Welcome to Figures & Speech, Nerdistâs regular column by, for, and about grown-ups who still play with their toys but might want to know more before they buy. From product reviews to informed editorials, these are most definitely the articles thatâll make you want to strike a pose. Click on all images to enlarge for detail.
Jyn Erso may be the main character of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but Saw Gerrera is arguably the most important to the mythology overall, having first appeared in the Clone Wars cartoon as a much younger man, and crossed paths again with the animated universe in Rebels. For many of the characters in Rogue One, their primary stories begin and end with the movie, but Saw’s long career as one of the O.G. Rebels leaves plenty of potential stories with him still possible, in multiple timelines.
So why wasn’t he part of the initial action figure rollout? I have a theory, but first, here’s the important news: he is available now in a new “Jedha Revolt” four-pack, released to coincide with the movie’s digital download and Blu-ray release. And Hasbro states in its press release that “The Jedha Revolt 4-Pack is the only Hasbro figure pack featuring Forest Whitakerâs character, Saw Gerrera.”
There might be an unsaid “…so far” in there, because with Saw having appeared in three different Star Wars iterations, the odds are strong that he’ll merit a Black Series figure in 6-inch scale eventually.
Saw comes packed with his ally Edrio Two Tubes, whom I don’t think is available elsewhere as yet (though I’m not 100% sure of that–an inquiry to Hasbro PR hasn’t been answered as of publication time), along with the same Jyn Erso figure that comes in every multipack, and an Imperial Hovertank Pilot.
The packaging is reasonably collector-friendly–you’ll have to peel off some tape carefully, but there are no twist ties or reasons to rip the box apart.
Saw features a pretty detailed sculpt, with multiple different colors of plastic utilized. His robot foot is actually a separate part from his leg, but unfortunately that does not equate to ankle-articulation. He’s still a basic five-points figure, as are the others in this set, with cut-joint shoulders and hips, and a highly restricted ball-joint neck.
It’s not all colored plastic: there’s a nice paint app on the back of his cape.
Take a look at Jyn in comparison. Basic sculpt, sloppy paint job (parts of her hair are skin-colored, apparently), soft detail…
Now let’s take a good look at Saw’s details again:
I’m going to guess Saw wound up costing more to make, and not worth selling at a loss for the standard $8-$10 price point. But since Jyn was overproduced, possibly in response to backlash over a perceived lack of Rey (Rey is actually quite easy to find nowadays; maybe grab a few before her next movie makes them hot sellers again), you can throw her in to add value, along with an Imperial army builder, and what the hell, Edrio too.
Edrio even has his inner thighs painted and sculpted, which I did not expect. Along with a dirty wash that makes him look mildly McFarlane-esque. Also, he’s creepy.
And in the end, the price of the set is quite reasonable. Its suggested retail is $24.99, which means that depending how much you usually pay for 3.75-inch Star Wars figures, you’re getting at least one “free.”
I don’t fancy his (or her) chances…
Jyn and Edrio come with one gun apiece, while Jyn also has the removable headscarf. Saw has a gun that fits in his holster or his hand, and his staff, which is handy, because as The Force Awakens taught us, training with a staff preps you for the day when somebody suddenly hands you a legacy lightsaber.
Now: Saw may have a detailed face sculpt, but I do have one complaint. It’s recognizably Saw, but not so much recognizable as Forest Whitaker. I mean, if James Earl Jones had played Saw, this exact same headsculpt would still work, am I right? I wish I could have brought my Battlefield Earth action figure of Ker out of storage so we could compare, but I will claim that one is more recognizable as the actor. (Also, in case you’re wondering, the breathing mask is attached to his chest and cannot be placed on his face.)
On a lighter and more random note, toy photography sometimes attracts onlookers. Like this curious critter:
Sorry, Krennic–he never quite got close enough to take out your nemesis.
So how would you all rate this four-pack? I haven’t collected this scale in a while, but the Saw and Edrio figures are quite nice.
Go rogue in comments and feel free to share your thoughts, or hit me up on Twitter @LYTrules.
Images: LYT for Nerdist