Thursday, November 28, 2019

The Road to The Rise of Skywalker: Jannah from Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III by Hasbro

    It's time for another Star Wars review and today it's another review of a figure from the upcoming The Rise of Skywalker: Jannah! Jannah's a new character and we really don't know much about her at all. She's played by Naomie Ackie, she's from the planet Kef Bir, she uses an energy bow, and she leads a group of warriors against the First Order. She's one of those characters that we're just going to have to wait and see how she fares once the film comes out. Jannah definitely has a unique look that seems a bit more post apocalyptic  than many other Star Wars characters. There are definitely folks having a difficult time accepting her look but I think it'll turn out fine. She does have lots of cool little details on her, too, as well as some interesting weaponry. Her weaponry has a very primitive feel to it, so it'll be interesting to see why she carries it. Are these standard weapons for her people or is she kind of a hipster? Let's check out Jannah after the break...



 The Facts:

Height: 5 3/4ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, mid-torso balljoint, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a balljointed head.

Accessories: Energy bow, arrow, cluster of arrows, quiver with sling, and blaster pistol.

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars


 The Positives:

* Jannah certainly has a unique look compared to a lot of other Star Wars characters, and I've heard people compare her appearance to a character from The Walking Dead, Mad Max, and even the Lost Boys from Hook. She definitely has more of a post apocalyptic/ guerilla warrior look going on. There's something very modern about her outfit too, but, again, I don't dislike it. It's rather interesting and it does stand out from the usual robes and wraps or surplus military fatigues of so many Star Wars characters. Jannah has a great sculpt with lots of separately sculpted elements, such as the harness across her chest and her belt that's loaded with gear. The paintwork is pretty solid, too, with a nice mix of colors.

 * I'm not very familiar with Naomie Ackie but from looking at some film stills of her the portrait looks fairly accurate. It's a good sculpt, although it does make Jannah look a bit older than Ackie seems to appear in real life. Her hair is great, however, with lots of detail, and she's wearing what looks like some sort of goggles across her forehead. They have no visible lenses but they're definitely shaped like they're meant to fit over her eyes.


 * Jannah is sporting a hooded cloak that looks to be made of some sort of animal hide. It's actually molded in a translucent plastic and given quite a few paint applications to give it a more realistic appearance. It's quite interesting.


 * I'm not really waiting for the visual guide for The Rise of Skywalker as I;m wondering what this device on her belt is. It reminds me of one of the devices that the Filmation's Ghostbusters carried around. I wonder what it is?


* Some people are giving Jannah a hard time for her shoes, but I think they're kind of cool. yeah, they're sort of a "modern" design, but they also look to be made of bright red plastic strips or something. Again, they stand out and I think that's a good thing.

* Jannah is quite well articulated. The Black Series has been fantastic over the past few years and Jannah is another hit. Well, almost. Everything is great except it's tough to get her to do crouching poses. Not quite sure why. Otherwise, she's a perfectly fun figure with great range of motion and a durable construction. She holds her accessories quite well, too.

* Jannah has some interesting weapons, the first of which is this blaster pistol which kind of looks like an old muzzle loader. It definitely has a very "pirateish" look to it, doesn't it? I'm curious to see it in action. It has a great sculpt with a handle that almost looks like it's made of bone or something.


 * Next up is an energy bow. There's a strap, so Jannah can tote it around slung over her shoulder, too. Again, it's a seemingly primitive weapon, but the Ewoks and the Wookies also used primitive weapons, too. If it's an energy bow, it could seemingly be pretty powerful.


* Jannah's quiver has a cluster of arrows that can sit inside (they're one piece sculpted to look like three arrows), and a functioning strap. The strap is removable and can fit across Jannah's torso for toting this around.



* There's a single arrow, too, and it slides into the energy bow for display.
 The Negatives:

* I really like Jannah's cape, but it's not removable (you'd have to probably "boil and pop" her head off to remove it), which is frustrating because it interferes with her wearing her quiver and carrying the energy bow around.


* Jannah has a holster for her pistol but the fit is so tight that putting the pistol in the holster causes the little sights on the top of the blaster to bend pretty badly. If you did this a few times I imagine you'd end up just snapping them off.




 



 * Overall Jannah's paintwork is pretty strong, but she does have some errant paint marks on her feet and legs. Just a bit of quality control oversight here.
   Jannah is a pretty unqiue feeling figure and I hope the character is given a good role and ends up being well received in The Rise of Skywalker. She's got a great design, some very unqiue accessories, and a look that differentiates her from the appearance of most of the Sequel Trilogy cast's costumes. Jannah is part of the second series of figures that hit after Triple Force Friday (alongside Cara Dune and the Jet Trooper), so she's been popping up in stores for a couple of weeks now. She's a Great and a 1/2 figure and if you're willing to take a chance on a character we know next to nothing about yet, she's a worthy buy.


This is my first review of a Jannah figure. For more Star Wars: The Black Series Phase III figures, check out the following:
0-0-0 (Triple Zero)
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
Admiral Piett
Ahsoka Tano 
AT-AT Pilot 
Battle Droid
Baze Malbus
BT-1 (Beetee)
C-3PO
C-3PO (Resistance Base) 
Cal Kestis
Captain Cassian Andor (Eadu) 
Captain Phasma
Captain Phasma (Quicksilver Baton)
Captain Poe Dameron
Cara Dune
Chewbacca (Target Exclusive)
Chewbacca (The Force Awakens)
Chirrut Imwe 
Chopper (C1-10P)
Clone Captain Rex (HasCon Exclusive)
Clone Commander Gree
Clone Commander Fox
Clone Commander Obi-Wan Kenobi
Clone Commander Wolffe 
Constable Zuvio
Darth Revan 
Darth Vader (Emperor's Wrath)
Death Star Trooper
Dengar
Dewback/ Sandtrooper
Director Krennic 
DJ (Canto Bight)
Doctor Aphra
Dryden Vos
Elite Praetorian Guard
Elite Praetorian Guard (with Heavy Blade)
Emperor Papatine and Throne
Enfys Nest's Swoop Bike/ Enfys Nest
Ezra Bridger
Finn (First Order Disguise)
Finn (FN-2187)
Finn (Jakku)
First Order Flametrooper
First Order General Hux
First Order Jet Trooper
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 Grievous
General Leia Organa
General Veers
Grand Admiral Thrawn (SDCC Exclusive)
Grand Moff Tarkin 
Guardians of Evil 4-Pack
Guavian Enforcer
Han Solo (Exogorth Escape)
Han Solo (Mimban)
Han Solo (Solo)
Han Solo (The Force Awakens)
Hera Syndulla
IG-11
Imperial AT-ACT Driver
Imperial Death Trooper
Imperial Death Trooper, Captain Cassian Andor, and Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha) 3 pack
Imperial Hovertank Pilot 
Imperial Jumptrooper
Imperial Patrol Trooper
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) 
L3-37
Lando Calrissian (Solo)
Lando Calrissian (The Empire Strikes Back)
Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard)
Luke Skywalker 
Luke Skywalker (Death Star Escape)
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master) 
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master)- Ahch-To Island
Mace Windu
Maz Kanata 
Moloch
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Force Spirit)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Padawan) 
Obi-Wan Kenobi (SDCC 2016) 
Padme Amidala
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 
Princess Leia Organa (Hoth)
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)
Rio Durant
Sabine Wren
Sandtrooper Sergeant, Crimson Stormtrooper, Lieutenant OXIXO, and R2-Q5
Scarif Stormtrooper
Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader 
Second Sister Inquisitor
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Eadu)
Sergeant Jyn Erso (Jedha)
Snowtrooper 
Stormtrooper (Mimban)
Stormtrooper (With Blast Accessories)
Supreme Leader Snoke (Throne Room)
Tobias Beckett
Tusken Raider 
Val (Vandor)
Vice Admiral Holdo
X-34 Landspeeder & Luke Skywalker (SDCC Exclusive) 
X-Wing Pilot Asty 
Zuckuss
















2 comments:

  1. As a fan of the Star Wars series it took almost a dozen movies to introduce it's first black female with actual lines to speak. Better late than never I guess but definitely wanted to buy this since Naomie Ackie the actress that portrayed Jannah has made black female history.

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    Replies
    1. That's a good point, although Thandie Newton played Val in Solo but that wasn't one of the "Skywalker Saga" films. I do wish Jannah had more screen time, though. They kind of introduced her fairly late in the film.

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