X-wing Pilot Asty - TFA - Build A Weapon (Snow)

Ello Asty is a skilled if occasionally reckless X-wing starfighter pilot for the Resistance.

When you see a figure like X-wing Pilot Asty enter The Force Awakens basic figure line, you get a feeling in your gut that Episode VII is just going to have to be a film that will blow us away. With a design that is informally familiar, it appears that X-wing Pilot Asty could fit in with ANY of the various alien species from the Original Trilogy (and especially Return Of The Jedi). His full name, Ello Asty, is a character that we know is part of the Resistance, and especially an X-wing Pilot, but other than that there isn’t much we’re going to know aside from the obvious. A character who sort of resembles a combination of Ree-Yees, Yak Face and Sebulba in a very weird way, X-wing Pilot Asty is a character that we know will be embraced by the collecting community. And with a highly detailed and super-articulated version coming in The Black Series [Phase III] lineup, it’s no doubt that this alien must have some relevance in The Force Awakens, otherwise he wouldn’t be getting all of this attention by Hasbro. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out, but even if his role is negligible, we’ll still find him an interesting and engaging character.

You would think that with a solid Poe Dameron (in X-wing pilot duds) action figure already released that Hasbro would have shared some of the parts to make X-wing Pilot Asty, but this isn’t the case at all. X-wing Pilot Asty is a completely new sculpt from top to bottom. Hasbro even approached the holster differently as X-wing Pilot Asty’s isn’t removable unlike Poe Dameron’s is. Again, for a simply articulated action figure, X-wing Pilot Asty has an excellent sculpt. He has a solid center of gravity and looks good brandishing a blaster pistol. The paint operations aren’t perfect of course, but with all of the fine details on the helmet and the Aurebesh writing on his uniform, we’re, at worst, very impressed with how well Hasbro is able to decorate these budget action figures. At a distance, action figures like X-wing Pilot Asty look impressive as if they’re high quality action figures. So we have to give credit where credit is due. We imagine that all we need now is his own X-wing starfighter. It will be fascinating to see how many times Hasbro will amortize the standard X-wing fighter mold already released to make as many pilots’ vehicles as possible. We imagine a few more will be on tap soon!

As you know, all of the figures in the Build A Weapon line come with a Build A Weapon part. The line is in its infancy, but this pack-in hasn’t been well received. With the price increase on the figures and the need for a ton of more astromech and protocol droids, it would have behooved Hasbro to include droid parts in these figures instead. Why they don’t heartily listen to the collecting community on huge issues like this completely escapes us. Anyway, you get an accessory that looks like reduced skis and again, it couldn’t be any sillier than it is. We’re not sure who is embracing this pack-in premium. For us, it’s essentially a failure. That being said, you do get a decent action figure here. And some collectors weren’t into the droid parts during The Legacy Collection/Legacy Collection era, so maybe these types of premiums are viewed in the eye of the beholder. Thankfully, X-wing Pilot Asty is a quality budget action figure and we are certain he will resonate with collectors if given the chance. Sure, we’d like for things to be very different too, but this is the hand we’ve been dealt and it’s futile to kick and scream anymore. If you want a breadth of characters from The Force Awakens, you’re only going to find them in the kid-oriented The Force Awakens line. Otherwise 6” will be your next best bet.