Hera Syndulla’s A-wing - RO - Vehicles

The captain and heart of the Ghost's rebel crew, Hera Syndulla was a gifted pilot and leader. Her leadership and the respect she earned from the Phoenix Squadron prompted her promotion to squadron leader by Commander Sato.

The Rogue One line launch has transpired, and as rumored it has left a much smaller footprint at retail than The Force Awakens line launch (for obvious reasons). With so few spots to release new and unique products, Hasbro has to scramble and cherry pick what key releases they can include in a given time. Fans of Rebels are happy that they chose Hera Syndulla's A-wing as part of the Rogue One line look. It was satisfying on many fronts. Not only did Hera get the shaft by Hasbro, she pretty much was ignored in her own television show as well. It was long criticized that Hera Syndulla didn’t do anything relevant in Star Wars: Rebels for a long time. Acting more like background fodder than as a lead character, she did very little to either strengthen (or weaken) the plot of the show, or she just didn’t play a role that vital to the survival of the Rebellion. Thankfully, a good way into Season 2 we saw her characterization change dramatically. She was promoted to a squadron leader (Phoenix Squadron to be exact) and we witnessed her battle bravely against the many foes the Ghost crew encountered. We quickly began to see what prominence the character had and soon Hera Syndulla became a standout in the show. There is a lot more room to grown obviously, but it appears that the makers of the show have this role organized well, and we’re seeing stepwise progressions in her talents and abilities.

That’s the backstory of the character. Resonating well with both male and female fans of the show, Hera Syndulla quickly became a popular action figure as well. Sadly, the toy action figure doesn’t fare much better than her initial treatment in the show. (Thank goodness positive change is happening as we speak.) As an action figure, Hera Syndulla didn’t get treated too well either. She was only part of a Mission Series set in the Rebels line look and never got her own basic release. Plus, she was never re-released in any capacity. But if there is any saving grace to the missteps taken with her action figure, the Rogue One product launch includes Hera Syndulla’s A-wing vehicle set which includes an all-new pack-in figure of her in her pilot gear. And the action figure is great. The vehicle is NOT. Hera Syndulla is an all-new figure. She comes with the standard five points of articulation and also comes with a blaster. The helmet and visor aren’t removable, but this is a scene-specific version of her so we’re giving Hasbro a pass there. The paint operations are excellent, and probably most collectors will be buying this set for this figure alone. Other than the simple articulation, we’re pretty happy with this version of Hera Syndulla (Phoenix Leader). It’s a different version of her and Hasbro made her from all-new parts. They could have easily included the figure from the Rebels toy line instead.

Ugh. Now how about that A-wing? Frankly it’s a disaster on all fronts. If you’re far enough away from it, you’ll admit that it has a pretty fantastic sculpt. But the A-wing is a “Mini Me” version of the vehicle we have received MULTIPLE times in the Hasbro line years ago. At best, Hera Syndulla's A-wing is a glorified version of the Class I vehicles we received in The Clone Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] lineup. That’s how small it is. As small as the vehicle is however, the cockpit is HUGE. Hera Syndulla (Phoenix Leader) feels lost inside of it. She actually looks like she is sitting in some novelty cockpit that is intended to be out of scale with the person sitting in it. Again, it’s ridiculous how easily scale can be this off in a toy line that one succeeded so well getting these details perfectly right. To make matters worse, Hera Syndulla's A-wing comes with a permanent NERF launcher at the bottom of its belly. It’s obtrusive, annoying, and looks aesthetically horrific. Since when did kid Star Wars fans need obstructions like this on their toys. Does Hasbro have amnesia with regards to the vintage Kenner line? Even back then it was all about authenticity and accuracy. Sure, some vehicles had play features, but not something this obvious. It’s a shame. We probably could have overlooked the outrageous MSRP and smaller size, provided they left off the NERF launcher. Why has the Hasbro Star Wars line plummeted like this?