There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?
Woo, boy . . . Star Wars is back, baby! Are you ready to party like it’s 1999? Wait . . . That is probably the last year you want to party like if you are a Star Wars fans. Well, I don’t have a lot of hate for the prequel trilogy (I still stand by my assertion that Ewan McGregor is one of the best parts of Star Wars, period), but you can bet that every Star Wars aficionado on the planet is banking that this time it’s going to be different. I am really pulling for Episode VII, and I have already started voting with my wallet.
I didn’t pick up a ton of stuff on Force Friday, but I did log in to Amazon to pick up a few things, and the first figure I added to my cart was the Black Series Kylo Ren figure. I only collect the 1:12 scale, so I was able to temper my spending, but there was no way I was going let this mysterious, but obviously Force-sensitive character slip through my fingers.
While we pretty much know nothing about the plot or characters in Episode VII, Kylo has definitely been the most talked about. From his strange crossguard red lightsaber to his “cult of Darth Vader” getup, this First Order-commander has caused a lot of talk out here on the interwebs, but frankly, it is ALL speculation at this point; JJ Abrams has done a pretty good job of keeping everything on lockdown thus far.
I am not even going to get into the character here. I have pretty much stated everything I know about him above, and, really, I don’t want to know anything more until I go watch the movie. I was all into spoilers the last round, but I am ready to be surprised and completely immersed this time around, so you can read with confidence that there are not going to be any spoilers here.
So if we are going strictly on the figure, I have to say that there are a lot of things I like about it, and some things that I don’t. I know, that comes with just about any figure, but after seeing some early pictures of this Kylo, I was ready to not really like it due to the large amount of soft goods being used on the figure. Now, I still don’t like the soft goods for the most part, but every other facet of the figure is really strong.
The sculpt itself is very nice, though much of it gets lost in the mass of black robes, but everything from his Vader-esque helmet to his ribbed tunic is represented very nicely. I am still not completely sold on the design of the helmet, there is not really anything wrong with it, but I am not sure if it has the stuff to make it as iconic as the Star Wars helms that have come before it. Since Adam Driver has been cast as Kylo, I think that pretty much means that he will not be under that helmet for the whole movie, but we will have to wait and see.
Like I said, the rest of the body is well sculpted and there are different finishes to the plastic to help represent different materials in the costume. For instance, the “shawl” piece is a dull black, while the boots are nice and shiny, looking almost patent leather. Everything else kind of falls in the middle, but for a VERY monochromatic design, there is a lot going on with different finishes and textures.
Now, the soft goods . . . they are not *terrible*, but they are not great, and there is certainly way too much of them. Kylo wears a hooded cloak-thing, so you knew that there would be a lot of layers here, but instead of going “Darth Maul,” the Hasbro team went full-on “Emperor” and complete covered the figure in black cloth. It is cut fairly well, but I will stand by my position that cloth, no matter how well done, NEVER looks natural at this scale. Never. So while robes and hood could have been nicely sculpted with realistic details, there is a lot of cloth that hangs unnaturally and covers up the good that is there.
Now, I know what you are saying, “But cloth is being used so it doesn’t inhibit the articulation!” Yeah, I have heard that before, and there are times where I would agree. However, if it sounds like I am being too hard on Hasbro, well, it is because they can do better, and, in fact, the DID do better on this very figure. Yes, Kylo has a ton of cloth, but the little lower tunic/skirt piece under the cloak is make of plastic, and you know what? It is VERY flexible and it does little, if anything, to inhibit the leg articulation. So . . . why was this plastic not used to make the rest of the cloak? I don’t know, but I wish it was because it is pretty much perfect. Sigh . . . Knowing that farm boy Luke is coming soon with a cloth shirt when he doesn’t have to makes me sad as well, especially since I KNOW Hasbro can pull off what they need to in plastic.
Okay, rant over. Kylo’s only accessory is his distinct crossguard lightsaber, and while I know there is certainly an uproar over it, I think it is probably the smartest laser sword introduced in this saga thus far. Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Mace Windu, and a hoard of others can attest that those things can lop off hands like butter, so having a guard to protect those fragile wrists is a smart move. The lightsaber itself is rendered fine, but the red plastic is all one piece and there us some “flare up” over the handle. It doesn’t look bad, and maybe there is some film reference for it, but I have not seen it yet.
Overall, I really dig this figure and I am glad that there are a lot of Black Series figures coming soon. Yeah, I am not a fan of all of the cloth, but for what is there, it is not terrible. I would just beg Hasbro to use more of the flexible plastic already present on this figure going forward. Kylo, along with all of the rest of the first series of Episode VII Black Series figures, is sold out just about everywhere right now, but I am certain there are a lot more on the way, so keep and eye out; you will find him soon enough.
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