Kylo Ren - SW [TLJ] - Basic

It’s hard to believe we are a complete month out from Force Friday II and we’re NOW just beginning to tackle the main characters in the Star Wars [The Last Jedi] basic figure line. That should prove the wealth of merchandise out there and how it has been released without any semblance of order. Some collectors have seen wave 13 before wave 12. And quite a few collectors/Star Wars fans have seen exclusive November 1st street-dated products sitting on shelves without those same stores even getting a single wave of mainstream basic figures. Nothing really changes when it comes to the consistent distribution woes that the Star Wars brand sees. But at least the stuff comes out eventually. Hasbro has forged ahead with the 5POA styled figures for the basic figure line. There is one more wave of Walmart exclusive The Black Series [Phase III] 3.75” super-articulated action figures (thank the Maker) until they’re made available “everywhere” (really online retailers) in the beginning of the year. This should satiate the need for any super-articulated 3.75” action figures until The Vintage Collection’s proud return. But 5POA is here to stay for the foreseeable future so Hasbro is going into overdrive to create gimmicks that will make the figures more desirable to the market they’re trying to grab and hold. To do this, Hasbro has tried a couple of things new with the figures in the Star Wars [The Last Jedi] line this time.

First, all of the basic figures come with Force Link features which allows them to speak dialogue. This is often mixed with sound effects like blasters blasting and explosions exploding. Second, Hasbro has split the 5POA range into two different case assortments: orange and teal. This is really not much different than when Hasbro labeled figures as Collection 1, Collection 2 or Collection 3 depending upon the character’s role in the film. It appears the “orange” collection figures are mostly made up of main/lead characters, while the “teal” collection figures are more background characters, and/or aliens and droids. We personally don’t see the need for this segregation, but there must be something happening with the bean counters at Hasbro that necessitated this action. It will be interesting what transpires. Kylo Ren is part of the “orange” assortment so this means he’s one of the main characters. (We’re only guessing.). Kylo Ren now wears a revised outfit. In our opinion, we see a great deal more of ribbing in the texture of his costume. He looks a little cleaner cut, and his scar looks very dramatic and fresh. Hasbro has come far with the likenesses of the 5POA figures, and from this perspective, we’re quite happy with how well Kylo Ren’s portrait turned out on this release. People may not be too excited to get a new Kylo Ren figure, but this one turned out well. What’s more, the figure talks because of the new Force Link technology. You can’t go wrong here.

Sure, Kylo Ren only comes with five points of articulation, but that has been the standard for this line for a long time now. The sculpt is excellent. And the portraits have come very far especially when compared to those that were part of the very first wave of 5POA figures in 2013. The detail in Kylo Ren’s costume is amazing. His outfit is ribbed and all of that texture has been tooled into the figure. The head sculpt is nicely painted without any bleeding of paint. In fact, it is one of nicest looking human characters we have seen in a while. Kylo Ren comes with two accessories. These include a removable molded cape and his signature lightsaber. He looks great with or without his accessories. It’s nice that a figure has so much interchangeability. It allows you to use the figure in different ways. Thanks to the Force Link feature, Kylo Ren is able to rattle off dialogue, but these speaking parts are done by voice actors instead. And we’re doubtful if all of the lines they speak will be featured in Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. It’s just too much of an ‘unknown’ at this point. Overall, if you’re into getting another Kylo Ren action figure with five points of articulation, this one is probably going to be the best version you own/ With a great sculpt, good likeness and the inclusion of a fun gimmick, we bet kids and adult collectors are going to be hard pressed to ignore this action figure. You should give him a second glance.