Captain Phasma - TFA - 12-Inch Figures (Exclusive)

Clad in distinctive metallic armor, Captain Phasma commands the First Order's legions of troopers.

We've found a new reason to tone down the lugubriousness of the modern Star Wars collector. It’s amazingly unbelievable the best Captain Phasma toy/collectible to date is what grumpy old men collectors refer to as a shampoo bottle. But it’s true. And the reason it’s the best version of Captain Phasma is that Hasbro finally figured out how to apply a believable chrome finish to a character that so intensely deserves it. See Hasbro, a little bit of thinking outside of the box works wonders. Now, obviously articulation is not going to be up to standards for most of us, but we challenge anyone to deny just how spectacular Ms. Phasma looks in this 12-Inch Figure scale. We are just as guilty of joining the throngs in criticism over these cheaply made figures, but even the simplest action figure, when done correctly, can almost soothe and calm the most cantankerous rage that is so focused on the direction Hasbro has taken the Star Wars line in recent years. OK, so maybe that sounds a bit melodramatic, but we have to be honest with you. The Captain Phasma 12-Inch Figure is a beautiful toy, and the low MSRP of $14.99 should make this purchase and easy one for you. A quality sculpt combined with brilliant (literally and figuratively) paint operations joined by interactivity and functionality is a pure win. Value and quality just haven’t paired up to well in the Hasbro Star Wars brand lately. This unequivocally changes everything.

Captain Phasma has a sunning sculpt. If you look at any other 12-Inch Figure in the line to date, the poses could not be any more static with the arms perfectly down the sides of the figures and the legs stiffer than boards. Captain Phasma, on the other hand, follows suit of 2015’s TFA Captain Phasma (Build A Weapon) figure in that the pose isn’t so rigid. The joints are gently bent. The body expression isn’t so formal, and there is enough language being communicated to the collector that Captain Phasma is not a lady you should mess around with because she will inflict harm. Her cape is a separately sculpted piece. We honestly would have loved to see soft-goods applied here, but the molded cape works probably just as well. With a ball-socket head, we’re sure the head is removable which would make the cape removable, but we decided against playing chicken and perhaps damaging the figure. Either way, there is enough movement in the cape where you can view her entire armor without issue: front and back. She also comes with a golden First Order blaster, and thankfully Hasbro added a slot on her right thigh armor which allows you to holster the blaster when not in use. She can also hold it well with both of her hands (which come with swivel wrists by the way). Simply put, she looks marvelous.

Exclusive to Toys R Us, she is being bought up extremely fast. We think that giving her exclusivity to Toys R Us was honestly a bad move, although it will guarantee them complete sell-through of this figure. Captain Phasma has developed Boba Fett-like feverish interest and support, and she is the most sought-after character in any collectible format, and rightfully so. It just seems that all of her releases should be mainstream to appeal to as many Star Wars fans as possible. Toys R Us is indeed big enough where she might make enough of an impact (and she will certainly draw in extra store traffic for fans desperate to grab her for their collections) to reach most Star Wars fans. But she would have been a surefire hit as part of the regular assortment. Then again, Hasbro’s distribution issues may have unnecessarily delayed her creating frustration from Star Wars collectors at alarming volumes. You should also be aware that perfect paint operations on Captain Phasma are hard to find. We went through about eight of them before we found a sample we were completely happy with out there. It doesn’t mean it is impossible but beware of black gashes which could inhibit her beauty. This figure has so much going for it. And Hasbro needs to utilize this deco technique for all of their other action figures. This is the next best thing to vac-metallization.