Thursday, October 11, 2018

Action Figure Review: General Veers from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III by Hasbro

   Walgreens is really a pretty good destination for exclusive action figures now and last night while picking something up there I managed to finally find the new General Veers action figure. Played by Julian Glover, General Maximillian Veers appeared in The Empire Strikes back and personally led the assault on the Rebel shield generator from the cockpit of an AT-AT. He's a tough, imposing Imperial officer who gets results and who doesn't get Force choked by Darth Vader, so that's kind of a big deal. He's also now an action figure in the Black Series that has two distinctive looks! By including his armor and helmet from the assault on Hoth, Hasbro has given Veers both his standard Imperial Officer's outfit and his battle look, a pretty cool feat that definitely makes him stand out in the line and feel a bit more deluxe. This is the definitive General Veers for your collection, so let's check him out after the break...




The Facts:

Height: 6 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, and a balljointed head.

Accessories: Officer's cap, helmet, chest armor, and blaster pistol.

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars







 Comparisons:


* At first glance you might think that General Veers (left) is a simple head swap of Grand Moff Tarkin (right) but guess what? You'd be wrong! While the legs, arms, and lower torsos are the same, the upper torsos and hands are completely different. Technically General Veers should be a bit taller than Grand Moff Tarkin but I can let that slide here since Hasbro is able to get a little more reuse out of these molds that way. Otherwise, it is doubtful we'd get characters like Veers or Piett in this line.
 The Positives:


* General Veers look fantastic! They might be terrible people but no one can say that the Imperials aren't snappy dressers. I like the bleak grey military styled outfit with the appropriate rank board and only a single code cylinder on his left breast. Veers is also wearing gloves, which sets him apart from the other Imperials officers in a nice way. The paint work is sharp and looks great all around, too.

* The headsculpt is excellent and the new faceprinting makes this figure really look like Julian Glover. The detail on the eyes and facial features is unreal. If this figure were released in the smaller 1/18th scale I definitely would try to turn one of these into Walter Donovan since Hasbro's Indiana Jones line never released him.


* The look is really complete when you give Maximillian Veers his officer's cap. It's brilliantly sculpted and fits on his head very well. The fit is perfect and if you didn't know better you might think this was all one sculpt when looking at him.


* One of the coolest parts of this figure, though, is that we get both of General Veers' onscreen looks. Because he is a decisive and bold man of action, Veers suits up and heads down to Hoth himself to lead the Imperial assault on Echo Base. There have always been complaints with Black Series collectors that Hasbro cut down on the accessories offered with each figure after the first series or two, but Veers feels like a well thought out and highly definitive version of the character. The armor fits over his torso while the helmet slips over his head to create a very impressive and authentic second look for the character. Hasbro isn't the first company to do something like this, but it is impressive for the Black Series line.


* The helmet fits like a charm and looks excellent. There are lots of paint applications on this and the detail is spot on. This also really makes me want an AT-ST Driver in the Black Series.


* The back armor also has quite a but of detail and painted features, too. Yeah, there are a couple of missing paint hits here but overall this is some solid work. I'm loving it.

* OK, what is this blaster and where does it come from? It appears to be a DL-21 blaster pistol without the fancy muzzle. It looks great but I'm wondering where Hasbro got this design? I can't find it. All of the images of Veers have his holster left empty while the 501st databanks don't list this pistol as an accompanying item to the costume (just a DH-17, E-11, or DL-44). If you know where this design came from please let me know!


* The articulation is excellent. While Veers mostly just stands around or chills out in the cockpit of an AT-AT, it's nice to know he can join the action if he needs to. He's sturdy and well made so have fun and go crazy with him.
 The Negatives:

* Since the armor is all one piece, it did suffer a bit from being stuffed into the packaging. You may have to work with it or even use a hairdryer to reshape it to fit down over Veer's chest properly.


* The modified DL-21 really doesn't fit well in this holster. Looking at it, the holster doesn't really even appear to be designed for the DL-21, so I wonder why Hasbro went with that model? I'm always up for getting new blasters, though, and you can get it to fit OK, but it looks a bit off at a very close inspection.
   General Veers is definitely the best Walgreens exclusive Star Wars figure yet released. Not only is he a completely new character (Boba Fett, Darth Vader, and Obi-Wan Kenobi were all repaints or variants of previously released characters) but he's really well accessorized with lots of new parts. The armor takes some futzing around with but it eventually should look pretty good. I'm always glad to add another Original Trilogy figure, especially from The Empire Strikes Back, and Veers is a Great and a 1/2 edition. Thanks Walgreens for continuing to be so awesome in getting your exclusives out!




This is the first figure of General Maximillian Veers that I've reviewed on the site. For more Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III reviews, check out the following:
442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper, 212th Attack Battalion Utapau Trooper, Coruscant Guard ---(Phase II), and 501st Legion Clone Trooper 4 pack
4-LOM
Admiral Ackbar and First Order Officer
Ahsoka Tano 
AT-AT Pilot 
Baze Malbus
C-3PO
C-3PO (Resistance Base) 
Captain Cassian Andor (Eadu) 
Captain Phasma
Captain Phasma (Quicksilver Baton)
Captain Poe Dameron
Chewbacca (Target Exclusive)
Chewbacca (The Force Awakens)
Chirrut Imwe 
Clone Captain Rex (HasCon Exclusive)
Clone Commander Gree
Clone Commander Wolffe 
Constable Zuvio
Darth Revan 
Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath)
Death Star Trooper
Dewback/ Sandtrooper
Director Krennic 
DJ (Canto Bight)
Elite Praetorian Guard
Elite Praetorian Guard (with Heavy Blade)
Enfys Nest's Swoop Bike/ Enfys Nest
Finn (First Order Disguise)
Finn (FN-2187)
Finn (Jakku)
First Order Flametrooper
First Order General Hux
First Order Snowtrooper
First Order Snowtrooper Officer
First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter
First Order Stormtrooper
First Order Stormtrooper Executioner 
First Order Stormtrooper (with Gear)
First Order TIE Fighter Pilot
Gamorrean Guard
General Leia Organa
Grand Admiral Thrawn (SDCC Exclusive)
Grand Moff Tarkin 
Guardians of Evil 4-Pack
Guavian Enforcer
Han Solo (Exogorth Escape)
Han Solo (Solo)
Han Solo (The Force Awakens)
Hera Syndulla
Imperial AT-ACT Driver
Imperial Death Trooper
Imperial Death Trooper, Captain Cassian Andor, and Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) 3 pack
Imperial Hovertank Pilot 
Imperial Shock Trooper 
Imperial Royal Guard 
Inferno Squad Agent
Jaina Solo (Legends)
Jango Fett
K-2SO
Kanan Jarrus
Kylo Ren 
Kylo Ren (SDCC 2016)
Kylo Ren (The Last Jedi) 
Kylo Ren (Starkiller Base)
Kylo Ren (Throne Room) 
Lando Calrissian (Solo)
Lando Calrissian (The Empire Strikes Back)
Luke Skywalker 
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master) 
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master)- Ahch-To Island
Maz Kanata 
Moloch
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Force Spirit)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (SDCC 2016)
Phase 1 Clone Trooper Commander, Phase II Clone Trooper, Imperial Stormtrooper, and First Order ---Stormtrooper Officer four pack
Poe Dameron
Poe Dameron and First Order Riot Control Stormtrooper
Porgs 
Princess Leia (Bespin Escape)
Princess Leia Organa 
Qi'ra (Corellia)
Qui-Gon Jinn
R2-A3, R5-K6, and R2-F2
Range Trooper
Rebel Trooper
Red Squadron (R2-D2, R5-D8, and R2-X2)
Resistance Tech Rose
Resistance Trooper
Rey (Island Journey)
Rey (Jakku) & BB-8 
Rey (Jedi Training)
Rey (Jedi Training)- Crait
Rey (Starkiller Base) 
Rey's Speeder (Jakku)
Sabine Wren
Sandtrooper Sergeant, Crimson Stormtrooper, Lieutenant OXIXO, and R2-Q5
Scarif Stormtrooper
Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader 
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Eadu)
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha)
Snowtrooper 
Stormtrooper (With Blast Accessories)
Supreme Leader Snoke (Throne Room)
Tobias Beckett
Tusken Raider 
X-34 Landspeeder & Luke Skywalker (SDCC Exclusive) 
X-Wing Pilot Asty 

18 comments:

  1. That is indeed a DL-21. It's seen used by the officers in the shield generator bunker on Endor, Colonel Dyer ("Freeze!") and Lieutenant Renz ("You Rebel scum!") in particular, both without the muzzle extension thing. I guess Hasbro figured this was the standard Imperial officer sidearm (Piett also comes with it).

    My issues with this figure are twofold. First, the reuse of Tarkin parts, the legs in particular, mean he's too short. Veers was very tall, almost as tall as Vader. Then there's his hair color. At the time of filming, Julian Glover had brown (or at least salt and pepper) hair, not the solid gray hair he'd have later on in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

    Despite these negatives, it's still a kickass figure and I already have two! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OK< very cool. I'm going to have to check that out. I could find nothing about that on Wookiepedia or the 501st site.

      Yeah, I mentioned that he definitely is a bit short (and Tarkin is probably a bit too tall). There definitely is a seen where Vader almost looks Veers in the eyes. About the hair, I looked and looked for pictures where you could really see him without any hat or helmet and couldn't find one. I do think Hasbro went with hair closer to his later appearances, maybe to make him more recognizable?

      Delete
    2. Oh, and here's a B&W behind the scenes pic of Renz with this specific version of the DL-21: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wKzdGq3ANZo/UOrcLWrBrwI/AAAAAAAAN9g/GgHHC_ZtLfQ/s320/renz.jpg

      Delete
  2. His hair looks brown to me here, or at the very least a much darker gray than what Hasbro went with: http://files.starwarsuncut.com/assets/film_2/hd/075.jpg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I can see that. It's just really tough to tell! I do think they probably went too light, though. Oh well.. he does always wear the hat or helmet, so it's less of an issue than, say, the TFA Han Solo's hair.

      Delete
    2. Yeah, I plan on displaying him with the helmet on most of the time, anyway, so it isn't a dealbreaker. Just something to bitch about. XD

      Delete
  3. If I remember my pre-Disney Star Wars stories correctly, I think then-Colonel Veers never told any of his superiors about the AT-AT's vulnerability to being tripped by reinforced durasteel cables wound around the walker's legs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't remember that at all. I know he was severely crippled and could not be healed using Bacta and such, so he had to use a hoverchair. I believe he also was demoted to Captain at some point and died during Dark Empire II.

      Delete
    2. Colonel Veers removed the recruit who found out about the AT-AT's weakness from walker operator training and sent him to the stormtrooper units.

      Delete
    3. I hate that old EU stuff about the Empire. It makes them look dumb AF. And makes Veers in particular look stupid. While the new EU has its ups and downs, there's a lot in the old Expanded Universe I'm glad they've done away with, and that tidbit about Veers' past is one of them. Now if only they'd have also gotten rid of the "almost all Imperial officers are idiots" cliche begun by Admiral Ozzel...

      Delete
    4. To be fair, if I were in Veers' boots and Darth Vader was already around at the time a trainee discovered a potentially huge flaw in one of the Empire's major weapons systems, I'd make sure nobody else would ever learn about it too. Getting choked from long distance wouldn't help my career at all.

      Delete
    5. I'd like to think Vader would prefer his men inform him of flaws so that said flaws can be corrected.

      Delete
  4. They could have used the (significantly taller) Grand Admiral Thrawn body as the base for this figure, to eliminate the height disparity...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do wonder why they didn't do that. I presume it is because Thrawn has epaulets and very differently placed code cylinders. Still, something give some added height would have been welcome. Longer legs, perhaps?

      Delete
    2. Actually, *all* of the Imperial officer figures released to date have unique torsos, owing to the fact that they all have different numbers of code cylinders and different numbers of squares on their tunic plaques according to their rank in-universe, so Hasbro would have been looking at tooling up a new torso for Veers either way. Perhaps someone simply forgot that the good General is really, really tall...

      Delete
    3. I assume Hasbro is augmenting the digital sculpt or tweaking elements of molds or something. There's gotta be some reuse involved for us to keep getting Imperial officers at the rate we are getting them.

      Delete
  5. This version of the pistol seems over-sized to me. Compare it to Dengar's (which has the extra muzzle piece). Could be why it doesn't fit the holster all that well.

    Btw, here's the Wookiepedia page: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/DL-21_blaster_pistol

    ReplyDelete

What'chu talkin' 'bout?