Ezra Bridger - TBS [P4] - Six Inch Figures (SWR03)

With his introduction to the crew of the Ghost, a small band of rebels fighting back against the Empire, Ezra comes to believe that he can help change the galaxy for the better.

Star Wars Rebels had a tremendous impact on Star Wars fans across the globe, but sadly it only had about half the longevity of The Clone Wars. Regardless of the length of its run, it still has a substantial number of fans, including collectors, that still want licensees to produce the merchandise on the characters. Thankfully, Hasbro used most of 2019 to get all of the main characters created for The Black Series [Phase III], with one glaring omission, Zeb Orrelios. Thankfully, 2020 changed that for the better for 6" collectors. Zeb Orellios is a Fan Channel exclusive Deluxe figure and one of the first characters released in the all-new The Black Serie's [Phase IV] line look. What's more, Hasbro graciously updated all of the other Star Wars Rebels characters they produced in the 6" format and updated them all with enhanced Photo Real deco. The Photo Real applications look different this time. Aftermarket prices were climbing for most of the Star Wars Rebels characters, so Hasbro managed to kill two birds with one stone by making collectors happy, and to give everyone a new chance at acquiring the diverse crew of The Ghost. The Rebels television show offers Star Wars fans a fresh look at characters that have been part of the storyline for years, but of course, it also introduces us to new heroes like Ezra Bridger. And it's nice to see an action figure sport more than five points of articulation like what 3.75" collectors got stuck with for their collections.

The first Ezra Bridger action figure was first offered in the 2014 R Reveal The Rebels: Jedi Reveal Mission Series Toys R Us exclusive multipack. And that version of Ezra Bridger left a lot to be desired. With the re-release of The Black Series [Phase III] 6" Ezra Bridger, Hasbro shows us all that there is still room for improvement and distances itself from the original figure's release. Ezra Bridger not only comes loaded with articulation, but Hasbro had to find a believable way to translate this character from animated style to realistic style effortlessly. Ezra Bridger has angular and geometric facial features, so the character has an animated accent to it. And Hasbro ensured they incorporated the character's traits seamlessly into the 6" version. And then, they faithfully recreated his outfit and utilized all of the corresponding colors to mimic what we saw in the animated series. From the orange jumpsuit to the multi-colored vest, from the armor shin plating to the colorful gloves, Hasbro painstakingly mimicked every last detail of Ezra Bridger's look and appearance. Suppose you're not a fan of the show, no worries. You'll appreciate what Hasbro has executed here for the figure. Not only is the figure sculpted beautifully and painted gorgeously, but you're going to enjoy the healthy dose of accessories they included with the figure. There are many things to appreciate with this release of Ezra Bridger. Hasbro did a fantastic job all around here.

We're especially impressed with the removable helmet included with Ezra Bridger. As huge fans of anything conceptually Ralph McQuarrie, Ezra Bridger's removable helmet is based on McQuarrie's Snowtrooper concept. Hasbro faithfully tooled this from the artwork and added signature markings, this time in red, to keep the homage-paying going. The removable helmet fits like a glover on Ezra Bridger's head, and when you pose the figure while wearing, it offers a whole new dimension. Cast in shiny white plastic, Hasbro decorated the helmet with black and red details without any overspray or sloppiness. It looks professionally painted. Also included with Ezra Bridger is a removable vest, and in all honesty, Ezra Bridger looks great with or without wearing it. Hasbro stunningly recreated the symbol on the character's back for this action figure. It is made from soft plastic and has the necessary flexibility for easily removable (as well as putting it back on the figure). The last accessory comes in two parts: Ezra Bridger's unique lightsaber. The square-shaped hilt is nicely painted and styled. And it's Hasbro intent to stow the hilt from a clip on the figure's belt. On the first version of Ezra Bridger, the clip was too rubbery, and the hole on the hilt was too small, and it was nearly impossible to attach to the figure. But it looks like they remedied all that with the updated Photo Real re-release.