Rey (Island Journey) - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Figures (58)

With the power of the Force awakening inside of her, Rey travels to the hidden world of Ahch-To. There, she seeks out Luke Skywalker as the last hope of the Resistance.

*thunderous applause* Hasbro has raised The Black Series 6" line to a whole new bar. It’s 2018, so that means that all new 6" figures will be graced with “photorealistic” technology which more simply put means that these figures will arrive to collectors better looking than they ever have to date. Their quality in paint applications will be off the charts. Rey (Island Journey) is easily one of the best 6" figures Hasbro has produced since 2013. Yes, they need to go back in time and make right the travesties of yesteryear, but Rey (Island Journey) is a tremendous step forward and journey forward to an approach that should have always been the standard. Rey (Island Journey) is so good it makes us forget what made us dislike her in The Force Awakens. We'll get to all of her wonderful qualities in detail, but know that Hasbro has gone above and beyond with her. We always expected high quality for this 6" collectors' line. Now we're getting it. Plus, Rey (Island Journey) started off as a release for when Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens was in full swing. And now Hasbro has cleverly upgraded her to keep her Episode VII characteristics while also being screen-specific to Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. With a layered outfit, plenty of useful accessories and an updated paint job approach makes Rey (Island Journey) stand out from the crowd of previous 6” figures. These updates will likely usher in a new base of fans Hasbro never had. It’s incredible to us how straightly applied deco with proper shadowing and shading can make a figure look as incredible as Rey (Island Journey) does.

As briefly mentioned, Rey (Island Journey) has a base outfit that we saw on Hasbro’s 2016 TFA Rey (Resistance Outfit) Build A Weapon figure. These parts include a molded removable vest, a blaster pistol, holster, staff and a sleeveless t-shirt with tan “clam digger” pants. Once a soft-goods poncho is placed on top of this standard outfit, it immediately converts Rey into her Episode VIII appearance. Hasbro designed a beautiful action of Rey. Its one of the most accurate silhouettes and sculpting we have seen for this character since 2015. She looks and feels less bulky, has an incredibly feminine frame and facial structure, and includes a ton of sculpted detail that you need time to savor to appreciate it. The “photorealistic” technology looks fantastic to us, but we will concede that there is some fuzziness to it. We have also seen samples where the newly applied deco looks off center in spots. Despite Hasbro explaining how this new technology holds down the portraits so that deco can be applied accurately, it seems that some are still shifting a bit, allowing the deco to end up skewed on the final figure. Overall though, this new approach makes the 6” figures turn out beautifully. Even Rey’s hairline is neatly and perfectly applied. When you have so many areas of a figure looking good, the figure just comes across better to the collector. It feels like the sky is the limit for The Black Series 6” line now. Hopefully, Hasbro will consistently employ this new method of deco so that the best figures continue to be produced. We’re happy that the 6” collectors are getting this wonderful treatment. It has been long deserved.

Despite Rey (Island Journey)’s deco enhancements, no new ground has been broken when it comes to her articulation. Rey (Island Journey) comes with 28 points of articulation across 17 areas. Hasbro made great use of thinly tooled ball-jointed articulation to give her the most amount of movement possible. The joints are tight, and she can attain and hold poses with relative ease. We’re happy to report that the plastic used to cast her is solid and doesn’t feel rubbery like previous action figures have felt. She has decent limb thickness which not only recreates her athletic frame perfectly from the film but also supports the joints to allow her to stand upright unassisted. From head to toe, Rey (Island Journey) is an action figure that will meet your needs as a collector of super-articulated 6” figures. Fans well invested in the line already may feel some pain of what could have been with the earlier figures. It would be wonderful if Hasbro could revisit some of the earlier figures that are in desperate need of paint operation updates (especially the facial ones). We could provide a litany of characters in need of these updates. But we have a feeling that Hasbro already knows which ones should go to the front of the line first. Overall, we believe that Rey (Island Journey) will serve as a turning point for The Black Series 6” line. Hasbro has gone above and beyond their call of duty. This new “photorealistic” approach will ensure that interest in this line stays and also gets reinvigorated. We’re not 6” collectors ourselves, and we have a newfound respect for the line too. Let’s hope they continue to make significant strides of improvement like this for years to come.