Rey (Jedi Training) - SW [TLJ] - Basic

We’re unable to process how this figure could be called Rey (Jedi Training). She used the Force more recklessly and wildly than any other character before her seen in any Star Wars film. She went from not even being sure if she believed in the Force to then using it against Kylo Ren when she was held captive. Then she went “balls to the wall” crazy in the climax of The Force Awakens. So now she needs Jedi training? She seems like the authority on the Force, not the student. Then again, if Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi does share a “rewritten” storyline of The Empire Strikes Back, there has to be a Master and a student for the light side of the Force. Luke Skywalker seems way too old to still be the student, so we suppose Rey is Disney’s last option. Rey (Jedi Training) brings this confusing character back into the basic figure line. She is wearing a similar, albeit differently colored outfit now, comes with a (SPOILER ALERT) lightsaber and her signature blaster pistol and force pike. Besides Hasbro going all out on her sculpt and showing stepwise improvement with her paint operations, fans of this character should be happy to add Rey (Jedi Training) in their collections.

She has already been repacked in the line (get used to it) and some have claimed the figure from the 2017 SW [TLJ] Rey (Jedi Training)/Elite Praetorian Guard may be the better of the two. We’re on the fence. Each figure has its hit and miss so it’s hard for us to conclusively claim which is the superior version. We can tell you that their facial paint operations are night and day and it almost gives you two different expressions of the same character if you buy both. So you have that option as well. No matter your take on Rey (Jedi Training) or the 5POA line, one thing is for sure. Hasbro has come very far with the 5POA line. Besides making the sculpts more dynamic and enhancing the paint operations wherever possible (and successful), they’re not being as stingy with the accessories, something that is interpreted as a value for all collectors. Also, she has the ability to talk thanks to the clever new Force Link technology which has been included in over 30 items offered on Force Friday II (in addition to future releases that we don’t even know about yet). It has been embraced by both kids and collectors and Hasbro has already received incredible feedback about the Force Link gimmick contained within these figures.

Let us elaborate on her paint operations a little bit more. As we’ve mentioned, the color scheme is the same, but the way they painted her expression on the two separate figures is almost like night and day. She has squinty eyes on the Force Link version and much wider “doe eyes” on this Two-Packs version. It’s important to note that the 5POA figures vary greatly from one another too, so that could be the stark difference we’re seeing here. Rey (Jedi Training) comes with a ball-socket head, two swivel shoulders, and two swivel hips. We wish that they would give these type of main characters more articulation, but apparently, that is going to be reserved for The Vintage Collection going forward. Rey hasn’t changed all that much from The Force Awakens (from what we’ve seen thus far), so it makes sense why we’re not seeing too many changes on her new action figures to make her appear unique, new, and fresh again. We should also note that we don’t know anything about her role in the Episode VIII, so hopefully, Disney will surprise us and make her character more appealing. And we hope that she gets out of these Jakku duds and into something more flattering.