Now that enough people have seen The Force Awakens to help the movie claim the distinction of being the highest-grossing movie ever in the United States (not adjusted for inflation), it’s safe to say we’ve all embraced Kylo Ren as a credible villain in the Star Wars universe. Kylo Ren has gotten his fair share of attention here on The Fwoosh, with looks at his standard Black Series figure, the new running change, and the S.H. Figuarts release, but one that we missed was this K-Mart exclusive Black Series “Starkiller Base” edition. The truth is, I was so worried I wouldn’t like the movie that when preorders for this set went up on K-Mart’s site, I made a point of it to ignore it and satisfy myself with the standard edition, which I also wasn’t sure I even wanted. Well, once I saw the movie and decided that Kylo Ren is now my favorite movie villain ever, I find myself wanting to track down every version of the character that’s been released, so I started with this K-Mart exclusive. Is it worth the time and extra expense to track down? Let’s take a look!
The packaging is a touch more elaborate than a standard Black Series release, and that’s largely to accommodate the base he comes packed with and to show off his new “Force hand” and screen-accurate lightsaber. It doesn’t really give away any movie spoilers, but I guess one could have surmised that at some point Kylo Ren stands in some snow in the woods. Not that big a deal.
The figure itself has been covered, so let’s just take a look at what makes this version unique. The difference that’s most immediately visible is the added paint apps to his lower legs and the lower portion of his robe. This is supposed to mimic snow, as though he’s been walking through some snow and it’s sticking to his legs and robe. I guess it kinda looks like that, sure.
It’s supposed to be snow, but it looks more like he’s been walking through some wet white paint. I mean, I appreciate the effort here, but I know when I wear all black and walk through some snow, my black clothes don’t suddenly look white. But maybe it’s supposed to suggest he’s in deeper snow than what the stand can convey on its own? Maybe, but this is probably one of those times when you just kind of have to go with it.
Another key addition to this figure is the left hand, which is sculpted so as to suggest he’s doing something Force-related, like stopping a laser-blast in mid-air or tossing Rey a few hundred feet into some trees. I was really excited to get this hand and it was one of the set’s key selling points for me. I guess Hasbro could have just included a swappable Force hand in the standard release, but then that would have made this exclusive less alluring, so here we are.
Probably the biggest selling point this set has going for it is the screen-accurate lightsaber. He actually comes with two lightsabers: one not lit and one lit. The lit saber nicely mimics Kylo’s weapon in the movie, something the standard release missed. It has the main blade and two smaller, completely separate blades that extend from the hilt. I liked the standard release’s saber, but this one feels way more satisfying. Now, if you’ve got the Figuarts Kylo Ren, then you’ve got an awesome lightsaber, but this is a good option for those who missed that release.
As it stands, the newer standard release (on the right) is my default Kylo Ren. I do wish this exclusive version had some of the improvements the newer release has, like the textured scarf and sculpted elbow joints, but this guy was released at pretty much the same time as the first release, so some things are not ideal. I plan to give my new Kylo the exclusive’s lightsaber, so that will basically be a perfect version of Kylo Ren for me.
As for the base, well, there isn’t much to the base. When he’s standing on it, it almost totally disappears beneath his robe, so I feel as though it really should have been larger. It’s got a decent paint job that looks convincing as snow and ice, so it does looks pretty cool, but it’s kind of lost when used with Kylo. I think it may make a cool accessory for a Marvel Legends Iceman figure, so there’s that option when it comes to repurposing. Rumor was, there was another set similar to this with a base that would attach to this one, but I just don’t see how that would work since there are no obvious linking points on this base.
There are things I like about this set, but getting it after getting the new-and-improved standard release Kylo Ren made it something of a letdown. I love getting the new and more accurate saber, and the Force hand is pretty cool, but otherwise, I don’t feel I need the other stuff this set is built upon. Of course I don’t. But right now I feel like I need all of the Kylo Rens, so this was still a must-buy for me.
I had to resort to eBay for my set since my town isn’t very K-Mart-friendly and I missed the preorder, so that will likely be your best bet as well if you decide to track down one of these.
