Tag Archives: Star Wars

#3539: The Mandalorian – Glavis Ringworld

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

THE MANDALORIAN — GLAVIS RINGWORLD

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0018:  There have been 14 versions of Din Djarin released in The Black Series, and 6 of those releases have been some variation on his fully kitted-out Beskar armor.

My investment in Star Wars: The Black Series has dwindled a bit more recently, because I’m honestly starting to get ever so slightly Star Wars-ed out at the larger scale.  So, rather than get *everything*, I’m instead focusing a bit more on primary looks of heavy hitters.  There’s a bit more revisiting there than you might think at first go, which is kind of what we hit with today’s offering.  Early into the first season of The Mandalorian, main character Din Djarin upgrades to a full set of Beskar armor, which has been more or less the consistent look of the character since.  It doesn’t make for a ton of variation with figures, I guess, but they make do, and there’s enough minor tweaks to justify it, right?  Right.  So, here’s another Din Djarin.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Mandalorian – Glavis Ringworld is figure 08 in the Book of Boba Fett sub-line of Star Wars: The Black Series‘ Phase IV incarnation.  He’s based on Din’s ever so slightly tweaked look when he reappears in Book following a period going solo after handing Grogu over to Luke at the end of his own show’s second season, which is honestly a good look.  The figure stands just over 6 inches tall and he has 33 points of articulation.  We’ve had a general Beskar Din sculpt floating around in Black Series for a while, but it was kind of cobbled together and had a fair number of inaccuracies.  This figure gets an all-new sculpt to replace that, which is a really strong offering.  Of particular note, we’ve finally gotten a proper new helmet sculpt, after working with the slightly off one that went all the way back to the very first version.  The new one is pretty spot-on, getting the proper shaping down, and sporting sharp, clean detail work.  The articulation scheme is also tweaked, following the newer style; it works fine, but it does lean into the “no double joints” thing that Black Series has gotten into, which is at times reductive.  His armor construction has a bit more overlay to it, with more free floating parts.  Din’s cloak is also now a proper soft-goods piece, rather than the thicker rubber piece from the first release, which means he can finally wear the cloak and the jetpack at the same time, as he does in the shows.  That’s a definite plus.  Din’s color work is pretty solid; the paint application is all rather clean, with minimal slop and bleed over.  The silvers in particular are nice and sleek, and they’ve also added in his appropriate blue accenting, which gives him a nice degree of pop.  Din is packed with the Darksaber, his blaster pistol, and vibro-knife.  The Darksaber sports a modified hilt, which now has a loop, so it can hang from his belt, as seen in the show.  The knife is small, and he can’t really hold it…and also, there’s not really anywhere to keep it.  Still, I guess it’s cool that they included it at all.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I was pretty excited for the original Beskar Mando…and then he hit and he was kind of a let-down, honestly.  Still, I kind of pushed it off and called it a day on that look.  When this figure was announced, I was initially planning to skip this one, but the more I looked at it, the more it looked like the figure I wanted the first time around.  Simply put, that’s exactly what he is.  He’s the best Din Hasbro’s done, and just one of the line’s better figures in general.

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.

#3534: Pre Vizsla

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

PRE VIZSLA

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0013:  Despite sharing Jon Favreau as a voice actor and both being Mandalorians, Pre Vizsla and Paz Vizla are actually *not* directly related.

While I was certainly interested in Clone Wars during its first season, it wasn’t until the second season began the first mainstream delve into Mandalorian culture that I really got interested.  It helped that it was a pretty heavily Obi-Wan-led.  Central to the story was Jon Favreau’s *first* Star wars character, Pre Vizsla, who served as a notable antagonist.  I obviously snagged Pre’s first figure, during the show’s tie-in run, but I’ve been hoping to see him crop up in Black Series for a little while.  Hey, would you look at that?  He cropped up in Black Series.  Well, might as well review him.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Pre Vizsla is figure 17 in the running Clone Wars sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series‘s Phase IV incarnation.  He’s part of the last assortment from last year, the lone Clone Wars figure in a largely Ahsoka driven set.  While the show tie-in Pre was based on his “Phase I” design, this one (and the VC figure that hit at almost the exact same time) is based on Pre’s later run design, which has previously not gotten toy coverage.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 27 points of articulation.  Pre Vizsla is based on the modified Jango Fett body used by the two prior Clone Wars Mandos.  Given that both of them are supposed to be remainders of Pre’s men after Maul and Bo-Katan split them, it does make a degree of sense.  It’s a slightly clunky body, especially in terms of articulation, but something about the QC on this particular release does feel a little slicker than the prior two I’ve gotten.  He gets an new head, helmet, and belt piece, in order to suitably change him up for Pre.  The helmet is a solid recreation of his later design, and gives him a more unique shaping than the others, which I quite like.  The underlying head is okay; it’s not the best work, and winds up looking a little oddly shaped in profile, but from the front it looks pretty good.  I think it’s slightly thrown off by being on the slightly stockier base body, which contrasts with Pre’s rail-thin appearance in the show.  Pre’s color work makes use of a surprising amount of paint.  It’s all pretty cleanly applied, and the armored portions are particularly sleek looking.  The underlying head again gets the short end of the stick, with a particularly wonky hairline.  The work on the scar is pretty cool, though.  Pre is packed with his rocket pack, two blaster pistols, and the Dark Saber.  The rocket is a new piece, with a removable rocket and posable boosters, and it even has a loop on the back to hold the Dark Saber hilt, which is cool.  The Saber is the same mold included with Moff Gideon, but it’s been painted differently.  I think the white outline really works a lot better, and gives the whole thing a nice bit of pop.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I’m not gonna lie, I waffled a little on this guy after his announcement.  I wanted him all that time, and then I saw him, and I just wasn’t sure.  I think it was the re-used body.  But, I saw him in person, and I liked him enough to jump in.  I’m glad I did, because he actually wound up being a bit better than I’d expected.

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.

#3529: Professor Huyang

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

PROFESSOR HUYANG

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0008: Huyang’s actor David Tennant is one of two actors in Ahsoka to reprise a role they originated.

While I pretty faithfully watched the first two seasons or two of Clone Wars‘ original run, after that my viewing got rather spotty, so I missed a lot of its later additions to the lore.  As such, my first exposure to a lot of its later characters happened during my first proper watch-through, which I did after the whole series got added to Disney+ at launch in 2019.  David Tennant’s Huyang hails from a set of episodes that  otherwise didn’t really care for, but he was certainly a pleasant surprise.  It was a shame that he came into the picture after the tie-in toyline had started to die down.  Thankfully, he was brought back for Ahsoka, giving him another go at this whole action figure thing!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Professor Huyang is figure 7 in the Ahsoka sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series‘ Phase IV run, and is the third and final Ahsoka-themed figure in the last assortment to hit last year.  This is Huyang’s first figure, but he’ll also be getting a Vintage Collection release later down the line.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation on his core body, plus an extra 6 points granted by the arms on his back-pack. Huyang has a generally pretty decently handled articulation scheme, especially for his design. His right shoulder is a little stuck and stubborn on my copy, and the skirt piece restricts the hip movement a touch, but the range is otherwise pretty impressive, and I was surprised by how stable he was on his feet. The sculpt is an all-new one, and it’s a rather good one at that. Huyang’s design from the show is replicated well, especially when it comes to the more intricate details of his robotic plating. The wiring at the midsection is a little soft, but not terribly so. Huyang’s color work relies pretty heavily on molded plastic, and I’m typically not a huge fan of that when it comes to metallic finishes. In Huyang’s case, I find it doesn’t bug me as much. In the show, he’s not really got the same metallic look as other droids, and this plastic’s also not the swirly kind, so it just works out better. There’s still a fair bit of paint, which is cleanly applied, and hits most of the marks it needs to. The only spot that really feels as though it’s missing application is the tool belt, which is untouched, except for the buckle. Huyang is packed with his pack with the extra arms, a data pad, and a…tool? I don’t know what it is, and even the Hasbro photographers have him holding it quizzically in the stock shots, so it appears even they don’t know for sure. Hey, it’s better that nothing, right?

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I like droids and I like David Tennant, so it makes sense that I’d like Huyang. After Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Hera, Huyang was my favorite part of Ahsoka, and his figure is probably the most I’ve truly enjoyed a Black Series figure in a little while.

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.

#3520: KX Security Droid – Holiday Edition

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

KX SECURITY DROID — HOLIDAY EDITION

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Okay, so it may not quite be Christmas yet, but you know what? I’m gonna do two Christmas-y reviews this year. Of course, since Christmas Eve falls on a weekend this year, I guess I’ll just observe it today, instead. That seems fair, right?  Yeah, let’s do that!  Last year, I took a brief look into Hasbro’s Black Series holiday offerings, and that feels like a pretty easy road to go back down.  There’s even more of them this year, including today’s offering, the KX Security Droid!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Holiday Edition KX Security Droid is one of the six Holiday Edition Star Wars: The Black Series figures for 2023.  This one in particular is the Walmart-exclusive portion of the line-up.  As with last year’s Protocol Droid, the KX doesn’t get any sort of clever name or anything, which feels like a bit of a bummer, but it’s at least brand-consistent.  The figure stands 7 1/2 inches tall and has 31 points of articulation.  The KX is re-using the K-2SO mold, which makes sense, them being the same model of droid and all.  It helps that it remains a really strong mold, even seven years after its original use.  The only draw back to my personal copy is that one of his legs snapped off at the hip joint, which is a real bummer.  The color scheme really mixes things up on this one, going for a predominantly white color scheme, accented with red and green, which is all appropriately festive.  I especially dig the snowflakes swapping in for the Imperial Cog.  The KX is packed with a small blaster pistol, done up in Nerf-style colors, which is fun.  He also gets the requisite smaller companion figure that all of the Holiday Edition figures have gotten.  It’s another BD-1, this time decoed up in white and blue.  Not quite as overtly festive as the one that came with the Protocol Droid, but it’s still pretty nifty.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m a big fan of this mold, and of the Holiday Edition concept.  That said, given how kitschy they are, I’m not hunting any of them down.  With this guy being a Walmart exclusive, I figured I wouldn’t be getting one any time soon and called it a day, but when one turned up as a trade-in at All Time, I jumped on it.  His broken hip is a real bummer, but he’s otherwise a fun, and I’m still very much a fan of this whole concept.

#3518: Marrok

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

MARROK

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

In the lead up to Ahsoka, the trailer showed a mysterious figure in dark armor, wielding an Inquistor-style saber.  Who could this guy be?  Could he be…oh, I don’t know, maybe an Inquistor?  But who?  Well, then we got a name, Marrok.  He’s an ex-Inquisitor named Marrok.  But who could he be, though?  Well, as it turns out, an ex-Inquisitor named Marrok.  Can you believe that’s all.  How could he not be Starkiller, or a revived Kanan.  How could this character whose name we already had not be…that exact guy?  They’re killing the franchise, right?  Yes, that must be it.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Marrok is figure 8 in the Ahsoka sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series‘ Phase IV run.  He, like last week’s Hera, is part of the second assortment with tie-in figures for the show.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  He’s largely using the now standard set-up for the line, which works reasonably well.  One notable change is that he’s got ball-jointed wrists, rather than the usual universals.  It gets a little bit less movement in each direction, but has the benefit of being able to move all directions.  Marrok is sporting an all-new sculpt, which looks to be a pretty good recreation of his show design.  The armor pieces are all separate, which looks pretty good, but is a little floaty in some spots, especially the chest armor.  He’s also a little bit off on the proportions, with the head and hands seeming just a touch on the large side.  That said, the detail work on this guy is pretty sharp, and there’s a lot going on.  The figure’s color work is a solid match for this show look; it’s a mix of greys and blacks; it’s a little more pronounced in difference than the show look, but that’s probably a lighting thing.  I do dig the brown accenting work, which adds some pop to the sculpt.  Marrok is packed with a cloth cape and his Inquisitor saber.  The cape is a little clunky, but not a terrible piece.  The saber is a pretty standard set-up for the line; removable blades, and you can mount it on his back.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Marrok’s design is one that spoke to me from his early appearances.  I never expected him to be anything more than he was, and I was thus not disappointed by his role on the show.  He’s a Star Wars character with a cool look and little else, putting him in a pretty decent category of characters from the franchise.  His figure’s not the height of The Black Series quality, but he’s still a pretty fun little 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.

#3513: General Hera Syndulla

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

GENERAL HERA SYNDULLA

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy”

Yes, that’s certainly a very descriptive bio for Hera, who is very definitely mentioned in the text on the back of her packaging…Sorry, am I critiquing the bio text again?  I really don’t want to get back into that.  Those poor copy writers!

Ahsoka hit Disney+ back at the end of the summer, and, in addition to focusing on the eponymous character, it also brought back a good number of the cast of Rebels.  Amongst them was the Ghost‘s pilot, General Hera Syndulla, now portrayed in live action by Mary Elizabeth Winstead.  Her role is notably a bit smaller than some of the others, but she still gets a fair bit to do, as her personal goals place her at odds with her high-ranking position in the New Republic.  And she’s also gotten more Black Series treatment out of it, which is very dope.  Let’s check that out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

General Hera Syndulla is figure 6 in the Ahsoka sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series‘ Phase IV incarnation.  She’s part of the second assortment to bear figures from the show, alongside Marrok and Hyang from the show, as well as Pre Vizsla from Clone Wars and R2-D2 from The Mandalorian.  The figure stands 5 3/4 inches tall and she has 27 points of articulation.  Hera’s last figure was honestly in a pretty good spot when it came to articulation, but this one improves even on that, giving her a very good set-up, which allows for some really natural posing.  Hera gets an all-new sculpt, based on her look from the show.  She’s not too far removed from her Rebels design, changing things up, while keeping them within the same general theming of her prior look.  The biggest change-up is the addition of the bomber jacket, which is really just always an improvement.  It’s a good look, and it translates well to the toy.  The sculpt is nicely handled.  The head’s sporting a strong likeness of Winstead in the role, and I especially like the slight smile; it’s very friendly, and definitely very Hera.  The goggles are a separate piece, but do not come down.  I don’t believe she ever has them down in the show, but it might have been cool.  As it stands they’re just goggles that do nothing, which is really what they’ve been the whole time.  The rest of her outfit is sharply detailed, and the articulation is cut in in such a way as to not mess with the aesthetics too much.  Her color work is pretty decent.  It’s a lot of molded colors, as has become the norm, but it works well.  It’s eye-catching, without being too garish.  The face printing works well on this release, and really adds to the overall likeness.  Hera is packed with her blaster pistol, which she now has holstered on her hip, rather than her boot.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I really like Hera as a character, and I was happy to hear she was making the jump to live action, and then even happier to hear she was being played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, whose work I’ve enjoyed since Sky High.  I liked her take on Hera in the show, and I really dug the new design, so I was very much down for an updated figure.  Hera was my favorite of the Rebels figures for Black Series, so topping that was no small feat, but, well, this one kinda did just that.  She’s a very nice 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.

#3500: Ben Kenobi – Tibidon Station

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

BEN KENOBI — TIBIDON STATION

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Obi-Wan Kenobi is set years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith wehre Kenobi faced the corruption of his friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned Sith Lord Darth Vader.”

I honestly don’t know if it’s possible to praise Ewan McGreggor’s performance as Obi-Wan Kenobi enough; it’s just one of those absolute stand out things, and the very best thing about the prequels.  While his role within the films at times left him a little under-utilized, he got his own show, which gave us so much more time with the character, and that was very cool.  Thus far, I’ve been light on Black Series coverage for the show, but I’m doubling what I’ve gotten today, with Tibidon Station Ben Kenobi!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ben Kenobi (Tibidon Station) is is figure 6 in the Obi-Wan Kenobi sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series‘s fourth phase.  He was a Target-exclusive release, which hit shortly after the first batch of figures from the show.  He’s based on the character’s look from early in the first episode of the show, before he settles back into his Obi-Wan ways to rescue Leia.  It’s a more unique look for the character, who otherwise tends to fall into the same general trappings for design.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 27 points of articulation.  The main figure is a total parts re-use from the Wandering Jedi version of the character who hit in the main line.  The two outfits aren’t *exactly* the same, but they’re certainly close enough that I can see why Hasbro would go for the re-use.  It would honestly be pretty hard to justify new parts on such a look, anyway.  The head suffers from not being the Jabiim sculpt, which…well, it’s honestly not fair to judge it that harshly.  It’s not a bad sculpt on its own merits; there’s more than a passing resemblance to McGreggor, and he’s not terribly far off from his look in the show.  He’s a touch too clean and put together, I think is the real issue.  Still, given that this one predates the other, I can’t knock it.  The major change-up for this figure is the color scheme, specifically the shirt, which is now a lovely shade of blue.  It looks quite spiffy, and makes him suitably different from the main release.  To further differentiate him, he also gets a new cloak piece, as well as an all-new back-pack, both based on his stuff from the scenes with this look.  And, he’s also still sporting his blaster and lightsaber, just like the other one.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I dug this look on the show, even though it was rather short-lived, and I dug it as a figure.  But, it was a Target exclusive, and I wasn’t going hunting.  Then I found it, but it was when all the other Black Series exclusives got marked way down, and I didn’t want to pay full price, so I waited, checking every so often for a few weeks, with the same figure at my local Target.  But, he sold before I could get a markdown, which is really the risk you take, I suppose.  One got traded into All Time, however, rather amusingly on the same day that I wound up buying the Jabiim figure.  He’s fun.  Not as definitive as the other release, but I do like him a lot.

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.

#3495: Luke Skywalker – Jedi Knight

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

LUKE SKYWALKER — JEDI KNIGHT

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Nine years and some change ago, I opened my review of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker by remarking that my interest in The Black Series was beginning to wane.  Over 200 figures later, that does seem like it was a slightly premature assessment of things, but on the flipside, I’m feeling myself back in that boat again a little bit these days.  This time around, of course, it’s more on me than the line.  I’m just not as invested on having every character in every style anymore.  But, somewhat appropriately, I’ve been swayed by another Jedi Luke, so, I guess I’m taking a look at that one today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight) is part of the third series of the RotJ Retro Carded Black Series figures.  While the last two assortments have been largely re-cards of older figures with just one new figure per set, this assortment is almost entirely new (albeit with one figure that’s gotten a pretty quick re-release in the main line), and Luke is included in that grouping.  We’ve had a healthy helping of Jedi Lukes in the line at this point, covering all manner of variations on his looks.  This one covers the same ground as his first Black Series, replicating his design from his battle on the Death Star II.  The figure stands just shy of 6 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  This figure’s articulation is pretty much the same set-up as the Book of Boba Fett version, which is a marked improvement on the old Jedi Luke’s set-up.  Those butterfly shoulders in particular really add to the figure’s posing options.  Structurally, he’s using most of the parts from the Light Cruiser Luke, which is sensible, what with the similarities in design and all.  He loses the vest overlay piece and gets a new head sculpt, now based directly on Hamill, rather than the Mandalorian facsimile of him, as well as an adjusted chest flap folded down like during his battle with Vader, and a belt piece.  The new head sculpt is really nice, and certainly the best RotJ-era Hamill we’ve gotten at this scale.  The separate face/hair set-up works especially well this time around.  Luke’s color work is a lot of molded colors, but there’s some solid paint work on the face and hair, and the smaller details on the outfit are handled very cleanly.  Luke is packed with an alternate chest flap, fully closed up, as well as his lightsaber.  It’s kind of light, but it’s about what I’ve come to expect at standard pricing for this line.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I didn’t intend to buy this figure.  I swear.  I had the first Jedi Luke.  I had the Jabba’s Palace version.  I had the Endor version.  I even had the Book version.  This one?  I didn’t need it.  My bases were all covered, right?  Well, apparently not.  I saw him in person, and I just couldn’t pass him up.  What can I say, I’ve got a soft spot for the look.  I’m glad I didn’t pass him up, because he’s an absolutely fantastic figure, and far and away the best version of Jedi Luke out there.

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.

#3490: ARC Trooper Fives

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

ARC TROOPER FIVES

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Fives trained with Domino Squad on Kamino before being stationed at the Rishi Moon outpost. While on Kamino for medical testing, he discovered a terrifying secret about the clones’ origins.”

There are a number of recurring Clones over the course of The Clone Wars, but there are few that have quite as intricate a story as Domino Squad.  Introduced during the first season episode “Rookies,” the squad’s members are noted for their tendency to, much like the game pieces they are named after, fall.  By the end of their first episode, only two remained, Fives and Echo, who would go on to go from Rookies to ARC Troopers during their run on the show.  Fives initially had the longest run of the squad, surviving until the end of the Clone Conspiracy arc, where he discovers the truth about Order 66.  He’s subsequently had his thunder stolen a little bit with the reveal that Echo actually survived his presumed death at the Citadel, but that doesn’t make Fives any less important.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

ARC Trooper Fives is number 16 in the Clone Wars sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series’ Phase IV run.  Like Jesse from last week, he’s a Walmart-exclusive, which continues to be a bit of a bummer.  Honestly, even more of a bummer, really, given how major a character Fives is within the context of Clone Wars.  Like Echo and Jesse, Fives is presented here in his ARC Trooper loadout.  It makes the most sense by far for him, since he spends so much time in this particular gear.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  If you’ve read my reviews of Echo and Jesse, then you pretty much know the ins and outs of this sculpt, because he’s virtually identical to those two.  Fives shares the upper pouch placement with Jesse, which is accurate to the source material.  He also gets a new head sculpt under the helmet, which is fairly similar to Echo’s, but sports the appropriate facial hair.  I kind of expected the beard to just be painted on, but it’s actually sculpted, which was certainly a plus.  Fives’ color scheme is accurate to the cartoon, so it’s got a similar vibe to the other two, but some of the patterns are shifted around in order to make him more clearly unique from the other two.  Application is generally pretty clean, but on mine, the blue on the helmet fin is a little off-set, so it’s not quite centered the way it should be.  Like Jesse, Fives is only packed with a pair of blaster pistols.  It’s again pretty frustrating, given that he *still* doesn’t have trigger fingers on both hands, but he was at least more frequently seen with just the pistols.  Still, I’d like to at least have the option, given how much re-use he’s sporting.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’m honestly shocked it took as long as it did for Fives to get added to Black Series.  I kind of expected him to be the one that debuted this mold, so Echo and Jesse both beating him to market was definitely odd.  I was definitely not thrilled to find out he was an exclusive, either, but thankfully, I had Max looking out for me, and he managed to snag me one without much issue.  He feels a touch anticlimactic, I suppose, having already gotten the others and all, but I’m glad I at least have him finally.

#3485: Clone Commander Jesse

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

CLONE COMMANDER JESSE

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“Hard-fighting patriot Jesse proudly wears the Galactic Republic’s symbol on his helmet and as a face tattoo. After Order 66, however, his loyalty shifts from the Republic to the Emperor.”

As an interquel, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was slightly limited in what it could do to show real change and growth for its characters, especially the central characters whose fates we’ve already seen unfold. In order to keep some of that intrigue going, the show relied on the clones to really carry forward growth and development.  Clone Trooper Jesse began his run in the show as a rank and file member of the 501st, eventually graduating up to ARC Trooper, and even replacing Rex as commander of the 332nd company during the events of Order 66, in effect becoming the face of the troopers that fall that day.  That’s really not so bad a run.  And, hey, he’s also got a Black Series figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Clone Commander Jesse is figure 12 in the Clone Wars sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series’ Phase IV incarnation.  He’s a Walmart exclusive, which is less than ideal, but also not incredibly surprising, given just how much of the Clone Wars stuff has wound up with them.  Jesse is clearly based on his post-ARC Trooper promotion design, with his name signifying that he’s specifically based on the show’s finale.  The figure stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  For the most part, Jesse is using the ARC Trooper tooling introduced by Echo back in 2021.  It’s a sensible re-use, what with them all having the same basic set-up to start with.  Apart from its restriction at the hips, it’s also a pretty solid sculpt as well, making its re-use totally acceptable.  He does get a new head under the helmet, showcasing Jesse’s fully shaved head, as well as a slight tweak to the body, with his ammo pouch moving from the left shoulder to the right.  The head is consistent with Echo’s in terms of styling and likeness, so they look like the same guy, but that guy isn’t necessarily Temuera Morrison.  One slight mix-up on the design is that Jesse keeps the exact same helmet mold as Echo, who had a range finder, while Jesse never did.  It’s on a peg, so you can pop it out if you’re so inclined, but it does leave a hole on that one side.  Beyond the sculpt change-ups, it’s paint work that really differentiates him.  He keeps the same basic color scheme, while changing up enough of what goes where to make him clearly a different guy.  In particular, I love how the Republic cog graffiti on the helmet and matching tattoo on the underlying head turned out.  Jesse is packed with a pair of blaster pistols…and that’s it.  Given his tendency to use larger style blasters in the show, it’s a bummer that he didn’t at least get the mid-sized blaster as well, especially with the price.  Also, he still doesn’t have a trigger finger on the left hand, so he can’t properly dual-wield the two blasters he has.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

With all the love Vintage Collection has been getting on the Clones, I was beginning to worry Black Series was going to miss out on the named guys like Jesse.  I was less than thrilled by him being an exclusive, given the VC got to be a regular release, but I was thankfully able to get some assistance getting one from someone that wound up with an extra he didn’t need.  He’s cool.  He’s definitely light on accessories, and I’m still not a fan of this whole exclusive game, but I’m glad to have him.