B-wing Pilot (Keyan Farlander) - TVC - Basic (VC63)

Added: October 15th 2011
Category: Vintage Collection, The
Reviewer: Paul Harrison
Score:

Name: B-wing Pilot (Keyan Farlander)
Collection: The Vintage Collection
Number: VC63
Source: Return Of The Jedi
Availability: November 2011
License: Hasbro

* Wave 8 of The Vintage Collection was available through online retailers in October 2011

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Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Force be with you!

It took a quarter of a century for Star Wars collectors to get the long awaited modern update to the vintage Kenner B-wing Pilot action figure. It was nearly the poster child for a peg-warmer, but that didn’t stop us from thoroughly enjoying sticking him in the cockpit of our B-wing Fighter Vehicle however. Although Hasbro went off course with the Evolution’s line, some of the multipacks did bring us some very well made action figures. Simply known as Keyan Farlander in 2008’s TLC Rebel Pilot Legacy (Series II) Evolutions set, Hasbro dusts him off, changes a few of the paint operations and sticks in him a wonderful update to the 1984 figure in The Vintage Collection. To be quite honest with you, we’ve felt for quite some time that Hasbro would never (ever) attempt to reissue some of the less popular figures into The Vintage Collection. But the time was right and Hasbro needed to pad figures into their “Revenge Of The Jedi” promotion and the B-wing Pilot (Keyan Farlander) figure was a figure with the perfect fit to help with this. There is nothing revolutionary about this figure’s release this time around, but those who monitor ever change Hasbro makes to a figure, well, you can consider this one new.

The most noticeable differences between the 2008 Evolutions figure and The Vintage Collection basic figure are the pilot straps and hoses. Instead of the off-white color used on the Evolutions figure, Hasbro went with a “bleach” white tone instead. If you look at the reference photos of these pilots, you'll see that this was a much needed update and it makes the figure accurate to what is seen in the film. The Evolutions version was too yellowed by comparison. Either way, you have two distinct red B-wing Pilots now. The other difference is less obvious, but Hasbro changed the paint application ever so slightly on the beige boot coverings. If you compare the two figures side by side you’ll see the differences. We’ve seen a few variances in the helmet as well, but due to the dirty wash utilized here, we’re not exactly sure if it’s a unique change or just the randomness of the application. There has also been some tightening up on the paint operations for both the hairline and his eyes. It’s noticeable that Hasbro tweaked the processed for a cleaner look this time around and we’re very happy with the results. Overall, we do think that The Vintage Collection B-wing Pilot (Keyan Farlander) figure is the better of the two. Please don’t misunderstand us, many won’t even care about the differences, but we’d like to make it known that they do exist.

You may also find some extra silver scratches on the back of his flight vest, as well as few other instances of uniqueness; but no matter how the pilot came to us, at least it came to us in The Vintage Collection packaging. The figure truly looks marvelous on its classic card back again for the first time and since he is a super-articulated action figure, well there is not much you can complain about here. With a perfect 14 points of articulation, Keyan Farlander is a bundle of joy to pose in your hands. He can easily be posed to lunge forward or stand at attention. And when you throw his blaster pistol into the mix, things just become better. We have personally asked Hasbro for years about doing simple repacks like this to keep the line fresh and invigorating to collectors. While it’s not happening at the pace we’d like to see, putting figures like this one as well as others instead of straight carry-forward figures is so much more important to the overall health of The Vintage Collection. We really want to see this pace pick up, but who knows what the future holds. Hasbro tends to agree with many of our points, yet doesn’t follow through to make them realities. Anyway, be sure to get your updated B-wing Pilot (Keyan Farlander) figure. You need him to pilot your B-wing Fighter Vehicle.

Collector Notes

B-wing Pilot (Keyan Farlander)

Status: B-wing Pilot (Keyan Farlander) is a repaint of the Keyan Farlander figure that came in 2008's TLC Rebel Pilot Legacy (Series II) Evolutions set.

Articulation Count: 23 points (14 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), swivel left glove (1), swivel right glove (1), ball-jointed torso (2), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), ball-jointed left knee (2), ball-jointed right knee (2), ball-jointed left ankle (2), ball-jointed right ankle (2)

Accessory Count: 3

Accessory Details: blaster pistol, removable helmet, removable hose

Date Stamp: 2008

Assortment Number: 36167/97568

UPC: 653569645528

Retail: $8.99 USD

Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on Click here to check the market value on eBay! listings.

B-wing Pilot (Keyan Farlander)

The Vintage Collection Wave 8
Boba Fett [ROTJ] (VC09)
Rebel Commando [ROTJ] (VC26)

Han Solo (In Trench Coat) (VC62)

B-wing Pilot (Keyan Farlander) (VC63)
Princess Leia (Slave Outfit) (VC64)
TIE Fighter Pilot (VC65)



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