Admiral Ackbar - TBS [P4] - Six Inch Figures (ROTJ01)

During the Battle of Endor, veteran commander Admiral Ackbar oversaw the Rebel attack, coordinating with starfighter operations led by Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles.

Well, The Black Series [Phase IV] Admiral Ackbar didn’t go as we had precisely planned. We’re not sure if we like the figure or not now. At face value, it appears as if Admiral Ackbar should be quite the beauty. And out of the box and displayed, you’ll likely feel similarly. But once you start manipulating the figure’s articulation, we believe that the disappointment will begin setting in because it feels like the figure can’t do nearly as much as its peers in the 6” line. OK. So let’s get it out. The tooling on Admiral Ackbar is astounding. It’s probably the best action figure version of the character we’ll ever see produced. Hasbro paid close attention to the head sculpt to the hands to figure’s mottled lobster-like skin and military outfit. No one should complain about Admiral Ackbar’s tooling. Hasbro brought back the “opening jaw” feature as they did on the Sequel Trilogy version of the character, but this head sculpt is all-new from what we can tell, or they retooled the original head sculpt to make it unique for this release. What the “opening jaw” feature does is limit the figure’s head articulation. You cannot turn Admiral Ackbar’s head left or right. And the lack of this movement is a massive issue for the figure. We’re unsure why Hasbro decided to go with the mouth gimmick instead of tooling a figure with optimal head flexibility. We’re disappointed to see this.

Also of note, most 6” figures come with articulation in the upper torso. Admiral Ackbar instead comes with ball-jointed articulation at the waist. It’s a bit cumbersome to move the figure’s body around in different poses with articulation this low. And because the figure has a vest covering up the articulation point, it makes the twisting and turning of it quite the chore. That doesn’t mean the vest doesn’t look right, because it does. The pants have enough crinkling, and the shoes look appropriate for the figure’s size. All of the figure’s details are in place here. However, the problem is that the functionality of this figure isn’t where it should be. We almost must comment about the paint operations here. We think Hasbro went too dark on Admiral Ackbar’s face. They appear to get the figure’s forearms the correct shade of brick red, but the head is significantly darker by comparison, and it doesn’t look right. Conversely, they added the mottling detail beautifully. We have to admit that we’re impressed with how they turned out. Hasbro painted the rest of the figure beautifully. The paints and shirt are off-white, and the vest is cream-colored. The sectioned belt is a shade of tan. And the yellow blood stripe running down the figure’s outer seams make the outfit pop. Sadly, the head sculpt’s paint job is so off when the rest of the figure looks good. They got the eyeballs right as well!

As you can see, the complaints focus on the figure’s paint operation and articulation. Here’s another bummer. For years, Hasbro paired Admiral Ackbar figures with batons. Yes, there have been exceptions made to the figure’s accessories here and there throughout the years, but it’s been a standard accessory for this character. For the first time, Hasbro decided to pair Admiral Ackbar with a Rebel blaster, which the Rebel Fleet Troopers used during the opening scene in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Hasbro never utilized this type of weapon in Return Of The Jedi. Then again, the character didn’t hold a baton either. Perhaps 2010’s TVC Admiral Ackbar (VC22) figure came the closest giving the Mon Calamari an accurate accessory. The figure came with the control screen of the Home One. It was a cut of the console Admiral Ackbar sat at during the Battle of Endor, but collectors got the idea. In all honesty, Admiral Ackbar feels like a misfit without other Rebel Alliance characters joining. Where is Nien Nunb? Where is an Ishi Tib? What about General Madine or Mon Mothma? And what about the countless Endor Troopers (Rebel Commandos), B-Wing Pilots, and A-Wing Pilots we have yet to get in the 6” line? Hasbro has their work cut out for them. It’s unfortunate they’re forever playing catch-up in the line, but they have to beat out more characters faster.