Galactic Hunter's Star Wars Figure of the Day with Adam Pawlus

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,396: Chalmun (Mos Eisley Set, The Vintage Collection)

2026-11-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

CHALMUN Mos Eisley Set
The Vintage Collection Hasbro Pulse Exclusive
Item No.: No. G3210
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Mug, blaster, Garindan, Labria, Arleil Schous
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $74.99
Availability: October 2026
Appearances: Star Wars: The Mos Eisley Cantina Pop-Up Book

Bio: Bounty hunters, Hutt hirelings, and down-on-their-luck scoundrels of all descriptions roamed the spaceport city of Mos Eisley. (Taken from the box packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Effectively Chewbacca with new parts and a swell mustache, this figure brings a Ralph McQuarrie pop-up book painting to life. It really looks spectacular in the bar of your HasLab or cardboard Cantina.

The set with Chalmun is $75 in an era where one carded figure is $20. Hasbro no doubt saved more than a few bucks by packaging and shipping them together, and we got a slight discount as a result. It's by no means cheap and it doesn't feel like a screaming deal, but two of the four figures were never before made as Hasbro action figures in any scale or size. The other two haven't been made in roughly 20 years. (OK, a Labria repaint came out in 2007.) While I do grouse a fair bit, I don't have a reason to fault this set's character selection or pricing yet. I only say "yet" because I popped Chalmun out of the box first, and you'll be reading these reviews as I pop open and enjoy the figures.

This is a great figure. I'll go a step farther and say this is the kind of thing I want from Hasbro. I read Tales from Mos Eisley, but my first memory of seeing Chalmun is from a Ralph McQuarrie-painted cover to the Star Wars: The Mos Eisley Cantina Pop-Up Book. That's a core 1990s collecting memory, which means we have a new Cantina guy designed by old Star Wars talent in a pre-CGI, pre-Special Edition world. This is from that period of time where Kenner having figures on-shelf was not merely novel but was a life-changing nerd event, and we started to see things expanding our universe. Hasbro seemed to take few to no liberties here - they delivered a figure that looks like what you may remember from the book. The fur looks good. The vest texture is perfect. They even changed his hands so they don't look exactly like Chewie. I would absolutely love to tell you "you don't need this," but if you're anything like me you absolutely need this.

The reason I collected Star Wars was because the line ended before I was done with it, and I wanted to go back and get stuff I missed. Then I got new stuff, because I wanted more of the thing I already liked. Yes, we had new movies and comics and TV shows, but everything has to be connected to the original movie for me. The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi count, and really so does anything building on what we had as kids is superbly welcome. This figure does for our Cantina what mini-rigs did for our figures - it gives us something that seems like an off-camera addition to our toybox. The only thing that would make me like this figure more is if Hasbro did it in Kenner style, even 1990s Kenner style.

Chalmun's a partial retool of 2025 Chewbacca [FOTD #3,299], who was a retool of a retool of a retool of Original Trilogy Collection Chewbacca from 2004-2005. That mold has been in circulation forever, and Hasbro has slowly replaced most of its parts. I think the only part of Chalmun that's a holdover from that 2004 release are the upper arms. Chalmun's head, hands, torso, and upper legs seem to be all new. The lower arms, lower legs, and feet seem recycled from 2025 Chewbacca. Looking back at the reference paintings, Hasbro understood the assignment.

The new face looks like Chewbacca in an unconvincing costume, not unlike Guy Incognito or Duckman N. Disguise. The head perfectly matches Ralph McQuarrie's seemingly late-19th century barkeep haircut, with an old thyme mustache. The book looks a little more gray, Hasbro's looks a little more brown. Most of the rest of the hair and face look a lot like Chewbacca, who no doubt served as the subject for the reference painting. The vest looks great, and it's puffy-looking while still being plastic. No notes, no complaints.

If you have the HasLab bar, Chalmun really has to hunch down to put his arms on it. This is easy because the legs have an excellent range of movement with thigh swivels and clicky knees. He even has rocker ankles. The figure lacks the numerous mid-torso joints that Chewbacca has, which improves his look. The waist pivot works well, and I don't like ugly joints above the waist.

The blaster is not new - it's a recolor of 2014 Ree-Yees [FOTD #2,097] and he's been repackaged twice in The Vintage Collection so far. The holster is new, as far as I can tell, and it fits like a glove. The tankard was previously used with Krrsantan [FOTD #3,053], so it probably looks familiar.

Chalmun has no problems holding his accessories, but you might have to pry his fingers a bit to get the tankard in there. It looks great, and was a really clever reuse of existing accessories. This is the kind of figure that feels like a reward for sticking around for so long, because it adds another set of hands behind the bar you might have bought without going in a direction that seems too far from the movie. Fans may bristle at having had to wait a year for more new Cantina guys, and for only two of the four being genuine debuts, but I think it works. I could use a Labria with knees, and as much as I love the previous Garindan figures they were all a little wrong in interesting ways. This set is a nice addition to all the "Return to Tatooine" stuff you picked up in 2025, or so it seems, I'll let you know when I open them. I can say Chalmun makes me glad I spent the money on this set, though, and I can't wait to see what new Cantina aliens we hopefully get next year. (Confidential to Hasbro: one or zero per year is depressing, but two or more per year feels like a good time.)

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,396: November 10, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,395: KP-1 (Droid Factory)

2026-11-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

KP-1 (Figure Debut)
Star Wars Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Card, RX arm
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $19.99
Availability: October 2026
Appearances: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Bio: KP-1 was a masculine K-series astromech droid associated with the Hidden Path. In 9 BBY, the droid was found on the planet Jabiim. (Taken from the figure's trading card. This is literally the exact same bio on Wookieepedia. Coincidence?)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Not a Christmas Tree, but also not entirely not a Christmas Tree. It's small and expensive with few moving parts, but it's also a weeble and a rare new droid body type.

I don't know if I even need to say that KP-1 as a $20 figure is expensive, and at $33 delivered after tax is just a miserable price. But I probably do need to say it's a rare new mold, and I'd rather pay Disney $33 for an all-new droid with gnashed teeth than buy another variant Anakin from Hasbro. (Did you know they've reused those same Anakin legs on six Anakins over the past year so far?) Collecting Star Wars usually ha you balancing nostalgia with novelty, and if it feels you're not getting anything new, you might not want to keep going. Disney's droid program was getting a little long in the tooth, but new molds like this little guy probably mean we'll start seeing new holiday droids down the road, too.

Disney made a droid that does... well, not much. There's a telescoping neck platform under the dome, which is removable. The flared, green base is removable and has the same connector as the middle leg on an R2 unit. You can swap domes and legs, but will the figure remain standing? Probably not. I appreciate the consistency in connectors, though, and Disney added an added hole in the bottom of the Weeble base which I assume could have some future function. I wish it had some added feature, like a pop-out tool or something, but this guy is pretty much only good at standing and not falling down. If you collect droids, this is a new one, and new ones are pretty scarce.

So, how is it? Pretty good. Disney did not pull out all the stops for this one, but you can see a few extra pennies went into the paint. The green base is molded in color with some off-white panels and a gunmetal gray bottom which has some unfortunately painted and possibly visible copyright writing printed on it. Mercifully, it's dark, so you likely will not notice it unless you pick him up. The dome has a lovely silver painted on it, which looks great. All the green panels and various lights and eyes are painted well, too. Every element isn't perfect, but they're all very good. The body is painted in that off-white color too, giving it a more realistic look than a molded-in-color figure. It looks expensive, with decently painted panels matching the show. So what's missing? Grit. Other Disney droids employed various levels of grime to bring it to life, and this model is factory fresh in opposition to the TV show. It's not bad. Actually it's pretty great - it's just something they opted to not do. All of the little lights and vents look pretty good, and the panels show up as well as you can get without a dirt wipe.

I think this figure would have been better as a part of a boxed set, or even as a two-pack with another droid only because there's not much here. It looks like roughly four molded parts and that telescoping neck doesn't really add a lot of fun to the toy. It's something, and it is good to have any sort of fidgety play feature on a droid. Back in the day we had clicky domes, clicky legs, removable limbs, snap-in arms, even moving mouths - Kenner made sure to give you something fun. Hasbro has been short on that lately, and so has Disney - but removable parts and stretchy necks makes me want to recommend this to you if you're accepting of the asking price. I don't have any other droids that look like this, and Lucasfilm's droid shop did a nice job coming up with something that looks like a 1980s design while also not being literally the same R2 body again. You can also spin it like a top. It's fun. If the mood strikes, get one of these.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Shop Disney. It sold through quickly but might still be in a theme park gift shop.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,395: November 5, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,394: Anakin Skywalker (SDCC Yavin 4, The Vintage Collection)

2026-11-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

ANAKIN SKYWALKER & Asajj Ventress
The Vintage Collection 2026 SDCC / Hasbro Pulse Exclusive
Item No.: No. G2768
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Hand, lightsaber, hilt, and Asajj's stuff
Action Feature: Swappable hand
Retail: $51.99
Availability: July 2026
Appearances: Clone Wars

Bio: Through the caves of Yavin 4, Padawan Anakin Skywalker takes on Sith assassin Asajj Ventress - and his rage leads him closer to the dark side. (Taken from the box packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: A battle-damaged Jedi... but not the same level of damage as the one we got in 2005. That means he's new enough to be worthwhile.

There was a tine when convention exclusives offered something unique or even impossible to match in the main line - this is not that time. Anakin Skywalker and Asajj Ventress give us two perfectly good figures in a perfectly tolerable TV-style box. There are no special accessories above and beyond previous basic figure releases, and there are a lot of shared parts - so this set's appeal comes from how much you loved the 2003 cartoon. This is technically a new costume, as Anakin's shirt and pants get more and more messed up as the fight goes on and this represents it when the rain starts. (If you've never seen the 2D Clone Wars there's a supercut edit of the original episodes on Disney+, and it's great.)

Anakin reuses a lot of parts. The legs were used with at least four previous releases - the two Jedi Spirits from Return of the Jedi, one from Revenge of the Sith, and another from Ahsoka, and a fifth upcoming Attack of the Clones figure reuses many parts as well. Counting this figure, that's six figures with the same legs, and some shared heads, hands, torsos, and other elements within a year. That feels like an awful lot of shared re-re-reuse within a very short period of time, even if it makes sense. It also confirms that if you're feeling The Vintage Collection has been feeling very repetitive, it's not just you. It's a lot of very similar stuff lately and the savings are not being passed along to you.

I feel like I need some sort of venn diagram to explain all the overlap, but time is tight. This figure has torn pants on a new right thigh plus new arms... and I think everything else may come from other sets. You've seen the alternate hand and lightsaber before. The chest, belt, left thigh, waist, and boots were reused on all of the prequel Anakins from the past year. The head was shared with Attack of the Clones. The left hand seems shared with several Anakin figures. The right robot hand is new. The lightsaber hilt may be unique, in that the bladed version is painted silver and the unlit version from the belt appears to be molded in grey with black highlights. Asajj has more new going for her, but Anakin is basically a mishmash of other main line figures with some new colors and a new head. The soft goods parts of the robes are also a little different, with a couple of pre-cut tears in them.

The light browns are indeed different from all of the other releases, and of course the bare parts of the arms are brand new - and look great. The arm seems inset in the torn sleeves, and it looks pretty great. The hands bend and swivel, even the robot ghost hand. It's light on painted detail, but it's gold, and that's a start. I would have loved painted wires or other details, but at least it's very good at gripping a lightsaber. I would have loved alternate arms or something to plus up the package, but I assume the arms inset in the sleeves is what cost more money here. It doesn't feel above and beyond the quality of the many other Anakin figures of the past year, but at least it looks distinctive. There hasn't been a Yavin 4 duel-specific Anakin in any form for quite some time.

It's a very good looking figure, and pretty much precisely how they should have done it (recycled parts and all) but it feels like another case of a figure being at a deluxe-ish price with packaging that doesn't feel particularly luxe. It's fine. They seem to be pushing for a very specific nostalgia button, but VHS and VCRs were on the way out by the time this show aired. It was increasingly difficult to find VHS tapes in those days, but I remember watching the 3-minute shorts mostly on my laptop, because it was hard to find the show on the TV schedule. Lest ye forget, the shorts were barely longer than an ad break.

Six Anakins sharing parts within a year is a lot, and the price for this set feels particularly high (and given that it did not yet sell through, I would say that's a fair opinion.) Having said that, it's the best/only version of this character in this costume yet, since it's mid-duel and we've not had one before. It stands out from the version from 2005 [FOTD #69]. I'd recommend this set if the price does not bother you, because the two figures would have been spectacular basic releases. And then you can also remember that the set in 2005 got you 5 figures for $20, and while those were more toy than collector product, it was still 5 figures for $20. I guess you have to ask yourself what rocker ankles, a swappable hand, and real cloth parts are worth to you.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse and I absolutely feel I overpaid. But I also really like it.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,394: November 3, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,393: Clone Trooper (Halloween Edition)

2026-10-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

CLONE TROOPER (Halloween Edition)
The Black Series 2022 Closed Box Line Look Halloween Packaging, ~~Target~~ Shared Exclusive
Item No.: No. F5608
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Porg as Dracula, black trunk, Beskar chocolate bars
Action Feature: It's green!
Retail: $27.99
Availability: October 2022
Appearances: n/a

Bio: Celebrate the season with specially designed Star Wars figures from The Black Series! (Taken from the box packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Happy Halloween! Nigel Tufnel would approve of this Star Wars figure for monster kids. This is the kind of thing I'd be buying if I didn't already have hundreds of The Black Series figures I haven't touched in years. It's clever, and if you like how it looks it's worth picking up.

I've basically dropped out of The Black Series but the right item at the right price is hard to skip. I was on a work trip and found the Clone Trooper (Halloween Edition) for $9.99 in 2025, so I bought it. As you do. I'm not super fond of holiday figures but I like monsters and weird, weird figures. Seeing an all-black Clone Trooper in what turned out to be not glow-in-the-dark paint seemed fun, but the fact that it also looked a bit like Nigel Tufnel's shirt in This Is Spiñal Tap seemed interesting. A sidekick Porg in Dracula feathers also seemed like a good purchase.

The figure is a fun idea that I think I'd recommend it without reservations if I haven't written up over 3,000 figures. You can lose your sense of humor over time, and this sort of thing is probably more at home in a holiday tableaux on a credenza than in a collector's basement. Keep your eyes open for a deal, and if nothing else consider that it's a pretty neat deco-only reworking of elements from three unrelated action figures.

Figures like these may make fans ask "so what is a Star Wars figure anyway?" When I was a kid, most of them attempted to be faithful representations of on-screen characters and costumes to a pretty decent amount of success. This 6-inch line started as a reboot of sorts, and expanded over the years to include things that exist more as a keepsake, a collectible, a souvenir. The figure has to work for its own sake, it must make its corporation money with no new tooling. It is not interested in source material. These holiday figures have a lot in common with blind-boxed figures from over the years where you'd get a teddy bear in hundreds of colorways, and those tend to be a great impulse buy. I'm willing to bet collecting Halloween Star Wars exclusively is a lot of fun as a low-stakes, low-impact hobby.

The mold is the 2020 Phase II redux complete with the simpler knee and elbow joints. It still has the slug head under the helmet, and is completely molded in black with painted green highlights. I assume it's a cheaper figure to make, and they also left out the blasters on these guys. You get accessories, such as a Maz Kanata trunk with a ghost Hutt under the lid and a quintet of Beskar ingots painted to look vaguely like chocolate bars.

I like this figure for what it is - a weird collectible that was not manufactured to meet the needs of its audience. It's a great idea, and I think a more subtle approach might have worked even better. There's something garish about the all-over bones, and if it looked like they just painted a skull on the helmet of a Clone who self-customized his armor it might feel more authentic to the galaxy. But that's not the aim of this kind of product - it's a holiday decoration, a grab for acceptance from the kind of person who likes toys but doesn't make it a lifestyle. I would have preferred a "costume" blaster - even if it's in white and orange - over no blaster, mostly because this figure isn't going to look good hauling around a trunk. I would not miss these accessories were they left out to keep the price down.

The Porg is a cute bonus, but arguably not worth the mark-up. The black plastic feather fluffball has a blue face with yellow eyes and a very distinctive white belly pattern. I'm kind of surprised Hasbro didn't run with this concept and do blind-bagged Porgs painted up as various pop culture fixtures. I don't know how it would do, but it feels very in-line with Be@rbrick or other similar lines. It doesn't add much to a big collection, but it's clever enough to make me irate that the paint can't glow in the dark. It's still neat, but it could have been even neater.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from a place that is not open to the public at a very low price. The Cad Bane/Grand Inquisitor set is being dumped at closeout stores in 2026, so keep your eyes open for fun surprises.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,393: October 29, 2025

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,392: Dark Trooper (Force Mech Suit / Epic World of Action)

2026-10-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

DARK TROOPER Force Mech Suit
Epic World of Action Amazon Exclusive
Item No.: No. G1421
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: 1 Mech, 1 big blaster, 1 small blaster, 1 figure
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $21.99
Availability: October 2025
Appearances: The Mandalorian, probably

Bio: Gear up for battle! Open the Star Wars mech suit at the feet and place the Dark Trooper action figure inside. (Taken from the Amazon's web site. Package has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: The epic finale! I put off buying this one until I needed to buy something for a family member, and also, a record to get to free shipping. I waited about a year to pick up the Dark Trooper (Force Mech Suit), mostly out of waiting for a massive price drop that never actually came. I think the lowest I saw it over a year was $17ish. Why wait? Am I that cheap? Yes. The figure is the same as the 2025 Epic World of Action Dark Trooper [FOTD #3,234], itself a very good figure, with one extra paint app. The silver around the joints and the red around the eyes are all present but they added a goofy circuit pattern. It's charming, mostly because this figure (and this line, in particular) dared to ask what might happen if 1990s Kenner just went goofy with the license. Given how many other figures have clear red blasters or giant silly mechs with belt buckles, I assume this was not a successful venture.

The 4-inch scale Dark Trooper is jointed at the shoulders, neck, elbows, knees, and hips. It's a smidgen taller than the thousands of other figures we usually review here, and I think it works in its favor because you kind of want an intimidating giant robot. I love that the silver pops nicely against the glossy black, and I very much appreciate how sturdy he is. He stands, he pilots a mech, and he can hold his blaster with no real fuss. The sculpt is pretty simple and elegant, with some twists. There's a 5mm socket in his back, and some smaller holes in his forearms which generally won't be serving a purpose. You can plug in the big red mech blaster as a backpack, or you can swipe accessories from Epic Hero Series Mandalorians on his wrists... but you won't. You're probably too busy to dig them out and see how it looks. That's why I'm here, to do the dirty work for you and you can be lazy and grow fat and old just sitting there rather than playing with your toys.

The blasters are clear red. The small one is a little silly, and I kind of wish they painted the blaster part black. It's distinctive. The big red one looks like a giant Stormtrooper rifle, and thanks to it having a 5mm grip you can share it with various Takara and Tomy toys. This means you can mount it on your Battle Beasts Shocking Shark, you can plug it in to most of your Transformers' fists, and it might even fit in a few Zoids. If you have a decent toy collection, you'll also find it fits in the hands of multiple other figure lines - you'll just have to test it out. It feels like a sturdy PVC, so I assume it will hold up well to time as long as it doesn't discolor with age.

I'm beginning to think having toys with no advertising or seemingly marketing support of any kind is a mistake, particularly kid stuff. There's nobody out there, not even Hasbro fan streams, to tell you that this 6 1/2-inch mech suit came out and is actually kind of neat. I like toy robots, and seeing this silly Dark Trooper-ish suit augmented with a big red Imperial cog belt buckle and mostly clear red Lifesavers-colored fists is something of a delight. The glossy black suit is covered in light detailing, with greeblies and belts and things that vaguely look like vents and gears. It's charming. Each fist, shoulder, forearm, and sole has a 5mm port for the blaster. Even the back has a big 5mm port, yet no backpacks were made in this collection. Why? I have zero clue.

The figure has jointed shoulders and limited elbow articulation. You can open it up around the ankles, and there's a clip inside for the pilot. You'll also see sculpted circuit patterns plus myriad interior detailing which serves no manufacturing purpose. Hasbro hired a person just to make it look cool in there for any kid that got this, opened it, and just decided to explore the interior. It's really impressive work and shows a dedication to going the extra mile on a toy that, frankly, didn't benefit from it. I don't know any collectors or adult fans that bought this particular toy, and very few people admit to buying these. Clearly some of you are curious, I can see in the logs that the performance is high enough that someone is reading these. Also, the figure has zero problems squeezing inside his mech, and the big blaster works in all the appropriate holes.

I feel like this figure - and indeed this line - marked a weird attempt to revive the line as toys for children, to mixed results. This is an excellent item for the price and shows Hasbro's considerable capabilities when they want to give you actual value for your money. This thing costs the same as a Vintage figure, and you get two guys. The loudest fans prioritize ankle tilts on figures that may never be opened, and for whatever reason nobody wanted to market what turned out to be a pretty solid duology of Epic Hero Series and Epic World of Action. If you collect toys - not collectibles, but toys - this is a most excellent set. I'd recommend the entire line. As I write this in early October, Ross stores are getting $7.99 Epic N-1 Starfighters. That's a steal. This whole line was packed with Kenner-feeling toys at great prices, but suffered from being a little scattered in its character selection. Having said that, the entire line of figures and vehicles can fit inside a simple paper box - I'd actually recommend the entire collection for houses with children. They're fun. They're good. They're affordable.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Amazon.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,392: October 27, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,391: Clone Commander Cody (Utapau, The Vintage Collection)

2026-10-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

CLONE COMMANDER CODY (Utapau)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Walmart Exclusive 2-Pack
Item No.: No. G3192
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #413
Includes: Blaster rifles, removable jet pack
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $39.99
Availability: August 2026
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: On Clone Commander Cody's orders, the 212th battalion's specially trained clone paratroopers searched - to no avail - for their missing former commander, Obi-Wan Kenobi. (Taken from the cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Walmart now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Pairing Anakin Skywalker with Obi-Wan Kenobi makes no sense to me, but some Walmarts are still stocked with unsold 501st Legion Clones from last year so I guess "why not?" It's the 20th anniversary of Hasbro's first take on this Revenge of the Sith figure, so I guess this is as good of a time as any to pretend that this was likely intentional. We got that first one in The Saga Collection, and then in 2010 we got another movie Cody in The Vintage Collection that was pretty spectacular for ten dollars. He had a little holographic Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan's lightsaber, and a removable helmet with a Clone head underneath - and a lot more sculpted (and painted) battle damage. But this new one has better proportions, and better articulation. Who can say which one is better?

Me, I can.

Because this one is fresh, this particular shade of orange is a bit more consistent - and looks more faded - so it matches recent releases. The plastic is new, so the armor is white - and that's good. It also has more fine line deco, with more subtle battle damage (that isn't necessarily evocative of the battle-wear on Utapau) as well as finer white pin striping on the helmet and shoulders. Colors are pretty good, and odds are this character's orange battalion marks should be a little more subtle than the previous saturated orange figures. I'd argue 2026 Cody is too pale, but that is left to people who are better with this sort of thing. For some reason Hasbro made the antenna in a bone color rather than silver - I don't care for that - and painted the backs of the hands too thinly. When dealing with a light color - like orange - on top of black plastic, you have to do an extra couple of layers or it looks sort of cheap. This is something you saw a lot in 1980s toys, but less in recent years. Hasbro also kept 2026 Cody rather clean. The legs and arms don't really h ave the sculpted dents of previous editions, nor does the figure have the multitudes of slashes, scrapes, dents, and muddy bits that we saw in the movie. The copper band on the arm seems a little pale, but the visor on the helmet looks great and is a separately molded part. That costs you more. The belt pouches have a bit more zing, with some silver ones. It's interesting to see that Hasbro added some detail, while leaving some off. In this era, at $20 (or $40) a whack, my hope is that every new remake would be unquestionably better... and this one is different.

I miss the loss of Obi-Wan's lightsaber - a great play/display feature - and Cody's actual head. Maybe Hasbro has a plan for version 2.0 with more wear, the head, and a removable helmet to go with the lightsaber. All you get here are two blasters, which is a real step back from the storytelling that Hasbro gave us with the previous release. An "Execute Order 66" hologram was worth the price of admission, and the extra stuff was icing on the cake. You didn't feel that you got shorted. This time I feel they left some stuff out, since we're seeing things like Embo with a hat and alternate hands or some really wild deco on the Remnant Troopers. Cody is fine. Cody does not impress with sculpt or deco.

Cody does impress with engineering, as his hips move nicely and it's easy to pose him to stand or sit in a ship. Usually there may be some fidgeting, but here he just works. It was easy to get his hands on his blasters, and the bend-and-swivel wrists make it easy to aim too. Hasbro did an excellent job ensuring he can hold the gear they gave him. The jet pack sits nicely on the back and is decorated fairly well. It's clean, and it matches the figure.

Hasbro did spend a lot of money on the helmet, which is probably why there's no human head. The visor is a separate piece, but so are the greeblies on the sides. There are tiny, fine details around the mouth that are incredibly well done. Also, they left the nub above his visor unpainted again. I'm not fond of "deluxe" pricing, but sometimes you see a figure and you just say "well, maybe we should have seen what another five bucks could have gotten us." Posing this figure is a dream, and he looks really good, but he falls short of the considerable ambition you can read into the final product.

This is one where I'd say it's worth getting if you need a Cody and never got one. If you're happy with your old one, this may not be an improvement. If I were working at Hasbro I'd want to try again... the light, subtle battle damage doesn't work well on a small figure and I would've opted for "clean" or "dirty," in-between doesn't work for me. I assume we got what we got due to costing issues, but I'd rather they save a few more pennies and just give us a clean Cody instead. Still, recommended because it's the first new movie Cody in 13 years.

If this seems harsh, there's a reason. As we march away from "toy" and into "collectible," I don't really see much reason to be happy with an upgrade that isn't an upgrade. If this were a kid's figure for $10-$13, I'd say "this is incredibly good for the asking price" because of course you had to trim paint or accessories to meet the budget. This 2026 Cody had a ton of work put into him, and is better than the "clean" 5-jointed 2013 Saga Legends Cody [FOTD #2,069]. Now that we're at $20 I want the best-looking figure with the best gear ever... and this isn't that. It shows a lot of tooling was used, and tons of fine detailing, and advances in manufacturing techniques. And that's good! But it's not more fun, and you'll probably want to keep the 2010 model around if you're doing dioramas because of his gear and special belt with a lightsaber holster. If you want a quasi "Expanded Universe" Cody for your off-camera dio stories or whatever, Hasbro's figure is the best possible option. I just couldn't recommend you not hang on to your old one, at least for his gear.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart. It can still be easily found here.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,391: October 22, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,390: Devon Izara (The Vintage Collection)

2026-10-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

DEVON IZARA 3 3/4-Inch Debut
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch basic figure
Item No.: Asst. G2786 No. G2625
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #408
Includes: Lightsaber, hilt, cape
Action Feature: Removable hat
Retail: $19.99
Availability: August 20206
Appearances: Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord

Bio: On the run from the Empire with her Jedi Master, Devon is a well-trained and savvy Padawan, adept with her blue lightsaber. Her desire to take action sometimes conflicts with her master's wish to stay hidden. (Taken from the cardback. It is unusual in that it is a bio for a new show or movie, and it actually tells you something about the character.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: This Devon Izara figure is pretty good, and she seems to have shown up smack dab in the middle of the end of season 1 and what I assume will be the debut of season 2 next year. It's not ideal timing, as right now people are probably more interested in the multiple other projects likely to be released next - but she's important and we got her. She survived the first season and since the first images were shown to fans, we've all been asking the same thing. "Is she going to wind up looking like Darth Talon?" Because she's super young, probably not as Devon favors pants and Talon seems to have no real use for such excesses. But we don't know how long this Shadow Lord show will run, and we know there's probably over a decade of missing time to play around with.

We got The Black Series Devon a few months ago, but I held out for this one. They both seem to come from the same ancestral CAD file, with more or less the same wrinkles and colors. Articulation is similar, but not identical. The 6-inch figure has bend-and-swivel wrists, while Hasbro opted to favor aesthetics by giving her forearms that swivel at the shirt. It looks better. The legs and other joints all seem to look fairly similar, so nitpickers may dislike the slight reduction in articulation while others might say "it's fine, it looks better this way." I found the figure to be functional and generally easy to pose.

The belts vary. The 3 3/4-inch figure has a hole to hang a lightsaber hilt on her left (our right), while The Black Series has a hook to hang a hilt on her right (our left.) I see stock photos of The Black Series figure let you tuck it behind her belt too, but this one doesn't seem to have that function. The belt serves a purpose of hiding the waist joint too, so you get good waist movement without compromising the torso with an ab crunch or one of those utterly terrible mid-torso cuts. The boots are molded in color, and look great. Her hands match her head nicely, and her left hand has her fingers stretched out in a great "Use the Force" pose. What's even more incredible, that hand can hold a lightsaber with two fingers and a thumb. They really did a good job.

Textures are fantastic. The lightsaber has her painted leather brown hilt, which looks very nice for the size. The black bands are not perfectly painted, but you get the brown and silver and that's pretty good. Maybe we could have the black bands if the situation called for one and not two weapons. Her cloak is really impressive, with little clumps of fabric, signs of wear, and some plastic representations of fabric pilling. It might be one of the best plastic capes we've seen in ages, and it's certainly one of the better scarfs. It's flexible, but you can't really pose it or anything - you just move it a bit to let whatever arm pose you want.

I like this figure a lot. Some elements are not a precise match to the CG show model, but that's OK - this is a "realistic" interpretation. I found her very easy to pose in a combat stance, with her knees slightly bent and both hands on the lightsaber. And she's not toppling over as I type, either. While short and arguably low on gear compared to other recent figures, it shows just how far Hasbro has come in engineering a figure at a small size that can actually accomplish quite a bit. Older fans have tuned out the show already, but they're missing out - it was fun. And this is another really good example of Hasbro making good figures and either spending the time or the money to ensure they have joints that work rather than serve to add to the cost of a figure with little benefit.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,390: October 20, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,389: RJ-83 (Crimson Firehawk Droid, Young Jedi Adventures)

2026-10-15T00:33:00.000-07:00

RJ-83 Crimson Firehawk Pack-in
Young Jedi Adventures Vehicle Pilot
Item No.: No. F7878
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Crimson Firehawk vehicle, Nash Durango pilot figue
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $44.99
Availability: August 2023
Appearances: Young Jedi Adventures

Bio: Nash Durango was a female human pilot and mechanic from the Outer Rim planet Tenoo who lived during the High Republic Era. She befriended Jedi younglings Kai Brightstar, Lys Solay, and Nubs. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I have been meaning to review this original Young Jedi Adventures RJ-83 for a while... now seems like a good time since Disney made a 3 3/4-inch scale version, and he's tiny, and I haven't reviewed that one yet. Hasbro's version came out as part of its 4-inch kiddo line with big hands, heads, and feet... and this droid is a chunky 1 1/2-inches tall and 2 1/4-inches wide.

So what does this droid that is probably named in tribute to the 1983 release of Return of the Jedi do? Not much. The arms aren't jointed, the head is a separately molded element but seems fused in place. You buy a set like this because you love vehicles, or because you have kids. Or because you saw it on clearance, and you'll buy any vehicles for $7.50.

As far as I can tell, the design was made before the show was finished. Hasbro and Disney seemed to have this positioned to be a hit like the Marvel Jr. shows. Spidey and His Amazing Friends and its Iron Man spin-off have been decent hits with impressive toy lines, probably because they got to trade on existing, popular characters with known names. The only familiar face to get a toy in YJA was Yoda, who seemed to sell fine, and people weren't into paying $90 for a playset or $50 for a ship. It doesn't matter if they're big and cool - fans just folded their arms and said "nah."

Some key differences from the pictures I see from the show are different arms, a slightly different design for the cap on top of the dome, and the side panels around the bottom of the dome seem to be in a different pattern. The eye color i sa little different, and the orange on top of the dome is lighter on the final TV show. The TV show's "feet" have a lighter orange on the "toes" up front, too. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, it's just what happens when you get a toy ready to be on-shelf before the TV show's designs are locked. We've seen it happen with the movies too, most notably some big swings with the digital characters of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones looking to be preliminary models or, uh, naked. RJ-83 is incredibly close, but I have the gift of hindsight (and Google) to compare them. Nobody reading this in 2026 watched the show, and is unlikely to have noticed a change in design. And if they did, you can't deny that it's close.

This toy's only real action feature are its feet, which can plug in a specialized seat in the Crimson Firehawk vehicle. No bigger droid exists for it to sit on the dome. If you like how it looks, congratulations. It's basically an old-school collectible figure. I'd recommend the Crimson Firehawk set with this droid and Nash Durango for fans of the show (or kids), vehicle completists, and the droid fanatics out there. It's a very nice toy set and I think I would have loved it as a child, or if it was scaled to my existing 3 3/4-inch horde. Hasbro did a very nice job on it, and the figures are charming, durable, and colorful with excellent paint. It's cliche to say "not my Star Wars" but as fans get older, fans may not want to buy stuff aimed at the younger generations. Given Disney did a very nice 3 3/4-inch scale (tiny) version of this droid, I'd probably nudge you to go score one of those before this vehicle... unless you need the vehicle.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Ross. It was on clearance for a shockingly low $7.49.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,389: October 15, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,388: Geonosian Warrior (Vested The Vintage Collection)

2026-10-13T00:30:00.000-07:00

GEONOSIAN WARRIOR (No wings, 2 per box)
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Hasbro Pulse Exclusive Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G3213
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Sonic Blaster, duplicate figure, 2 additional figures with wings
Action Feature: Blaster
Retail: $67.99
Availability: September 2026
Appearances: Attack of the Clones

Bio: Referred to by clone troopers as “bugs” throughout the franchise, these Geonosian drones first appeared in the second film of the prequel trilogy. (Stolen from Hasbro Pulse's marketing copy.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I was on the fence about skipping this set, mostly because Hasbro gave us two great Geonosian figures already - but these did have something new to offer. Sure, the engineering and digital sculpt of these silver-armored Geonosian Warrior (no wings) figures are more or less the same as their winged companions... and similar to the Picador and Poggle the Lesser. But as far as I recall, this specific costume does not exist anywhere else in the Hasbro 3 3/4-inch line. I also didn't remember seeing it in guide books. I had to go to the movie to find this specific costume, and they were in the grandstands. This makes the figure unique in that it is both new, and potentially just different enough to make you mad. The Picador and these guys have pretty much the same build, the same head, the same body, but different hands, armor, and accessories. (And in some cases, wings.) They're not wildly different looking, which is good because they match the movies. But it does make me wish George Lucas and team made some a little greener, some a little browner, and just mixed them up visually a bit. (Heck, maybe they did and we'll find out the lighting made it hard to tell.)

It's easy to forget that back in 2002 - 24 years ago - we got our first playset of the Geonosis Arena. It was pretty big, and you could connect smaller add-on pieces to it. I'd love to see Hasbro do more sets just like it, because it was a great idea - and it's the best place for this figure to hang out. With the HasLab Gunship you could probably buy a few, get some sand, and set up a big battle on a table in a room in your house... and that would set you back thousands of dollars on top of the extra room you probably don't have. As such, the main customer for these figures are likely to be fans in their 30s and 40s that liked the prequels and still have that old playset. It got kind of expensive when you weren't looking. There aren't a ton of vehicles for these guys either, nor are there grandstands to fill as of yet. (Honestly, I was expecting there to be some sort of build-an-arena playset this year rather than the Orray, but the Orray is a more fun item.) But I digress. Let's talk bugs.

I was not remotely excited about this figure until I opened the box. I got the set to get free shipping on another order - and it was probably worth it. I like the distinctive vest-like armor that also looks like coveralls. The armor texture detail was very nicely sculpted, and I was surprised to see multiple metallic deco hits. There are little gold bits, and a larger brass-like patch over the groin. I was surprised to see painted gold rivets on the back of the figure, mostly because it was something I would have costed out on account to it likely never being noticed. Well, I noticed, kudos to you Hasbro. Some white elements are also painted. Is it true to the movie? Good question - it's hard to find good reference, so I'm going to say it looks fairly close to the scenes I eyeballed and it's interesting unto itself as a costume.

The clothes make the main - naked Geonosians had little impact on collecting, and that's most of what we got back in 2002 and 2003. They were based on earlier maquettes, while these new guys have the benefit of being modeled after nearly two and a half decades of looking back. I love the skin textures, and there are some nice colors too. The back of the figure's tail or abdomen - I don't know biped bug anatomy - has some brown on it, setting it apart and highlighting the various sculpted bands. The figure has a nice pivoting waist which is obscured but not hindered by the armor, and he has the same range of motion of the aforementioned Picador. You get swivel thighs, ball-jointed hips, rocker ankles, and just so many moving parts that it's almost overkill. Hasbro did a great job making what could well be the last Geonosian mold you'll ever need, and while I could say "swappable hands would be nice" I'd never make use of them. The closed right hand can hold the blaster, the open left hand can cradle it. It's one of the biggest opened hands I've ever seen at this scale, which is necessary because even this smaller sonic blaster is still pretty big compared to Republic issue firearms.

It's rare that Hasbro can make a figure and use the same mold for multiple releases but change out the armor and say "it's a new guy." (Ewoks, maybe Wookiees?) I'm sure it's a great cost-saving species, and this one has a fairly decent size sonic blaster. The first one we got in 2002 really could fire, and also was huge. This one will no doubt appear smaller, but it's a bit closer to the right size. I htink it's a tad small but that's also fine by me, it doesn't make the figure topple over and Hasbro did a nice job painting it. It's molded in gold with some dark brown around the barrel and the signature green inside. It's a good accessory. Most reference photos show them firing the blaster left-handed, which these figures can't do, but it's not like we can do much about it. If Hasbro ever does a carded variant someday, it might be nice to swap the CAD files' orientation and see if they can make them in the opposite stance.

If you're a prequel completist, you need this set - this is a new trooper costume that you don't have from a previous release. That makes it notable, because it's very rare that I can pick up a figure and say "this is new, actually." At $68 for 4 or $17 each, it is not a bargain. You don't get extra hands or gear or hats like you did with Embo, and there aren't unique paint jobs on each troop like we got with the Remnant Troopers from The Mandalorian and Grogu. The set has 2 each of 2 different styles of figure, and it's not obvious that you don't already have them. If you need every version of every alien, you need this. If you don't have the recent Picador or Sun Fac, I'd recommend this set to augment your existing bug clans. But if you don't like the prequels at all? You probably haven't made it this far. This is a good use of the troop box format, and it's always nice to get something new from the actual films.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,388: October 13, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,387: R2-D2 (D-Squad, Droid Factory)

2026-10-08T01:00:00.000-07:00

R2-D2 (D-Squad)
Star Wars Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Card, RX base
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $19.99
Availability: September 2026
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid has their own unique personality and colors. This droid served Colonel Meebur Gascon and the droid unit D-Squad to infiltrate a Separatist Dreadnought. Join R2-D2 on his adventures throughout the galaxy.May the Force be with you... and your Droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Figures like this show a depth of fanaticism, an attention to detail, and a sign that someone probably should stop me from having a credit card. R2-D2 (D-Squad) is a figure I've been anticipating for a while, but I was not expecting it to be a theme park exclusive, nor $20, nor actually $33 after tax and shipping. I assumed Hasbro might put out an R2-D2 with swappable legs, or maybe we'd see a decal kit, or something. There are other differences on this R2-D2 from previous Disney releases, but the important thing to remember is that scene from the movie Mystery Men where Mr. Furious is spun around during a slow-motion costume reveal that while his outfit seems to be unchanged, they did in fact add flames to the back where you can't see them. And if that reference means anything to you: good, you're in the right place.

The main reason to buy this set is if you liked the D-Squad episodes of The Clone Wars. I very much liked those episodes, as they were super weird and actually just kept throwing weird and fun ideas against the wall in a story that I doubt we would see as creators are increasingly scared of fans. It looks like Disney has at least 3 of the 4 astromechs planned for the line this year, and I wouldn't be surprised to see group filled out by the 50th anniversary. The gist of the episode is this: the Republic puts R2-D2, a tiny frog Walter Matthau, and four other droids on a mission to blow up other droids. Upgrades from a mad scientist are doled out to each astromech, and you can tell where they are by some black and red caution marks - that's what makes this R2-D2 interesting. He got some upgraded rockets. Did Disney include rocket legs in the set? No. There's no new tooling here, it's the same basic R2-D2 mold you've bought as R2-D2 and possibly hundreds of other robots by now. What makes it unique is that R2-D2 from Disney rarely has the foot wires - this one has them.

Deco is similar but not identical to other releases. The greeblies are frequently painted this time, so when you look on the dome's holographic projector or that long, rectangular bar on the back you will find them filled with black paint. The little dots over the red dot on the back are painted, but interestingly the panel to its left is left silver. Usually it's painted in blue, and it's worth noting nearly every panel is painted more cleanly and centered than previous recent releases. I should also note, that unpainted silver panel on the back seems to be par for t he course for most prop photos - but for all I know it's a Mandela Effect thing and I need to see if it changes from movie to movie. Depending on how persnickety you are about details, this sort of thing might be very appealing to you until you start doing the math of "my cartoon droid in realistic style is more movie accurate in some ways but lacks the dirt and grime of the cartoon." Pobody's nerfect.

With a rich silver paint on the dome, and sadly a lack of metallic shine in the blue on said dome, this is a pretty good figure. If you don't have an R2-D2 - and is that even possible - this is a perfectly good one. I wish they retained the "action feature" just because that seems like something I'd go nuts for as a child, and I have a weird fondness for black and yellow caution tape and coloring on toys. Was it worth $30? Not really. Would it have been worth $20 at the theme park? Probably, but after I paid for parking it'd be $30. The mouse demands the $30 sacrifice, and I think this is one of those things that's more of an emotional need to complete D-Squad than it is to have a particularly fresh R2-D2. It's good. They did a nice job. It is not exceptional, nor was it a good deal. I assume we will some day see a D-Squad gift set, because it's what I would have made. If you live in a future where such a thing exists, get it unless you really, really need a red RX droid's foot.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Shop Disney. It sold out very quickly.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,387: October 8, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,386: Bodhi Rook (The Vintage Collection)

2026-10-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

BODHI ROOK Now with More Joints
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch basic figure
Item No.: Asst. F6878 No. G2608
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #403
Includes: Clear goggles, blaster with strap, backpack
Action Feature: Cable unwinds from backpack
Retail: $19.99
Availability: August 2026
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: A former Imperial pilot, Bodhi has strong piloting and technical skills that he will use for the Rebellion. (Taken from the cardback. This same bio was used for the 2017 figure.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: Maybe it's because I'm old, but I wasn't super thrilled to hear we were getting a new Bodhi Rook mostly because I was pretty happy with the one I had. And I also spent very little time building out Rogue One as a collection. Hasbro hasn't really brought many new 3 3/4-inch characters or costumes to the table in years, other than a new Scarif Shoretrooper variant and a droid. They've gone back and redone some figures - like Bodhi - which is great for new collectors and arguably good for those who weren't happy with the first ones. Hasbro's The Black Series version of the pilot is selling for about half price on Amazon these days, so you might be wondering if a new 3 3/4-inch version is worth paying more for than the 6-inch one or replacing your original kid toy Bodhi Rook. I'm here to say: probably, but I was surprised the backpack seems to be the same as the old kid one.

Hasbro made a very nice 3 3/4-inch Basic Bodhi Rook [FOTD #2,337] way back in early 2017. What's interesting is that I noticed some details at the time were a little rough, particularly the beard paint - but Hasbro painted the zipper on the vest back then. This new one? Not painted. I noticed the sculpted detail was quite good in the 2017 version, and seemed generally pretty sharp. Despite coming from what seems to be the same digital model used for the 6-inch and 3 3/4/-inch figures, this new one seems a bit softer in spots. The original bluer jumpsuit has more wrinkles and more personality, with sleeves that were a little too long and pockets on his pants that just seemed more believable. However, 2017 Bodhi didn't have the patches around his wrist painted, nor did he have silver paint on the thing in his front pocket. So when it comes to deco, I'd say the new 2026 model is better overall but I do have to wonder why they left off the silver buckles and zippers unpainted.

The new head is better. No arguments there. The beard didn't look good in 2017, so the new digital printing brings his glossy eyes to life and his stubble down to a more realistic levels. (It could be darker, but it's fine.) The eyes are perfect, and the hair looks good - if a little lighter. I think the eyebrows could be thicker, but that's a recurring comment lately. His hair sculpt has a tad more detail this time, but is probably derived from the same CAD files as before. The skin color is a little different, but I wouldn't say either is better in that department. The old one looked fine, and this new one also looks good.

One big departure is his goggles. The original kid figure had them molded to his face - and they looked great. But the color was wrong. The new one has all-clear goggles (oddly, including the strap) and I think it works. It looks fine at this small size.

His blaster has an added strap to it, which is nifty and changes up the personality of the figure and the accessory. I like this, good call Hasbro. The previous versions in both sizes had the blaster, but no strap.

His backpack seems the same as the previous kid one. Not exactly the same, but close enough. The color is almost identical, the painted detail seems the same, and all the wrinkles and textures match. For all I know, they reused the old mold. It looks like cuts are in the same place and the only real significant difference I could see is that the 2017 backpack has partially twisted straps, and heck if I know if that's in the mold or just the plastic bending over time. You can pull the string out of both, and crank it back in. It works nicely.

So which one is better? This new one. But not completely. The new figure's vest doesn't seem removable, so you can't swap it with the old one that has the better paint job unless you rip off his limbs first. (I'm not doing that.) The new blaster is better. Both backpacks are the same. The new head and goggles are better. Overall, the new one is superior but if you're happy with your 2017 $7 model, it's not like we have had any new playsets or ships to go with this guy. If prices were equal - and today, they're close - I'd recommend a fan with no Bodhis just to buy the Vintage one. The joints are nice, and if they ever made a HasLab of the "Rogue One" cargo ship you'd want this figure to pilot it. His joints are best in class, with elbows that bend more than 90 degrees and wrists that swivel and bend nicely. Hasbro did a bang-up job engineering this guy's joints, and that is what most fans are wanting to pay for these days. Me, I just want a tiny icon/avatar of a figure to put in ships and on shelves. This is why I'm less excited about him, despite the fact that he is excellent.

Collecting Star Wars figures trades on your ability to accept "good enough," or if you're chasing "perfect" figures over time. I was disappointed this new figure didn't have the zipper or painted metal bits on the vest, and I would hope and expect a new figure to utterly replace my old ones. This one gets there almost all of the way, so I guess the big question I have for you is "how badly do you want to keep your $20?"

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,386: October 6, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,385: RA-7 (Silver Droid Factory)

2026-10-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

RA-7 PROTOCOL DROID Silver
Star Tours Droid Factory Customizable Figure
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney?
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Removable limbs
Retail: $12.95
Availability: April 2017
Appearances: n/a

Bio: The RA-7 protocol droid, also known as the RA-7 inventory droid, the RA-7 series protocol droid, the "insect droid" due to its large photoreceptors, and nicknamed the "Death Star droid" due to its use aboard the first Death Star, was a model of protocol droid manufactured by Arakyd Industries. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Another guy sitting in a box, this RA-7 Protocol Droid (Silver) is basically a nod to the Kenner Death Star Droid, or MB-RA-7, or the Sandcrawler droid, or whatever does it for you. It uses a mold Disney has done in a few different colors, and this color shows more of the generation loss and/or artistic license. As far as we've seen so far, you can get in blue, silver, or black.

This one wasn't a remake of Hasbro's mold. Disney added jointing more consistent with the C-3PO molds around 2008, so you get ankles and swivel wrists and better elbow movement. That's good! The mold itself is a little bit less detailed. The mouth doesn't look quite right, the chest detail isn't a perfect match. If you have a big collection and could imagine that this is Sega to Nintendo, Pepsi to Coke, Tyco Super Blocks to LEGO, The Corps to G.I. Joe, I think it works. Just to have as a guy to populate your droid ranks, it's fine - but do we really need more at this point? I'm feeling the answer there is "no." Or at least, not without new places to populate.

You could toss this one in your Disney Sandcrawler or really any diorama you please. The midriff is painted black with brightly painted wires, and the eyes are a glossy black. Everything else is unpainted, so this must have been dirt cheap to produce without real packaging.

I wouldn't consider it a crucial addition to any collection, but maybe you will. I think for many fans, the Death Star Droid [FOTD #2,861] with the extra dirt and black bits is the go-to definitive take on this design - at least for right now. And that came out in 2021, with a much older mold. As it's pretty cheap, I'd recommend that any new fan go get that one. There's a bit more painted detail, a better forehead sculpt, more going on in the mouth, and it has a few details on the chest lacking in Disney's release. Obviously you go get whatever works for you, but Disney's take is rare and expensive. Hasbro's is your best bet, at least until something better or chrome-r comes along.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney Hollywood Studios. Thanks Shannon!

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,385: October 1, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,384: Anakin Skywalker (Ewok Village Spirit, The Vintage Collection)

2026-09-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

ANAKIN SKYWALKER Mail-Away or POTF2 Style
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch basic figure
Item No.: Asst. F6878 No. G2610
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #405
Includes: Cloth robes
Action Feature: Removable robes
Retail: $19.99
Availability: August 2026
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: On Endor, Anakin watched over Luke and his friends Yoda and Obi-Wan as they celebrated the galaxy’s new freedom . (Taken from the cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: We haven't received a new version of this particular iteration of Anakin Skywalker in quite a while. It's kind of a strange one to explain, but here goes. Back in the 1980s, Kenner had this Spirit of Anakin Skywalker as its last mail-away figure - carded samples were scarce. In the USA, it came on a coin card Power of the Force package while overseas, it was a trilogo Return of the Jedi cardback. The figure had grey robes which did a surprisingly decent job of conjuring the image of a blue-tinged apparition in an era before "clear blue" was a real consideration. We got an attempt to update this figure as Anakin Skywalker (Jedi Spirits) [FOTD #3,317] last year, and it got pretty close except for the sheer negligee Jedi robes. This figure in opaque plastic with brown robes is meant to recall the original 1980s carded figure, but does so by giving us a figure in non-toy colors, on a cardback style that hasn't previously existed. But I'm a stickler for such things and it is baffling to me that Hasbro isn't doing Power of the Force cardbacks, even if they had to swap out the coin with a POG for cost reasons.

But how is the figure? Fine, more or less. It's very similar to the 1999 Flashback Photo Anakin Skywalker [FOTD #7]. That figure makes a very compelling argument for the plastic robe - sure, this new one hangs fine, but the plastic one hangs with intention. Anakin's movie shot and previous figures always have it fairly open so you can see the robes on his torso, while this one is packaged with it wrapped closed. If anything, it just makes an argument to rerelease the figure in Retro if you want to eventually get the original 92 (let's be honest, 116) remade. Once removed from the cardback, 2026 Anakin can be posted to look acceptably. But I still prefer the legs-can't-move 1984 and 1996 versions in terms of functionality (it's one of few figures that has no need to sit or be posed) and how it looks on a shelf. The new likeness seems to be more like the cardback than the actor, but hey, why not. It's what people probably remember. If the eyebrows were a smidgen darker, I'd say this head is probably difficult if not impossible to improve upon. Also, Sebastian Shaw was 78 in Return of the Jedi with Darth Vader being around 46. As a kid, you probably didn't think anything of how old the old Jedi looked, but if you're reading this feature you might be older than that today. And you don't look that old.

The figure's new robes are of a better material and cut than the Spirit version. The clear blue see-thru mesh was just plain not appropriate for the purpose, and this one blocks you from seeing what's under the robe. That's good! It has a hood, and the cut is fairly clean. I think this is an accessory Hasbro could improve on a future release, as there were some signs of folding and rumpled-ness that we just plain don't get - or possibly can't get - with a cloth piece at this size.

While the figure itself is very good with rocker ankles, bend-and-swivel wrists, and everything you expect from a $20 figure, these joints are kind of a waste of expenses. The robes restrict a bit of movement, and the lower plastic robes restrict all movement. Fans would sometimes deride figures from being a chess piece, but you know what? For a few figures, that's a more sensible and cost-effective way to make a figure. We never see Sebastian Shaw Anakin do much other than move his head - so why pay for layers of plastic robes and joints you won't see and not use? (To charge you $20 for what could have been a really good $10 figure, of course.)

I prefer this figure to the blue robed ghost version, and will probably keep the Hayden head on the Spirit from now on.

The question of super articulation versus not, or Vintage versus Retro, is normally one of taste - but like with Andor Mon Mothma, I think there really is a case to be made from not-premium figure assortments. R2-D2 3 3/4-inch? Not premium. A Jawa? Not premium. This Anakin? It is premium - but unlike other Jedi, you get no lightsaber, no hilt, no swappable hands. Really, this figure exists to remain carded or to go on a display shelf of some sort, so you will not benefit from the extra engineering here. I recommend this as a neat carded figure, particularly for those putting together a modernized set of the original line. This is very much the figure I would want on my Endor display if we ever got (or I ever 3D print) a new Ewok Village. But if I ever want to fuss with a Sebastian Shaw Anakin figure, I'm going to the POTF2 version or the mail-away from when I was a kid. This new one's ankles and robes are easily knocked out of whack, and the simpler 20th century figures more or less get the job done just fine. TVC 405 a much more impressive take on those old figures, but sometimes impressive isn't what makes for the best action figure. And it may be bias talking, but I prefer the old mail-in one overall. The gray robes were a creative way to make a Jedi Spirit and I wouldn't mind seeing them rerelease Obi-Wan and Yoda in similar colors to match it. (Yes I know about Stan Solo's spirits. No he did not use the right molds for the job.)

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth. Two cases of Vintage showed up at the exact same time, which seems like overkill in a light year - I wish they spread these out a bit more.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,384: September 29, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,383: Embo (The Vintage Collection)

2026-09-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

EMBO Live-Action Debut
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch basic figure
Item No.: Asst. G2786 No. G2623
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #406
Includes: Hat, bowcaster, alternate hands two bowcaster chunks
Action Feature: Removable hat
Retail: $19.99
Availability: August 2026
Appearances: Star Wars: The Mandorian and Grogu

Bio: The bowcaster-wielding Embo is a lethal warrior and seasoned bounty hunter tracking prey since before the Clone Wars. (Taken from the cardback. And despite it being from a new movie in a movie year, that is a fabulous, useful bio that isn't the movie's log line so good job everyone.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: I almost want to bet you money that Embo was designed as a "deluxe" figure. And it's kind of a back-handed compliment. Hasbro overdid it here, which is good if money is no object and probably not great in terms of efficiency. Maybe the tools were set up that all the extra parts were easy to include at minimal extra cost, but and extra set of hands - with wrist hinges - on a basic The Vintage Collection figures? A two-piece bowcaster? Soft goods? Extra I guess bowcaster pieces that you can use to club someone over the head with? There's a lot here. Comparing him to other deluxe figures, there's actually a bit more going on here - so I assume the "deluxe" ones may be sold in sold cases separately due to popularity. I do not understand why Baze Malbus got the distinction instead of Embo, though, there just seems to be more going on here (and the character was already expensive on eBay thanks to his 2010 cartoon figure [FOTD #1,390].

Lucasfilm seems very interested in keeping many of its characters in the same clothes for decades. The Clone Wars Embo has the same wrap around his waist, the same gloves, the same bowcaster, the same hat, the same armor, even the same (presumably) Beskar-toed boots as his appearances decades earlier. We saw the same with Fennec Shand and some other characters. At least Boba Fett was given the dignity of an occasional change of clothes! Hasbro did a good job with both figures, translating the saturated, brightly-colored cartoon Embo to a wonderful figure and doing the same again this year with the realistic, desaturated version. I kind of prefer the previous version only because the eyes have darker rings, the skin is a lighter grey, and the cloth parts of the outfit have more painted details on them. They're both excellent, but clearly they're two versions of the same guy in the same costume.

Hasbro's Vintage figures adds extra hands - I think this might be overkill. The defauly hands are too small to hold the bowcaster, but the alternate ones are more open with a separated trigger finger. They work much better with the bowcaster and with the bowcaster's bow part tonfa things. I'm really not sure why Hasbro would spend the money on an extra set of samey hands, which aren't functionally better than the trigger hands, particularly given that paint and assembly are required. It certainly adds to the premium feel of the $19.99 figure - which is absolutely necessary unless Hasbro plans on giving the line a price cut. But if Hasbro left out the hands and clubs, I would not have missed them. The two-part bowcaster easily fits in the larger, open hands but do take note that the bow is connected by a couple of pegs and is easily knocked off. Take care to not lose it. The black plastic bowcaster is completely unpainted.

The figure has extra gear on his person, including a removable hat - famous for being a shield, a weapon, and a fashion choice. It's very much like the cartoon version, but it seems to actually have slightly less detail. The cartoon figure has deeper sculpted panels and brighter browns on top, making it a better match for that figure's style. This hat better matches this figure. It fits in his hands so he can be posed like he's going to "throw" it.

The detail on the figure itself is quite good, with decent textures befitting a CGI character in an era where digitally sculpted toys are less likely to have deep groves and exaggerated cuts that show off the detail. It's flatter, in duller colors, and not terribly dynamic. It is, however, true to the movie and looks as good as what we saw (well, I saw) on what is now officially the worst performer on the big screen. The body design is really something because it's thin and tall in ways that would be difficult for a human, so it gives him a distinct silhouette while also not seeming out of place with your other aliens. You could probably have him hang out in the cantina or Jabba's palace without seeming too far from belonging there.

Articulation is great. He has a separately molded scarf around his neck, and the head can move just fine in there. The hips have a great range of movement, as do the knees, ankles, wrists, and just about everything. There is not much about this figure that you wouldn't have found on another existing figure, but it comes together pretty nicely and it actually feels like this wave is where Hasbro spent the extra money we're paying them. No 3 3/4-inch figure feels like a steal at $20, but this one feels like one of the better ones at the price point. Give it a look if you can find it, new "movie" aliens are far and few between. My only real gripe about the figure is that it doesn't make a radical departure from the prequel-era costume, and I would like to think I'd change my clothes after a couple of decades. Admittedly, maybe I haven't.

Day 3,383: September 24, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,382: Garindan (The Retro Collection)

2026-09-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

GARINDAN (Kenner Flavor)
The Retro Collection Target Exclusive 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G2554
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, communicator, soft goods shawl
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $64.99
Availability: July 2026
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Rediscover the classics with The Star Wars Retro Collection - inspired by the Kenner originals! (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: One of the few aliens I would say felt missing from the original Kenner Star Wars line was Garindan. This has nothing to do with design or relative cool-ness, but this guy was an actual antagonist that ratted Luke and pals out to the Empire. He did something. I like Snaggletooth and Hammerhead a lot, but it's weird that Kenner skipped the character that metal miniature makers would make, even without a license. But Kenner also skipped Peter Cushing for 20 years, around the same time we got a Garindan.

I don't really have any complaints here. I wasn't sure about it when I first saw the renders, but the actual figure is quite nice. The whole set makes me extremely happy, except Wedge is a little mid. You could just stop reading here, there is no reason for me to write so much about Garindan. Garindan is good and feels a bit more modern in spots.

Since I can't quite make out precisely where they drew their inspiration for each element of the costume, I find the pastiche to be charming and worthwhile. If I want a theoretically more accurate one, Hasbro Pulse has me covered - this is someone trying to make a 1980s figure, and largely succeeding. If I want something that looks like someone shrugged after getting a look at the movie and a couple of stills (and I do), this is it. If I had to nitpick and give it a running change, I'd ask Hasbro to make the nose grayer and lenses darker. That's it. If the shirt was bright blue or otherwise wacky it'd be a solid fit for the 1970s, but the earth tones feel like a 1980s or 1990s interpretation of the character. So why does this review go on so long? Enthusiasm, my dear fellow. I am excited, and happy.

At first fans sort of flipped out over the figure. It sparked debates over how we perceived the costume, notably its hood. The "current" approved look look that Sideshow and Hasbro using are a completely full-head-masked alien with something of a shawl worn on the head, with pants and what seems to be some sort of surplus uniform. That's what we're getting in The Vintage Collection in a few months. Kenner's 1997 and Hasbro's 2006 figures had a hooded cape that's a little more Red Riding Hood. Both riffed on a uniform-with-pants and some form of cape look we all saw in the movie. In my imagination, the film costume was a little baggy but I don't know that I ever got a close enough look at it to say "this is right!" or "this is wrong!" Also, Kenner-stylization is a blanket license to do whatever you want, and it seems Hasbro did.

I took for granted that the alien species was an aardvark-esque creature in sunglasses. Now, I'm not so sure - looking at hi-res close-up shots, it seems that maybe the nose is the alien's face and maybe it's just a distinctive mask like a plague doctor had. The picture in Wookieepedia seems to have seams, just like the Retro figure where the snout seems to be separately molded and glued in. Sideshow's figure most definitely seems to treat the head as completely covered in a mask, complete with stitching. Sure, Disney's new canon says they eat bugs with their noses but we've seen authorial intent ignored before and fans (or licensing departments just sort of roll with perception. Look at Max Rebo, who we all agree has legs, and who the cartoons show his species as having legs, but the puppet? No legs.

This Garindan has a lighter colored snoot, like the 1997 Kenner The Power of the Force figure. His shawl seems to be movie-accurate, and Hasbro's factory sourced textiles very similar to the 1983 Kenner Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker figure. I'm impressed. It hangs on his head, and is easily removed if it offends you. His goggles are red tinted, which I think is maybe a nod to one of Ralph McQuarrie's paintings for a book. I don't believe the prop had red lenses. Our spy's snout has more subtle rivet divets than the movie, and I think Kenner would have exaggerated them some more or ignored them completely. The hood feels right, but it doesn't match Sideshow's figure - which has a round, hooded head with what is very obviously not a biological snout. Teach the controversy! It seems Hasbro went with a take based on 1990s interpretations or their own imaginations. And that's what Kenner probably would have done in 1979, so I'm all for it.

The Sideshow shirt - and possibly the movie shirt - are a very dark blue. This one wears a couple of shades of gray. Retro Garindan's torso seems to be made by someone that recognized the basic form of the shirt and belt, but made it looser and more like a robe. Neat! The movie costume's cape around the shoulders is gone, because there's an actual full robe covering the figure's body - and no other officially licensed figure had that. All the others had fully visible boots, and some of the figures had holsters for their blasters. This one has signs of different boots, and also straps around the leg that may well be for blaster or commlink holsters. Hasbro went for a vibe closer to 1984 mail-in Anakin Skywalker, except Garindan's legs can swing fully forward. This may not mean much to you, as I just assume literally everybody has a full Kenner set handy.

Hasbro's sculptors did a very nice job with the pose. Garindan's body language feels like an old Kenner figure with a more pronounced slouch, a slightly bent left arm, and a very bent right arm so he can talk on his communicator. The gloves look fine, and each hand can easily hold the blaster, which is notable for having a different sculpt from the blaster from Dr. Evazan. I expected Garindan's communicator just to be the Cloud Car Pilot one, but it's not - it's a new design. It's not from the movie, and it's not from the McQuarrie painting. I don't immediately recognize it. I like it, it feels authentic and fabricated over lunch.

The sculpt feels like one of Hasbro's best attempts to Kenner things up due to all the changes and off-model (or possibly on-model, depending on the model) design choices. This doesn't match my other Garindan figures except for things like color, goggles, and snout - it's a unique take on the costume. I'm all for it. I think the face paint is a little too modern, with red circles slightly printed off-center in the goggles plus a nose whose paint reminds me a lot of the 1997 figure. Maybe that's my fault. The figure is glossy in spots, and it really does feel like something that's using Kenner's design language in or before 1983.

But how is he as a vehicle pilot? Not great. I spot-checked mini-rigs and some others, and his pants are so big he can't fit in most vehicles. I was surprised to find that if you bend him down a bit, he's one of the best figures for the CAP-2. His pants keep him from falling all the way in, and he can be made to look as if he is crouching in a cramped vehicle. He also fit well in the INT-4, One-Man Sand Skimmer, Side Gunner, and Endor Forest Ranger. He did not pass the Landspeeder Test.

It's a good action figure. I would have absolutely adored it as a child. It's functional, the hands can hold the accessories with zero reservations, and the shawl stays on acceptably. (It also falls off.) His big feet make him easy to keep standing, and his heavy legs insure he won't fall over if you knock the table. It's by no means the most Kenner-y figure of the wave, but it's satisfying in a way few super-articulated figures can match. I know some people were dying for a vinyl cape, but I don't feel like Hasbro misfired here. This is a good experience and I would absolutely love to know who sculpted which figure(s) because this guy did a great job. And I will laugh incredibly hard if I ever found out this sculptor also did Cad Bane.

That's it for The Retro Collection in 2026. Hasbro tells us the line will grow to 28 figures and 3 bigger items in 2027, so start saving and clearing some shelf space.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target at a store, where they seem to be widely available right meow.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,382: September 22, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,381: Lieutenant Callahan (The Vintage Collection)

2026-09-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

LIEUTENANT CALLAHAN The One, The Only
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch basic figure
Item No.: Asst. G2786 No. G1241
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #351
Includes: Helmet, blaster
Action Feature: Removable helmet
Retail: $19.99
Availability: July 2025
Appearances: Star Wars: Ahsoka

Bio: A New Republic E-wing pilot, Lieutenant Callahan and her droid KE4-N4 aid Governor Ryden Azadi on the world of Lothal. (Taken from the cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: After a few decades, it can be worth examining "why." Lieutenant Callahan takes up a slot in a line where, typically, Disney+ content sometimes struggles to sell and we have far more pilots than vehicles. In this case, she seems to be holding a decent price on the secondary market, and I haven't seen her marked down in clearance shops. That's good! She has a unique blue New Republic flight suit, which adapts the existing X-Wing pilot mold with a few clever changes. That's also good! Sure, she's not a droid or an alien, but she serves a function. And I'll take a figure that fills a void in my toy collection any day of the week.

I'd be grouchy if we got this figure with no plans for an E-wing, but we got an E-wing fighter that was pretty good. She fits in it easily, and that matters. The mold makes use of an existing The Vintage Collection body, which I thought would tick me off because some of those older hips are kind of horrible. For this release, Hasbro used a plastic with less friction so I was able to easily bend the legs forward with no real problems. The straps didn't get in the way. She seemed functionally better than other figures with this particular style of hip joint, and if Hasbro can deploy more older figures with this smoother movement I'm all for it. I've been keen to never see this older hip joint style again because it was unpleasant on most older figures, but here? Smooth as butter. The neck, arms, knees, ankles, and everything else also move nicely. I have no complaints here.

The figure makes use of a lot of old parts - and that's fine. Why? So did Lucasfilm. The flight suit seems to be a pretty generic jumpsuit, and Lucasfilm often reused the same basic suits (or very similar ones) for various costumes. Maybe the color changed, and I would say it's close enough to what we see on screen that it was a sensible choice. The gloves on the figure may not be a precise match for the show, but this figure's purpose is to be a pilot for a vehicle (sold separately.) The boots, head, vest, and hanging straps are all new parts that look pretty great. The buttons and greeblies on her chest console match the prop quite nicely. The pouch and hoses match. The only thing I think may not match are the code cylinders. The figure has them on the arm, the costume has them on the belt. Would I notice without seeing the image on Wookieepedia? No. I don't know that I would have budgeted for more parts were I in Hasbro's position either, so I'm glad they spent money making the cool white boots and a photoreal head.

I don't know much about actress Michele Weaver but she has been in a lot and the figure seems to do a decent job matching her person. The figure's hair is the tiniest bit fluffier, sculpted tightly and painted well.

Her accessories include a blue helmet with IKEA-like yellow highlights and a clear visor. It looks like the photos, it even has the chin strap. The plastic piece that goes over the chin is black on the figure, and white on the show. Otherwise, it looks like the Hasbro team got it and at this size, I'm not going to complain.

My opinion of the show's overly expository nature for its first season hasn't improved much, but I like all the toys Hasbro made for it.

We don't always get the most exciting characters on the show - I mean, I'm biased for droids and witches - but we got one that adds to the toy box and that matters. We got a ship, and the ship needs a pilot. This one meets my requirements and more or less meets my expectations. Parts reuse are an ugly part of the modern collector toy business, but I'm picking at nits here. If we got Kenner-style Retro figures that are off-model, I'd say it's part of the charm. On one hand, we have high expectations at the $20 price point and on the other, it doesn't bother me that the arm and the belt were tweaked a bit to keep costs down. The colors, vest, head, and helmet are all very good and that's what I need in a pilot figure. I'd recommend getting her if you skipped her and like Ahsoka-era New Republic stuff.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,381: September 17, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,380: RA-7 (Blue Droid Factory)

2026-09-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

RA-7 PROTOCOL DROID Blue
Star Tours Droid Factory Customizable Figure
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney?
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Removable limbs
Retail: $12.95
Availability: April 2017
Appearances: n/a

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: I've had these guys for years but apparently haven't looked at the RA-7 Protocol Droid (Blue) or any color yet. Let's start with this one. Disney had bins of parts out at its theme parks where kids could make abominations swapping parts and Frankensteining together the droid of their dreams. This is great fun for them, or great frustration for older fans that just want a figure that looks like it might be in a movie or a cartoon. I had to enlist some help to get these guys, because theme park admission ain't cheap.

While similar to Hasbro's molds, Disney built its own thing. The pieces all look similar, but the arms have more articulationand Disney even added wrist joints. The legs sadly don't bend 90 degrees, so this is not a good figure to pilot any ships. On the other hand, the added elbow and wrist movement means you can have a great tour guide or greeter. The figure stands easily, and doesn't topple over when you knock a desk. The mouse house did a good job letting their consumer products department redesign this one.

The droid's unpainted limbs no doubt help keep costs down, with some painted wires on the black painted belly region and silver eyes making up the paint budget. This is a good move for a kid toy, because it won't show scrapes quite as easily as a figure with painted limbs. The silver eyes pop nicely, and the dark blue plastic hides some of the figure's shortcomings. I really don't like the smooth mouth, but also, I can't really see it. It feels unfinished, but there's a nice wrinkle here - it doesn't matter.

As far as I can tell the only blue RA-7 droid appears in a comic book and it's possible (but also unlikely) it inspired the designers. Like I said, it doesn't matter - to most fans, this was a souvenir. It's not a movie droid, or a cartoon droid. It merely is what it is. If you like the colors and design, that's great! There's really not much to compare it against and scrutinize it. It's an original thing, and while some of the details are a little soft I can't knock it. It is the only blue RA-7 I have, it will probably be the only one we ever get.

As we approach the hair-graying 50th anniversary next year, I'm starting to ask "why?" a bit more when I pick up a figure. I got these guys because I wanted to be all-in on droids, which has proven expensive given Disney having some as a 1:4 pull in an expensive vehicle and some were produced in tiny numbers - so I'm no longer all-in on Disney droids. As of now this one doesn't really have a home in any playset, planet, or environment - it just exists to be collected. I'm in no rush to sell it, but I admit it has no real place and if I ever did have to dump my collection, this is one of the things I probably wouldn't miss. It's not bad, it's just an example of how far away we've gotten from what brought a lot of us to collecting these toys in the first place. It's not from a story I liked as a kid, it's not styled like the figures I had as a kid, so I don't have a reason why I would necessarily encourage you to hunt one down other than completism. And I would discourage you from that behavior given how much time, space, money, and bandwidth it can take to keep things going - but I can tell you I absolutely felt it was worth the $13 when I got it.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Disney Hollywood Studios. Thanks Shannon!

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,380: September 15, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,379: Princess Leia Organa (Yavin, The Retro Collection)

2026-09-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

PRINCESS LEIA ORGANA (Yavin)
The Retro Collection Target Exclusive 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G2554
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Medal, soft goods dress parts
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $64.99
Availability: July 2026
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Rediscover the classics with The Star Wars Retro Collection - inspired by the Kenner originals! (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: The reveal of this Princess Leia Organa (Yavin) figure resulted in a "meh," mostly because it's not a costume I find fun or necessary. This isn't an adventure outfit, or one that Leia seems to do much in other than hand out the EGOT of Star Wars. She only had two dresses in the original movie, and this one is not terribly different to a kid that saw the movie on TV and sees Leia in a white dress, and then Leia in a slightly fancier white dress with less distinctive hair. I'm not ripping on Hasbro here, it was just a blah costume compared to The Empire Strikes Back's killer snowbunny or Return of the Jedi's various looks that would be welcome at Burning Man.

I find it odd that I have so much to say about such a simple figure, but there's more art and craft here than "we made a perfect replica of the thing in the movie." The final product feels a lot like Battle Poncho Leia from 1984, with similarly small arms and a bulky cloth garment in which she could drown. I don't know that the cloth turned out precisely as Hasbro had anticipated, but the weird mix of "accurate" and "what the heck?" makes the old figures fun. In the words of every TV judge ever, "I'll allow it." It's fine. It's not amazing. It might not be exactly what I would have done but it feels consistent with what I would expect from Kenner in or after 1983, plus or minus the head.

I think a good Retro figure is generally unconcerned with "accuracy" so much as "vibes." If it feels like what I saw in the movie, that's what matters. If it functions well, we're in business. This one comes pretty close. A lot of fans have expressed a preference for the Gary Weaver-designed Procustom Figures Leia, and you can see why. The facial details look a little younger, the sleeves are a little less poofy, and the angel wing sleeves cover her arms a bit - as they sometimes but don't always do in photos of the costume. It's actually pretty similar to Hasbro's general build with cloth bits around her arms, a ponytail, and very similar colors.

The ProCustoms figure's sleeves seem to be more of a wrap, while photos from the movie show the cloth bits more as sleeves that are not completely connected to the gown - there are vents for her pits. I assume. I don't know anything about fashion. Hasbro doesn't have these either, but they do have a figure with an exposed back so you can see her belt and ponytail, just like the movie stills. The belt and necklace both look pretty much like the movie, although not as sharp or shiny. It looks just changed enough from the movie design that you could see this getting some late-1970s reference material and a lower amount of scrutiny on approvals. The joints all move well, the hand has no problem holding Han's medal, and the design is flexible enough that she can sit in a ship. If you tug down on the wings a bit, you'll even be able to get a look a bit closer to the movie. Hasbro seemed to have a good design, but was slightly thwarted by the quality of the soft goods.

Hasbro did do a nice job with the body. Translating a dress to a figure form has been hard for them, and we've seen things like Bespin Leia's vinyl cape which is a little odd. It's of its time, and we're used to it, but maybe it could have been different. This figure opts for the split leg dress like we saw for Super7's Bride of Frankenstein with similar-but-different pleats and creases. The plastic dress has sculpted bunched-up bits on her back, so it looks more like a fabric garment hanging off of a person and not just some pixels and polygons in a dress shape. Her bust has a point under her breasts like we see in the movie too, and her silver shoes peek out from under the dress.

I don't love the face. And I don't think it's her fault. I'm guessing the layer of peachy skin paint is thick enough to wash out some details and result in a head that's just not quite right. The hair is molded in color with a separately molded braid hanging down the back, and I assume a head molded in skin color with a completely separately molded wig - like we saw for Osha Aniseya [FOTD #3,191] - might have yielded a more satisfying final product. Or not. Leia's been a tough nut to crack in pre-scanned-face days. Her face could benefit from a bit more color, which you can cheat and get with a molded skin face and you absolutely lose when you paint it. But I get it - they want it to match the adjacent torso with exposed clavicle and upper chest. No matter what, we would probably have something to complain about here... ut I wouldn't mind it if they ever went back and did a variant with flesh-molded face Leia Yavin.

The medal is a new mold, but similar to the one we got with Luke [FOTD #3,267] last year. It's the same color, and the shapes are nearly identical - but you'll see differences in a side-by-side comparison. Luke's medal has the ribbon seemingly connected to the medal part, while Leia's has separated the strap a bit from the award part. It's very subtle. Also the, erm, nipple seems to be a bit different. Luke's ribbon also seems smoother and shinier, while Leia's has a hint of additional texture. Leia's is better, and it also fits perfectly on your companion Han Solo figures.

Her beehive looks good and the braid is fine, but I think a customizer will have to glam her up a bit to prove if this is a good sculpt or not. (I think it might be.) She fell a little short of perfect, but I've got to give it to the designers - it's interesting, and it feels like something Kenner might have done. It's a worthwhile interpretation of a costume, and I'm more or less happy to have it as this wave's token main character. And I get it - you need those. Otherwise this wave is two droids who do nothing, a white guy who dies immediately, a squeaky alien, and a pilot that has a cult following and a figure that feels like it missed the point of the endeavor. Kudos to Hasbro for trying so much weird stuff. I assume most people are going to disagree but I'm going to give that oh so important rating: "good enough."

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target. For the kids in the future, Target put this set 20% off the week of August 16, 2026.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,379: September 10, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,378: Anakin Skywalker (Technically Darth Vader Maybe, The Vintage Collection)

2026-09-08T01:00:00.000-07:00

ANAKIN SKYWALKER Technically Darth Vader
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Walmart Exclusive 2-Pack
Item No.: No. G3192
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #412
Includes: Cloak, lightsaber, hilt, alternate hand
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $39.99
Availability: August 2026
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Entranced by Palpatine's promise to teach him the ways of th Sith, Anakin succumbed to the temptation of the dark side, leading the Empire's eradication of the Jedi Order.. (Taken from the cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Walmart now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: This is a good Anakin Skywalker figure, and it's the kind of thing I don't think should have been a Walmart exclusive. Yes, let's start with a tangent - it's because I think core characters should be widely available. It's a real coup for Walmart to have it, but I think there's probably a ton of business to be had selling this guy everywhere because this is one of those gateway figures for millennials. This is the kind of figure that's so good, it makes you want to start a collection (or keep it going.) To put it in a closed box, as a $40 exclusive, it's probably not going to be a good first experience for a new collector. But maybe it'll do fine, I remember the previous set being well-received enough that customers cracked the box open and swiped one of the figures inside at some stores.

Using what seems to be most if not all of the same parts from last year's Darth Vader (The Journey of Anakin Skywalker) [FOTD #3,285] plus one of Hasbro's best cloth cloaks at any scale, this is a very good figure. Let's start with that cloak - it may not be 100% a match for the movie but Hasbro made a silhouette that absolutely captured the vibes of a flat garment with a hood that partially covers his face, yet still is sewn down. That's impressive. The sleeves are just a little long - just like you like it - and the bottom kind of drags on the floor. The lightsaber hilt is not perfect. The unique nub near the emitter is the wrong shape, but it's basically an appropriate form given the small size of the accessory. It lacks the texture around the on switch, as well as the gold highlights. If it wasn't for the cloak, I'd be cranky about this. Not every single hilt has been perfect in this line, so sometimes I just shrug and hand-wave anything that would likely be covered by a figure's hand or robes. It could be better, but I'm not going to let it ruin my day because I'll never notice it in my displays.

Anakin has another hand. You've seen it before. It's a hand, it swaps out, you know the drill.

The figure's body is the same as before, and the head might be. The eyes don't have the dark dot printing, and the head has the same wig. It fits way better on the final toy than on some pictures or renders, and the face looks very good to my eyes from a reasonable distance. No photo-real head can hold up perfectly to the scrutiny of the cruel megapixels of your macro function, but I can see the eyes are nice. The lips are painted. He's got his scar over his eye. The skin color is good, and so is the texture on his Jedi garments. While Obi-Wan's felt a little plastic, Anakin's seems close to perfect thanks to his leathery elements. The cloth skirt doesn't get in the way of piloting a ship, and the boots had more texture than I expected. This figure exceeds expectations.

What could be improved in the future? Articulation. At this size there are challenges in getting the shoulders posed just-so. I'd love to be able to do more double-handed lightsaber poses, but that's tough even at 1:12 scale. (Less so at 1:6 scale.) I've mentioned before that we may be reaching the limit of what Hasbro can do at this scale without new kinds of joints (or more money), and this really does feel like the best this character can be. Right now. Who knows if someone will come up with a better idea, or if Hasbro will abandon dozens of joints in favor of swappable limbs for display/play purposes someday. I guess Hasbro could paint the soles on the boots, but would it be worth an increased charge? Not to me. But now that I put that kind of thing out there, I'm sure someone will be demanding the additional paint or features that will cause this class of figure to reach $22.99 in the next five years. And I don't know if I have the constitution for that.

My first reaction to the fifth or eighth or 20th version of a figure is to roll my eyes and look for a reason to complain. I didn't find one. I'm sure there are inaccuracies you can find if you check it against whatever reference guide shows a slightly different belt but I'm pretty happy with this one. It's been a long time since Hasbro made a new not-eyeshadowed, movie-specific version of Evil Ani and here it is. It even fits well as a basic Revenge of the Sith Anakin, but they could probably do him again with messed-up hair and sell us an Invisible Hand version. (Hasbro: please don't.) Now that we're in an area where these are less "toys" than "premium collectibles," I would say Hasbro succeeded. Get this one, unless we're 5-10 years down the road and Hasbro found some new tech to improve on it.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Walmart. It can still be easily found here.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,378: September 8, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,377: R0-M1 ( & RJ-83, Droid Factory)

2026-09-03T01:00:00.000-07:00

R0-M1 & RJ-83
Star Wars Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Mini RJ-83 Droid, card, RX head
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $19.99
Availability: August 2025
Appearances: Young Jedi Adventures

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. These droids can be found in the Tenoo Jedi Temple training area. Join R0-M1 and RJ-83 on their adventures throughout the galaxy. May the Force be with you... and your Droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: This is another weird one, because I've never actually watched Young Jedi Adventures. If we were in a year with no other stuff to watch, I'd be checking it out. There's too much variety (and too small portions) for various shows, so all I can judge R0-M1 & RJ-83 on are their own merits. And because they're separate characters, I'm going to do separate reviews. Sure, one is more of an accessory, but with a unique name and paint and articulation? That's two figures in my book.

When I saw the preview picture for the purple R0-M1, I was immediately annoyed. It was good! I am not particularly interested in the High Republic era, nor did Wookieepedia explain what this droid's deal was. All I can do is say is that they look like they could have been on "The Great Heep" and that's reason enough for me to want it. It looks good with other animated droids, and fits in some vehicles. I found it fits well in the ARC-170 and TVC Y-Wing, but doesn't fit so well in most X-Wing or Jedi Starfighter sockets.

So what do you get? A whole new droid. The dome is removable, and you can pop it on other bodies. Just know that the dome is short, so you'll see some exposed droid guts. The legs are removable, and a little wobbly. Each one has wheels, and there's a third leg socket underneath. No third leg is included, but it's nice to have hooks for future customs or other releases. The figure is mostly cast in white with purple panels. As far as I can tell, it closely matches the TV show. There's a big black eye, there are purple antennae, you even get little painted treads on the feet. But you don't get the rocket booster underneath, or the extra neck articulation implied by the picture on the cardback.

The paint is surprisingly good. There are all sorts of purple boxes, plus dark purple marks in the light purple panels. You can see various painted vents and lights, and everything seems to be pretty sharp. This is one of Disney's best decorated little robots, and odds are a lot of fans will never bother with it because it's basically an adult collectible of a preschool toy.

The figure's head has a few connection ports. You can't really put R2-D2's head on the R0-M1 socket, but you can put some very small hats or stars in the hat socket in the dome. There are also two foot pegs on the dome to place RJ-83, so that's nice.

The purple robot doesn't do much, but you get a lot of painted parts and two characters for your money. I think this is a better figure for "toy collectors" than "Star Wars collectors," because it has little purpose in the context of any movie-specific collection. The set is perfect to hang out with other droids or in the background of your shelves, and is just distinctive enough to be fun. If I were a little kid, I'd want it. If you can get it at a fair price, buy one. But also be aware it's pretty small, about 2 1/4-inches tall. This makes it about the same size as a $2.99 Blokees Defender-class figure, and those have 14 points of articulation. Star Wars collecting is not a particularly good value as hobbies go. If you want bang for your buck, check out any second-hand store or clearance depot and get yourself some Black Series at prices that would make your past self weep.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Shop Disney. It sold out very quickly, and I am beginning to wonder if they have a time limit rather than a quantity limit on these things.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,377: September 3, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,376: R4-M9 (The Retro Collection)

2026-09-01T01:00:00.000-07:00

R4-M9 Kenner Debut
The Retro Collection Target Exclusive 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G2554
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Leg
Action Feature: Dome clicks when turned, third leg is removable
Retail: $64.99
Availability: July 2026
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Rediscover the classics with The Star Wars Retro Collection - inspired by the Kenner originals! (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Warning: I tested this figure in my 1983 Y-Wing Fighter astromech socket, and it is tight enough that you really have to pull to get it out. I recommend not putting it in a 1983 Return of the Jedi Y-Wing Fighter toy.

Commentary: When we saw the previews, we all knew R4-M9 was going to be good. As a figure, it's pretty much precisely what we all wanted - the original Kenner R2-D2 look and feel, but with a new dome and matching sticker. And we got it! But here's the thing - the monkey's paw got us. Hasbro made this figure just a little bit wider than the original R2-D2 so, like Chopper, it doesn't fit in the old Kenner astromech socket in the Y-Wing Fighter. It fits great in the Y-Wing Scout Bomber, the TVC X-Wing, and various The Clone Wars Jedi Starfighter sockets, as well as the TVC Y-Wing Fighter. But it is preposterously tight in the old Kenner toy, so don't do it.

Functionally, it's like every Kennery R2-D2 you've got. It's a round body with two legs, and a dome on top that clicks. This one doesn't have a screw under the dome, so you won't be taking it apart. Hasbro moved the foot peg holes closer to the back of the foot, as opposed to your original R2-D2 being near the middle. Functionally, it feels just like R2-D2 and R5-D4, just a little bit stiffer. It might just be that it's a new figure needing to be broken in, but Chopper wasn't quite this stiff. The actual body mold is similar, but not identical, to Retro R2-D2. Or, maybe one of the two were just assembled backward for me. I don't know.

The deco is very good, with a black disc eye and that weird puke green running from the painted dome, to the label, to the legs. It all matches nicely, and looks pretty great. Weirdly, it looks almost too good - like a 1985-ish dome was plopped on a 1978 body. It doesn't feel too out of place, to be honest, and the details on the dome are much more exaggerated and deeper than I would have expected. I don't dislike it - it makes it feel like something out of time, and it is. They even put a nifty "+"-shaped panel on top of the dome. It's pretty great, and R4-M9 feels like something that could have been from the era of EV-9D9.

Arguably the most interesting extra in the figure is a third leg. Kenner and Hasbro have riffed on these before, and you can even 3D print a real nice one for your old Kenner figures. This new one fits perfectly in Retro R2-D2 and R4-M9, with just enough friction to stay in there unless you want to pull it out. Hasbro deserves massive credit for this, as getting this sort of form fit just right is difficult and doesn't tend to happen. The third leg even fit in my old R2-D2 (Sensorscope), but it was a little bit looser. And that's OK - it's nearly 45 years old, and I don't expect it to be perfect with something made for collectors in 2026. For display purposes, it does fit. I expect a lot of collectors to seek out extra R4-M9s unless Hasbro decides to reissue R2-D2 next year with the third leg, and we all hope that they do.

I would love to give you a snarky comment here but I don't have one. Other than the chance it could go in a Y-Wing's hole and get stick - it was a million-to-one shot, doc - I really don't think there's anything Hasbro could have done better here. "Is it what you would have done, Adam?" No, and I'm glad you asked - but I think what Hasbro did is better. I would have made the entire dome smooth without the indentations or raised areas, except for a big Kenner 1978 R2-D2 circle eye that would be intentionally off-model. Hasbro's lumpy approach is way more interesting. Figures like this are more art than literal interpretation of what we see with our eyes, so I always feel they're more open to discussion and critique. Maybe it's a childhood bias, but I'd recommend you pay $65 for CZ-3 and R4-M9. "But that's a lot of money!" Yeah, but these are awesome, and I'm good for it.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target. It was on shelf, they did not fulfill my pre-order yet.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,376: September 1, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,375: Nabrun Leids (The Vintage Collection)

2026-08-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

NABRUN LEIDS New and Significantly Jointed
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch HasLab Cantina Pack-In
Item No.: No. G1302
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #HAS011
Includes: 1 tumbler, 2 blasters, 1 alternate hose
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $399.99-$499.99
Availability: September 2025
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: No one knows what the Morseerian former pilot Nabrun Leids looks like underneath his breath mask, which he must wear in all non-methane environments. He'll fly anyone or anything anywhere - if the price is suitable. (Taken from packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Won't you be, won't you be, won't you be my Nabrun Leids? Right off the bat, I was not remotely excited that this was part of the crowdfund only because The Saga Collection redeco of Nabrun Leids [FOTD #397] was so good. I get some flack for this, but my feeling is if it ain't broke don't remake it. You can get that figure - with Kabe - for under $20. The set was $7 in 2007, and while a little hard to find as a Walmart exclusive it was able to be bought at a fair price. Side-by-side, the old figure is brighter and shinier, but has less gear and significantly less articulation. A lot of us differ philosophically on what "needs" a remake. 2006 Nabrun was a 1998 mold, repainted, and the original sculpt was surprisingly "modern." The HasLab version has more wrinkles and more joints, but if you just need a cool alien in your Cantina either version will do the trick. I don't need everybody to have rocker ankles and swinging wrists, and Hasbro made the 2025 version up to the standards of their higher-priced Deluxe figures. That's good! But necessary? Well, that's up to you.

So with that out of the way, this a most excellent figure that shows Hasbro showing off. The figure's basic form is the same as the previous releases, with a few key differences. The mask straps all join up in the back of the head now. The knees are a little different. The boots are now a dark silver, rather than white. The new figure also has fewer fingers, which is more accurate to the background photography of the costume. Aside from some wrinkles, the sculpts are both very good and you won't notice the differences in the background of a dark bar diorama. But this new figure does provide you with options.

For starters, he has a glass this time. It is designed to fit in his main right hand. The hands can also hold the original figure's massive double-grip blaster, if you so choose. The smaller hands can easily hold his pistols, which look like some sort of vintage ray gun. They're great, and if they're sourced from the movie I don't recognize them. The mask hose is removable, allowing you to swap it out with a bent model. I appreciate Hasbro throwing in extra parts, but honestly I wouldn't miss any of the accessories. The bar itself is loaded with glassware, and I don't remember the blasters (or a need for a bent hose) from the movie. But there's nothing wrong with the old figure, either - it just gives you more options to have the very best.

Articulation is incredible. Each hand has a bend and swivel wrist. Each arm is as good as these figures get, with incredible leg articulation and nothing to block it. You get rocker ankles, smooth knees, and a neck that can tilt as needed. The waist is also perfect, and can pivot at the belt line. I have no notes. Everything here is right where it should be. It's above and beyond the 8 joints we got in 1998 and 2007. If Hasbro ever produces the weird landspeeders from Mos Eisley, I assume this figure will have zero problems fitting in any cockpit we could throw at it. Plus or minus the second arm pair.

There are subtle differences in the flight suit, but what's amazing is how similar they are. The patches behind the wrists are still there. The accordion textures are very similar. The belt is a bit more rounded now, but still fundamentally the same as before. Kenner of old was doing great work right up to the end of their old building, and the new one shows how to functionally improve on that for the modern collector.

When it comes to the heads, I'd say it's a toss-up as to which is better. The new one has a more weathered, more desaturated mask. That looks great! The old one is brighter. The skin textures are a little different, but both have tons of detail. A wipe on Nabrun 2007 brings it out a bit more, but the 2025 figure also looks excellent. The mask looks great on both, and the straps are only barely different. The joined cluster on the back matches the Gentle Giant mini-bust, so it's probably the most authentic take on the alien we'll ever get. I wish you could get one easily and cheaply.

If you don't have a Nabrun Leids, this is the best one. If you just need one to stand around a bar, The Saga Collection release is completely fine. Every collector has different opinions of what they need, or what's necessary, and I'm of two minds about it. When it comes to the Cantina, I need a figure to serve a function. Some sit, some stand. As long as they can do what they did in the movie, I don't need them to be perfect. This figure is perfect, and it is far better at conveying its vague indifference through body language than the previous releases. For that reason, this is probably the best choice to have getting drinks at Chalmun's.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse. I hope it shows up in the regular line, for now it's exclusive to a crowdfund that is no longer available outside the likes of eBay.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,375: August 27, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,374: R2-WRWLF (Droid Factory)

2026-08-25T01:00:00.000-07:00

R2-WRWLF Halloween Edition
Star Wars Droid Factory
Item No.: ???
Manufacturer: Disney
Number: n/a
Includes: Wolf ears
Action Feature: Comes apart
Retail: $14.99-$17.99-$14.99
Availability: August 2026
Appearances: n/a

Bio: All different types of droids populate the Star Wars galaxy. Each droid is different and has their own unique personality and colors. This droid can be found in teh swampy vegetation of Zanbar. Join R2-WRWLF on their adventures throughout the galaxy. May the Force be with you... and your Droids! (Taken from the packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Hailing from the planet where Savage and Maul did some stuff, R2-WRWLF is a departure from most holiday droids. Generally, Disney do a good job to be respectful of coloring in the lines and giving you a figure that seems that it could be an in-universe paint job, plus or minus some garish flourishes or the occasional transparent or glow chassis. This one makes a big departure by giving us something that's more of a "designer figure." Given how previous droids were zombies or ghosts or pumpkins or even a vampire, it makes sense that they wanted to try something a bit different. And you know what? It works.

While not without its pricing drama (see below), it's easy to see this droid and go "you is a wahrwilf!" This figure uses the standard build-a-droid body with the non-cable feet, and adds an all-new set of wolf ears. Perhaps we'll see them again as cat ears, a "black cat" droid would make a lot of sense. The Disney designers really went to town on this one. The wolf ears have pink interiors, but the dome is surprisingly ornate. The main eye is yellow - which looks great - and adds a black pupil. Creepy! The box below it adds pink "gums" around a white box for "teeth," and even retains a red dot which can be the interior of the mouth. It's a really clever use of the space, even if it is a bit of a departure from a traditional droid. Aside from that, most of the panels are painted brown - beautiful brown.

The ears are removable, but cover one of the greeblies on top of his dome. This helps it to lock in place. Oh, and be sure to compare your figure to the cardback photos - the "torn panel" patterns changed from the card art to the figure.

The body and legs are sort of brilliant. The droid body is cast in brown put painted mostly in red with lines that look sort of like a plaid pattern, with the occasional "pocket" panel. I love this - I don't think we've ever had a plaid droid before. I'm surprised it didn't start in a Christmas robot. If you've seen the Lon Chaney Jr. classic The Wolf Man or even An American Werewolf in London, and my goodness you should see both, you know that lycanthropy results in torn clothing. Disney knows this too. The figure's right "shoulder" is exposed brown, as are a couple of back panels and one front panel. What a clever idea! I would continue with the commentary, but it sort of gets ugly as you go down - the feet are brown, but so is a third leg extending from below the figure's shirt. Maybe they should have painted the feet brown or green. The soles of the feet are painted black, with black wheels. That's unusual, but it looks good.

If you're looking for something brown, or something dandy, make sure you get this one before it gets expensive. Disney really spent some money slathering this guy in paint, and it turned out rather well. It's creative, and while it probably has no real place in any diorama you can't deny it isn't interesting. $15 isn't cheap, but the only new 3 3/4-inch action figures on the market today at a lower price are Retro Kenner guys. And you have to buy a six pack. I hope monster collectors get wind of this one, I think they're going to enjoy it as a particularly exciting monster mash-up.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Shop Disney. It was $14.99 on launch day, $17.99 a couple days later, and then $14.99 again by the next Wednesday.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,374: August 25, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,373: CZ-3 (The Retro Collection)

2026-08-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

CZ-3 Kenner Debut
The Retro Collection Target Exclusive 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure Set
Item No.: No. G2554
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $64.99
Availability: July 2026
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Rediscover the classics with The Star Wars Retro Collection - inspired by the Kenner originals! (Stolen from the marketing copy. Packaging has no bio.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: When I first saw CZ-3 I said to myself "Hey, that's pretty good." It is rare that Hasbro makes a figure in Retro that hasn't received a previous Kenner/Hasbro release, but here's one. Disney made a CZ Series Communications Droid (White, Droid Factory) [FOTD #2,381] nearly ten years ago, but all Hasbro has made was 2007's CZ-4 - itself a very nice figure. The white, filthy business droid from Mos Eisley never got a Hasbro or Kenner figure until now. Maybe the other guys were good enough, and maybe not - I don't know you, so you'll have to tell me. I had the Disney guy standing in.

So, how is it? Great. Wedge felt like a fudged modern sculpt. Captain Antilles was very good, but felt very digital. CZ-3 feels like someone might have caught a glimpse of the previous made-for-Disney droid, since their CZ bin bots have open right hands and gripping left hands - same as this guy. The fronts of the figures are quite similar, but their backs, arms, and head shapes are a little different. The 2026 Kenner figure has almost a pin head, pointier in the back. Speaking of the back, the design is quite different from both Hasbro and Disney CZ molds. The Kenner Retro guy has fewer details, and is honestly quite unimaginative. Kenner usually concocted something neat for the back, but at least I can say the design is pretty original. CZ-3's legs look like those of Kenner C-3PO but feature a lot of changes. For starters, the ribbing behind the knees are smoothed out, like the Disney figure. The raised lines over C-3PO's shins are smoothed out on CZ, and CZ has a single line running up the front of the thigh as opposed to the doubles on C-3PO. (And as we all know, triples is best.) The backs of the legs have changed up designs, and the feet are different too. I think a lot of fans would have been happy with a reuse of C-3PO legs, but Hasbro went and made something that felt the same but looks different. Good for them, I really like that decision.

The deco is different from previous figures as well as the costume from the movie. It's giving me a sense of a designer that probably worked from some reference, and some memory. It's good at capturing the vibes of the design, while getting it a little wrong. That's how Kenner did it, although not on purpose. The grey outline around the chest is pure nonsense, and the unpainted limbs seem very much like a Kenner move. (Heck, it's still a modern Mattel move.) The pointy coverings of the lower arms around the elbow are smoothed out, and the long nose somehow feels even longer - I like it. Hasbro also declined to paint the eyes, instead just sculpting in a dot and letting light do its thing. This was common in 3 3/4-inch Mego figures of the 1970s, go take a look at Mork from Ork or The Motion Picture Spock if you have them handy. I'll wait.

A departure from most Kenner-style droids who aren't Zuckuss or HK-87, this protocol-adjacent droid has one hand that can hold an accessory. I handed him Retro Wedge's blaster, and I was surprised to find out CZ-3's hand has a better grip than Wedge. Or Han. I have no reason for this guy to hold anything, ever, but I guess it's good to know Hasbro can make a good Kenner droid hand if they want. Nicely done.

I have nothing snarky to say here and little to criticize. I will buy another boxed set (or two, or three) for more of this guy. If it hits clearance, I will buy a few. All the joints move well and it feels pretty good. It's not hard ABS (I think) plastic like C-3PO, the Death Star Droid, or FX-7, but the PVC (again, I think) feels just fine. I wish he had a hint more of a slouch to his posture, but Hasbro really delivered the goods here. It's fun putting him in ships and playsets, and it looks cool. I like it, and I'll likely buy another one or two (sets.)

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,373: August 20, 2026

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,372: Geonosian Picador (The Vintage Collection)

2026-08-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

GEONOSIAN PICADOR with Orray
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Vehicle Pack-In Figure
Item No.: No. G2769
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #411
Includes: Pike, Orray, plugs for orray, reins, stand, wagon
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $79.99
Availability: July 2026
Appearances: Attack of the Clones

Bio: Geonosians use orrays - sturday quadrupeds native to the rocky planet - as mounts for the picadors in the execution arena, as well as to pull carts carrying condemned prisoners. (Taken from the cardback.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: It's great to finally have this Orray & Geonosian Picador set. It's also a little late. Attack of the Clones came out in 2002, so this beast hit 26 years later. To put it in perspective, the long-delayed Bantha first got made by Kenner in the summer of 1998... only 21 years after the original movie had been in theaters. Prequel kids have been either much more patient or indifferent than the Gen X-ers, so now they get to pony up $80 for what is an admittedly very good - and over-engineered - display piece. It's very good, it's original, and most importantly it's packed with new stuff you didn't buy when the movie was still new. That is such a rarity that I think it's actually worth holding your nose and getting your credit card without waiting for a sale. I doubt we're going to get a lot of never-before-made stuff next year.

So what's in the set? It's versatile, and it's this year's "playset." It's an item designed to be bought more than once for display reasons, and it became apparent as I was setting it up. The orray creature has a saddle plus little plastic plugs in his side, which you can pull out to connect the reins. This means you should probably buy one of these guys to be pulling the cart, and a second one so that the Geonosian may ride him and the cart can be overturned in a display. Heck, you can probably buy more if you want. Like Mos Eisley and the Tantive IV, this set was very clearly intended for repeated purchase. The cart is good, but noting special. The orray is superior to the Mattel Jurassic World toys by a fair bit, but also you're being charged accordingly. It's the same size as the baby stegosaurus mold from a few years ago. The creature has loads of joints and deco, but is sized similarly to the $13 toys in Mattel's line. If this were made at 2009 levels of Hasbro articulation, I assume this set would probably be $40 - but we are in an era where the goal seems to be to give the fan the very best, most expensive offering possible. Everything has tons of extra detailing and joints. If you love that sort of thing, you're going to love this. If you're on a budget, you're probably mad.

The carded Geonosian Picador figure inside comes on a card, with the biggest blister in The Vintage Collection. The giant spear covers almost the entire box for the photo, and probably makes a pretty good case for Hasbro to try a new 3 3/4-inch packaging style after nearly a decade so we can get some other kinds of accessories. The ones released with the movie had sticks or blasters, but I think they were lacking this specific lengthy stick. It's distinctive, so if you have an army of these guys it'll stand out.

The figure itself surprised me. It's not a figure that shares parts with Poggle the Lesser [FOTD #3,342]. Both seem to share elements from a CAD file ancestor, but nearly every piece is significantly altered with added (or removed) armor plus different carapace detailing. Poggle has a lot more spikes and bumps, and this picador is a bit more smoothed out. Functionally, they're pretty much the same with joints in the same places. The range of movement will not surprise you, but perhaps the hands will. Poggle's are larger, with fingers outstretched for gesturing or holding his cane. This picador grips either the pike or the reins tightly, to the point where I would say it might be challenging to get them gripping.

The level of detail on the figure is pretty great, with the green bug bits being texturally similar to the others in the line with flexible gold armor so nobody loses an eye. This one stands out because the back of the armor has various jewels and tassels. Perhaps the significance of the blue gem or various rings and bars are known to you, but I may have forgotten with time. Maybe they just look cool! I appreciate that they made this guy look different than the four-pack at Hasbro Pulse. The quality is there. Hasbro did a nice job, and if you just want more bugs you can skip this set and get four in the cheaper army pack.

I found getting the orray on the cart fairly easy, but contorting this nicely jointed Geonosian to fit in the seat was tough. I worry it might distort the plastic limbs over time, so I'll probably display him nearby either seated on the creature or standing until/unless I buy a second one. (Unlikely at $80.) I'm sure anyone that worked on this is rolling their eyes at my price-related comments, but you do get a sense of sticker shock when a very good $20 figure is in an $80 box with a floating boat and dinosaur of sorts. At $60 I'd say "this is pretty great." There's so much paint, articulation, and detail on everything in the set that you can get why they are asking $80, and I assume only a sliver of that has to do with our current fun with international trade. It's also the first completely new mold we've had for an Attack of the Clones vehicle or creature in over a decade, and I appreciate that we actually got something that isn't another remake. If you're a prequel collector, go buy this, it's great. If you love creatures and vehicles, it's very cool. If you want it to be 2002 and this to be $25 with a roaring sound box, well, maybe they'll try a "retro" thing for the prequels by going back to 1990s-2000s aesthetics some day. (This won't happen.)

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,372: August 18, 2026