Admiral Ackbar - TBS [P3] - 3.75 Inch Figures (Exclusive)

A veteran commander, Ackbar led the defense of his homeward, Mon Cala, during the Clone Wars and then masterminded the rebel attack on the second Death Star at the Battle of Endor.

Back in 2010, Hasbro basically gave us exactly what we wanted: an updated Admiral Ackbar. Some weren’t too keen on the lack of ball-jointed ankles, but for most the new tooling was nearly perfectly and in all honesty the character didn’t need that extra articulation. Back in 2010, revisiting a figure that was last made in The Power Of The Force “2” line was a regular part of Hasbro’s protocol to upgrade action figures because figure making technology had come so far. Now we’re lucky if we see updated action figures like this more than a dozen times in a calendar year. Hasbro's sculpts from The Vintage Collection have been done so well and it makes sense now to see them get a second chance at retail in the Walmart exclusive The Black Series [Phase III] 3.75” line. With the character’s appearance in The Force Awakens, we’re actually surprised that Hasbro hasn’t tried to re-release this version of Admiral Ackbar sooner. Now 33 years after the Kenner release, 19 years after The Power Of The Force “2” release, and unbelievably six years after The Vintage Collection release, we now have a repaint of the latter for 2016. This The Vintage Collection pretty much has flawless execution, a brilliantly shining sculpt and a paint job that is different than the 2010 version, but we’re not sure if it can be considered better however. For now let’s just say it’s different.

If you’re a zealot of super-articulation, you may consider that Admiral Ackbar’s articulation is still lacking. In our opinion you’d be wrong. While he comes without ankle articulation, he still has the 12 areas of articulation with a total of 18 points of articulation. This is more than enough for this character. Ackbar can only be seen sitting and standing in Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi. So in actuality we really have more than enough articulation than we need for him. The extra tooling needed to include ankle articulation would translate into wasted dollars, no matter how nice this extra enhancement would have been. We’re glad Hasbro saved it for a different figure who actually needs it. Hasbro kept tradition here for collectors and they’ve included a modern replica of the baton that we received with the 1983 figure. But this time it is significantly detailed and colored in a darker silver color and is a little bit shorter. This accessory may have been in the film lying on a table or command chair somewhere, but we have yet to locate it. And for the first time, Hasbro has include a “cross-section” of his computer console (or data pad). It is definitely small, but it is packed with detail and it is immediately recognizable from the scenes where we see Ackbar controlling the Home One. While it may not rank as a required accessory, we love it and it gives Admiral Ackbar an edge.

Admiral Ackbar is sculpted so well that he looks like a scaled-down version of the costume from Episode VI. The head sculpt is superior and includes the spotting pattern on his exoskeleton shell/skull. It is subtly done and yet clearly visible at the same time. We would have preferred to see some of those "whiskers" hang from his chin, but the sculpt is amazing nonetheless. The head sits on a ball-joint and allows for optimal natural movement. This figure is simply, but expertly, detailed. His eyes are also impressively painted. The yellow parts of the eyes have been given a metallic yellow color and the pupil is perfectly centered. Because of the shimmer of the paint, the eyes pick up light gorgeously. His hands are everything you’d expect them to be and Hasbro’s sculptors have clearly studied the reference materials carefully to get all these details to perfection. And how awesome is it to have both arms with fully functioning hands to hold things? His uniform is pristine and the yellow blood stripe is thin and proportionate. This time the paint job overall seems darker when compared to the 2010 release, but it’s subtle (yet noticeable). Admiral Ackbar is sublime action figure and a must-have for any collector, but we have to admit we’re surprised by his re-release. Hasbro is listening, but not with both ears it seems. Hey, at least we’re making headway.