Tag Archives: Star Wars

#3625: Cassian Andor & B2EMO

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

CASSIAN ANDOR & B2EMO

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0104: Diego Luna, who plays Cassian Andor, was in the 2004 movie The Terminal, where his character’s love interest is a Trekkie played by Zoe Saldana.

Amonst the handful of character spin-off shows we got in the last year and some change was Andor, a prequel to Rogue One, focusing on Cassian Andor before he joined the Rebellion.  Rogue One was certainly a change of pace for the franchise, and Andor was even more so.  One of the biggest things about Andor was that it really wasn’t built for merchandising the way the rest of the franchise is.  People just don’t rush out to buy action figures of all the morally questionable players from a show based heavily on political intrigue, I suppose.  Well, I don’t suppose.  I actually know.  Because, as it turns out, I’m one of the people.  I very much enjoyed Andor, but I also didn’t go out and buy, you know, any of the figures from it.  I’m part of the problem, guys.  But, maybe I’m working on that?  No, I’m not, but I did at least wind up with an exception.

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Cassian Andor and B2EMO were released as part of Star Wars: The Black Series in the fall of 2022.  The set was initially exclusive to Hasbro’s online PulseCon event, but it was ultimately distributed through other venues when it was met with a softer than anticipated reception.  The Cassian figure is the same as the mainline release, while B2EMO remains, to date, exclusive to this pack.

CASSIAN ANDOR

Cassian was already no stranger to figures thanks to the various Rogue One tie-ins, but Andor elevated that, giving him the Jyn Erso-style “we’re shoving the standard look into multiple releases” treatment. The figure stands about 6 inches tall and he has 27 points of articulation. For Andor, Cassian is a lot rougher around the edges than when we catch up with him in Rogue One, and his main look shows that off. He’s got a lot more layers all thrown together a bit more haphazardly, and his hair is a fair bit shaggier. The new sculpt does a good job of following the look. The head gets a better likeness of Luna than the Rogue One stuff did, and the ratio of sculpt integrity to range of motion is a pretty good one. His coloring is a lot of brown. Like a lot. Very brown. It’s accurate, though, and the paint work handles it all pretty well. Cassian is packed with a blaster pistol, and that’s all.

B2EMO

Look, we all know why we’re here, and it’s B2EMO. Since K2 isn’t yet reprogrammed, Cassian needs another droid to pal around with, and that’s B2EMO. He’s like Marvin, but squarer. Same disposition, though. The figure is about 2 1/2 inches tall. He can collapse and extend his core body, as well as his little casters he uses for feet, and his head has a swivel joint. B2EMO is a rather unique looking droid, and so he gets a unique sculpt as well. It’s a very good one. Hasbro knows how to sculpt a good droid. All of the moving parts fit together well, and he’s got the appropriate denting and damage. Certainly an accurate depiction of the droid from the show, I’d say. His color work is a little more exciting, being reds and blues. He’s still muted, of course, but it’s at least a little different. The paint work continues the wear and tear started by the sculpt, resulting in a sufficiently used looking bot. B2EMO is without accessories…or, depending on how you look at it, he includes a whole Cassian as an accessory. That seems like a better value, I suppose.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I liked B2EMO a lot in the show and wanted a figure, so I was tempted by this set, but it just felt far too expensive for what you got, so I passed. It did the rounds and got cheaper and cheaper, so by the time one with popped tape seals came into All Time, it was so cheap I didn’t feel like I could pass it up. Cassian is an okay figure, just not one I needed. B2EMO, however, is a fantastic little biscuit of a figure that I’m very glad to have.

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.

#3620: Darth Vader – Duel’s End

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

DARTH VADER — DUEL’S END

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0099: This is the 17th Darth Vader I’ve reviewed on the site.

In addition to the return of Ewan McGregor in the title role, Kenobi also brought back Hayden Christensen, now not just playing Anakin, but in fact playing a full-fledged Darth Vader. I never had the full-fledged hate-on for Hayden’s work in the prequels the way others did (though I’ll admit to getting in on some of the joking about it when the prequels hate was at its height), and it was super cool to see him get to do more work with the character. His Kenobi portrayal brought out a rawness to Vader that we hadn’t really seen in live action, and that was really impressive. I skipped the standard Kenobi Vader from Black Series, since he was very similar to other releases, but I couldn’t turn down a shot at a more obviously show-specific version!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Darth Vader (Duel’s End) is figure 15 in the Kenobi-sub-set of Star Wars: The Black Series. Like the rest of the back portion of that set, he was an exclusive, specifically to Target, hitting at the end of last year.  As the figure’s name indicates, this guy is based on his appearance at the end of his climactic duel with Obi-Wan, after Ben’s given him quite a beating.  The figure stands a little over 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 26 points of articulation.  This figure is obviously using a good deal of parts from the standard Kenobi Vader, which itself was mostly re-use from the #43 Vader.  Once you’ve got a good base Vader sculpt, you just really need to move some details around, so I can get it.  He does get an all-new head and torso, though.  The torso gets some minor change-ups, with the slashes across his control box, as well as the one on his back (which is very easy to miss).  The head’s the real star piece, though, as the helmet is split open, revealing traces of the scarred Anakin beneath.  There’s a whole head sculpt under there, which is fun, even if you can’t see the whole thing.  The split helmet is great, because it’s got the proper updated look from the show on the undamaged parts, while also replicating the damage very nicely.  As with prior Vaders, he’s using soft goods for his cape and underlying robe.  The tailoring is a little better here than the prior ones I’ve messed with, and they even added extra damage to everything to match up with his sculpted damage.  The only issue I’ve got with it is that, at least on mine, the robe isn’t all the way under the shoulder armor the way it should be.  Vader’s paint work is standard Vader for the most part, but he does get some more exciting parts with the head under the helmet.  Vader is packed with his lightsaber and…well, that’s it.  It’s light, but it’s Vader, so we all kind of know what to expect, I guess.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I don’t really play the exclusives game, so I wasn’t thrilled by this one being only at Target.  But, over a long enough period of time, pretty much everything seems to show up in front of me, so I was able to snag one that got traded into All Time.  I’m glad, because I didn’t need the basic Kenobi look, but after getting Jabiim Kenobi, I really wanted a Vader to pair off with him.  This one’s an impressive piece in his own right, and a great companion piece too!

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.

#3615: R2-D2 (Artoo-Deetoo)

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

R2-D2 (ARTOO-DEETOO)

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0094: This review was supposed to run back in January, but I misplaced the figure before getting photos, and only just unearthed him last week.

I have a soft spot for robots, but for reasons that don’t really line up internally, I have a hard time getting excited about R2-D2 figures. I don’t know why. Other droids I can get excited about, even other Astromechs. Hand me an R5 and I’m thrilled. But R2? Not the same. Maybe he’s just too central a character, kind of like my thing with Duke and Optimus? It’s not that I dislike the character, nor that I don’t *want* to own him in figure form. So, I do buy him…I’m just less enthusiastic about it.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

R2-D2 (Artoo-Deetoo) was initially released as part of the third series of the Return of the Jedi Retro Carded Black Series figures.  He was then subsequently re-released, now bearing branding from The Mandalorian, in the last standard Black Series assortment of last year, alongside Hera, Huyang, Marrok, and Pre Vizsla.  It’s worth noting that the figure reviewed here is the standard assortment version, but the two releases appear to be identical.  The figure is a little under 4 inches tall and he has 11 points of articulation.  One of the more notable issues with the last astromech mold is how small it was; Lucasfilm has gone back and forth on their standards for R2’s scaling, and when the original Black Series release hit, they were opting for smaller than he actually was on screen.  The standards have changed again since, but there was already a mold, and Hasbro stuck with it for as long as they could.  This new one, however, aims for more proper scaling, adding about 3/4 of an inch, and generally scaling him up to match.  The sculpt is, at least outwardly, very similar to the previous one, just bigger.  The general articulation scheme is similar as well, with basic swivels at the shoulders and ankles, and hinged doors on the sides.  He also has opening flaps on his front, and now has a swivel at the top of the third leg.  Additionally, the way the third leg works has been re-worked, so it’s no longer connected to the head spinning.  The head now can spin 360 degrees unimpeded by the mechanism, and the leg doesn’t require the head to spin to lower it.  While it’s less gimmicky and odd, it’s also a lot harder to get the third leg out once it’s been retracted, so it’s a 50/50 on which approach is better.  The head now gets is own extending feature, based on unused concept work for The Phantom Menace.  It’s goofy, and certainly not essential, but it’s also a fun little extra.  R2’s paint work is decent enough.  It’s all pretty cleanly handled, and again pretty much matches what was done on the original.  It’s all pretty clean and sharp, and it looks appropriately the part.  R2 is packed with four different arm attachments, plus his periscope and radar attachments for the head.  He lacks the thrusters and the lightsaber (especially notable since his first release was on the RotJ card) of the first one, but there’s at least some nice options here.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I struggled getting enthused for the first R2 from the line.  The second I did better with, since the Dagobah look is a little more exciting.  This one’s effectively the original but bigger, so I wasn’t even sure I was going to buy him at all.  But, I was getting the rest of the set, and he did look pretty solid in person, so I broke.  And then, you know, I lost him.  As you do.  But I found him, so it’s alright.  He’s not bad.  The scaling is better, and some of the features a better refined.  He’s also notably sturdier, which I do like.  So, he’s fun.  But he’s R2, so I’m back to struggling to get excited.  Maybe I should have gotten the updated R5 instead?

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.

#3610: Spacetrooper

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

SPACETROOPER

STAR WARS: THE LEGACY COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0089: Joe Johnston, director of Jumanji, The Rocketeer, and Captain America: The First Avenger, amongst other things, worked in the visual effects department for the original Star Wars trilogy, and had a hand in the design of both Boba Fett and his ship.

These days, my Star Wars collecting is rather focused.  I pick up the odd Black Series figure here and there, but beyond that, I’ve got my Power of the Force collection, and a selection of favorites from Clone Wars.  The other lines I generally skip, but there’s the occasional figure here and there that pique’s my interest, especially when it comes to the more fun behind the scenes stuff.  Like, for instance, today’s focus, the Spacetrooper!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Spacetrooper was part of the fifth assortment of Star Wars: The Legacy Collection, where he was numbered BD-32.  He was subsequently re-released the following year in a repack assortment with a new Build-A-Droid part.  All of the fifth assortment figures were based on A New Hope, and this guy was no exception; the Spacetrooper is visible outside the Death Star when the Millennium Falcon is pulled in by the tractor beam.  Essentially, he’s a standard Stormtrooper, with two extra bits to make him space ready.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 22 points of articulation.  The movement on this guy represents pretty much the height of articulation for Star Wars prior to them finally doing away with the T-crotch joint that George Lucas apparently mandated.  It’s a rather mobile figure, but also kind of stiff?  I don’t know.  It’s certainly not bad for the time or the scale, and it’s less floppy than newer Star Wars figures.  The Spacetrooper’s sculpt used the sculpt that originated with the Vintage Original Trilogy Collection Stormtrooper as its starting point, but got an updated head and torso, and seems to generally be a slightly sharper rendition of the sculpt.  He’s got a removable helmet, which matches well with the non-removable equivalent for this body sculpt, and underneath, he’s got a head sporting the likeness of Joe Johnston, who was the guy actually in the Spacetrooper armor on set.  The paint work is decent enough; he’s got the basic black and white set-up, with the extra details under the helmet and all.  The Spacetrooper is packed with his rebreather pack and hose, which plug into his helmet and back, and are fairly secure.  He also gets a standard blaster, as well as a larger rifle, complete with moving handle.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I wasn’t really collecting much Star Wars when this figure came out, so I missed him when he was new.  He always intrigued me, though, so when I found a loose complete one through All Time, I jumped on it.  He’s a fun little figure, and, hey, now I’ve got a Joe Johnston 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.

#3585: Fennec Shand

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

FENNEC SHAND

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0064: Fennec Shand actress Ming-Na Wen has been a Disney Princess, a Star Wars Bounty Hunter, and an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., giving her a tri-fecta of Disney franchise appearances!

Star Wars: Retro Collection has somehow steadily become my main go-to line for modern Star Wars collecting, which is, I guess sort of paradoxical, with it being branded “retro” and all.  I don’t know, I just like my Star Wars figures to be more on the basic side, and the death of the 5POA line after Solo really bummed me out, so I like having *something* in that range.  That said, I’m finding myself a little less attached to all things Star Wars, so I wound up skipping pretty much all of the Book of Boba Fett tie-in set from the line.  Admittedly, it was a little bit same-y for a lot of it.  I didn’t want to miss out on Fennec, though, so here she is!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Fennec Shand is one of the seven figures in the Book of Boba Fett assortment of Star Wars: Retro Collection.  She kind of hammers home the set’s place as a Mandalorian continuation, since she’s had several appearances there, but hadn’t yet gotten a figure from the specifically Mando assortments.  Thankfully, she kept the same look in Book, so this figure can pull double duty, just like the Black Series and Vintage Collection.  The figure stands just over 3 1/2 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation.  The movement on the neck is slightly limited by the ponytail, but the way it’s draped, it’s not entirely restricted, which is certainly a plus.  Her sculpt is unique to her, and it’s pretty nice.  It does a good job of threading the needle on keeping a lot of detailing, but also still dialing into the retro Kenner vibe.  She’s clearly meant to be aping one of Kenner’s later figures, especially given the removable helmet set-up.  The underlying head isn’t a perfect match for Ming-Na Wen, but it’s respectable enough to be obvious who it’s supposed to be, and it works well within the style.  Fennec’s paint work is actually pretty solid, with some subtle dark grey detailing mixed in with the molded black color, as well as the proper orange highlights seen in the show.  The application is pretty clean, and the whole thing looks very proper for the line.  Fennec is packed with a removable helmet (which sits very nicely on her head) and her blaster rifle.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I wanted Fennec when these figures were first shown off, but when they actually arrived, it was at the same time as the Ahsoka assortment, which I wanted more.  I’ve also been trying to scale my collection back where I can, so I didn’t want to buy just to buy.  That said, I gave it some thought and realized I still wanted the figure, so I wound up going back for her.  She’s pretty fun, just like the rest of the line.

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.

#3575: Morgan Elsbeth

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

MORGAN ELSBETH

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

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

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

THE FIGURE ITSELF

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

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

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

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

#3570: HK-87 Assassin Droid

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

HK-87 ASSASSIN DROID

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

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

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

THE FIGURE ITSELF

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

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

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

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

#3568: ARC Trooper Captain

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

ARC TROOPER CAPTAIN

STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES (HASBRO)

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

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

THE FIGURE ITSELF

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

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

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

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

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#3566: Sabine Wren

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

SABINE WREN

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

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

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

THE FIGURE ITSELF

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

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

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

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

#3561: Chopper (C1-10P)

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

CHOPPER (C1-10P)

STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0040:  There are two characters in Ahsoka whose original actors reprise the roles.  The first was David Tennant as Huyang, and the second was Dave Filloni as Chopper.  You gotta keep those Daves around!

Can you be into Star Wars toys and not just love a good Astromech Droid?  Of course not!  Every good story’s got at least one of those plucky little guys rattling around.  And no one rattles around more than C1-10P, aka Chopper, resident Astromech of the crew of The Ghost.  Chopper has been surprisingly light on toy coverage, but with new appearances in Ahsoka, we get another opportuntiy for cool toys of the feisty droid!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Chopper is figure 4 in the Ahsoka tie-in assortment of Star Wars: Retro Collection figures.  Chopper’s had two prior 3 3/4 inch scale figures, both based more specifically on animation.  This one’s…well, he’s not exactly live action, I suppose.  The figure is about 2 inches tall and has 3 points of articulation.  Chopper is clearly taking a page from how Kenner handled R2 and R5 in the vintage line, which makes sense, given the style they’re going for and all.  He’s appropriately shorter and boxier than those two, but very much in keeping with their more simplistic and geometric shaping.  He’s using the classic “tube” body, which is hollow on the inside, much like the original R2, which adds to that authentic feel.  Chopper’s paint is simple and minor, largely relying on molded plastic for the bulk of it, and some small bits of detailing on the head.  The largest bit of detailing is in the form of a decal on the body of the droid, again really hammering home those vintage R2 comparisons.  Chopper’s one accessory is a removable third leg.  While the vintage Astromechs generally didn’t have this feature, the R2 that came with the Droid Factory playset *did* and it was handled in a similar fashion to this one, making it a perfect little extra to include.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Chopper was the figure I was probably the most looking forward to from this set, and he’s ultimately the one I most enjoyed as well.  There’s just something delightful about just how faithful he is to the vintage aesthetic, and it makes for a figure that’s simple but just so amazingly effective.

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.