Wow, you would think the presidential elections were going on again, what with all the arguments going around at the moment about Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Some downright nasty comments, from both sides of the fence. It kind of threw me off-guard. I walked out of the movie, posted some thoughts, went to bed. Then BOOM! THE INTERNET EXPLODES! Battle lines drawn! But you know what? Toys are toys. Despite how you may feel about the movie, we can all admit that the S.H. Figuarts Rey, Praetorian Guard, and BB-4 are all great action figures. Can’t we?
We can’t?? BOOM!!
Sure, there are nitpicks but for the most part I’m pretty happy with this set. I say set because I got the Rey and guard together in a pack that touted the BB unit as a freebie. All the new releases for TLJ had this option. Phasma and FO Trooper with BB-9E. Executioner and Praetorian with 2BB-2. Kylo Ren and another Praetorian with BB-8. And now this set. With another guard. You seeing the trend?
Bandai got us with three of the same figure, just different weapons and helmets. Got us twice with the BB units, one is just wearing a hat. Got us for another Phasma with some tweaks and two more of the Stormtrooper with a different helmet and some paint. Kylo and Rey are the only unique individual figures.
And by “us” I mean some of us. And even then I was able to avoid the Phasma and Trooper, although I regret missing BB-Hate. Surely it will pop up in another line somewhere, probably around the time of BB-8: A Star Wars Story.
But all in all, the movie made me happy I grabbed all the releases of the Praetorian, both Black Series and Figuarts. They actually did things in the movie and were fairly action-oriented. According to this breakdown of the guards in the movie I’m good with two Roofus but need another Underbite and Overbite to fill out the whole crew. Or if you prefer, I have enough Larry but could use another Curly and Moe.
BB-4 is nothing special, like the other SHF BB units. Hollow ball with a dumbbell joint, very basic paint apps, top heavy. But I’m content with 2BB-2 and BB-4. They made small appearances in the movie and I don’t expect to get them elsewhere. These’ll work.
And then there’s Rey. This is probably my favorite costume of hers so to get it as a Figuarts figure is fantastic. The hips are a bit restricted because of the design of the clothing itself but it’s still superior in the posing department. It wasn’t until people started commenting on the pale skin that I realized my blue background kind of washes it out. In-person it’s much more natural. The same goes for the facial features, but at this point that’s just a fact of life with Bandai. It always looks better in-hand. The angry face is different enough from the neutral face that it makes it worth changing out, unlike some past releases.
I’m pleased with this whole set, really. I was getting burned out on guards. I wasn’t excited about more random BB units. I just knew that the Rey would be worth it in the long run. After seeing the movie I’m much more giddy about getting them, and even going back and messing with the previous TLJ releases. Now to re-arrange the shelf once again.
Package:
BB-4:
Praetorian Guard:
Rey:
Praetorian hands:
Rey hands:
Praetorian accessories:
Rey accessories:
Alternate Rey faceplate:
Comparisons:
Action:
