Entertainment Earth has launched their Cyber Monday online deals! Be sure to take advantage of the savings including their Black Series Astromech Droid Set*, a set of Rogue One wave 3 figures that includes Grand Admiral Thrawn and Bodhi and much more!!!
*You can see our full toyguide entry for this set here.
The Yakface Toyguide updates resume today with the addition of the Target Exclusive 3.75″ Force Link Return of the Jedi Battle Pack Set.
PROS: Three all new figures in one 3.75″ battle pack?! Releases like that come too few and far between and this one excels. Both Emperor Palpatine and Luke benefit greatly from having two additional points of articulation (wrists) and the inclusion of the swappable force lightning hands is perfect. The sculpting for The Emperor shines above the other two figures as the texture captured in his robe harkens back to the detail applied to figures from The Phantom Menace. The results yield one of the best 3.75″ Emperor figure ever produced. Luke is not too shabby either as his proportions are nicely captured as well as the classic ROTJ Hamill likeness. Rounding out the set is the Royal Guard, which again is an excellent example of the character and I’d love to get my hands on a few more. Force Link phases are what you’d expect – classic lines from ROTJ and Palpatine also has one from The Phantom Menace. The set is also priced well for an exclusive that includes 3 new figures.
CONS: None to speak of really other than the ERG’s limited Force Link effects and maybe the Luke’s hair color choice.
Head to the toyguide for our detailed image gallery and to judge for yourself whether this figure is worth adding to your collection.
PROS: Despite using existing tooling from previous Black Series releases, the Battlefront II Inferno Squad Agent still impresses as a figure. The bold red accents and sigils are striking as they almost have a Special Forces First Order TIE Pilot feel. The sculpting still holds up well today and the repurposed Han Solo stormtrooper belt from 2013 makes this figure stand apart from prior TIE Pilot releases.
CONS: Sadly, this figure doesn’t represent the main protagonist of the Battlefront II story, Iden Versio, though I understand the need to recoup tooling costs and still make something in the spirit of the game. There were several issues in the order fulfillment for this figure from delays and dropped orders. GameStop must work on their exclusives relationship with Hasbro if they want to be a successful player in the game. (Pun intended).
Head to the toyguide for our detailed image gallery and to judge for yourself whether this figure is worth adding to your collection.
The Yakface Toyguide updates resume with our newest entry in the 6″ Black Series assortment for the venerable Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn (#40).
PROS: The 6″ Black Series continues to impress with its level of detail, sculpting and paint — Qui-Gon Jinn is no exception as Hasbro did an excellent job of capturing Liam Neeson’s large stature and ever-stoic personna. The overall sculpt of the figure is quite nice with great effort applied in rendering the different textures of the Jedi outfit. Articulation is extensive despite the lack of double-hinged elbows that would have made achieving some two-handed lightsaber stances a bit easier. Hasbro included an extra “gestured” left hand for striking alternate poses or attempting Jedi mind tricks on your other figures.
UPDATE: a new detail has been brought to light thanks to a few of our readers. The eyes for Qui-Gon are actually separately cast and painted pieces allowing for much greater accuracy and realism!
CONS: The main oversight this figure contends with is the absence of a soft goods robe. Qui-Gon spent a significant portion of The Phantom Menace wearing it so it feel odd without it. Another accessory that could have been a nice bonus is the Jedi communicator (you know, the one that looks like a women’s razor). A previous 3.75″ figure has included it the past – seems a shame not to revisit it for this release.
Head to the toyguide for our detailed image gallery and to judge for yourself whether this figure is worth adding to your collection.
We have updated the toyguide entry for the 6″ Black Series C-3PO (Resistance Base) #29 figure to include the “dark arm” variant that is now shipping to stores. Sadly, it appears that Hasbro overcorrected in their attempt to portray Threepio’s superfluous coloration from The Force Awakens.
The Yakface Toyguide returns from semi-retirement today with the addition of the Exclusive 3.75″ Astromech Droid Pack from Entertainment Earth.
PROS: If variety is the spice of life then this set is for you as Entertainment Earth has created a truly unique boxed set featuring several different astromechs pulling from live action and animated sources. My favorites of the set include Jabba’s unnamed bartender droid – a figure I for one never expected to receive; R2-C2 – Ziro the Hutt’s bartender/service droid mainly because of the wild deco; and finally, QT-KT because of its reference to R2-KT and a great arc in The Clone Wars series. The sculpt used for the base of each droid is recycled from the Vintage Collection R2-D2 (VC25) which is a solid design with a decent amount of articulation for an astromech.
CONS: This biggest complaint I’ve run across for this set is the price, which is interesting considering the cost breakdown per figure is about what we pay at retail now for TVC/Black Series quality figures. Secondly, depending on your mileage, paint apps are a little loosey-goosey on some droids, and not quite accurate on others so it’s a mixed bag, but nothing that should stop you from acquiring this set. Thirdly, a couple of the astromechs have issues with the retractable leg remaining in its fully-extended position, resulting in the droid falling forward. And finally, the first runs of this set have a four digit date stamp pressed into each of the 6 domes* which is disappointing, but it is on the back of the dome so it’s not really a deal breaker either.
Head to the toyguide for our detailed image gallery and to judge for yourself whether this set is worth adding to your collection.
*According to Entertainment Earth, the date stamp should only be present on these early samples and production pieces will not have them.
Note: this advanced sample was provided to us by Entertainment Earth and I’d like to thank Bethany and Adam for including us in this early product reveal.
UPDATE: We have added six new images into the toyguide for this set to reflect the final production versions which eliminate the production stamps on the back of each dome.
The Yakface Toyguide updates continue for our next entry in the Rogue One 3.75″ basic figure assortment with the Imperial Ground Crew figure.
PROS: I’m a sucker for figures that expand the ranks and background fodder for the Empire. This figure evokes a strong sense of nostalgia with this precursor the the Imperial Gunner figure from 1985. There are also hints of more modern figures like the 2006 TSC Death Star Gunner and 2008 TLC Imperial Engineer. The sculpt for the Imperial Ground Crew figure does stand out on its own with excellent details and the ability to stow the included control beacons on the figure’s back.
CONS: Can’t help but wish that this figure included an E-11 blaster or some other type of sidearm. The combat gear/flight pack seems something directly out of Batman, not Star Wars, but it should be a fine additional play feature for the kiddos.
Head to the toyguide for our detailed image gallery and to judge for yourself whether this figure is worth adding to your collection.
Product provided by Entertainment Earth.
The Yakface Toyguide updates continue for our next entry in the Rogue One 6″ Black Series assortment with the ruthless Director Krennic.
PROS: A fabulous figure overall with a spot on likeness to Ben Mendelssohn. The silhouette and stature of Krennic is well captured, especially when flanked by a few Death Troopers. The articulation is more of the same for this scale allowing for some commanding and battle-ready poses and the paint apps, while minimal, are well applied. Now that there is an Imperial body to use as a base, hopefully we will see more ranking officers, perhaps a Tarkin or even a Grand Admiral Thrawn figure in the future.
CONS: I’m sort of on the fence about the cape as the cut and drape are nice but as with most plastic accessories, it inhibits the range of motion for the limbs. Cloth may have been a better choice but Hasbro’s execution in tailoring may have been just as problematic.
Head to the toyguide for our detailed image gallery and to judge for yourself whether this figure is worth adding to your collection.
Product provided by Entertainment Earth.
The Yakface Toyguide updates continue for our next entry in the 6″ Black Series assortment with the droid you don’t recognize: C-3PO (Resistance Base).
PROS: A fantastic sculpt overall, capturing the silhouette and posture of one of the most recognizable droids in all of cinema. The details are very well done for a figure in this price point. Articulation is about what one should expect for a protocol droid as they aren’t that dynamic or action-oriented in their function anyhow. Non-TFA C-3PO fans can look forward to seeing this figure repainted as a Walgreens exclusive sporting the more popular “Original Trilogy” coloration. Hopefully we will see future releases with this body to get some additional protocol droids into the market. (Maybe Entertainment Earth can release a 4 pack featuring R-3PO, K-3PO, TC-70 and C-3PO from Attack of the Clones?)
CONS: It has taken a very long time for C-3PO to finally come to fruition and I can’t help but feel that it’s a slight let down in execution. While the figure is painted in a vibrant gold hue, it’s the omission of vac-metal finish that is really the main point of contention. Secondly, this figure severely lacks in the accessory department. Other than a secondary gold arm or removable panels (like the 3.75″ Black Series version), there isn’t a lot of “stuff” you could add to this figure to make it more interesting. Maybe the map key pulled from BB-8? Finally, the red arm should have been given a dark wash (as seen in the film) to pop some of the details in its sculpt. It looks too flat and honestly cheap with out it. What Hasbro saved in articulation, accessories and finish, could have easily been used to accentuate that “phantom limb”.
Head to the toyguide for our detailed image gallery and to judge for yourself whether this figure is worth adding to your collection.
Product provided by Entertainment Earth.
The Yakface Toyguide updates continue for our next entry in the Rogue One 3.75″ basic figure assortment with Kanan Jarrus (Stormtrooper Disguise).
PROS: Instead of simply swapping heads with the previously existing stormtrooper body, Hasbro elected to create an all-new mold – one that is markedly improved over the original. The figure reflects Kanan’s taller stature as well as captures a better representation of the character’s animated likeness. Hasbro also created an all-new lightsaber for Kanan with this release – although not as detailed in sculpt as the previous version. The helmet is well proportioned and doesn’t appear overly bulky when worn. In total, there are a lot of useful accessories for extended and expanded playability.
CONS: The pauldron doesn’t fit the greatest when the helmet isn’t being used. Ugh, that disk-firing projectile. For some reason, I just don’t like it (in what ever flavor it comes in).
Head to the toyguide for our detailed image gallery and to judge for yourself whether this figure is worth adding to your collection.
Product provided by Entertainment Earth.