Ric Olié - SW [TPM 3D] - Discover The Force (9 of 12)

Naboo pilot Ric Olié battles droid starfighters in the Battle of Naboo. The pilot of Queen Amidala's Royal Starship, Olié leads Bravo Squadron in the attack that destroys the Droid Control Ship and stops the battle droid army.

If there was one figure that seemed to age quite well from 1999’s/2000’s Episode I line, it would probably have to be Ric Olié. While the technology of that time wasn’t flawless, it did bring a new level of authenticity not really seen previously in the neo-classic era. But Ric Olié, despite being a rather generic Naboo pilot, was one figure that collectors embraced because the outfit, his confidence in the film and his overall leadership is something that engaged Star Wars fans. We’re personally thrilled that Hasbro has decided to update him for the 2012 basic figure lineup. Exclusive to Walmart’s Discover The Force lineup, there are no immediate plans to bring him out from exclusive status and enter him into the realistic basic figure line yet, like The Vintage Collection. Always in motion is Hasbro’s future, so it’s quite possible he’ll get added to a future basic figure lineup at some point, but it’s also nice to know that Hasbro is dedicated to providing retailers with genuine exclusives that will indeed drive traffic to their stores. Yeah, we know no one really like the fact that basic figures can be store exclusives, but Hasbro and Walmart have evidently considered the Discover The Force promotion over very carefully and it seems that there will be more than enough product for all collectors who want these awesome exclusives. Hasbro did a phenomenal job on the Ric Olié action figure. This all new sculpt shares the entire body with the Naboo Pilot that is also part of this exclusive Walmart exclusive Discover The Force assortment. (Editor’s Note: The only difference is that the Naboo Pilot is also part of The Vintage Collection.)

It’s common sense that the later an action figure is made, the better it will be. Over ten years of technology has caught up to action figure design and Ric Olié is one of the beneficiaries of this. Much better to scale this time around, Ric Olié is another standout masterpiece by the amazing sculptors Hasbro employs to make our action figures. The detail is the costume is stupendous. The wrinkles, folds, and the areas that bunch up couldn’t have been more expertly worked into this figure by the sculptors and Ric Olié has a paint job that equally or even rivals the sculpt. The mostly yellow and red costume looks fantastic and he is at a normal upright position so you can pose him the way you desire. There are a few small details missing however. We noticed that Hasbro neglected some hardware details like the buckles on the belts and boots. But do you honestly care about that? (We don’t.) Hasbro worked in 14 glorious points of articulation into Ric Olié. There are many premium articulation points and he has the standard swivel articulation in the waist, forearms (gloves) and hips. Again, the sculpt is incredible. Ric Olié fits perfectly into the current N1 (Naboo Starfighter). We always need our pilots to fit in their respective cockpits, right? The portrait on Ric Olié is also very good. He has a very dramatic receding hairline that is much more noticeable on the action figure than it is on the actual actor. Ric Olié’s likeness looks especially realistic from a profile view. If you look carefully and up close at the head sculpt, you’ll literally be amazed by the level of detail Hasbro has etched into a piece of plastic.

We may be overzealous about this, but Ric Olié is one fine action figure and we are so proud of Hasbro for what they did with this update. That may be hard for you to believe since he is almost a “B” character in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. But if you compare the 1999 figure to what Hasbro has done in 2012, you’ll simply be swept away by the improvements. (For the record – if you don’t think you’ll need to update your 1999 figure with this one, you’re sadly mistaken.) Ric Olié comes with a removable pilot’s helmet. His helmet is unique from the generic Naboo Pilot in the fact that the goggles are being worn on Olie’s. (The goggles rest on the brim of the helmet for the Naboo Pilot.) He also comes with a blaster that has been designed flawless to fit in his right hand. What may become the most controversial aspects of this figure is out absolute favorite part of it. Ric Olié comes with a pilot’s coat. It’s designed from soft-goods and it is indeed bulky. But it’s tailored in spots to give it a somewhat shaply appearance. It even has a rear belt strap to bunch it up a bit more. Some collectors feel that soft-goods like this fail no matter how well they’re tailored, but we love it and can’t wait to place it on 2007’s TAC Naboo Soldier (No. 52) figure. That figure should have definitely received a coat similar to this. Well, our verdict is out. We’re enthralled with Ric Olié. We hope he sees more mainstream release than a Walmart exclusive at some point. But should he not, make sure you make the effort to secure him while you can. We know you’ll be upset if you don’t have him in your collection for sure.