Getting straight to the point, paint deco has decreased in TVC. The most recent wave assortment (Acolyte wave), creature pack (Blurrg with Mando), Shriek-Hawk Special Action Figure Set, and even more concerning, with a deluxe figure offering of Cobb Vanth, paint apps are reduced and/or lacking. I know I’m beating a dead tauntaun when I say this, but TVC is a premium expression of 3.75″; it’s supposed to be the ultimate form of sculpting, engineering, and paint deco. Let’s look at some observations and also look at a recent The Black Series (TBS) cantina alien (that’s also pipelined for TVC) to speak to future expectations. Please see the gallery below for visual details of the reduction or lack thereof of paint deco.
TBS Version of Cobb Vanth appears to have a lot of mold in color parts/deco. There was a period of time before their price increase where the same was happening, less deco and, if you recall, sweaty heads (insert Scottish accent). Deluxe TVC Cobb Vanth is missing damage deco to his knee, deco to his blaster rifle, white device on his cargo pocket, boot deco, and overall weathering. For $24.99 there should be no compromises or cutting back. If Hasbro wants us to pay TBS prices then there should be absolutely no shortcuts.
Another example shown is VC335 from the blurrg creature set. Comparing Mando to his original release (VC167) shows how much deco was decreased. 15 areas where paint deco is missing or a paint break was not applied. This example could be a case of trying to keep the price of the Blurrg with Mando to a $39.99 price point but at the same time this raises a red flag. The Mandalorian and Grogu are the center-piece of Disney’s Star Wars and have a movie coming in 2026!! Osha, Mae, Sol, and AK-87 Assassin droid are lacking paint deco and and weathering. If you compare Mae’s hair from TVC to her TBS version it’s obvious how much more accurate the TBS version is.
As noted above, many figures are missing a final wash/weathering finish for a more authentic look. The Shriek-Hawk Mandalorian Special Action Figure Set is a great addition to our Mandalorian legion but they look like they just stepped out the dry cleaners. Something like this is a bit of a head scratcher as it’s a a final application wash that doesn’t seem to be complex or too costly.
The final photos showoff the new TBS Hammerhead (Momaw Nadon). While this figure is difficult to maneuver into a sitting position, his sculpting and paint deco are perfect. Everything that needs paint apps has them, even his toe nails have them. He also has all sorts of weathering and washes for are more realistic look. From his skin texture and folds on his head down to his legs, even spaces between his teeth, and even his toe nails have a wash. Please Hasbro, when you do The Vintage Collection version he must have all of these paint deco applications. He’ll. probably have some softgoods so he can sit but that should not mean less paint deco since he will be at deluxe pricing.
If the $16.99 price point that was increased $3 last year is not covering the costs to keep paint deco at the standard it should be then what does this mean? If a deluxe figure with an MSRP of $24.99 is missing paint deco then what does it mean for the state of the line? In my opinion there’s no acceptable excuse for deluxe lacking paint deco. If Cobb’s deluxe pricing was because of his amount of paint deco then it shouldn’t be short changed. From a mainline perspective we know these figures MSRP is 47% less than TBS MSRP but the price was increased last year. Are manufacturing costs still rising rapidly? Is demand decreasing? Unfortunately, the writing may be on the wall for what needs to be done to ensure there’s no shortcomings in the future and the answer is certainly to not give us less. We want more, we always want more.
Edit: According to many insights online a major factor can be attributed to labor rates in China no longer being considered low-cost, in fact, they’ve doubled in the last few years. Here’s an article on it. The one issue I still have though is higher MSRP items like deluxe figures, creatures, vehicles, and playsets. Also, feedback from the community noted VC311 Professor Huyang’s lack of paint deco, as well as, the other AK-87 Assassin Droid VC294 lack of deco.
