This figure checks off all attributes that The Vintage Collection expression is composed of – Premium Sculpt ✔ – Premium Likeness with photoreal ✔ – Premium Engineering with required range of motion ✔ – Premium Accessories with required deco ✔ – Premium deco ✔. From the folds and wrinkles of his shirt & pants, to range of motion needed for a Jedi, to his premium accessories and paint deco, Kanan, just feels great in hand. He was figure of the year before I received the HasLab version and having this one in hand with his alternate head sculpts and eye cover has made him one the best figures in TVC or dare I say of all time. If Hasbro can use Kanan as a cornerstone for sculpting, engineering, and deco requirements going forward then 3.75″ will continue to proper and customers will ask for more, we always want more. The figure even balances really well and I have had the easiest of times posing him in all different stances.

Zeb is another phenomenal figure. He has a great likeness, sculpt, engineering, and decent paint applications. He is wicked fun to pose and play around with and has great balance as well. Comparing the deluxe version to the HasLab version shows some paint deco short changing that occurred. As I’ve noted in a previous article, a deluxe figure offering should never have anything short changed. Whether that’s deco or accessories. Hasbro should have had his toe nails deco’d and some additional laying of his fur/skin. With that, his HasLab version is phenomenal and has his signature expression which Zeb dawns often, especially when he’s messing with Ezra.

My favorite figure this past year has been Princess Leia and she’s front & centered on my desk right now above my keyboard.I loved the 2004 VOTC Leia and then the one that came with the 2005 Early Bird Mail Away Kit. The likeness is just so darn good on this version and it’s pretty much definitive likeness of Carrie Fischer. Her sculpting is pretty on point too and I appreciate the aesthetics of the soft plastic/vinyl skirt because it completes a likeness that soft goods at this size just can’t replicate. To me TVC is trying to get as close as possible to the real thing but in 1/18 scale and I don’t think Hasbro would ever justify the cost of premium fabric to try and replicate this in soft goods form. I bet we will see a couple versions down the road with lower body soft goods so she can do some iconic poses like putting the death star plans in R2, sitting down, laying down, or running to and fro danger. I also absolutely love the design and engineering for her to have both a hood up or down, nice touch Hasbro and again this is what TVC is all about.

I have 3 or 4 Dooku figures opened so far and he’s been so much fun to have an updated version of. His elbow range of motion is a bit lacking but hasbro did a really good job in other areas. The did a pretty good job getting Christopher Lee’s likeness right and his soft goods cape is also very well done as it drapes over his shoulders perfectly and has a two tone color.

The prior version of Salacious was oversized, tough to pose, and it’s likeness was not very well executed. I’ve had a lot of fun with this one and will be doing more photography soon as I put a new Jabba shelf together. So stay tuned for more Crumb. (Crumb laugh to end this one)

I’m calling deluxe Jango my surprise figure of the year because at first the community was worried about the saddle bag holsters (Tuna!) but it’s not as bad as it appeared in official pics and I’m pleasantly surprised at how much I’m enjoying this figure. His armor has a nice metallic/carbonized finish, he has an aritulated range finder, and he leverages the Mandalorian tooling that has some of the best range of motion and articulation the line offers. Is he 100% accurate, no, but it all just works. I do wish he had come with both jet packs, his poncho, and pilot head gear but again his deco and tooling is some of the best the line has seen. Also, 13 years in the making to get a definitive verion.

I was begging for a Cobb Vanth. Probably my second favorite character in the series next to The Mandalorian and Timothy Olyphant certainly supported this reasoning as well. He was in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett and was long overdue. It’s great to have him in the line and I only wish Hasbro will do his speeder that uses pod racer parts and that they also make Mando’s speeder as well. Pictured here is the custom speeder I acquired.

Deluxe Sabine has the most intricate deco seen so far on a 3.75″ Hasbro action figure. I don’t even know how this was accomplished so hat’s off to Hasbro. Deco is everywhere it’s needed including her blasters which now wishes every sabine and every Mandalorian in my collection who possesses these blasters had some sort of deco to this level From her hair, to her armor, to her gauntlets, to her jet pack, to her boots & shin guards, it’s art and I’m so curious on how it was all executed so well. However, this did come with a cost, we paid $49.99 for this figure and a repainted Chopper on mural card backs. We can assume most of the cost of this 2 pack went towards the all new tooling Rebels Sabine with premium deco.

I must admit I do like 90% of this figure and I think the sculpting and deco is pretty on point. However, where this falls flat is the engineering of the arms, specifically the elbows. I wish his shoulders had more than just the flat plane articulation and wish his hands could open and close. It’s the only thing this character does in Return of the Jedi. He holds a lever and pulls and pushes it. The very least it requires is articulated elbows and shoulders to grab with two hands and push and pull.

We have 3 pretty definitive updates with the Phase I Clone Trooper, Captain Rex, and Lord Vader. Rex has been promised for some time now so it’s great to finally have him. Enoch has some great partial tooling/sculpting and deco. The helmet alone is just too awesome and Hasbro executed the overall figure pretty well. The only issue is he should not have come in a troop builder set and should have come on a card with a cool film out of the character.