Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) (C-3PO/R2-D2/BB-8) - Skywalker Saga Commemorative Edition

With the general marketplace 5POA line dead in the water and a new highly-articulated 5" Galaxy of Adventures line taking its place, Hasbro has worked with Walmart to deliver a collection of (mostly) two-packs that celebrate the Skywalker Saga (at least that’s what Disney Star Wars is calling it). The nine exclusive sets commemorate the celebration of all three trilogies. It’s an odd way to celebrate this Star Wars legacy, but whatever. Not all that different from the Commemorative DVD or Commemorative Blu-ray sets from years ago, Hasbro produced this "GOLD" celebratory line on a much smaller scale. Cast in gold-colored plastic and painted in a glossy and sparkling gold paint finish, the sets are bright and glistening. Displayed as the Skywalker Saga Commemorative Edition, this line of figures (except for this Episode IX set, which has three figures) contains two high-profile characters in solid gold (with the accessories also included in gold). And they are housed in deluxe black and gold packaging. While we’re critical of the figures, we have to admit that the packaging is truly exceptional. It may be the only reason collectors will consider this line. The reverse side of the card back contains an episode-specific montage of the Star Wars film it memorializes. What's more, you can line them up together to create a stunning “holographic-like” mural that paints a beautiful picture of the Skywalker Saga as a whole, without any breaks or interruption. You can see each "uninterrupted" trilogy-specific grouping in our Photo Gallery by Prequel Trilogy, Original Trilogy, and Sequel Trilogy. Or you can see the whole collage HERE.

Wave 3 comprises characters from all three Sequel Trilogy films. They're likely the three that will sell the least too. The three two-packs in this grouping include Finn and Poe Dameron (from Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens), Kylo Ren and Rey (from Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi), and the only three-pack, C-3PO and R2-D2 and BB-8 (from Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise Of Skywalker ). For one reason or another, Hasbro decided that the Episode IX set should come with three droids, probably because of their smaller stature, to give collectors a little more value. The three droids look great together. It will be interesting to see how they interact with each other in the final film of the Sequel Trilogy. While the first and second waves focus on the George Lucas era of Star Wars, wave 3 focuses on the Disney Star Wars era. And the character selection is notably superior in the first two waves as compared to wave 3. The base figures are from some of the more recent action figure lines, like Rogue One and Star Wars [The Last Jedi] and Star Wars [Solo] collections for example. These newer lines contain figures where Hasbro aggressively included a few extra points of articulation as compared to the standard 5POA format. It’s interesting to see so many characters all one uniform color: gold. Most collectors are familiar with the base sculpts of the figures chosen for these sets. We’re impressed with how much detail is etched into them. The solid gold plastic allows you to see the details previously unseen in the tooling. Interestingly, some figures look better in gold than they did properly colored.

C-3PO and R2-D2 are based on the figures from the Star Wars [The Last Jedi] Force Link basic figure line. They look outstanding in gold color. C-3PO is normally gold, so the action figure looks nearly screen-accurate. R2-D2 is based on the classic Build A Droid sculpt, but this tooling was updated with the Star Wars [The Last Jedi] Force Link line. It still breaks down into all of the standard Droid Factory parts. Likewise, BB-8 is from a Two-Packs set from the Star Wars [The Last Jedi] Force Link line as well. The figures in this set may feel like they have more mobility than the other figures. Because of limited articulation, the figures’ poses are a little too stiff, but as previously mentioned. Both figures in this set interact with each other because they were seen in the film together frequently. And the likenesses are notably better than the figures from the 2013 era thanks to advancements in technology. Still, is there a need for solid gold figures with minimal articulation? We’re not so sure about that. Every last part of these figures is cast in the same gold plastic, enhanced by a final gold coat of paint. These will chip and peel over time we imagine, depending on how much abuse they sustain. Still, for what they are, they look fantastic. If you didn’t know better, you might believe for a moment that these figures are cast in metal. Regardless, we’re not going to defend these figures’ existence. We think there are better ways to celebrate the Skywalker Saga. And if Sequel Trilogy characters in realistic paint schemes don’t sell, why does Hasbro believe the same figures in solid gold will do better?