Battle On Endor - TBS [P2] - Exclusives

Added: June 1st 2015
Category: Black Series [Phase II], The
Reviewer: Paul Harrison
Score:

Name: Battle On Endor
Collection: The Black Series [Phase II]
Number: N/A (Toys R Us Exclusive)
Scale: 3¾"
Source: Return Of The Jedi
Availability: August 2014
License: Hasbro

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The Rebel strike team must shut down the shield generator so that the Rebel Alliance can destroy the second Death Star. Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca are joined by the Ewoks in a wild battle against Imperial troopers who control the generator. During the fight, Chewbacca captures an AT-ST walker. The Rebels use the walker to make the Imperial officer and stormtroopers believe that the Rebels have been captured. The troopers fall for the clever ruse, allowing the Rebels to seize the generator. The shield is down – attack the Death Star and save the galaxy!

Well, well, well. Hasbro finally did what they wanted to and it is at the expense of collectors and, even worse, the retailer with whom they made it exclusive. Toys R Us has been sold a bridge and somehow we will be to blame if this doesn’t perform well at their store. If you recall, someone important in the decision making process at Kmart loves us. Back in 2012, Hasbro wanted to hurl a big exclusive based on the Battle of Endor at Kmart, but executives and buyers at Kmart were committed to bringing collectors something The Vintage Collection inspired instead. As a result, we received the imperfect Scout Walker (AT-ST) and two flawless figure two-packs including the Ewok Scouts (Special Action Figure Set) and Endor AT-ST Crew (Special Action Figure Set). These three exclusives were some of the most sought after of 2012 and it felt like they were never going to stop coming. Other sets were planned but were canceled in the midst of the devastating cancellation of The Vintage Collection. Due to the success of these Kmart exclusives, it seems that Hasbro , unable to come up with a different and unique multipack for retailer Toys R Us, rebranded this concept in hideous The Black Series line and gave us not only incorrect action figures to accompany it, but also incomplete ones. Add on an untouchable MSRP and the collecting community truly has what may be the most reckless and unnecessary exclusive of all time: the Battle On Endor Toys R Us exclusive multipack. Not everything is terrible here and we will be sure to touch on some of those things, but between the horrid paint operations on many of the figures in this multipack and the incorrect Ewoks, we have to wonder if any effort is being put forth towards collectors anymore. Whether it was Hasbro just being stubborn and pushing their will to do this history-changing Star Wars battle in the way they originally intended, their efforts have ultimately failed because this just isn’t a set that collectors are going to be shelling out a Mr. Franklin to add this set, if they even want it, into their collections. The sad thing here is that, although a lot of money at once, the set isn’t terribly overpriced. This may be a great package deal for those who haven’t been collecting forever like so many of us others have.

Nicely packaged, the Battle On Endor Toys R Us exclusive seems like it should be a hit. You have heroes, you have villains and you have adorable Ewoks. So what is not to love here? But when you get down to the nuts and bolts of it, you’ll find there is plenty. While the paint operations aren’t nearly as laughable as the ones from 2008’s TLC Battle At The Sarlacc Pit TARGET exclusive, there are still some noteworthy figures in this one. Princess Leia strikes us as terrible. A decent figure originally released as 2007’s VTSC Princess Leia Organa (In Combat Poncho) it has now aged beyond the point of repair and, aside from the lower body, needs a completely new sculpt. You think that updated paint operations would have salvaged what it could on this figure, but now Princess Leia has about the worst paint job possible. Her face looks terrible and off center and her entire neck area doesn’t even come close to matching her face. In fact, her neck looks a whole lot like the Scarecrow from The Wizard Of Oz. It’s a complete mess. She also comes without any of the necessary accessories to make her screen accurate during the entire Battle of Endor sequence. This is nearly an unforgiveable oversight in our eyes. Han Solo is almost as bad too perhaps. While the figure looked superb as 2011’s TVC Han Solo (In Trench Coat) (VC62) figure, he too is missing his soft-goods trench coat (not really a deal breaker in this instance). But what is really terrible about him is his paint job. The head sculpt looks worse than it ever has and it is one we actually used to like. Here it is just a plain disaster. There is no trench coat to hide his awkward lower body and barreled chest so for us it’s another complete and utter loss added to this boxed set. Chewbacca thankfully turned out incredibly well. We see no shortcuts taken with him. But you have to ask why didn’t they dust off the head sculpt from 2004’s VOTC Chewbacca figure? That head sculpt is accurate to Return Of The Jedi. This figure is based on 2005’s TSC Early Bird Figures mail-away exclusive which is sourced to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. When it comes to repacked items, it’s the little things that may appeal to collectors and perhaps make them reconsider a purchase. But when you have one continuity error after another you have to wonder if Hasbro is peeing on our legs and telling us it’s raining.

The Imperial Officer, who is a nice but definitely not perfect action figure, also comes with shoddily applied paint operations. And because this action figure is supposed to based on a character from A New Hope, you have to wonder how hard would it have been to add an already existing different head sculpt to this body to give us a “new enough” action figure (and a reason to purchase this set). It is so frustrating. The biggest debacle here however is the included Ewoks. Meant to be the two that accompanied Chewbacca on his takeover of the AT-ST, Hasbro pulled two random Ewoks (one from Return Of The Jedi and one from Marvel Comics) to represent Stemzee and Chubbray from these scenes. (The Ewoks aren’t even the right colors.) Instead, as this is just our surmising here, we get Flitchee for Stemzee (the E-11 waving Ewok) and Tippet for Chubbray (The Marvel Comics Ewok). Both Ewoks are originally from 2012’s SW [TPM 3D] Ewok Pack (also a Toys R Us exclusive) and thankfully come with all of their original accessories. It may be a nice way to get 40% of that cool older exclusive again, but not at the expense of continuity and screen accuracy. Besides, isn’t Marvel Comics off limits for Hasbro to base action figures on now? Why did this action figure get a re-release but not figures like Shaak Ti and others from the final wave of 2010’s Legacy Collection? We digress. How hard would it have been for Hasbro to repaint these Ewoks and just make them generic background ones instead? Is that a concept only rocket scientists can ponder? We just don’t get it. Hasbro KNOWS they can never make enough Ewoks for us, so why not give us new ones and this likely would have been a slam dunk success. Is repainting that expensive to do? All of the figures have variations in their paint operations from their original figures. Some vary more than others. It’s just important that they all fall under “different enough to make you mad”. Still, with the rough paint operations, missing accessories and overall lackluster and cobbled together roughness here, collectors would behoove themselves by getting all of these contents separately (save for one or two of them) via the aftermarket when paint operations were a high priority. For the most part here you are definitely getting second rate quality toys and we find that egregious in a collector-focused gift set.

Believing it or not there are a few items in this set that may serve as some saving grace. We actually love the approach to the Stormtrooper which is based on 2011's TVC Stormtrooper (VC41) figure, even though for us a Stormtrooper action figure will never be complete until it has a non-removable and non-Sandtrooper helmet. Instead of casting the head sculpt in black plastic and painting it flesh-colored, the complete opposite was done. This achieves a much lighter and brighter face which in turn makes for an almost “new” figure appearance. Clearly it’s not new, but it is nice to get some diversity in the Stormtrooper ranks. If you’re still not sure what we’re talking about, the Sandtrooper from 2006’s TAC Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (4 of 6) Commemorative Tin Collection set should give you a clear indication of what you’re getting here. We might be wrong, but we believe that this is the very first Stormtrooper (with body glove around the face) that has been approached in this manner in the line to date. It really refreshes the figure nicely, although it doesn’t make us feel any better about this set as a whole. The AT-ST Driver, which is a slight repaint of the figure from 2012’s Endor AT-ST Crew (Special Action Figure Set) is a great figure and it’s nice to get him again here, but do any of us really need him at this point. We all had ample opportunity to get him in quasi TVC packaging through the Kmart exclusive program. The included AT-ST is a repaint of 2012’s TVC Scout Walker (AT-ST) Kmart exclusive vehicle. There are enough differences here to categorize this as a repaint. But more importantly, while still not perfect, the vehicle doesn’t fall apart if you blink too hard. The legs are still a bit wobbly, but the vehicle’s joints have indeed been tightened up a bit so that it can stand unassisted. You may scoff at this, but for us that may be reason enough to purchase this set. Nothing is more maddening that a standing/walking vehicle that isn’t capable of standing. There is a noticeable difference here and for that we’re thankful. Overall, if you do the math this “isn’t” an overpriced set, but it’s a great deal of money for nothing really new. It bewilders us how Hasbro cannot process that even one new figure would mean success for their exclusives. It just goes to show that you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.

Collector Notes

Battle On Endor

Assortment Number: A9231

UPC: 630509256853

Retail: $99.99 USD

Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on Click here to check the market value on eBay! listings.

Stormtrooper

Status: Stormtrooper is a repaint of 2011's TVC Stormtrooper (VC41) figure. This time the face has been cast in flesh-colored plastic and not painted that way.

Articulation Count: 25 points (14 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), swivel left wrist (1), swivel right wrist (1), ball-jointed torso (2), ball-jointed left hip (2), ball-jointed right hip (2), ball-jointed left knee (2), ball-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed left ankle (2), ball-jointed right ankle (2)

Accessory Count: 3

Accessory Details: removable helmet, blaster rifle, E-11 blaster

Date Stamp: 2009

Imperial Officer

Status: Imperial Officer is a repaint of the figure from 2013's TVC Death Star Scanning Crew (Special Action Figure Set) Kmart exclusive.

Articulation Count: 22 points (14 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), swivel left wrist (1), swivel right wrist (1), swivel waist (1), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), ball-jointed left knee (2), ball-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed left ankle (2), ball-jointed right ankle (2)

Accessory Count: 4

Accessory Details: removable cape, E-11 blaster (3 parts)

Date Stamp: 2008

AT-ST Driver

Status: AT-ST Driver is a slight repaint of AT-ST Driver [Major Marquand] from 2012's TVC Endor AT-ST Crew (Special Action Figure Set) Kmart exclusive.

Articulation Count: 23 points (14 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), swivel left glove (1), swivel right glove (1), ball-jointed torso (2), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), ball-jointed left knee (2), ball-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed left ankle (2), ball-jointed right ankle (2)

Accessory Count: 3

Accessory Details: removable helmet, removable harness, E-11 blaster rifle

Date Stamp: 2010

Princess Leia

Status: Princess Leia is a repaint of 2007's VTSC Princess Leia Organa (In Combat Poncho) figure. This time the figure comes without the poncho, helmet or belt.

Articulation Count: 20 points (12 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), swivel waist (1), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), ball-jointed left knee (2), ball-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed left ankle (2), ball-jointed right ankle (2)

Accessory Count: 1

Accessory Details: blaster pistol

Date Stamp: 2007

Han Solo

Status: Han Solo is a repaint of 2011's TVC Han Solo (In Trench Coat) (VC62) figure. This time the figure comes without the soft-goods trench coat.

Articulation Count: 21 points (13 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), swivel left wrist (1), swivel right wrist (1), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), ball-jointed left knee (2), ball-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed left ankle (2), ball-jointed right ankle (2).

Accessory Count: 3

Accessory Details: removable vest, blaster pistol, removable holster/belt

Date Stamp: 2004

Chewbacca

Status: Chewbacca is a repaint of the figure from 2005's TSC Early Bird Figures mail-away exclusive.

Articulation Count: 25 points (15 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: swivel head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), swivel left wrist (1), swivel right wrist (1), ball-jointed torso (2), ball-jointed mid-section (2), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), ball-jointed left knee (2), ball-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed left ankle (2), ball-jointed right ankle (2)

Accessory Count: 2

Accessory Details: bowcaster (2 parts)

Date Stamp: 2004

Stemzee

Status: Stemzee is a repaint of Flitchee from 2012's SW [TPM 3D] Ewok Pack Toys R Us exclusive. This figure is not Stemzee.

Articulation Count: 14 points (10 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), swivel left wrist (1), swivel right wrist (1), swivel waist (1), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), ball-jointed left ankle (2), ball-jointed right ankle (2)

Accessory Count: 5

Accessory Details: removable cowl/quiver combination, E-11 blaster, satchel, interchangeable headdress, knife

Date Stamp: 2007

Chubbray

Status: Chubbray is a repaint of Tippet from 2012's SW [TPM 3D] Ewok Pack Toys R Us exclusive. This figure is not Chubbray.

Articulation Count: 14 points (10 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), swivel left wrist (1), swivel right wrist (1), swivel waist (1), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), ball-jointed left ankle (2), ball-jointed right ankle (2)

Accessory Count: 4

Accessory Details: removable cowl, interchangeable headdress, spear, knife

Date Stamp: 2009

AT-ST

Status: AT-ST is a repaint of 2012's TVC Scout Walker (AT-ST) Kmart exclusive vehicle.

Features Count: 4

Feature Details: insert missiles into launcher, press button to fire, fully articulated legs, swivel cockpit opening hatches

Accessory Count: 3

Accessory Details: interchangeable firing cannon, 2 projectiles

Date Stamp: 2009





















 

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