Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Jungle Space & Desert Snow Series 5

Hasbro’s latest waves of Star Wars figures brings us face to face with Kylo Ren, updates some heroes of the Rebellion, and unleashes a new Inquisitor on the Rebels collection.

Just in time for the recently-announced home release of Star Wars The Force Awakens, Hasbro has two more sets of all new 3.75″ action figures making their way out to retail… and it’s a fantastic lineup!  Five of the six new figures are once again based on The Force Awakens, and they are joined by the Fifth Brother, one of the new Inquisitors featured in Season Two of Star Wars Rebels.

The new movie figures include Admiral Ackbar and Nein Nunb– both of whom get modern Resistance updates– along with a First Order Stormtrooper squad leader with all new web gear, Kanjiklub gang leader (and professional Han Solo hater) Tasu Leech, and a new variant of Kylo Ren, who now appears without his mask and helmet.

I’ve been waiting for an unmasked Kylo figure since The Force Awakens hit theaters, and Hasbro’s version does not disappoint.  The portrait of Adam Driver is quite nice, especially for this small scale, and I love that Hasbro opted to create an all new sculpt, posing Ben Solo’s legs in an action stance and sporting a left hand ready to wield his Force powers on a nearby victim.  This figure could have been a simple rehash with a new head, but the decision to release him entirely original most definitely enhances his value… although there’s a downside.  The new Kylo figure includes a larger ball neck, meaning this head can’t be swapped simply with the other bodies, so unless you want to invest some effort, this is the only unmasked Kylo we have in the line for the time being.  In addition to his lightsaber, Kylo also includes a separate rubber cloak and hood, which actually fits very nicely on the Deluxe Mission gear figure.

Fan favorite Admiral Ackbar was a welcome addition to The Resistance in The Force Awakens, and his new figure fits in perfectly with the rest of Leia’s crew in toy form.  The sculpt on this guy is outstanding, and loaded with subtle detail like the grainy texture on Ackbar’s tunic.  But the most fun feature on this guy is his head, as Hasbro opted to include a hinged jaw instead of a ball neck, making this the first Ackbar figure ever articulated to mouth his infamous line “It’s a trap!”

Speaking of the old guard, pilot Nein Nunb also gets a new figure, and his unique sculpt is just as detailed as Ackbar.  From the wrinkles on his flight suit (the same one after 30 years? Fashion faux pas, dude) to the subtle honeycomb pattern on his vest, Nunb is pretty much perfect.  And this is the closest to screen accurate I have seen Hasbro get with the Sullustan’s skin tone.  Instead of the typical solid grey of past figures, there’s a multi-layered pink tint to Nunb’s face which totally nails his on screen look.

The diminutive gangster Tasu Leech is another fun addition to the line.  Granted, he and the rest of Kanjiklub didn’t get a lot of screen time in the movie, but c’mon– they brought the amazing Yayan Ruhian from The Raid movies to the Star Wars universe!  And now Ruhian has been immortalized in plastic… Fingers crossed we’ll see Iko Uwais’ Razoo Quin-Fee also join the toy line sooner rather than later.

I assumed the Stormtrooper squad leader would be a rehash of the heavy artillery figure from the Amazon First Order 7-pack, but this guy’s web gear is unique, with an added ammo pouch affixed to his chest.  Hasbro has done a great job finding cool, non-repetitive ways to let us build our Stormtrooper armies in the new movie line, and it’s extra cool that all this guy’s added parts are overlay pieces, so if you’re into the 3.75″ Black Series, the paldron and web gear can fit just as well on a super articulated Stormtrooper figure.

Rounding out the new assortment is the Fifth Brother Inquisitor from Rebels‘ second season.  As with past Rebels figures, the Fifth Brother is sculpted to match his animated appearance, and the result looks great.  I love how this guy towers over most of the other figures, making him just as imposing as he should be.  It’s only a little disappointing to see this character get released ahead of the more interesting Seventh Sister, but knowing she will be released in a future wave later this year softens that blow.

The Force Awakens really rekindled my love of Star Wars, and Hasbro’s action figures most definitely helped me along.  These latest releases rank as some of the best sculpts we’ve seen in Hasbro’s current line, and there’s some faces new and old alike in these waves that are essential to any toy collection.  Look for Ackbar, Tasu Leech, and the Fifth Brother in the new Jungle/ Space assortment, which is hitting Wal-Mart stores now.  Unmasked Kylo Ren, the Stormtrooper squad leader and Nein Nunb should hit shelves shortly, in the next wave of Desert/ Snow figures.