Tag Archives: Star Wars

#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.

#3468: Luke Skywalker & Grogu

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

LUKE SKYWALKER & GROGU

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

“To help him hone his skills and understand the ways of the Force, Grogu trains with a new Jedi Master: Luke Skywalker”

One of the things that has been a marvelous accomplishment in this day and age of literally no narrative turn or surprise going un-spoiled has been the fact that The Mandalorian managed to completely surprise audiences not once, but twice.  First, with Grogu’s reveal at the end of the very first episode, and again with Luke Skywalker’s arrival at the end of the show’s second season.  Due to the secrecy required for such surprising, they were both late arrivals to the merchandising side of things, but now things are in full swing for both of them.  And hey, here they are in one convenient package!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Luke Skywalker and Grogu are part of the Book of Boba Fett-sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series.  The set is numbered 7, and it started hitting late summer.  It exists at a unique price point, as it’s officially billed as a two-pack, but since Grogu’s not a full scale figure, it’s between a deluxe price and a full two-pack price.

One of the impressive things about Luke’s Jedi Knight design is its slow evolution over the course of the film.  Its something that his Mandalorian and Book appearances have kept rolling.  So, by the time we get to his appearance in Book, he’s actually not got any common elements with his Jabba’s Palace look, but the general vibe is still maintained.  Since we’ve gotten every other possible variant on the Jedi look, we’re at the Book design.  The figure stands just shy of 6 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  Luke’s articulation scheme is the standard set-up for Black Series these days, with the one notable change-up from prior versions being the addition of butterfly shoulders, which are very definitely a welcome addition.  Luke’s sculpt is all-new, though there are definitely a lot of similarities to the other Lukes of the same general design.  It’s an interesting sculpt, especially when it comes to the head, since it’s based on a facsimile of Hamill’s likeness, rather than a direct likeness.  With that in mind, it looks pretty good.  Honestly, it’s probably more authentic than what we saw on screen.  Certainly less unnerving, that’s for sure.  The rest of the sculpt is pretty good, and honestly gave me the ability to see just how different his garb in Book really is from the other appearances. Paint work on this guy is minimal, pretty much just on the head, since everything else is just molded colors.

The last time I looked at a Grogu figure, he still wasn’t officially being billed as Grogu.  Oh how the times change.   There have been so many Black Series Grogus over the years, but it’s only the second one that I’ve taken a look at here.  He’s not drastically different, since his design hasn’t really changed.  He’s still just over an inch tall and he still has 7 points of articulation.  Though he looks exceedingly similar, Grogu’s sculpt is unique from his original figure.  It’s actually a fair bit sharper in terms of detailing, and its most important detail change is his left hand, which has a proper grip on it, for use with accessories.  His color work is again very similar, but there’s a touch more detailing on the head, which really adds more life to the whole thing.

The set includes a whole host of accessories.  We get Luke’s lightsaber (with removable hilt), the back pack for carrying Grogu, a riser piece to prop up Grogu in said back pack because it’s a re-use of the Yoda one, Yoda/Grogu’s lightsaber with an alternate un-ignighted hilt, a box for the hilt, Din’s gift for Grogu, the small frog-like creature, a training drone, a flight stand for the drone, and an effects/environment stand for the drone and Grogu to interact.  Honestly, it covers just about everything you could possibly want from the interactions between the two of them in the show.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Weird CGI-face aside, Luke’s reappearance in The Mandalorian filled me with all sorts of nostalgic excitement, and I wanted some form of figure coverage.  But, by the time his figures from that appearance started hitting, he’d shown up on Book, and I really dug the further updated look.  The two-pack really hit right where I wanted for a post-Jedi look, and I get an updated Grogu to boot.  This set is perhaps a touch pricey for what it is, but it works very well for me.

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.

#3455: Obi-Wan Kenobi – Jabiim

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

OBI-WAN KENOBI — JABIIM

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

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

No matter your stance on the Star Wars prequels, it’s hard to deny that Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the very best things about them.  It was always kind of a shame that his storylines within the three movies never felt like the fully utilized him.  Thankfully, last year he got his own focus series, titled, rather unsurprisingly, Obi-Wan Kenobi, which really gave him time to shine.  There’s been plenty of action figure coverage from the show, especially of Obi-Wan himself.  I looked at the Retro Collection figure, but I haven’t yet looked at anything Black Series, so let’s change that up!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Obi-Wan Kenobi — Jabiim is figure 11 in the Obi-Wan Kenobi sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series‘s fourth phase.  He was part of an assortment that hit towards the end of this summer, which also featured Tala and the Fourth Sister from the same show, as well as Darth Malak and Bastilla Shan from Knights of the Old Republic, and Vel Sarhta from Andor.  This is the third Black Series Obi-Wan based on the show, and is specifically based on his attire from the back half of the show, which is, amongst other things, the one he’s wearing during his big showdown with Vader.  The figure stands about 6 inches tall and he has 27 points of articulation.  While Black Series has made some incredible strides in mobility on their figures more recently, Obi-Wan is a bit of a mixed bag.  A lot of it’s definitely more design than anything, but his arms are very restricted.  His shoulders have butterfly joints, but their range is very limited by the tunic, and while the elbows can get past 90, they’re limited in what they can do by how far the shoulders can go.  Additionally, the wrist joints are mostly rendered inert by the way the sleeves wrap around the hands, which is a definite bummer.  The neck, waist, and everything on the legs apart from the hips, are at least decent on their movement, which is a plus.  The sculpt makes use of the hands and lower half from the Wandering Jedi release, which makes sense, since he’s wearing a lot of the same stuff.  Interestingly, the head is *not* a re-use, despite the last two Obi-Wans from the show using the same one.  I can’t say I’m upset about it, though, because the end result is hands down the best Ewan McGregor likeness that Hasbro’s ever given us.  I mean, this thing is just absolutely spot-on.  It makes all the other Obi-Wans look like Obi-Twos.  The figure also gets a new torso and arms, as well.  They’ve got the aforementioned issues with mobility, but they do at least look the part of the garment he was wearing in the show.  It’s all topped off with a soft goods robe piece, which is okay.  It’s not great right out of the box, but I’d imagine there’s some tricks to shaping it, which would help it look a lot better.  Obi-Wan gets a pretty good mix of paint and molded plastic for his coloring; the face printing on the head is particularly strong on this release, and the base color work on the body is all rather cleanly applied.  Obi-Wan is packed with his lightsaber (with removable blade) and a blaster pistol, both of which are repurposed from the other two show-based Obi-Wans.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Since The Phantom Menace, McGregor’s Obi-Wan has been a favorite of mine, and its an opinion that’s only grown stronger over time.  While I immensely enjoyed Kenobi, the Wandering Jedi release for Black Series didn’t really speak to me.  This look, however, was one I really liked in the show, especially for the scenes between him and Vader.  That said, I was beginning to waffle a little bit on whether I was really going to grab this one, but once in-hand shots of him started surfacing, I knew there was no way I could avoid grabbing a figure with that good of a likeness.  Ultimately, the figure’s a bit of a mixed bag.  That head sculpt is absolutely fantastic, but the articulation definitely leaves something to be desired.  Still, he’s a very nice offering, and I’m glad I added him to my collection.

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.

#3450: Rebel Commando

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

REBEL COMMANDO

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Star Wars is big on is faceless armies getting lots and lots of troop builders, and that’s all well and good, but what about the not so faceless ones?  Don’t they deserve some love too?  Absolutely, they do.  Though not as prominent as the Imperial forces, the Rebel Troopers are the backbone of the good guys forces in the Original Trilogy.  They get one notable ground forces look for each of the three films, and thus far we’ve gotten the Fleet Trooper look from A New Hope and the cold weather gear from Empire.  We hadn’t gotten what is objectively the best Rebel Trooper design, however (totally un-biased and objective take there, by the way), the Endor Rebel from Return of the Jedi.  But, with Jedi‘s 40th anniversary upon us, it’s the perfect time to fix that!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Rebel Commando is a deluxe-sized (well, deluxe-priced, anyway) Star Wars: The Black Series release, falling under the Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary sub-line where everything is on retro cards.  He’s the second deluxe figure in this run, following the re-packed Boba Fett from earlier in the line.  The Commando, however, is an all-new offering, and as of right now, there aren’t any plans for a non-retro card release later.  The figure stands 6 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation.  He’s using what’s become the standard set-up for articulation in the line, and it works very well for him.  Still thrilled the butterfly shoulders have become standard.  The Rebel Commando is sporting an all-new sculpt.  There are a couple of slight variations on the Endor Rebel set-up, but this figure’s largely centered on the more standard infantry get-up, with the helmet, vest, and basic fatigues.  The sculpt does a strong job of capturing the look; there’s plenty of layers, and the detailing is all nice and sharp.  I also especially dig how both hands get an extended trigger finger, allowing him to hold the rifle with either dominant hand, which aids in the customizability.  The head’s got the helmet permanently attached, and, in its default state, he’s got a head that’s clean shaven.  It appears to be based on Dutch stuntman Dickey Beer, who according to the old EU lore was “Sgt Junkin”, the strike team’s demolitions expert.  But, if you’re not a crazy person like me who looks all that information up, he works as a pretty nice generic Commando.  Like the Hoth Rebel, this guy gets an extra faceplate to make him into an additional Rebel.  This one’s even more distinctive than the first, sporting the signature white beard of the EU’s “Nik Sant,” the team’s pathfinder.  There’s been some debate since Rebels gave Captain Rex a similar white beard about whether Sant might in fact be Rex, and it seems that someone over at Hasbro’s team Rex, because the face is definitely patterned on Temuera Morrison.  Not that it makes him look *unlike* the guy that’s only in the background of a few shots of the movie, so, you know, it still works.  The paint work on this guy is generally pretty decent. It matches up with the depiction in the movie, and there’s some solid work on the camo, as well as some cool damage detailing on the helmet.  The only downside is that there’s hair visible on the back of the head, under the helmet, and its coloring doesn’t match with the second faceplate.  I guess they could have just had the helmet sit just a touch lower and leave the hair off entirely, but that wouldn’t be accurate, so it’s a catch-22.  The Commando is packed with both a Blastech A-295 rifle and a DH-17 blaster, a bandolier, and a survival pack.  While it’s a decent set-up of extras, it does feel rather light, given the price point.  The Hoth version was packed with more or less the same set-up of stuff, and he was standard retail.  Obviously, he was a good deal at the time, and Black Series figures trend towards limited accessories, but still.  He even loses the storage for the extra face plate in the back pack, which feels like a real missed opportunity.  Given the wider range of looks for the Endor Rebels, if they’d given this guy a third face plate, and perhaps the trench coat that Endor Han had, I feel like I’d be in a much better spot about the deluxe pricing.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Endor Rebels are hands down my favorite design for the Rebel troops, and I’ve been looking forward to the inevitable addition of them to The Black Series.  I loved the Hoth Rebel, and that only made me more excited for this guy.  I won’t lie: I’ve got some issues with this release.  The hair thing, the lack of storage for the faceplate, and the less for more side of things all are a bit frustrating.  However, I’m an easy mark, so none of those issues were enough to stop me from getting two of these right out of the gate, especially once I knew there was a Nik Sant faceplate.  It’s a very fun figure, and I honestly wouldn’t hate it if we got a different version with some different faces and accessories, just for more mixing and matching.  Until then, these two are backing up my heroes in full force.

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.

#3445: Agent Kallus

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

AGENT KALLUS

STAR WARS: REBELS (HASBR0)

“Agent Kallus is a member of the Imperial Security Bureau, a secret police force that hunts down and crushes any rebellion in the galaxy. Intelligent and ruthless, Kallus is a skilled pilot who makes it his mission to stop throublesome freedom fighters.”

You know what?  I’m gonna keep this Rebels train rolling for another week.  Go ahead.  Try and stop me.  Actually don’t.  It’s my site.  You won’t succeed.  And then you’ll feel all silly, and I’ll feel bad, and it’ll be a whole thing.  So, back to Rebels.  While the Imperials in the Original Trilogy are largely just straight forward evil, Rebels played with that a little bit.  Alexsandr Kallus starts the show as a purely antagonistic force, with some pretty terrible deeds behind him.  Over the course of the show, as he has more run-ins both with the Ghost crew and with Imperial higher ups who are far worse than him, and by the end of the show, he’s a full-fledged hero in his own right.  It’s one of the most satisfying arcs in a show that’s got a lot of satisfying arcs.  Despite all of his journeying, Kallus got one action figure.  Kind of a bummer.  Well, let’s look at it.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Agent Kallus was released in the first assortment of the Star Wars: Rebels tie-in line’s single carded component Saga Legends.  He’s figure SL05, the second to last of the first batch of Rebels.  He only got the one release, with no re-issues or updates later in the line.  The figure stands about 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s got the same basic articulation that this whole line got, and it works as well as you could hope.  For 5POA, it’s not bad.  Kallus got an all-new sculpt, based on his Season 1 design from the show.  For whatever reason, they decided to depict him with his helmet permanently attached, rather than giving him a removable one.  It’s a real bummer, and means we never got to see Kallus’s mutton chops in all their plasticky glory.  Beyond that, the sculpt is actually quite nice.  The proportions match his animated counterpart, and the detailing is all very sharply defined.  The figure’s color work is generally pretty drab, as you might expect from an Imperial.  Lots of grey and black.  It works, though, and the mix of paint and molded colors does alright.  Application is pretty clean for what’s there, too.  Kallus is packed with the Bo-Rifle he stole from one of the Lestat; like Zeb, Kallus’s rifle doesn’t transform, instead being only in its gun form.  It’s too bad there couldn’t be a second one in the staff form, but again, this line was really locked into only one accessory per figure.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Agent Kallus is a figure I didn’t get when he was new.  I remember seeing him, but I’d not seen the show, and didn’t know the character.  After seeing the show, I grew to really like the character, and since this was the only figure he got, I kind of had no other options.  I was able to snag a loose one from All Time, back in 2019, from the same collection that got me Hera.  He’s better than I’d expected.  I still don’t like that the helmet doesn’t come off, but I guess I can’t let it go.

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.

#3440: Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios

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

GARAZEB “ZEB” ORRELIOS

STAR WARS: REBELS (HASBRO)

The cast of Rebels was designed to be new and unique, while still fulfilling the franchise’s classic archetypes. Since A New Hope, there’s pretty much always been a “big guy,” and for Rebels, that was Garazeb Orrelios, better known as Zeb. While Zeb is more talkative (in English, anyway) than Chewbacca, he shares a bit of common ancestry, being based on Chewy’s original Ralph McQuarrie-drawn concept design.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Garazeb “Zeb” Orrelios was released in the first assortment of the Mission Series two-packs from the Star Wars: Rebels tie-in line in 2013, alongside a standard Stormtrooper from the show. He then received an almost identical re-release in a two-pack with Chopper in 2015, as part of the Force Awakens push. This is one of the two, but I got him loose, so I can’t say for certain which of them. The figure stands about 4 1/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation. His height is definitely cool, as it helps to really break up the silhouettes of the team a bit. The articulation is basic, but that’s what’s to be expected, especially with this particular era of the line. Zeb’s sculpt is probably the strongest of the original Ghost crew sculpts. His alien nature translates pretty well, and I think his design just goes really well with the style of the line. He feels a bit less rudimentary than the others, and the general shaping of him is a lot more organic.  Zeb’s paint work is fairly basic stuff.  It matches pretty closely with the color scheme he had on the show.  The application on the paint is a little sloppy, and there’s a little bit of wear on my copy, but it gets the job done for the most part.  Zeb is packed with his Lasan Honor Guard AB-75 Bo-Rifle.  It’s purely a rifle-mode version of the weapon, with no transformation feature like the Black Series.  It’s alright, but he has a little difficulty holding it, and obviously can’t two-hand it, due to the articulation.  It’s a shame they didn’t also give him an alternate version in the other configuration, but they were pretty locked-in on only one accessory per figure at this point.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Longtime readers with an absolute perfect recall of the nitty-gritty details of all of my reviews might recall that when I picked up the Rebels Stormtrooper back in the day, I remarked not caring enough for “Garazeb” (yes, I used the full name, not the derivative; I didn’t know any better) to buy the two-pack.  By the time I actually got into Rebels in 2016, I very much regretted that move, as both versions of Zeb had gotten trickier to acquire, and he didn’t get an update like the others.  This was the second-to-last of the Ghost crew I got in this scale.  I salvaged him from a pretty beaten up bin of loose Star Wars figures that came into All Time back in 2020.  He’s basic, but honestly not bad.

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.

#3435: Hera Syndulla & Stormtrooper Commander

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

HERA SYNDULLA & STORMTROOPER COMMANDER

STAR WARS: REBELS (HASBRO)

“Hera supports any mission that undermines the authority of the Empire’s Stormtrooper commanders.”

Wow, it’s already September. And, contrary to how I’ve been running things for a bit the last few years, I say this from only about a week ago, rather than way back in the past. Well, with a new month under my belt, I’m going to try at least a little bit to get back into some more back catalog stuff. So, let’s do some Star Wars stuff. Ahsoka launched last week, which has put the Rebels cast back into focus for a bit. Let’s check out some of that, I guess!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Hera Syndulla and the Stormtrooper Commander were released in 2015 as part of the Star Wars: Rebels line’s third assortment of Mission Series two-packs.

HERA SYNDULLA

Hera was the final member of the core Ghost crew to get released.  This would mark the first of her two figures from during the show’s run, the other coming packed with an A-Wing during the Rogue One product line.  The figure stands about 3 1/2 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  All of the Rebels figures were at the reduced articulation, so it’s not like it’s a shock or anything.  To Hera’s credit, as a pilot figure, she’s does a great job of sitting, and I mean that in a totally not sarcastic way.  With the 3 3/4 inch line, it can be very easy to overcomplicate figures to the point of them not actually being able to sit in the vehicles they’re meant to go with.  Her sculpt was totally new to this release, though everything below the neck would be re-used for her later figure.  It’s a pretty stiff sculpt in terms of posing, which was pretty common for the early Rebels offerings.  She winds up looking a touch silly, especially next to the updated versions of the other characters.  Still, it’s far from the worst thing the line put out, and she does at least look pretty on-model for the character.  Her paint work is decent enough.  It’s a mix of basic and perhaps just a little bit sloppy around the edges.  Hera was packed with her small blaster pistol, which she can hold in either hand.  She notably can’t use the sculpted ankle holster for it, due to the relative scaling.

STORMTROOPER COMMANDER

There weren’t a *ton* of trooper variants for Rebels, but it’s still a Star Wars tie-in, so it’s not totally avoidable.  This one gets a new pauldron.  Woooooooo.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He’s largely the same figure as the standard Rebels trooper.  The only difference is the new pauldron, denoting his rank.  It’s non-removable, which is a bit limiting, but not the end of the world.  I still quite like the sculpt.  It’s a good recreation of the animation design, and it’s got a fun and goofy flow to it.  The color work on this figure is pretty similar to the standard.  The exact shades are a little different, and the eyes are closer to the head band, but it looks pretty good for the most part.  The Stormtrooper Commander is packed with his blaster pistol, which, like the standard, he can hold in either hand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was unfortunately not on the up-and-up with Rebels during its early run, so I missed out on the earlier toys.   By the time I got into things, Hera had gotten a bit pricier on the after market.  I wound up getting this pair loose, waaaaaaaaaay back in early 2019, when they got traded into All Time.  They’re pretty basic and rudimentary figures, but they fit the style, and I definitely dig that.

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.