Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore) - TVC - Basic (VC202)

Who thought it would take 100 action figures in The Vintage Collection before getting our next Ahsoka Tano? But 100 VC numbers separate this figure from the previous version. No matter how vehemently and voraciously we rave and defend the many figures Hasbro produced for The Vintage Collection, it sometimes takes an all-new sculpt to show us how inferior the older figures are. A case in point example is Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore). Now, before we go into detail about the figure, we’d like to make the point that it makes 2012’s TVC Ahsoka (VC102) figure completely obsolete. Compared side by side, you can quickly see how far Hasbro’s technology producing 3.75-inch super-articulated action figures has come, and they’re genuinely designing the most remarkable action figures now. Some aren’t thrilled with all of the articulation that comes with these figures. We particularly find the swivel thighs a bit of a burden. That’s neither here nor there, however. Super-articulated action figures should come with a wealth of premium articulation and unprecedented sculpting, and Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore) exemplifies this perfectly and beautifully. We couldn’t be more proud of Hasbro’s efforts here. But, we should also note the release of this figure is bittersweet because the previous Ahsoka figure leaves quite a bit to be desired now. From the improperly sized horns to the poor likeness, 2012’s TVC Ahsoka (VC102) figure may lose interest once collectors see how far they took the character with this latest version.

Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore) is another fantastic achievement for The Vintage Collection line. The popularity of Ahsoka has grown significantly over the last few years. And that’s saying quite a bit when she was already a favorite character in the Star Wars universe by most. Based on the character’s appearance in the seventh season of The Clone Wars, Hasbro paired Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore) along with Darth Maul (Mandalore) so collectors could recreate their epic lightsaber duel for the 3.75-inch action figure line. Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore) is a stunning action figure. The design is beautiful and captures the likeness and the personality of the on-screen character with precision and expertise. Hasbro worked in an astounding 28 points of articulation, and most are premium ball-jointed points. The best part of Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore)’s articulation is the “rocker” ankles. This articulation style allows for a wider array of action poses. You can balance and anchor the figure as you need because this joint is exceptionally flexible and wide-ranged. Ahsoka’s tooling is fabulous. Hasbro replicated the silhouette of the character beautifully. And keep in mind, they transitioned the character from animated status to a realistic interpretation. They developed a fantastic real-world interpretation of Ahsoka Tano from The Clone Wars’ seventh season while remaining faithful to the character.

The paint operations on Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore) are overall well applied. There are some minor issues here and there. And then, there is a more significant issue on the Togruta horns. The stripes cease before wrapping around the horns in their entirety. You’ll also find some minor sloppiness in the face and throughout the outfit. But all of these imperfections are amplified with the high-resolution photography we take. The human eye won’t be able to pick up most of them. We imagine collectors may want to rifle through multiple samples to pick the best paint operations possible. But we don’t want to make you fret that the deco is a significant problem for this figure. It isn’t, and we’re confident Hasbro assured that the factory production samples were up to snuff before approving a large production run for the market. Perhaps the only remaining disappointment is the lack of accessories. While Hasbro included a lightsaber and a shoto, we don’t get the hilts of either separately, as we did with the original Ahsoka (VC102) action figure. We find this to be a major setback, and Hasbro shouldn’t have gone so cheap here. If they expend the dollars for an all-new sculpt, they should spend a few more cents and complete the figure to make it feel complete. Regardless, Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore) is another highlight overall for The Vintage Collection run. You’ll want a few extra of these figures because of how beautiful they are.