Review : Jaina Solo (Legends) Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Wave 14 Released : November 2017
£24.99
(Winning figure of the 2016 Fan's Choice Vote)
Pros : Wonderful head sculpt capturing both Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford. The quantity and quality of accessories is excellent Cons : None as far as we can see - unless you are still disappointed with how she was voted into existence in the first place?
The 2015 Fan's Choice from Hasbro gave fans the rather wonderful Darth Revan figure the following year, yet when the poll was repeated in 2016 it descended into chaos and controversy when a set of fans grouped together to force through Jaina Solo as the winner against all the odds and predictions of those Fan Sites collecting and collating the results. The very nature of the 2016 vote may well be the reason that a 2017 vote has not gone ahead. That all being said, Hasbro have been true to their word and as one of the final releases of 2017 - Jaina Solo has indeed joined the Star Wars Black Series 6" line.
Jaina is number 56 in the Phase 3 Red & Black packaging and arrives in the familiar black box with red details. The character artwork is very impressive capturing Jaina in her flight suit and with the look of both Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford.
The character name is preceded by "Legends" in brackets, This is the first time this prefix has been used - it wasn't present on the 2016 Darth Revan release. As most fans will know, Disney reset the old Expanded Universe when they began the new Star Wars stories and films and reclassified it as Legends. That basically means that Jaina doesn't exist anymore in actual canon - but she is not totally erased and can live in this "Legends" status along with other EU characters who were all written in across various novels and comic books.
I am pleased to see that the issue we had on the the wave 13 figures, where a new legal warning in multiple languages cut off the artwork, is not present on this one. The white sticker you see is because this is an imported figure - wave 14 has not yet hit store shelves in UK as of this review being written.
The bio talks about Jaina as the "daughter of Leia Organa and Han Solo" and how she is a "Jedi Student of Luke Skywalker".
Jaina reminds me so much of the very first Star Wars Black Series figure, X-Wing Luke, and she is packed in a very similar way with her lightsaber to one side and her pilot helmet and blaster to the other side.
She comes out of the box via either the top or bottom flap and is sat in the clear tray with none of those annoying ties or twisty bits.
Its well documented that the Hasbro team took the features of Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford and blended them to create the Jaina head sculpt. It is only when you get this figure in hand and up close to see what an awesome job they did of this. While the Leia elements are subtle, there is no mistaking the Han Solo smirk around that mouth - what a brilliant job by the team.
The head is coloured in a flat flesh tone, with slightly pinker tone on the lips - no unrealistic bright red lipstick here. The eyes are very well applied too and are very expressive. The hair too is a flat tone, but the sculpt detail is deep enough that the light creates its own texture. The hair piece is separate to the head and is designed to flow down the sides and back of Jaina's shoulders.
Jaina is clad in a black version of a Rebel Pilot uniform. Everything on here is a brand new piece for the figure and it is all done to a very high standard. The base suit is a slightly glossy black with orange pinstriping. Over this is the chest flak jacket with the life support system on top. There are straps leading from the chest that loop down and round the legs - this is all separate to the body and moves with the articulation.
Jaina carries a very similar belt to her dad (Han) with a holster slung to her right thigh and strapped round at the base. All of these pieces are varying shades of grey and gunmetal and give a nice variation to the deep black of the suit.
Articulation on Jaina is brilliant, and I think for the first time in the series Hasbro have employed the more maneuverable chest joint that they use on the Marvel Legends figures, allowing for more forward and backward moving on the chest.
We also have ball jointed shoulders, and rotating elbows which bend to 90 degrees and beyond. The wrists too are a rotating pivot joint and these also bend to 90 degrees with a satisfying ratchet as you bend them.
After the torso joint we have ball jointed hips, a thigh cut that rotates and double jointed knees. The ankle rockers are the standard fare, but feel much more secure than normal. Jaina stands perfectly well, despite those heeled boots.
As a pilot, Jaina comes with a Rebel Pilot's Helmet. I thought perhaps this was a re-use or tweak of the Skywalker Pilot helmet, but it too is a brand new piece. It's cast in rubbery plastic, yet carries some good crisp detail like the ridge over the top and the circular pieces at the sides. The helmet carries a lot of decorative detail including white and yellow stripes across the centre ridge, Rebel symbols to either side and various icons and symbols to either side. All of this is weathered and distressed and looks battle worn rather than being too clean.
The visor is a transparent yellow and once the helmet is fitted snugly over the head, you can still see the detail of Jaina's eyes beneath the visor. Unlike most helmets on figures that are designed to be worn - this is not one bit oversized or clunky.
Jaina's first weapon is a blaster. This is a DL-44 blaster as favoured by her Father Han, although it is missing the scope. It is cast in a gunmetal colour with black grip and strip round the barrell.
It sits in Jaina's right hand, and we have the standard flexible trigger finger which can be maneuvered into the trigger.
When it's not in use, the blaster slots neatly into the holster on her hip. With those brilliantly articulated elbows, she can even be posed in a gun slingers pose, or even drawing her weapon.
Jaina is of course also a Jedi, and she comes with a lightsaber. This too is a new piece and is also cast in gun metal but with bronze and black detailing. The saber blade is a deep transparent purple and can be detached from the hilt with a firm pull and can be slotted back in with a satisfying snap.
Like the blaster, when not in use the hook on the end of the saber can be used to hang the saber on Jaina's belt.
The arm articulation comes back into play when posing Jaina with the lightsaber. The slim arms and maneuverable elbows and wrists give rise to some nice two handed saber poses - better than most of the other Jedi or Sith figures we've had in the range to date.
Jaina Solo is a figure with virtually no flaws, The only thing going against her is how she came into being and any resentment that may still exist with how she came out on top of the 2016 poll.
Being a "Legends" figure she should be sought after by most "older" fans - similar to how popular Darth Revan was when he was released. I also suspect she won't hang around for long - being released at that horrible time of year when the pegs are already groaning with figures and retailers are not wanting to restock - she may go the way of Asty from 2015/6 and Baze & Chirrut from 2017 and not even hit mainstream retail.
The other great thing about this release - if you aren't a Expanded Universe collector - is how she can be fitted into the current canon as a simple Rebel pilot, or even a smuggler or similar working for the Hutts? Without knowing who it was or meant to be, she still screams Star Wars with that costume and will fit well into most collections. Will we ever see other Legends releases? I doubt it without a Fan's Choice to force them through - so make the most of Jaina Solo while she is here.
We score her a pretty perfect 5 out of 5.
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