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...and they're OK. Hasbro gave Gizmodo the debut, and The Phantom Menace Goes All the Way Retro In These New Star Wars Toys where you can flip through a 6-pack of figures that the article says is $60, which is cheaper than the $70+ 6-packs on the market today. In a previous fan stream it was said the set would be exclusive to Target, but Gizmodo makes no mention of the retailer. Given the glut of store exclusives in closeout shops now, I could see some plans changing.
The set contains six figures: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Queen Amidala, Darth Maul, Jar Jar Binks, and a Battle Droid. Rather than her Padmé Battle Dress, Queen Amidala is in that red dress we saw in most of the marketing materials. If you're going to make a six-pack of figures from the 1999 movies, plus or minus Anakin, this is who you should pick. (I'd probably have swapped out Jar Jar for Anakin but I won't deny that Jar Jar is a more interesting looking action figure.)
So how are they? If it's really only $60, I think it will be a good set and let me tell you why.
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Gamorrean Guard (The Retro Collection). This is a new mold for 2023, based on the 1983 figure. A vintage Kenner figure has better sculpting, with sharper detail and better paint - but if you only know that old figure from photos or fuzzy memories, this is a really good substitute. It feels sturdy and he can hold the ax with no problems, with botoxed detail on the face and armor. Is it a perfect replica? No, he's a little wider-eyed and shinier in the silver - but if you're looking to fill out a scene with retro Kenner Gamorreans, were it not in a 6-pack, this would be a great way to do it. Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Morgan Elsbeth (The Vintage Collection). This is a good figure, with nice deco and sculpting, plus an excellent likeness. But she has no accessories, and is $17. A variant head would have been nice - and was probably spoiler-locked from development - as would a nod to her spear in the previous series. Nothing in the packaging is bad, so as long as you weren't expecting accessories for your money, you'll be happy. Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2, The Black Series). This is a new mold for 2023, larger than the 2013 version and weirder. He's got a telescoping neck with on-board storage for all his claws and arms, plus a retractable third leg with an articulated foot. That's an unusual feature in Hasbro R2-D2 figures. It's by no means perfect, but it's a pretty great replacement for the old one if you feel like dropping $25 on another R2-D2, which I of course did. Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: BB Droid (Advent Calendar 2022). It's an ornament! I think - for a robot in a Christmas/Holiday set, it certainly looks like something that could just be a run-of-the-mill droid. There's white paint and metallic blue, making this the kind of thing you could see serving on an X-wing and not, unlike many of the others in the set, particulrly pecific to any one time of the year. Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Chopper (C1-10P, The Retro Collection). This is one of those figures you buy, open, and go "yeah, that's the stuff." Like R2-D2 of old, he has a clicky dome and a sticker. Unlike R2-D2, he has a removable third leg. If you were a Kenner kid, this is a must-buy figure - I'd say they more or less nailed it, except for the fact he's a hair too wide to fit in the old Y-Wing Fighter's droid socket. I would say it's one of the very best figures of the year, if you're in to this format.
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Admiral Motti (Imperial Officers set, The Vintage Collection). It's new! The last time we got a new Motti mold was in the CommTech era, and we had a reissue of him in a Diamond exclusive boxed set - remember those? Those were great. Anyway, this new one has improved sculpting and articulation - that's good! - but it doesn't have that tug-on-the-collar choke thing, which is pretty much the reason you want a toy of that character. It's still pretty good, and so far exclusive to a white box set of figures. Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: General Hera Syndulla (The Black Series). Even if you didn't love the show, you can't not like the figure. The face paint is good, the green skin looks great. I love her jacket and gloves, and the bright orange pants really pop. It's the kind of figure you probably wish you had years earlier, especially if it were smaller and could fit in vehicles. (And as luck would have it, those are also available now.) Even as someone who is kind of over the whole 6-inch thing, I can't deny this is a good one. Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: R6 Droid (Advent Calendar 2022). It's an elf! And you can still get one, if you dare. Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Wicket W. Warrick (Ewoks Cartoon, The Vintage Collection). Depending on how you look at it, it's great. In person, the hood is a little on the neon orange side - but it looks good in pictures, and is not quite the yellowish hues seen on 1980s Ewok advertising artwork. There's a lot to like, and a little to complain about, but you get a good coin and really nice packaging for (what else) a premium price.
It's still cheaper than the one Kenner made in the 1980s.
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Ahsoka Tano (Padawan, The Black Series). It's one of the last closed-box figures, and she turned out quite nicely. Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: R4 Droid (Advent Calendar 2022). It's a nice design, but I don't think I understood the inspiration - it looks like DHL, but not. There's a little symbol on the dome, it's kind of sparkly, but mostly it just looks like a cool droid you wouldn't mind having around in any Star Wars scenario. I like it a lot. Read on!
