Zorii Bliss was released in Wave 24 of the Star Wars Black Series in March 2020. She was number 103 in the line's 3rd phase packaging. The rest of the wave included Clone Commander Bly, Count Dooku, Knight of Ren and the Sith Jet Trooper.
Packaging 4/5
As we move into 2020 releases there is no change in the phase 3 packaging other than the numbering has moved to 3 digits, meaning a slightly smaller font on the red side spine. The Gregory Titus artwork shows a the angular helmet of Zorii and the top of her shoulder/neck armour. This same image is repeated, as usual, on the reverse with the following text.
"It is difficult for scoundrels to remain neutral in the war between First Order and Resistance and Zorii Bliss and the Spice Runners of Kijimi must soon take a side."
Paint & Sculpt 5/5
Out of the box and Zorii is a very impressive figure, with a sculpt that has a fantastic likeness to the character we see on screen. The helmet is well propotioned and sculpted with lots of intricate detail at the side panels and at the top.
The costume is made up of a deep red jumpsuit, cast in burgundy plastic, and then painted over in parts like the ringlets down each arm and the grey straps and trims on the mid-section and round the leg. Each of these is painted well with no paint issues. Zorii then has her golden collar which is an individual piece, albeit not-removable, cast in dark grey plastic with each panel then painted in gold. The belt is likewise a seperate piece, this time cast in brown with the upper strap of the belt painted gold. Two holsters hang from the belt down either thigh and are attached to the upper leg, lining up with the leg strap sculpt on the upper thigh.
Zorii has a pretty cool feature in that the visor of her helmet can be removed revealing her eyes and nose underneath - a nod to what happens in the movie. The mechanism to do this is basically two clips at the side of the visor. It is easiest to remove at one side then unclip the other, but be careful as that will put some stress on one side. The face underneath gets the face print technology and even through only the eyes and the top of the nose are visible, is a good likeness to actor Keri Russell.
Like a lot of recent features, like C-3PO's removable head piece, there is no reference to the visor on the packaging. I suspect there will be some fans who buy the figure are will be oblivious to the feature. While I don't want to see "action feature" flashes all over the packaging - it might be cool for Hasbro to include something in the box to highlight the feature.
Accessories 5/5
Zorri is armed with a pair of twin blasters. These are the best looking weapons included in a Black Series figure for some time. They are cast in a harder plastic than we have seen and carry a lot of detailing in the sculpt. We then get an amazing paint job on each with a gold grip, gold lining around the barrel and a red indicator at each side above the trigger.
The weapons fit into either hand, with a flexible trigger finger on each hand to slot in the trigger. When not in use the two blasters slot into the holsters on each thigh.
Articulation 5/5
Zorii has a total of 16 points of articulation, the standard for a Black Series figure.
Head : ball joint neck with pivot
Body : torso ball joint
Arms : ball joint shoulder, single rotating elbows, wrist pivot
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivel, double joint knees, ankle rocker
As Zorii is so slim with no encombaring parts, she is fully mobile - and then some. The head is really mobile and the tilting poses give the figure real character. Even with single joint elbows the arms fold up beyond 90 degrees and the engineering still allows the shoulders to raise fully under the collar section.
The legs are fully mobile, with the holsters moving with the legs. Zorii can kneel, and sit as well as a number of standing poses. The feet are cut slightly odd thanks to the design of her boots and a secton at the heel is missing. This can make her a tad unstable if she is leaning back a little way, but other than this she stands perfectly well and each joint is stiff and secure with a satisfying ratchet.
Summary
Zorii Bliss, for me, is one of the stand out designs in The Rise of Skywalker and a nod back to the Bounty Hunter / Fringe characters of the original Trilogy. The figure recreates this perfectly with a great sculpt, brilliant articulation, great paint job, superb accessories and even a hidden feature with that removable visor.
There is very little to fault with the figure, and I score the Star Wars Black Series Zorii Bliss figure full marks of 5 out of 5.
About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Figures) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, the rise of skywalker, black series, hasbro, zorii bliss, 103