Star Wars Elite Premium Action Figures: Darth Vader, Princess Leia, and Rey
I wandered into the Disney Store yesterday and came across these. They're from a new line of action figures/fashion dolls with fabric outfits being marketed as a "premium" version of the Star Wars Elite line. Incidentally, the smaller Star Wars Elite figures are die-cast metal and have less in common with these than with Hasbro's Star Wars Black figures.
These are priced at $35 each, but if you hurry you can snag them from the website or store for 25% off. Honestly, they're a steal at full price. I'll have more to say on that at the end of the write-up.
There are actually four of these available: Darth Vader, Rey, Princess Leia, and Kylo Ren. I held off on Ren but I grabbed the other three.
These are priced at $35 each, but if you hurry you can snag them from the website or store for 25% off. Honestly, they're a steal at full price. I'll have more to say on that at the end of the write-up.
There are actually four of these available: Darth Vader, Rey, Princess Leia, and Kylo Ren. I held off on Ren but I grabbed the other three.
As I said a moment ago, you can call these fashion dolls, action figures, or some amagamation of both. Given that action figures are a form of fashion dolls, that confusion is to be expected. These have fabric outfits, which are technically removable, and rooted hair (in case you're still using that definition of the term "doll"). The hair has been treated with some kind of product or glue to maintain the iconic styles. Also, the figures' boots are sculpted (i.e.: there's no foot underneath). This allows for some added articulation, as in the photo above.
Scale is a little complicated here. Disney's website markets these as 10-inch figures, but Vader comes in at a full twelve. The other two are about ten and a quarter. That makes sense for Leia: Carrie Fisher is 5' 1", so she's just about perfectly in scale with the larger Vader. Daisey Ridley, however, is 5' 7", so Rey is about an inch short to be in scale.
I know I don't even have to say it, but if you're only getting one, it's probably going to be Vader. All three figures are worth the money, but Darth Vader is by far the stand-out, thanks to his fantastic outfit and imposing size. All of these are a great deal, but I really can't stress enough just how good of a value this figure is.
If Vader's the best, Leia is the weakest of the three... and she's still a phenomenal toy. Her costume is simpler, lacking the realistic layering that makes the other two stand out. Also, you can forget about posing her with her hood on unless you want to tape it down: it just won't stay. On top of that, her head sculpt - while better than most attempts at capturing Fisher's likeness - is still a little off. From some angles, she looks quite a bit older than Leia did in New Hope.
All that said, this is one of the character's most iconic looks (still waiting for that Star Wars Black version). She's instantly recognizable, and the flaws in the sculpt disappear from a few feet away.
All that said, this is one of the character's most iconic looks (still waiting for that Star Wars Black version). She's instantly recognizable, and the flaws in the sculpt disappear from a few feet away.
I go back and forth on Rey's head. From some angles, it's spot-on, but from others, it looks like someone else. Lighting has a big effect on how recognizable she is, which is a indication the issues are with the paint more than the sculpt. Again, though - these are pretty minor issues. Rey's outfit is perfect, and she gets the most use out of the articulation. I want to stress that these have a large number of joints - close to what you'd expect on high-end action figures.
These all come packaged with a decent number of accessories, though the quality isn't always on par with the figures themselves. Leia does well here: she comes with a pair of blasters: the small one she had at the beginning, as well as the one she took off a storm trooper.
Vader has two lightsabers: one lit and one turned off that can hook onto his belt. The "off" version is a little nicer, since the active one looks a tad cheesy for my tastes.
Rey has her backpack, her staff, her blaster, and her lightsaber. Her blaster looks good and looks the right size, so no complaints there. Her pack is a nice addition to her costume. It took me a while to figure out how it worked (there's a peg that pops out from one of the straps at the bottom), but it like how it fits.
Her staff is growing on me. It's pretty cheaply made - two lightweight pieces of plastic that plug together - and it doesn't look like much up close. But it works well enough with the figure, largely thanks to the exceptional articulation and balance.
Last and unfortunately least, she's got that lightsaber. Sadly, this is nowhere near the level of quality we've gotten from the rest of the figure: it's toyish, far too large, and came out of the package bent. Vader's had the same issues, but not to the same degree. This is definitely the low point of this particular figure. When I have a chance, I'm going to dig through my accessories bin and see if I have anything better suited. Otherwise, I'll just display her as she appeared earlier in the movie.
On top of the accessories, each figure also comes with an extra pair of hands. Actually, Vader comes with both extra hands AND glove tops to use with them. While I appreciate the gesture, all of this is actually a little silly. With the exception of Leia, the starting hands seem fine holding all their accessories.
I did swap out Leia's right hand, so she can hold her blasters, and the experience left me hesitant to try and trade out any others. It took a lot of force to get her hand off, and it left the wrist joint a bit loose. Given that I'm happy enough with the other hands, I left good enough alone.
I'm particularly baffled by the inclusion of those extra forearm/glove pieces for Vader: as far as I can tell, they're completely identical to the ones he has on.
I'm particularly baffled by the inclusion of those extra forearm/glove pieces for Vader: as far as I can tell, they're completely identical to the ones he has on.
Alright. These aren't perfect. The lightsabers could be better, the scale on Rey is off, some of the sculpt and paint work is a little less impressive than it could be, and there's certainly no shortage of additional accessories I'd have liked (starting with alternate head sculpts).
But let's take a step back a moment and remember these aren't priced at $150 each. These are $35 retail ($26 if you hurry). Disney might not be competing with Sideshow with these, but damned if they're not offering affordable alternatives. The outfits on these alone are worth the price. Dollar for dollar, this is easily the best value I've seen on a new toy this year.
But let's take a step back a moment and remember these aren't priced at $150 each. These are $35 retail ($26 if you hurry). Disney might not be competing with Sideshow with these, but damned if they're not offering affordable alternatives. The outfits on these alone are worth the price. Dollar for dollar, this is easily the best value I've seen on a new toy this year.