JTA Presents: Evolutions - Kit Fisto (ROTS)

Welcome to another one of our JTA Presents: Evolutions features! Let’s check out how close or far we are from having an ideal Hasbro 3.75″ Kit Fisto (ROTS) action figure. Have we arrived at definitive status yet? Weigh in and let us know what conclusion you’ll come to by clicking through and adding your two cents in the comments!

Kit Fisto has been responsible for impassioning Prequel Trilogy fans. This instantly adored Jedi Master quickly rose to the top of fans’ favorites lists because of his quirky nature, cool alien design and unforgettable smile. When his appearance changed (for the better) in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, not too many of us were prepared for his drastic update. But over time we realized that his upgrade was for the betterment of his character. As this Evolutions post focuses on his Episode III likeness, Hasbro produced only two distinct sculpts. However, we’ll explain why three are featured in the analysis.

Kit Fisto (III 22) from 2005’s Revenge Of The Sith line.

The Revenge Of The Sith Kit Fisto (III 22) action figure wasn’t entirely screen-accurate, but collectors of the line weren’t put off entirely by this. Hasbro had gone out of their way to add as much premium articulation as they could to make an ideal Kit Fisto action figure that could battle with the best of them. The tooling looked pretty good, but the figure lacked in its paint job. His skin color was much too light, and for reasons unknown, Hasbro painted the circumference of his round eyes with red paint that made him look like a victim of hyphema. But the figure seemed pretty cool despite this. However, we were ready for an update once we realize how “off” Kit Fisto was. To our dismay, Hasbro planned on utilizing this sculpt for way longer than we expected. The next year the re-released it as a Greatest Battles figures in The Saga Collection.

Kit Fisto from 2006’s The Saga Collection Jedi Vs. Darth Sidious Battle Packs set.

The need for Kit Fisto in the Hasbro basic figure line remained, but Hasbro wasn’t ready to retool the figure yet. So they dusted off the Revenge of The Sith figure, repainted it (poorly) and gave it a screen-accurate soft-goods cape for use in the 2006 The Saga Collection Jedi Vs. Darth Sidious Battle Packs set. Would you believe that over the next three years they’d release this set three times total? It was also part of the 30 (77-07) line in 2007 as well as released in The Legacy Collection line in 2008. It’s the only way you can get this version of Kit Fisto with a soft-goods Jedi robe. You’ll notice markedly different paint operations and varying skin colors with these versions of Kit Fisto, but collectors grew weary of the sculpt. It was time for Hasbro to break completely new ground on this revered Jedi Master.

Kit Fisto (VC29) from 2011’s The Vintage Collection line.

Everything changed with 2011’s The Vintage Collection Kit Fisto (VC29) figure. If there is such a thing as “action figure art” then this is the figure that exemplifies it. The TVC Kit Fisto figure is one of Hasbro’s top 5 most significant efforts of all time. Words cannot accurately express the beauty the figure manifests. And the perfectly cut Jedi robe and lightsaber accessories beautiful accompany the figure. Loaded with super-articulation, including the rare (at the time) ball-jointed hips, most collectors are confident in their assessment that we won’t receive a better-looking Episode III version of Kit Fisto than this release. If you don’t have one yet, you’re clearly doing yourself a disservice. Be sure to make this version of Kit Fisto a priority, even if he has the wrong card back art!

Kit Fisto Group Shot

Questions for discussion:

1. In your opinion, do we have a definitive version of this figure?

2. If we don’t have a definitive version of this figure, should Hasbro tool a new figure from the ground up again, or should they tweak a current sculpt to perfect it instead?

3. If the figure ranks as definitive for you, do you want to see it repackaged in vintage Kenner packaging (The Vintage Collection) if it isn’t already?

4. Add any other points of note or interest in the comments about any of these versions of Kit Fisto action figures.

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