Friday, April 10, 2015

Action Figure Review: Ezra Bridger from Star Wars: Rebels by Hasbro

   
I'm still trying to assemble the crew of the Ghost from Star Wars: Rebels and, after much searching, I'm up to two crew members: Zeb and Ezra. It's Ezra that I'm reviewing today after having just found him in a Target. I'm not sure why (there are dozens of theories) but Hasbro cannot seem to get these figures out to stores. Here we are, six months after the premiere of the series and in a movie year, and Hasbro still cannot manage to get over the distribution problems that have plagued them since at least 2012. Anyways, I've managed to get this toy in hand so let's jump on to looking at Ezra after the break...




The Facts:
Height: 3 5/8th inches

Articulation: Swivel hips, swivel shoulders, and a swivel neck.

Accessories: Helmet

Non-Scalper Price: $6-$8 dollars








The Positives:

* While the new Rebel figures are a far cry from the Vintage Collection toys of just a few years back, I do like them. They have a nice, clean style that captures the look of the new animated series. While Ezra may stand out next to figures from the Vintage Collection and the Black Series, he looks great with figures from the Clone Wars.

*Ezra looks very good and his outfit is covered with plenty of small details. His orange jumpsuit has stitched elbow pads and cargo pockets on the thighs while the left lower leg is ripped off. Ezra has the device on his left wrist that turns into a sling shot and some sort of scavenged armor on his right left shin. The headsculpt also matches the on-screen character quite well.


*The color scheme of Ezra's outfit is really eye-catching and just clicks with me. I like the combination of oranges and browns. There are also a number of small details that receive paint apps such s the belt loops, the cool logo on the back of the vest, and the details on the wrist piece. I also like how they handled his hair. It's the right combination of blue and black and looks great.










The Negatives:

*Unfortunately, there is also a lot of paint slop on the figure. Many of the edges just aren't very clean and there are spots of errant paint on the his back left thigh, jacket, and right knee.

*I know the point of these toys is that they only have five points of articulation and keep costs down for Hasbro but would a swivel waist or ball jointed heads break the bank? It seems like just the addition of those simple joints would really help make these more appealing.





* Ezra collects Imperial helmets in the show so the inclusion of what looks like an AT-DP driver's helmet is a nice addition. Unfortunately, Ezra comes with nothing else. I think the biggest thing missing here is his lightsaber. Let's be honest: Hasbro thinks Ezra's lightsaber is significant to market it as a full sized role playing item, but they don't include it with the figure? That's a huge miss in my book, and no other accessory makes up for that.



     As a character in the show, I like Ezra. He's a younger character but he's fairly self reliant and competent. He's got a lot of growing up to do still, despite how well he's managed to live on his own, but he's maturing. I think it'll be interesting to see how he grows and develops over the next season of Rebels. Unfortunately, I just don't think is figure is hat exciting. Hera, Sabine, and Zeb come with their blasters, Kanan comes with his lightsaber, and Ezra comes with....a helmet? How does that make any sense? Ezra has two pretty unique signature weapons in his lightsaber with a blaster in the handle and his wrist mounted slingshot, but neither of those are apparently toy worthy. While you'll need Ezra to complete the Ghost crew, he's a pretty average figure at best. I'm giving him an Eh and a 1/2: if I didn't like the show so much and want to assemble the entire team, I would have left him on the shelf.

I've reviewed a few other Star Wars figures from the Rebels line:

Star Wars: Rebels by Hasbro
Mission Series
Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios and Stormtrooper
Saga Legends
AT-DP Driver
The Inquisitor
Jedi Temple Guard

I've also reviewed the following Star Wars figures from a variety of lines and scales:

Star Wars by Kenner
My First Star Wars Figures

Star Wars: The Black Series (3 3/4 inch) by Hasbro
Biker Scout
Clone Trooper Sergeant

Star Wars: The Black Series Phase II (3 3/4 inch) by Hasbro
Darth Malgus

Star Wars: The Black Series (6 inch) by Hasbro
Boba Fett
Darth Maul
Greedo
Han Solo
Luke Skywalker (Bespin Outfit)
Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Revenge of the Sith)
Princess Leia (Slave Outfit)
R2-D2
Sandtrooper
Stormtrooper

Star Wars: The Black Series Phase II (6 inch) by Hasbro
Boba Fett (Prototype Armor)
Chewbacca
Clone Trooper Sergeant
Darth Vader
TIE Pilot

Star Wars: The Vintage Collection by Hasbro
Imperial Scanning Crew

6 comments:

  1. I really like the show, and oddly enough, I've seen the full range of these figures at both the local Reggies and ToyWorld stores in my area, but I just can't get over the crappy articulation and the lack of accesories. Hinges at the hips, knees and elbows, waist cuts and ball heads would be the minimum I'd like on this size figure in this day and age. Hasbro can go suck a lemon.

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    1. I love the look of these figures but you're right: They're just a huge step back. I've be more accepting if they even had waist joints and ball heads. Seriously, a true ball jointed head can't be any more expensive than a traditional swivel, can it? For me it's a catch 22: I don't want to support Hasbro making modern Star Wars figures like this (I'd be all about Hasbro making some faux "Kenner" styled figures ala Funko) but I also really like Rebels and I have some real concerns that Rebels, as good as it is, is going to get swept under the rug when the Force Awakens hits. I mean, figures like Chopper already seem to be out of production. With TFA toys hitting next and knowing how little effort Hasbro put into ensuring good distribution for Rebels toys last fall when the show PREMIERED, nothing assures me we'll see more figures, improved figures, or better distribution. We could, but I have reservations and I at least want the main six crew members.

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  2. I love the 5 POA, but I have to agree on the waist swivel. That made a huge difference on the POTF2 figures, and I can't imagine it didn't add much to the cost. The lack of weapons though, that's the one thing I don't get with this line. I mean, they don't have to go G.I. Joe crazy with the accessories, but it would be nice to have something.

    The only store I have nearby is Walmart, and I have literally only seen one figure from this line. I have to wonder if the stores just didn't order as much, because there were so many leftovers from previous series. Or, the lack of figures may be because Hasbro said once these were all sold out, that was it. They were no longer in production. I understand that they need to start gearing up production for The Force Awakens, but if toys are still selling well, it hardly makes sense to discontinue them.

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    1. Yeah, two accessories should be pretty standard, at least for the single carded figures. I mean, Ezra comes with a helmet. No blaster, no lightsaber, no slingshot. That's unacceptable.

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  3. I haven't picked any of these up yet, but I've been seeing a lot of these on the shelves, so it was nice to see one up-close like this. The lack of articulation is a turn-off, but I've been on the fence about whether the colours and style balance them out for the positive.

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    Replies
    1. Interesting to see that you (and BanzaiBOB) have seen quite a few of these. I feel like every time I go on a toy run I'm lucky to find any Rebels figure, but usually don't see anything. Except Star Wars Command! Which is being cleared out left and right. Good.

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