aside, the sculpt on this figure is pretty decently handled. The armor’s detailing looks similar to what we’ve seen of the uniform so far, and is also in keeping with pre-existing Imperial designs, which is certainly a good thing.It’s also been pointed out that, for once, the straight-armed nature of the less articulated figures actually works pretty well with a figure’s intended purpose, namely directing aircraft.As far as paint goes, the Ground Crew figure is pretty good overall, but has one notable issue: the color of the jumpsuit.Images we’ve seen from the movie show the whole thing to be a pretty consistent black, but here the jumpsuit is a dark grey instead.It’s possible this is a case of what you see on screen vs. how it actually looksin person (Han’s Hoth coat in ESB and the jumpsuits in Ghostbusters are good examples of this), in which case it’s not really Hasbro’s fault, since they would be working from the actual designs, not the final film.On the plus side, there’s some pretty solid small detail work here, especially on the two Imperial logos.The Ground Crew figure includes a pair of batons, which can be held or stowed on the figure’s back.The figure also has a big goofy jetpack thing, but it’s worth noting that it’s actually a lot more fun than other gimmick accessories from the line.
THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION
Like yesterday’s Stormtrooper, this figure comes from my second round of Rogue Friday purchases, and was mostly picked up so I’d be eligible for the promotion Target was running.I actually didn’t think much of this figure at first, but after opening it up and messing with it a bit, I really like it.Sure, it’s not as exciting a figure as, say, K-2, but it’s a solid addition to the line nonetheless.
That review was written in October of 2016, before I’d seen the movie, or really knew anything about the character I was reviewing. It’s also something of a relic in a few ways other than the writing (which is usually where the relic status on these old reviews comes up), like the rejoicing on keeping the numbering on the line, or the fact that I bought her at TRU. The red box line wound up going much further than Jyn’s meager 22, wrapping up in 2020 with Kit Fisto’s 112. It wound up with quite a run. I was actually pretty positive about this figure in my original review, something I’d kind of forgotten about after she kind of became a go-to figure for ragging on by the fanbase. I stand by it, because she’s actually a really nice figure. It was kind of nice to remind myself of that. This release is overall very similar. Like Kanan from last year, the change-up is the face paint, and it’s a really major change. The likeness was alright, but it’s pretty on the mark now. Totally revitalizes the figure’s look.
The Figure In Question 