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Luke Skywalker & X34 Landspeeder Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : SDCC 2017 (also available at Hascon 2017) Released : July 2017 No Official UK release Before we got the basic release of the X34 Landspeeder and Luke Skywalker, a deluxe version was made available at SDCC 2017. This version came in exclusive window box packaging and had decorative upgrades to the paint work, better quality soft goods on Luke's poncho, and moving parts under the bonnet. The set would go on to be re-released as a basic release in September 2017, and you can read our review of the Standard X34 Landspeeder here. Images are promotional images

Grand Admiral Thrawn Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : SDCC 2017 (also available at Hascon 2017) Released : July 2017 No Official UK release The first release of the 6" Grand Admiral Thrawn Black Series figure was in the gorgeous SDCC 2017 set. This set was packed in deluxe packaging and came with a number of accessories that would not be included in the single release. Within the pack were exclusive items as follows to allow you to recreate Thrawn's office as seen on Star Wars Rebels. Many items were Easter Eggs for other areas of the Star Wars Universe and beyond to other movies. Ysalmir Sculture Holy Grail (from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) Stone (from Dark Crystal) on display plinth Clone Commander Gree's Helmet (Revenge of the Sith) Unknown Lightsaber Syndulla Clan's Kalikori piece on display plinth Jedi Temple Guard mask The figure would go on to be re-released as a single figure release in Wave 12 in September 2017, and you can read our review of the Thrawn figure here. Images are promotional images

Review : Jawa Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : 40th Anniversary Released : June 2017 Price : £24.99 In early 2017 Hasbro announced a series of 6" scale Black Series figures to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars, A New Hope. The intention was to replicate the original 12 Kenner figures by releasing the 6" versions on retro Kenner style cards. The first wave was released March 2017 with a second set of 6 released in June 2017. While the first wave repacked figures, the 2nd wave introduced three figures not released to date in the series - the Tusken Raider Death Squad Commander and the figure we are reviewing here - the Jawa. The Jawa, like the Tusken Raider, have always been favourites of mine in Star Wars. The Jawa's were the Minions of their day, not quite good or evil, and the mechanism that kicked off the whole saga with their delivery of C-3PO and R2-D2 to the Skywalker moisture farm. For me there is also a high degree of nostalgia on this figure, it is one of the few vintage figures I can clearly remember buying from one of those old round wire baskets that toy stores used to hold figure. It was a Weds with my mum and my grandma and I dug him up from the bottom of the wire basket - the only figure in there that I didn't have. The new card backs are sized to accommodate the 6" figures, without being a direct upscale of the ones used on the original 1978 3.75" figures. They utilise the same character image as well as the Star Wars and Kenner logo's. The character name is set into a pea green box with the same colour used as the backing to the blister. Being a smaller character, the Jawa does look more at home on these jumbo cards - other figures have looked a little out of proportion. A neat 40th Anniversary logo sits in the top left corner. Round the back of the card is a checklist of the 12 figures that will be released. These are framed in various colours, each colour matching the scheme that will be used on their card. Under the 12 figures is an image of the Legacy pack, the stand that revisits the original Early Bird pack and gives collectors who aren't keeping these on card a display option for loose figures. A subtle Black Series logo is atop the card and of course being 40 years after Kenner & Lucasfilm, we now find the Disney logo at the base of the card along with the present day safety notices and legal logo's This updated 2017 version of the Jawa, and he arrives in a blister with two weapons packed to his right, your left as you look at the card. Once the card is open you will find the bottom of these two guns is attached to the figure by means of a flexible hose. More on these a little later. The Jawa stands 4.5" high, that means he is one of the taller Jawa's we see in a New Hope as he would stand 1.4m high if scaled up. While the Tusken Raider went with soft goods for the cloak, the Jawa is all plastic from hood to robes. The robe is designed to look like one piece, but is of course made up of varying pieces on the figure to support the articulation. All the pieces are identically textured with a sackcloth type of weave. The pointed hood is wrapped around the head and flows and rounds off down the back of the cloak. Under the hood is a dark black head. On closer inspection you can see this is sculpted to look like it is wrapped in bandages - with the two yellow eyes the only discernible feature. The eyes hold a bit of an Easter Egg as they do glow in the dark. This wasn't advertised on the packaging or in any promo material. The main body of the cloak drapes down from the shoulders to the floor. There is a thick seam down the body, just off centre, and this flows into a small gap at the bottom as the cloak catches on the ground. Where the cloak does touch the floor, the base brown colour has some sandy weathering applied to give the appearance of the cloak dragging on a sandy surface. While absolutely hidden unless you go looking, there is even sculpted detail on the legs with bandaged wrapped lower legs and shoes and some baggy trousers of some description. These are painted also with some more subtle sandy weathering on the bottom of the legs and on the shoes. The two arms use the same colour and texture and run to ragged cuffs, under which are black gloved hands. Across the chest are two diagonal straps. The bottom one is a dark brown, with one pouch on the front. On top of this is a lighter brown with numerous front pouches. Both these straps are washed with a darker colour for weathering. They also have some gold detail on the fasteners. Round the back of the Jawa these two straps link in to a holster into which connects the flexible hose we mentioned earlier. The other end of this hose is the Shock Blaster. This is pretty accurate to the prop from A New Hope. It is however cast in quite flexible plastic so is prone to being misshapen. The blaster is cast in black, but has brown detail added to the stock and to the side of the barrel. When not in use the Shock Blaster sits into the rear holster on the figure, with the hose draped around to the side. The blaster still sits quite high in the holster, but this is practical considering the arms of the Jawa and a need for him to reach over his own shoulder to grab the blaster. If you want the blaster in the Jawa's hand, then be patient. Unlike say a Storm Trooper E11 blaster, there is no real handle or grip on this blaster. You therefore have to kind of feed the stock through the right hand of the figure. He then holds it kind of pointing out in front, but not as though he is firing it. The second weapon is the Ion blaster, the one that resembles a blunder bus. Like the Shock Blaster this is cast in black and is quite flexible and easy to bend. It is painted in a gun metal all over finish. In terms of holding this one, the figure has the same issue and the best you will achieve is a grip of the stock and an at rest pose - not taking aim to disable a droid. You could have forgiven Hasbro for going with less articulation on a 4.5" figure, but they haven't and retain all the usual joints you would see on a larger figure. The head is ball jointed and moves much more than you would think looking at the hood. The hood being a separate piece also allows for the head to move independently of the hood to a degree. The shoulders are ball jointed and both arms come out fully to the side and can rotate above the Jawa's head. The elbows are rotating joints bending to just under 90 degrees. Both hands are then on a pivot. Sadly, and as we mentioned above, the elbow does not bend enough - nor the hand grip enough - to get into any kind of action pose with either weapon - one or two handed. There is a brilliantly hidden waist/torso joint disguised under the strap. This allows full rotation of the upper torso combined with a touch of lean forward and back. The legs will not be used on the figure because of the fixed skirt. But if you do look under the skirt you will see the same leg articulation as any other Black Series figure with jointed hips, knees and ankles. The Jawa stands perfectly well and there doesn't feel to be any immediate concern with loose joints. The Jawa may be small, but Hasbro have packed quite a lot of features into the figure. Some will argue there should have been two per pack, but that would potentially have been excessive with the £25 price point. I do however think an extra accessory or two would have been nice - perhaps even a Treadwell droid or similar? You cannot fault the sculpt which is excellent, and the glow in the dark eyes is a nice novelty feature. The paint is neat and there is a clear attempt at weathering. My main issue is the ability to hold the guns. While I understand the desire to stay true to props, perhaps a bit of artistic licence on the weapons would have helped to engineer in a way for the Jawa to hold them better? The big plus for this release is the 40th Anniversary card, and the nostalgia that brings - it certainly brought memories flooding back for me. It will be interesting to now see if the repack into the standard box will be the same or be tweaked in anyway, and if that very modern box brings back the same memories? There would be a fairly easy variant like the 2015 3.75" version by changing the cloak colour to a darker brown and changing the straps round and colouring them different. Taking all this into account, I score the 40th Anniversary Black Series Jawa a 4 out of 5. Buy now from Amazon UK Buy now from Amazon US

Review : Death Squad Commander Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : 40th Anniversary Released : June 2017 Price : £24.99 In early 2017 Hasbro announced a series of 6" scale Black Series figures to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars, A New Hope. The intention was to replicate the original 12 Kenner figures by releasing the 6" versions on retro Kenner style cards. The first wave was released March 2017 with a second set of 6 released in June 2017. While the first wave repacked figures, the 2nd wave introduced three figures not released to date in the series - the Tusken Raider, the Jawa and the figure we look at here - the Imperial Death Squad Commander. When Kenner put out their first twelve 3.75" Star Wars figures in 1978, the Death Squad Commander was one of the more interesting choices. The character didn't play too much of a part in the movie, and was certainly not the 3rd most obvious "bad guy" choice after Darth Vader and the Storm Trooper. When you consider Kenner could have gone with the Tie Fighter Pilot, Sand Trooper (a figure that never made the Kenner Vintage line) or the Death Star Gunner - the Death Squad Commander was a brave choice. When Hasbro decided to replicate the original 12 figures into the new 6" Black Series for the 40th Anniversary the Death Squad Commander, like the Jawa, was a brand new figure they had to create for the release as opposed to the others which were already released or in the works. The new card backs are sized to accommodate the 6" figures, without being a direct upscale of the ones used on the original 1978 3.75" figures. They utilise the same character image as well as the Star Wars and Kenner logo's. The Death Squad Commanders name is set into a ice blue box with the same colour used as the backing to the blister. While the massive Star Wars Universe database has since categorised this figure as a Death Star Trooper, Hasbro have retained the original Kenner name from 1978 even though it would go on to be renamed in the Kenner line as the Star Destroyer Commander. A neat 40th Anniversary logo sits in the top left corner of the card, the only nod away from the original Kenner cardback. Round the back of the card is a checklist of the 12 figures that will be released. These are framed in various colours, each colour matching the scheme that will be used on their card. Under the 12 figures is an image of the Legacy pack, the stand that revisits the original Early Bird pack and gives collectors who aren't keeping these on card a display option for loose figures. A subtle Black Series logo is atop the card and of course being 40 years after Kenner & Lucasfilm, we now find the Disney logo at the base of the card along with the present day safety notices and legal logo's While the original 1978 Kenner character title has survived, the original paint job hasn't. The trooper was originally presented in a grey officers uniform with the helmet in black. This version is more accurate in a full black uniform with black helmet. Packed into the blister with him is the DH-17 blaster. Out of the pack and the Commander stands 6" high, in scale with the other Imperial Troops who he will be joining on my display. The uniform is all black but is sculpted to replicate cloth rather than armour, so there are folds and creases across the tunic and down into the baggy legs. All the main uniform is a matt black. The lower arms are elbow length gloves and these are a high gloss black and have a silver buckle painted at the wrist. The same colouring is used on the knee high boots. For some reason the clothing directly above these gloss areas (boots and gloves) also look glossy so in certain lights don't match the rest of the figures clothing? The figure wears a matt belt adorned with a large silver buckle and silver panels either side. There is also a holster to the figures right hand hip which works to hold the blaster. The only other decor is a perfectly applied Imperial logo on the left shoulder. The cynic in me expected to see some re-working of parts from Director Krennic in the uniform, but I can't find anything that is a direct reuse. I do suspect there will be some parts in here that will be used in the upcoming Tarkin and/or Thrawn figures. The head is obviously generic and not based on a particular niche actor who played one of the Death Star Troopers. He is cast in a base skin tone with painted eyes and eyebrows. The hair is a short crew cut in brown with some impressive 70's sideburns. The helmet is a softer plastic and the whole thing is cast in gloss black with no other painted detail. Most of the detail on the helmet is sharp, with the circular indents front and back and what looks like microphones either side of the dome before the rear section splays off. On the figure we are reviewing here there are a couple of dings from casting or when it came out of the mold. The helmet is well engineered to sit onto the head naturally and not look oversized. The chin strap hooks neatly under the figures chin. The sole accessory is the DH-17 blaster. This is this particular weapons first appearance in the line, but it will be used again soon for the Lando figure. The original Death Squad Commander was packed with an E11 Stormtrooper blaster. This DH-17 blaster is a nicer choice for the figure and is reflective of what the Troopers guarding the Detention Block where Leia was being held were carrying in A New Hope. The blaster is cast in a deep grey and it holds a lot of sculpted detail from the intricate sights to individual rivets and fastenings. The barrel is painted in silver. The DH-17 fits into the Commanders right hand, with his trigger finger slotting into the trigger. When not in use it sits neatly into the holster. Articulation is great on the Commander, being a non-armoured figure with little to impeded the joints. The head is ball jointed and can rotate and look up and down - with or without the helmet. Arms are ball jointed shoulders that move fully out to the side at a right angle and also rotate over the head. The elbows are a 90 degree rotating joint and there is a swivel in the wrist. There is no torso joint and I understand why as it would have ruined the flow of the tunic. Instead we get a rotating waist, hidden under the belt, and this allows the torso to be rotated - all the way round if you want. The hips are jointed and even under the small skirt of the tunic you can get the Commander to kneel or squat. The knees are double jointed and the ankles on a rocker - the Commander is one of the most stable figures I have had for a while - no floppy joints here. While I appreciate the initial plan for this figure was accuracy to the original Kenner 12 releases - he is a worthy addition to the Black Series, and gives something different to the Imperials who have been dominated by armoured troopers since the line kicked off 4-years ago. Another huge plus is the Death Star Troopers recent appearance in Rogue One, and that allows these figures to go as much on a Rogue One shelf with Krennic as they are with the Original Trilogy Imperials. When you consider the arrival of The Black Series Tarkin - these guys are going to be used for flanking him - making army building a plus too, particularly when they are put out on the standard box packaging. Will Hasbro consider an alternative head at this point? I doubt it, but it would be a nice nod to Army Builders. So would be throwing in a Mouse Droid (hope they are listening)... I love the Death Squad Commander both from a nostalgia point of view, and also as a genuine release in his own right. I score him 4 out of 5.. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Review : Chewbacca Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Wave 5 (Phase 2) Released : October 2014 Price : £19.99 Once Han Solo had arrived in the Black Series range, the fans next sought after figure was his co-pilot Chewbacca. The Wookiee was originally planned to be released in the orange 1st phase packaging and would have been the #13 release. Once packed it was clear to Hasbro that due to his height there was an issue in their current packaging and bending his legs to fit him in the window was not acceptable. Orange boxed Chewie was therefore pulled, leaving a gap in the numbering of phase 1. Chewie was dropped into the next packaging phase, with the blue line, and was numbered #04. Ironically, Chewie would be later packed with bent knees in the Phase 3 packaging in his Force Awakens release. The figure arrives in a black matt box with cut out window insert through which the figure is visible. This new blue phase packaging moves the header and Black Series logo from the top of the box, and places it at the bottom over the figures feet. This allows taller figures like Chewie to be displayed more naturally with their head clearly on display. To the top right of the window is a circular grey scaled art of the figure. This is the same location as the older orange packaging, but is now cut into the window rather than alongside the header. The box front now has two sides worth of framing, down the left and across the bottom. The window itself wraps around to the right hand spine and into the top of the box. The text remains a grey/silver, while the character name is now an electric blue. The left hand spine is simply adorned with various safety notices, there is no solid colouring or numbering like we see on the 3rd phase packaging. Round the back, and under a further Star Wars Black Series logo header we get a larger rendition of the Chewbacca lined art. Over this is laid a brief top level overview of Chewie and a brilliant quote of "Rrrooaarrgghh! Awrggh! Rwaah-oh-oh!". The electric blue trim runs horizontally down the back of the box. Once unpacked, Chewie is sat in a matt black inner cardboard tray with blue trim down the right hand side. He sits in a tray, with his Bowcaster in two parts to the right of the figure. Review : Chewbacca Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : 40th Anniversary Released : June 2017 Price : £24.99 The new card backs are sized to accommodate the 6" figures, without being a direct upscale of the original 3.75" figures. They utilise the same character image as well as the Star Wars and Kenner logos. As Chewbacca is such a tall figure, he does look quite oversized on the card, with his height meaning the blister is touching the top silver trim. His Bowcaster is tucked up near his head too, which is not the best look. The character name for Chewbacca is set into a yellow coloured box, with the same tan yellow used behind the figure. A neat 40th Anniversary logo sits in the top left corner. Round the back of the card is a checklist of the 12 figures that will be released. These are framed in various colours, each colour matching the scheme that will be used on their card. Under the 12 figures is an image of the Legacy pack, the stand that revisits the original Early Bird pack and gives collectors who aren't keeping these on card a display option for loose figures. A subtle Black Series logo is atop the card and of course being 40 years after Kenner & Lucasfilm, we now find the Disney logo at the base of the card along with the present day safety notices and legal logos. Out of the box and Chewie stands a substantial 7 3/4 inches tall. This would equate to 2.36m in height, and this is a touch over Chewie's advertised height of 2.28m. For me the difference is minimal and I a fine with how Chewie scales against the other figures, particularly with Han. The figure is sculpted out of brown plastic in the main. The detail in the fur is impressive, and they have attempted to hide joints and parts with a furry overhang on each section. The head is sculpted in a roaring pose. This is a nice deviation from the usual neutral poses, but it would have been nice to give collectors a choice - either via an articulated jaw or a second head option in the box. The colouring on the figure is darkened in places with a wash of some kind. This is more prominent towards the top of the chest, the top of the arms and the top of the legs. This would work if it didn't stop so suddenly when it meets the next joint. You end up with a patchwork effect, as though the Chewbacca costume was made up of different coloured furs. The head is the nicest coloured with variations of fur, and a darkening round the eyes. The eyes themselves are bright white with dark pupils, although many figures - including our review figure - end up with cross-eyes. The hands are coloured grey, as are the feet. The hands have some pretty horrible fur over-sculpted from the knuckled downward. Some artistic licence would have gone someway hear in terms of looks and to help Chewie to hold weapons (read on). Chewie's saddle bag and ammo strip is a separate item slung over the body. You can remove this if you really want. It hangs and moulds to Chewie's hip nicely. It is also a bit better coloured than the fur with a wash over the bag to age it and add some character. The silver is a touch to bright across the strap but it is neatly painted with no real bleed onto the brown rubber plastic underneath. The other accessory is the Bowcaster. This arrives in two parts, with no assembly instructions. You will think you are doing it wrong because the cross section constantly pings off. Sadly this is a design flaw as the peg and hole aren't a tight enough fit. Different figures will have varying degrees of frustration. The simple answer is to glue it in place. The weapon itself can also be heavily warped, especially the sights. It is cast in a grey plastic with gun metal dry-brushing which gives a convincing finish. Articulation on Chewbacca is quite strong, but hugely restricted due to the fur. The head is jointed, but will not move more than a few millimetres to either side. The arms are ball jointed at the shoulder and this means Chewie can raise his hands well above his head, and out to the side - perfect to show his frustration over a game of Dejarik. The elbows are a rotating joint. These bend 90 degrees but are not fully rotating due to the fur overhang at the elbow. The hands are on a peg which bends forward a few mm's and also rotates. The fur on the hand does stop Chewie holding his Bowcaster easily, it will take some coaxing to get it in position. The hands and elbows then do not move enough to get in a stable two-handed weapon pose, you might just get something resembling one with Chewie's left hand floating over the top of the Bowcaster barrel. The torso gets a torso joint and a waits swivel. The legs are ball jointed and then have a thigh swivel. The knees are single jointed. There are ankle rockers for the feet. The legs overall are too loose and Chewie stands too bowlegged and wide stanced. I want a tall legs straight and together Chewie, so it is a shame the feet are a touch too wide apart and suffer from sliding wider on display. Chewbacca is an early release that doesn't really live up to the standards of the time. He is substantial in terms of height and heft, but the colouring isn't right. He is also difficult to pose and the Bowcaster is a frustration. Standing with Han in as neutral a stance as you can get he looks OK, but anything action orientated looks clunky and unnatural. I score Chewbacca as a figure a 3 out of 5. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Review : C-3PO Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : 40th Anniversary Series, Wave 2 Released : June 2017 Price : £24.99 In early 2017 Hasbro announced a series of 6" scale Black Series figures to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars, A New Hope. The intention was to replicate the original 12 Kenner figures by releasing the 6" versions on retro Kenner style cards. The first wave of 5 figures and one box set was released March 2017. It was followed in June 2017 with a second wave made up of re-releases of C-3PO, Storm Trooper and Chewbacca. There was then three new figures - the Tusken Raider, Jawa and Death Trooper The new card backs are sized to accommodate the 6" figures, without being a direct upscale of the original 3.75" figures. They utilise the same character image as well as the Star Wars and Kenner logo's. The character name is set into a coloured box, with the same colouring used behind the figure. A neat 40th Anniversary logo sits in the top left corner. Round the back of the card is a checklist of the 12 figures that will be released. These are framed in various colours, each colour matching the scheme that will be used on their card. Under the 12 figures is an image of the Legacy pack, the stand that revisits the original Early Bird pack and gives collectors who aren't keeping these on card a display option for loose figures. A subtle Black Series logo is atop the card and of course being 40 years after Kenner & Lucasfilm, we now find the Disney logo at the base of the card along with the present day safety notices and legal logo's The actual design and sculpt of the droid is pretty nice. The lines are clean and the panels smooth and nicely proportioned. The head captures that quizzical look of 3PO, particularly when it is cocked to one side. The eyes don't feel big enough and with not much surface area to paint this stops them looking illuminated, or at least a variant gold to the rest of the head. Instead you see a dark centre pupil and a touch of lighter yellow round the lens. Had you read my standard Resistance Base C-3PO review you will know I had some issues with the colouring used on C-3PO. Having now had that, and this C-3PO for a week or two now my position has mellowed a touch. The gold is not perfect, it lacks a little bit of sheen - but I wouldn't have wanted a full vac-metal C-3PO (see Bandai's model) as this kind of represents 3PO at the end of A New Hope only, I want the dirty, weathered 3PO we have through most of the movie. To that end the gold isn't a bad base coat, the issue is that they haven't taken the next step and weathered the figure. A quick dark wash would have massively improved the look of 3PO and tied him in to a lot of the Trilogy scenes. The silver leg is included, a detail missed on a lot of 3PO figures. Like the gold finish of the rest of the body, this silver paint is not high sheen. A dark wash here would have improved the leg no end and brought out the detail and lines of the sculpt. The tummy section is nicely detailed and is sculpted detail that is then painted, not just painted wiring. It is also a different setup to the Force Awakens C-3PO, another nice touch considering a complete re-use would have been the easier option. Each wire is neatly picked out with blue, red, yellow and green all across a flat black background. Down the arms are the hydraulic rods and bolts that aid in 3PO's movement, these are a bit soft and not as crisp as other parts of the droid - most probably as casting them in harder plastic would have left them open to snapping too easily. Articulation was never going to be great, it isn't on the real costume after all. We start with the head which sports then new pivot ball joint. Despite the neck rings this joint allows the head to tilt back and forward, and it also rotates a full 360 degrees. The arms are only jointed at the shoulder and then again at the wrist, the elbow is fixed. These shoulder joints sit in a shoulder collar which you initially think will stop the arm being moved too much. However, this collar around the shoulder does actually move and can be rotated, and doing so the arm can then be raised and lowered more. The hands rotate at the wrist, and with a peg they also bend, almost to 90 degrees to the lower arm. The torso is ball jointed just under the upper chest piece, this means the joint is hidden, but allows for a wide range of movement and this allows 3PO-esque poses to come more easily as he quite often pushed out his groin and leans his shoulders back when you look at him on screen - particularly when he is walking. The ball jointed hips won't move much as they are held back by some overhang on the top of the thigh. They can go wider if you wish or out to the front for an almost sitting position. After dropping the elbow articulation, Hasbro have also gone single joint on the knees. Now this is nicely engineered to match the way the characters costume works, it does only allow for a slight bend and the hydraulic peg that connects top of the knee to the shin is fixed and just juts out when the knee is bent. The articulation ends with the standard ankle rockers, and these are easy to adjust and C-3PO stands pretty well. All of this articulation does already feel loose and wobbly, and I would imagine C-3PO will start to flop and fall over in the very near future. This is the third C-3PO release we've looked at in the past 12 months. The Force Awakens Red Armed version walked away with a poor 2 out of 5. The Original Trilogy version scored a little better at 3 out of 5, but was let down by the exclusivity and high import price. I am going to score the 40th Anniversary C-3PO the same, a 3 out of 5. While this figure is released in the UK, the price has risen considerably and at £24.99 basic (closer to £28 from a lot of retailers) that puts him on par with what we were paying 6-months ago for the US Exclusive. The card is a brilliant idea, and well executed - but for nearly £30 a figure we needed something a little better. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US Buy from Forbidden Planet

Review : Tusken Raider / Sand Person Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : 40th Anniversary Released : June 2017 Price : £24.99 In early 2017 Hasbro announced a series of 6" scale Black Series figures to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars, A New Hope. The intention was to replicate the original 12 Kenner figures by releasing the 6" versions on retro Kenner style cards. The first wave was released March 2017 with a second set of 6 released in June 2017. While the first wave repacked figures, the 2nd wave introduced three figures not released to date in the series - the Jawa, Death Squad Commander and the figure we are reviewing here - the Tusken Raider. The new card backs are sized to accommodate the 6" figures, without being a direct upscale of the original 3.75" figures. They utilise the same character image as well as the Star Wars and Kenner logo's. The character name is set into a coloured box, with the same colouring used behind the figure. While the figure is called a Tusken Raider, the card has remained faithful to the name used on the original 1978 Kenner 12-back release, the Sand People A neat 40th Anniversary logo sits in the top left corner. Round the back of the card is a checklist of the 12 figures that will be released. These are framed in various colours, each colour matching the scheme that will be used on their card. Under the 12 figures is an image of the Legacy pack, the stand that revisits the original Early Bird pack and gives collectors who aren't keeping these on card a display option for loose figures. A subtle Black Series logo is atop the card and of course being 40 years after Kenner & Lucasfilm, we now find the Disney logo at the base of the card along with the present day safety notices and legal logo's The Tusken Raider is somewhat sandwiched into the small blister pack, surrounded by a variety of weaponry. You would assume the blister layout for the normal Phase 3 boxing will see a better distributed layout. The figure stands 6 1/4 inches high. He is quite a substantially weighted figure and feels robust in hand. As he comes out of the box his soft goods cloak is tucked up into the skirt section of his inner cloaks. While sum will like this look, for a full flowing cloak this needs pulling out and releasing to follow naturally down to the ground. The head on the Tusken is very impressive, capturing that wasteland look that we see in A New Hope. The bandages are all sculpted detail and then painted in a sand yellow and washed with black to pull out the detail. Out of the bandages stick the four silver head "horns" and at the front the two eye lenses which are cast to look telescopic. The breather mask is a darker brown with a silver section at the top and is wrapped in a tan brown bandage. If I was being hyper critical then I would have liked to see the same dark wash on this mouth piece - as it stands its a touch too clean. Under the head is the Moisture Trap that juts out from either side of the neck and concludes in a brown tube just under the mouth. This device is unique to the A New Hope Tusken Raiders - it didn't appear on the costumes used in 1999 for The Phantom Menace when the Tusken Raiders made their return. From the neck downward is a chest section of sandy brown, and it is wrapped with two ammunition belts. These are painted a dark brown but there is some missing paint towards the base of each where they remain coloured the same as the clothing underneath. On sections of the belts details are picked out in gold. These straps go right round the back of the figure with the same detail of paint, including a painted gold clasp - this is even though the back is pretty much hidden by the soft goods robes. Further down is a pouched belt. Here the paint is superb in another brown shade with washed detail to dirty it up as well as a gold clasp on each compartment. From the belt runs a plastic outer skirt. This is textured like sack cloth and is weathered at the hem with a darker wash to represent the dirt kicked up in the dessert. Under these skirt sections are fully sculpted legs with sandy trousers down to knee high wrapped boots - with the boots also weathered with the dark wash. All this is wrapped up in a nice hessian type cloak. This is stitched into two sleeves that hold the arms and then flows down and out from the figure. While it feels like it should be removable, it appears to be stitched or glued in the neck - and I for one didn't want to ruin an excellent figure by pulling it all loose. Articulation on the figure starts with the head which is ball jointed and can be turned a full 360 degrees. The head is pivoted and can look up. You will struggle to have him look down as the collar and neck device block that movement. The arms have a full range of movement under the cloak. The shoulders are ball jointed, with the elbows a single rotating joint. The hands are pivot pegs so they rotate as well as pivoting back and forth Your wont get much movement in the legs due to the hard inner skirt. While there is a split up the skirt (same as Obi-Wan) it doesn't really allow much more movement other than some wider stances or bent knees etc. The Tusken Raider comes armed to the teeth, and the first weapon is the long sniper rifle. This takes some working out to get hi to hold it as it naturally doesn't have a grip. Once in place in the right hand, the left cups the barrel nicely. While he wont take up a sniping position, there are a few positions to play with - including the guard stance where he holds the rifle with the butt resting on the floor. The other accessory is the gaderffii stick. And I congratulate and thank Hasbro here for including the three different ends to the stick that we see in A New Hope. The larger round pointed end has a slot at one end into which you can place one of these three head options. Two of the heads are a dark brown plastic to match the main body, the third is a silver colour. The arm movement allows the Tusken Raider to hold the gaderffi stick in a variety of poses, my favourite being the over the head victory pose. Considering the recent releases in the Black Series where we have been lucky with one small blaster - the Tusken Raider is spoiled in terms of accessories and pack-ins. Putting the three heads of the gaderffi stick in one pack will certainly encourage repeat purchases, especially as the same figure has hit the market at the same time as the 40th release in the Phase 3 red box packaging. Of course the other option would have been to put out variants in each release - but that often backfires and frustrates collectors. The soft goods work, but I do worry about fraying considering none of the ends are neatly stitched or finished. The head sculpt is amazing, and overall paint and weathering is pretty strong. The appeal of the 40th Anniversary figures is of course the packaging, and the Tusken Raider looks spectacular on his backing card with its dynamic image and bright green backing colouring. The figure is also superb out of the pack, appealing to both MIB and loose collectors and I suspect he will hold his value - if not see it rise - over the coming months & years, something that is fairly consistent when Army-Builder troops are in play. Considering all this, and the very minor flaws, I award the 40th Anniversary Tusken Raider release a 5 out of 5. Buy from Amazon UK Buy from Amazon US

Review : Legacy Pack with Darth Vader Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : 40th Anniversary Carded Special Released : April 2017 Price : £44.99 Hasbro surprised a lot of collectors by announcing the Legacy pack that would sit alongside their 40th Anniversary retro carded 6" Black Series figures. The idea behind the set is to replicate the original 1977 Early Bird set, giving fans a set with real retro and nostalgia written all over it, but still usaeble with today's action figures. The result is a set containing the 12th figure you need to complete your 40th Anniversary recreations of the Original 12 back. Along with a display base that is based on the original Early Bird set. Now I must admit at this point that I was only 1 in 1977 and therefore my Star Wars experience hadn't officially kicked off - it wasn't until 1983 or so with Return of the Jedi that I was fully immersed in the Kenner figures. I therefore had not really heard much about the Early Bird set until adulthood. I am not sure if that will have bearing on my feelings or review of this set - but I suspect what I think vs someone who got the Early Bird set for Christmas 1977 will differ. The set comes in a cardboard box, and a pretty impressive one size wise. It measures 17" (440mm) across, 11" (280mm) high and just over 2" deep (55mm). While the design is based on the Early Bird set - it isn't a direct replication. It does, however, use all the same design principles and certainly evokes the styling and design of the Kenner toys of the era. First of the Early Bird didn't have a window cut out - this set does to the left hand side, through which you can see your Vader figure. Above this triangular window is the original 1977 Star Wars logo - complete with the Luke holding aloft a lightsaber image from the original movie poster. These logo's sit on the double silver line tram rail that runs the full length at the top of the box. A yellow line splits the box in two and in here is the Legacy Pack name which is then repeated in three other languages. While these different languages appear on both the US release and on this UK/Euro release - the wording is different UK/Euro = Coffret Heritage : Klassiker-Paket : Pack Legado US = Ensemble Heritage : Set Legado : Kit Legado The US version is obviously reflecting the key French & Spanish languages used in Canada & Mexico - while the Euro version sticks to the main languages of France, German and Spanish. On the right hand side of this yellow central line is a deep glossy red section in which is some very small text in black that covers the contents of the set in each language (again this differs between US and Euro release). Above this content text is an image of the constructed set and Vader. And right at the top is a shiny foil 40th Anniversary logo. The final section of the box across the bottom from part right to far left is where the Kenner artwork comes in. Here we find the original 12 figures illustrated as they were on the 1977 Kenner set. Above them flies an X-Wing and a Tie Fighter and in the very bottom right corner is the Kenner logo. Not a sniff of Hasbro or Disney logo at any point on the front cover. The very top of the box see's the Star Wars Black Series logo. This is very faint against the gloss black - nicely done but not in your face. To the far right of the top flap is the end trims of yellow and red from the box front. The left spine is gloss black with some star effects. It is made up of the curve and run down of those silver double tramlines. The right spine is red at the top and then a repeat of the tramlines running vertically to the base. The base flap carries all the copyright details, the Hasbro logo as well as the Lion Mark and CE logo (Euro release). Round the back and the whole rear of the box is a very high sheen red colour. The top couple of inches holds the Star Wars logo and some white text in four languages that reads "Authentic looking Action Figures from the Smash Hit Movie" This is the text used on the Early Bird pack in the 1970's Under this is the wording "Start or expand your collection with a 40th Anniversary Legacy Pack! Now you can have fabulous fun reliving the movie Star Wars". This text too draws on the wording of the original set although is obviously amended to the new release and 6" range. The centre part of the box rear has an image of the stand, fully populated with the 6" Black Series figures. To the side in a yellow insert is the "Special Edition" Darth Vader image. And to the left is a picture of the reversible cardboard insert of the stand. Above this is more white text in four languages which now talks about the features and that all important "Additional figures sold separately". The bottom part of the box is the same colourful checklist of the figures that we see on the card backs of the single releases. There is only 11 of them having already pictured Vader above. The first wave sits at the left hand side, with wave 2 to the right. Each wave two figure is asterisked and underneath is the text "Coming June 2017". The box ends with the warning text in a variety of languages. And the first sign of a Disney & Hasbro logo at the bottom right. The box can be opened by the right or left side flap - each is taped down with a single piece of tape. Once opened a plain black cardboard tray slides out. The Vader sits in one half, and the disassembled stand is in baggies in the other side. To Vader first. And to Hasbro's credit the figure is packed inside the box but also on a card back to match the other 11 figures in the 40th Anniversary series. That means collectors still need to buy the set to obtain Vader, but can still have him matching their other figures if they are displaying on the card-back. Vader comes on the same design of card that we see on all the other 40th Anniversary releases. The new card backs are sized to accommodate the 6" figures, without being a direct upscale of the original 3.75" figures. They utilise the same character image as well as the Star Wars and Kenner logos. His colouring is an orange and this sits behind the figure on the card - making it pop really nicely - and to the right on the nameplate. A neat 40th Anniversary logo sits in the top left corner. Round the back of the card is a checklist of the 12 figures that will be released. These are framed in various colours, each colour matching the scheme that will be used on their card. Under the 12 figures is an image of the Legacy pack, the stand that revisits the original Early Bird pack and gives collectors who aren't keeping these on card a display option for loose figures. A subtle Black Series logo is atop the card and of course being 40 years after Kenner & Lucasfilm, we now find the Disney logo at the base of the card along with the present day safety notices and legal logo's Vader stands dead on 7" high, the same as the original Vader release, and means he will scale well against the other figures in the line. You can see the Helmet, which doesn't come off, is much sleeker an angular. The eye lens on the helmet retain the red sheen, but it is darker and stands out less than the first Vader release. The shoulder armour also looks less bulkier and the soft goods flow much better. These start at the shoulder and go down the chest under the belt and out as a skirt. A second set comes down the back as Vader's cloak. The chain that was so problematic on the first release has disappeared. Paint work looks awesome, with very subtle touches like a silver highlight on the cheek which was apparently present on the real prop. Areas like the chest plate and belt are neatly painted in crisp green, red and silver. While they say this is the definite Vader, it is clear from the chest box that this is based on the A New Hope Vader and therefore Rogue One also. This of course is fine as the original phase 2 Vader can now be used as an Empire or Return of the Jedi version - particularly with that Anakin sculpt. I may be mistaken, but the left hand appears to be sculpted in a force choke pose. This is not the right hand vs the scene in the Imperial Briefing Room - but it is a brilliant addition aside from adding in swap out hand options. Vader's saber is packed to the left of him in the card. It is a truly deep red this time, darker I think than the original. The hilt also looks better painted with a black design and silver highlights and the tiniest orange control button. If you want to read more about the figure itself, then click here for a full review The second half of the set is the stand. And this will require some assembly. Thank fully Hasbro has included a fold out instruction leaflet in Black Series red & black livery. You will find two bags of black stands, a bag containing the two curved side parts of the rail, a bag containing the top rail and overhead sign and a sticker for the same overhead sign. The cardboard insert is then found behind all these folded up in three sections. My advice is to get that out and flatten it ahead of construction. The instructions start with the construction of the rail. This is dead straightforward with the two sides sliding into the corresponding top rail. The next element is the stand which is made up of four interlocking plastic stands. While they all look and interlock the same way, you will need to make sure you find the end pieces - these have an extra hole at the far right or far left to take the slot in overhead rail. The instructions now tell you to slot the cardboard insert into the rail. There is a groove on the top rail to aid positioning and once in place there are two hinged clips which swing down to hold the card in place.... Or at least that is the theory! In reality, or with fat 40 year old fingers, this is harder said than done. I found the easier option is to slot the card insert into the groove in the base first. You can then position the rail over the top and guide it carefully around the cardboard. The two side rails clip into the base and the top of the card meets up with the slot in the top rail. As carefully as you go you will start to get nicks in the card back from the minor casting defects in the plastic. While it is nice to recreate The Early Bird set in similar materials - for longevity a more robust backing in printed plastic may have been better. The final part is to take the logo sticker and position that on the sign. This goes on really well and I had no bubbles or anything to sort out. The sign then clips into four holes on the top rail. With the stand assembled you can now add your figures. Each segment of the base has three pegs to stand the figures on. There are two pegs on the back step and a third peg on the angular lower front step. These have worked on most figures I have tried, but I suspect some early figures where the peg hole is different may struggle. While the pegs work, I think it would be tough to get three figures to stand on each section without being cramped - particularly figures like Vader or Chewie. It is doable but each figure will have to be in a neutral pose. The other issue is height. Put Chewie on the back step and he will be touching the silver of the top rail. This means a lot of the background is lost behind the figures and therefore you would argue why a background image was needed at all. Talking of the background, and you can choose between the figure line up image or the X-Wing battle image - again the same images that were included with the original Early Bird set. Both images are crisp and glossy but the folds at either end are visible, more so on the X-Wing image. Swapping the set is a reverse of the process from earlier but I would advise caution as every swap over comes with the risk of damaging the cardboard - either at those folds or at the top or bottom with nicks as they slot into the grooves. Size wise the stand measures 22" (565mm) across. This is too wide to fit in that workhorse of many collections, the Ikea Detolf. It is also too wide for the 400mm Billy Bookcase, but it will go into the 800mm version with space either side. Height wise the stand is 10" (260mm) at the tallest point where the logo is positioned. It i 9" (235mm) the rest of the way round. So to sum up. And as I said earlier, I do feel a bit detached from this set having not experienced the Early Bird release back in 1977. So lets look at it as it stands today. First off is the price, which is £44.99 in Toys R Us. Take off £24.99 for Vader, which is the equivalent to the other 40th carded figures, and you are paying £20 for the stand. For a 22" by 10" stand made of plastic, this isn't completely out of the ball park -but the stand has a couple of flaws around the engineering including my suspicion that the card will deteriorate over time. It only needs a few tweaks on the quality of material to step it up a good couple of notches. I suspect this set will sell purely on the Vader figure, and a lot of collectors will display it boxed alongside the rest of the carded 40th figures. Either way is of course fine, but either way is pushing the value for money aspect of this set and as Hasbro have chosen to pack the 40th Vader this way we have to score this as a set and not just the figure. With all that considered I will score the Legacy Box Set a 3 out of 5.

Review : Resistance Tech Rose Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Wave 14 (Phase 3) Released : November 2017 £24.99 Pros : Uniform sculpt is really good. Resistance Blaster Rifle is much improved. Cons : The uniform is a bit too clean Wave 15 (Phase 3) of the Black Series was the final wave of 2017 and was the third to contain figures from The Last Jedi. While Wave 15 was filled with a number of repacks, it gave us three brand new figures - two from The Last Jedi (plus Jaina Solo) in the guise of Supreme Leader Snoke and the figure we are looking at today, Resistance Tech Rose. Rose is number 55 in the series, and is titled specifically as Resistance Tech Rose rather than her full name of Rose Tico. I guess this was due to her release before the movie, and this character name gives her an immediate position in the movie. The illustration is the usual high quality Gregory Titus illustration and is quite expressive, and captures the character very well. The box design remains unchanged and includes the rear bio that talks about how Rose is part of the support crew for the Resistance, and how she hates the First Order. This is, as usual, repeated in other languages and sits to the side of a larger version of the Titus illustration. Out of the box and Rose sits in the standard tray with no twist ties. A blaster and her taser sit to her left. Wave 15 has fallen just before Hasbro's intention to bring the face printing technology to the Black Series line. This means we have a standard sculpt and therefore the likeness to Kelly Marie Tran is not the best - or rather is not maximised by the paint job with the figure relying on a skin tone head with added lip colour and quite heavy and dark eyes and eyebrows. Her hair is swept back in a ponytail with a blue painted ribbon, with a few strands hanging either side of her head. Like the face the hair is one tone with no additional wash or dry brush to bring out the definition of the hair. Rose is dressed in her Resistance Tech cover-alls, These are very well executed in that there are loads of creases and folds and they actually do look oversized for Rose and a bit untidy. Where they fail is the coloring which is too bright and needs a wash of weathering to dirty it up. Where it lacks in colouring, there are loads of details on the outfit itself. On the chest section we have a comms panel of some kind and on the other side a transfer of Aurebesh language. This apparently translates to GLD and refers to the Ground Logistics Division to which Rose belongs. On Rose's right arm we have a line of canisters, similar to what we see on First Order / Imperial uniforms. Down onto the right hand we have a sculpted ring, which is painted in gold and then has a perfectly painted dark blue gemstone. Rose's belt carries more canisters, each painted a dark grey against the lighter colour of the belt itself. Further own we have a pocket on her left leg which seems to have some more technical parts of some kind - these are painted in silver with red details. There are 16 points of articulation on Rose, a standard set for The Black Series. The head sits on a ball joint which is also pivoted at the front. Initially it feels as though this doesn't add much forward motion, but you have to push past the ratchet and when you do the head goes all the way forward so the chin is on the chest. There is no torso joint to break the line of the figure, and instead a ball joint is hidden behind the belt. This allows the torso to rotate, but being a ball joint it allows allows some leaning positioning which is very nice. The arms have a full range of movement with ball joint shoulders, single rotating jointed elbows and jointed wrists. Unlike a lot of Black Series, the wrists on Rose do simply rotate and I can't see a pivot at all under the cuff of the outfit. The legs have ball jointed hips, followed closely by a thigh swivel. The knees are double jointed and the boots have an ankle rocker part way down. Rose can therefore kneel on one or both knees. The ankle rocker is tight and ratcheted and Rose can stand with no problem. Accessory number one is the taser. This is cast in an orange plastic and there is some flex to this plastic. It is a small item, but still carries a lot of paint detail with a silver end to it, grey mid section, black grip and a red/pink ignition button. While this looks fine at the scale of the figure, up close you can start to see the paint is a touch messy with the orange showing through the silver etc. The taser sits in either hand for Rose. When not in use the taser can be slotted into a socket on Rose's belt. The socket is shaped so the taser can only fit one way. Once in place it is secure and holds neatly. Rose is armed with a larger Resistance Blaster. This is the same sculpt that was packed in with the Resistance Trooper and the Poe / Stormtrooper 2-pack back in 2015. It is however a huge improvement as the plastic is sturdier and holds the detail really well. The paint is also brilliant with a grey silvery base paint and then some bronze and gunmetal dry brushing on top. The gun is a little large for Rose, but again like the oversized uniform it kind of works for the character. She is a Tech and not a warrior, and she almost needs to look uncomfortable with the weapon. It fits into her right hand best so that the trigger finger can slot into the trigger. The arms are jointed enough to get close to a two handed pose as well. I love Rose in terms of the movie, and the figure does a good job of bringing her to life. I like the sculpt and the look of the figure and her accessories are very well executed. The only issues I have are a slightly featureless face and the uniform colour being a touch too bright and clean. Aside from these, Rose is a great addition to your Last Jedi collection and I am convinced at some point we may get a re-use of the head on a female First Order officer body alongside a BB9E. We award Resistance Tech Rose 4 out of 5.

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. Checkout the Star Wars Selection Over at Kapow Toys

Review : Supreme Leader Snoke Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Wave 14 (Phase 3) Released : November 2017 £24.99 Pros : impressive head sculpt. soft goods work well. Cons : only that this is the same figure that is packed with the Throne deluxe set Supreme Leader Snoke has already had one release so far in 2017 as a Gamestop exclusive with his Throne. This release, part of wave 14, is the same exact figure but now packed singularly as #54 in the Phase 3 packaging. The packaging is the familiar black box with the now bolder Star Wars Black Series logo up top. On the expanded bottom rail we get another lovely Gregory Titus illustration, although it does give Snoke a more inquisitive look as though he is thinking something over rather than menacing the galaxy? The red character text gives his full name as Supreme Leader Snoke, and this is repeated on the gloss red side spine under the large black number 54. The other spine also carries the character name, once again in red against the black background. There is the faded blown up lettering on this left hand spine with the word Snoke just legible against the black. Round the back, and thankfully there is no repeat of the wave 13 issue where the Titus illustration was cut off by some new legal text. Alongside the drawing of Snoke is quite a long piece of background text. As usual this gives nothing much away and simply talks about Snoke's position as the "shadowy" leader of the First Order and how he is a "Master of the dark side". Snoke slides out from either the top or bottom box flap in the red inner tray. He is alone in the tray with no accessories present. Be careful when removing him from the tray - while he is not secured in with any twisty ties or similar, his cloak is tucked into two slits and could be damaged if you just pull him out. The first thing that is striking about Snoke is the sculpt. The head is particularly impressive with its multitude of scars and defects - and yet with piercing eyes from beneath. The paint job further enhances the sculpt with a pink fleshy tone used n the damaged parts and blended in with the pale flesh. This same skin tone is used on the hands to give them a haggard look. Snoke is one for bling it seems, and his left hand carries a huge ring with gold band and a dark crystal or gem of some kind set in top.; This decadence also runs to his slippers too which are ornately sculpted - even though they sit under that gold robe. It isn't immediately apparent how tall this figure actually is, but Snoke stands 17.5cm tall, that is just shy of 7 inches and means he towers over most other Black Series figures - particularly noticeable when you line him up with his contemporaries such as Kylo Ren and the Praetorian Guard. I have been impressed with the material used on the 2017 soft goods for the Black Series, but there have been issues to date with the tailoring. Snoke is however very well done with the gold robes not only looking and feeling the part but also tailored very well. The robes hang beautifully from Snoke's thin frame. They are tied in place with a rubber sculpted belt that is cast in a gold plastic with embossed design. My one worry is fraying with a few loose threads apparent on the hems. Under the robes is a sculpted under suit. The top part looks very much like Jedi robes, while the trousers are a weird 3/4 design that only reach his calves. We then have bare legs until we hit the ornate slippers we saw a little earlier. While it seems Snoke doesn't need a huge range of motion, Hasbro have not scrimped and under that gold robe is a full set of standard Black Series articulation points - 16 in total. The head is the first, and this has a rotating ball joint and a pivot joint. The rotation work well, but the sculpt of the head doesn't allow too much forward/backward motion. Moving down from the head and you find a torso/waist joint. This is ball jointed but like the head does not have a great deal of lean motion in it - but it will rotate as required under the cloak. The arms are ball jointed at the shoulder, with a rotating elbow and rotating pivot wrists. These all move smoothly under the arms of the soft goods robe and the robe moves well with the arms and still looks and hangs neatly when the arms are posed. While the legs are hidden under the robes they have been treated the same as any other figure with ball jointed hips, thigh cut swivel, double jointed knees and ankle pivots. On this figure the most you will do is splay the legs out a little for balancing such a tall figure - but these joints will of course come into their own for the deluxe version where he will require seating on this throne. For such a tall skinny figure, Snoke stands particularly well and all the joints feel tight. As well as his Throne, Snoke also fits onto the Throne Room floor piece packed with the Target exclusive Kylo Ren deluxe release. It is here as we line him up with some Praetorian guards that we can start to appreciate the visuals of this scene. It is quite refreshing in a way to have a Dark Side user who is not clad all in black or dark robes. Adding Kylo to this scenario adds that dark dimension, and in these images you can see how tall Snoke is versus a standard Black Series human figure like Kylo Ren. Supreme Leader Snoke is a figure with barely any flaws. He has a superb facial sculpt with equally impressive paint applications. The soft goods work and his overall visual is elegant yet menacing. There has been no scrimping under the robe either with a full sculpted and articulated body. Our only criticism is the availability of the more deluxe version as many fans would prefer to skip this basic version for the larger set with his Throne. We award Supreme Leader Snoke 5 out of 5.

Review : Admiral Ackbar and First Order Officer Star Wars Black Series (Hasbro) Wave/Series : Toys R Us Exclusive (US) Released : November 2017 £54.99* (* import / independent price) Pros : It's Admiral Ackbar! An he is glorious. The First Order Officer, who looks a bit boring is much better than you may think Cons : Availability will be an issue. The jaw on the Admiral can get a touch loose. "It's a Trap!" Let's get that out of the way first as we welcome Admiral Ackbar to the 6" Black Series line. Amongst the raft of exclusives announced for the last 3-months of 2017, this is the one I have been looking forward to the most - and is at the time of writing the hardest to get hold of for UK collectors. The Admiral Ackbar and First Order Officer set is an exclusive to Toys R Us in the US and in Australia. At this stage there is now UK release, and going off other boxed exclusives like the Astromech pack or the Cantina 2-pack, this is more likely not to arrive in UK stores who only seem to get the single carded figure exclusives such as Snowtrooper Officer, Hover Tank Pilot and Commander Gree. The box is essentially an elongated version of a standard box. The bottom rail is however slimmer than the one we are currently seeing. The artwork sits to the bottom right and has Ackbar forward with the First Order officer to the rear. The Star Wars Black logo sits centrally on the top black rail. Unlike other exclusives with varying box designs and sizes - this one should still sit with your single releases and other similar multi-packs. A circular silver embossed sticker has been placed on the window between the two figures. This confirms it as a Toys R Us exclusive. This is the first time I have seen this sticker since the 2015 Snowtrooper officer. I am reliably told that Toys R Us staff add this themselves, so there will be variations in position and some stocks with none at all. The character names are in red bold as Admiral Ackbar and First Order Officer. This same red text is repeated on the left spine just behind the wrap around part of the window. There is a faint outline on this left spine where the word Ackbar is printed in large print and in very dark grey against the black backdrop. The right spine is gloss red as usual. As this is an exclusive there is no numbering, just a repeat of the character names under a shaded box. Round the back and we get a diagonal split to cover both characters. Akbar sits to the left under the Star Wars Black Series logo. We get a larger version of the Gregory Titus illustration along with a short blurb about the Admiral's role after Return of the Jedi and his current role within the Resistance. This is repeated in three other languages. The right side is the First Order Officer. Here we get a generic image of the officer - the likeness on the illustration is not a clear resemblance to the figure and you wonder which came first the figure or the drawing. The blurb here talks more general around the "officers of the First Order military forces" and their "allegiance to Supreme Leader Snoke". A new feature on this pack is that both of these panels have the character name headed above the blurb in a red box rather than simply white text on the black background. We open the pack as usual and slide the figures out in their gloss red backing card. Both figures are held into the inner tray by the tray itself - no twisty ties here - and their respective weapons are placed at the sides at head height. Hasbro have always delivered excellent sculpting on the Alien's in the Black Series 6" line, but they have gone one better here with this Mon Calamari sculpt which is nothing short of exceptional. The head is well proportioned and carries a wealth of detail from the fronds round the mouth, to the folds of skin and the overall texture of the amphibious head. What makes it is the eye which is glass like and so expressive and peers out from the ringed bulbous eye sockets. I can't count the number of paint colours used on the head with varying tones of orange across the head and adding shadow and light in the right places. The eye itself is bright yellow with a white ringed back pupil. Our images may make you think there is a white spot in the centre of each eye - but this is purely a reflection of the light as the eyes is so glass like. This is a Last Jedi release, meaning that Ackbar is seen in his Resistance uniform and not the classic white from Return of the Jedi. It is also a different design to what we saw in The Force Awakens so no doubling up here with your displays. While the head was superbly detailed, the uniform is a little less so. The tunic section is sculpted with a realistic approach to where you'd expect to see creases and folds - particularly where it goes into the belt and where it bunches around the elbows. The tunic is a single olive green colour with the rank badge in a light blue shade with white and darker blue details. There is a plain brown belt around Ackbar's waist and that tucks into the front panel as seen on screen. From under the base of the tunic we get blue trousers, again with the right creasing and folded detail you'd expect. These are also a single tone colour, no washes or highlights. The ankle boots carry a fair bit of detail with some strapping and panelling. They are very similar to what we saw on some Endor Troopers and are two tone brown with the top being a lighter colour to the feet section which is also glossier. The exposed skin of the arm is sculpted as well as the head with more fronds and that lobster type panel with the spikes. There is less orange variation here paint wise, but they still look good and have the spikes and fingernails picked out in a darker grey colour. The head itself is not articulated in the usual way - and while it doesn't turn, it is designed so the Admiral can open its mouth. We've seen this type of engineering on a few 3.75" figures and it seems to have been scaled up for Ackbar. Essentially the head is in two halves and the top bit sits on a neck peg with a joint that moves it backwards. As it does this it opens the mouth as the lower jaw section is pushed forward. This just enhances the figure even more for me as you can alter Ackbar's expression with the jaw movement as you wish. Because of the design the lower jaw can feel a little loose when the mouth is opened - this is normal (I think) and necessary to allow the mouth to move the way it does. The rest of the articulation on Ackbar is standard fare - 16 points in total including that jaw. Arms are ball jointed at the shoulder, rotating single elbow joint and pivot wrists. The wrists are the most mobile I've seen on a Black Series figure, helped somewhat by the girth of the arms We have a torso joint secreted behind the belt and this isn't just a swivel, it also pivots up and down adding lean either forward or backward. The legs are ball jointed hips with thigh swivels. These are behind the lower half of the tunic - which does mean the thigh swivel is hidden, but also means there is a restriction on the upper legs. The tunic is a softer plastic however, and with double jointed knees and very articulated rocker ankles you can get Ackbar to kneel or crouch. He stands perfectly well and you can feel a ratchet in the ankles holding them in place. Ackbar is armed with a modified DH-17 blaster, as used by the Resistance. I believe this is a debut for this weapon in the range, with other Resistance figures to date coming with the larger Blas-tech rifles. It is also a differing sculpt to the one packed with the Death Squad Commander. It is cast in a black plastic, which does have some give in it - but nowhere near the flexible weaponry we saw in 2015. There are some details picked out in silver around the barrel, grip and on the sights. Even with his Mon Calamari hands, Ackbar has been designed so he can hold this blaster in his right hand quite well. We are missing the usual trigger finger, so it can look a little odd from some angles. There is no holster for him to stow the weapon - and I suspect many collectors will discard this to the accessory box. Ackbar has never been one for weapons, so while I appreciate the pack in rather than nothing - it might have been nicer to apply some licence and give us his staff as we all remember from the vintage release way back in the early 80's The second figure in the pack is the First Order Trooper. This figure is very nonspecific and is not named, and is more of a generic army builder than anything else. The facial sculpt is nicer than it looks in hand, but is quite cartoonish with the large eyes and heavily painted eyebrows. Round the sides under the cap you can see some shading to represent a shaved head. The only other colouring is the pinker tone on the lips. The hat is plain grey and carries a First Order decal front and centre. This is cast in grey and there is a gloss black peak to the cap. From the head downwards, the entire body is a direct re-use of the Finn in First Order disguise from Wave 13. It reflects the uniform we see in The Force Awakens and into The Last Jedi for what we assume are lower ranking officers. Up close the uniform carries some nice detail. The more obvious canisters to either side of the chest, to more subtle panelling and seams and the bunching of the trousers around the upper legs before they are tucked into the glossy black boots. The whole thing is a soft grey colour and has no further paint effects. The belt breaks up the grey of the uniform and is painted in black with a gunmetal buckle. For some reason the buckle appears off centre which you wouldn't expect from the regimented First Order? There is a holster hanging from the belt. While not advertised on the box, the hat is actually removable. It is cast in a soft rubber material, and the head is then cast as bald with a very light stubble and these two factors combine to a very snug fit with no obvious oversizing issues you often get with removable head gear. Articulation is 16 points as standard. The head is ball jointed and can be rotated with or without hat - and it pivots up and down by some way so he can be posed looking up or down. Arm movement is good, but as an officer you most likely will stick to neutral posing or that hands behind the back "attention" stance. The torso does have a joint disguises by the belt - but unlike Ackbar, there is no useful movement - in fact it feels stuck and when I turn mine he flicks back to the front. It reminds me of at the 1980's action features they put on He-Man or Wrestling figures for a spring-loaded punching action. Legs are ball jointed hips, followed by thigh swivels, very well hidden double jointed knees and ankle rockers. This allows for a good level of wider stances and some crouching with the lower half of the jacket cast in softer rubber so the outfit moves to a degree with the leg movement. In the image above I've shown a blown up image of his wrist where he is wearing a wrist band with some Aurebesh symbols on it. According to Action Figure Blues Episode 298, this has been translated as "Dillon" - the significance of this is currently unknown. The First Order Officer comes with a small blaster - the same one we got in early 2016 with Hux. It is cast in grey with some black paint added to the grip and rear section. This fits into the right hand of the Officer, but due to the smaller size it's tricky to get his flexible trigger finger into the trigger. When not in use the blaster fits into the holster on the belt. This is a snug fit, but due to the shape of the lower coat the blaster is almost bent when placed in and will distort over time - you may want to leave the blaster sat a little higher in the holster rather than pushing it all the way through. Scoring two packs is always hard. Had this been a single Ackbar release, he would have walked a 5 star review with barely any criticism. The Officer on the other hand is good and better than I was expecting - but it is not great and looks dated with its cartoonish head sculpt and will stand out even more when we start getting into the face print technology - he would have scored a 3. I think the answer here is to split the difference and award the set a 4 out of 5. Ackbar is the star, with the First Order Officer along to make up the numbers. Like any exclusive where there is no wider UK release, price is a crucial factor and my score is assuming you can grab this set for no more than the £55 I paid via Amazon. I now look forward to the inevitable release of a Return of the Jedi Ackbar - and quite possibly a tweak to a Force Awakens versions?