There can’t be a Comic Con without Star Wars and there isn’t a Star Wars without toys. Hasbro has done a wondrous job with the Star Wars license and in New York, they’ve pulled back the curtain on the next batch of miniature works of art. With Rogue One: A Star Wars Story preparing for arrival the next batch of toys have been shared across the various lines and amidst the expected, there were a few surprises. Among the new reveals that got a lot of attention at the panel was the BB-8 Bop It, the latest in the series of galactic twists on the famous game. The R2-D2 version was a huge hit and the BB-8 version looks like it’ll blow it away.
The latest for the collector
The Black Series has become the high-end flagship for collectors and their Rogue One toys did not disappoint.
The Scarif Stormtrooper Squad Leader (Shoretrooper) is heavily articulated and shows off the subtle blue-tinted insignia that differentiates the ranks. Ben Mendelsohn’s Orson Krennic gets a striking figure, though the hair color is a bit off. The location of his blaster reveals he’s our first left-handed character in the toy line. Baze Malbus and Chirrut get really beautiful figures that really focus on their abilities. Chirrut is extremely posable so as to accommodate his various martial arts poses while Malbus is decked out with heavy weaponry that shows him to be a formidable foe.
The big reveal was saved for last. Darth Vader. The folks at Hasbro acknowledged that their previous sculpts of the character left a little to be desired so they went back to A New Hope and in Lucasfilm archives to reproduce the character to perfection. Right down to the red-tinted eyes and silver elements on the mask. They also nailed Vader’s “Space Diaper”, which is a load off.
The latest for the fan
The regular action figure line features characters such as Malbus, Chirrut, and Riz Ahmed’s Bodhi Rook. They were rather guarded about Rook’s role in the film which leads one to believe if there’s more to him than meets the eye. Admiral Raddus, the Mon Calamari seen briefly in trailers also makes his debut. Apparently, he hails from a colder portion of the planet, hence his coloration. Hasbro also revealed figures for the Deathtrooper, Stormtrooper. Scarif Shoretrooper, and Imperial Ground Crew. They know their fans like to build armies and there’s no better way than with tons of troops. With that said, they revealed a surprise. The Ground Crew toy isn’t what it appears to be. The mask comes off, revealing Jyn Erso. Darth Vader also made an appearance in a new figure because Darth Vader is amazing.
The last toys shared were for Edrio “Two Tubes”, Saw Gerrera and his banged-up lower anatomy, a proper Jyn Erso figure and the Hovertank Driver. It’s going to be an expensive Fall for fans.