Ahsoka - TCW [SOTDS] - Basic (CW44)

Ahsoka grows in skill and experience as the war continues. Anakin's Padawan learns Jar'Kai, the challenging art of dueling with two lightsabers at the same time. Through hard work, Jedi training and battlefield experience, young Ahsoka enhances her combat abilities and her skill with the Force.

No matter what collection it is, as characters evolve, so do the action figures that Hasbro makes. It’s quite impressive that with the release of Ahsoka (CW44) we are almost three complete seasons into The Clone Wars television series. And three years in means that the characters are changing including the way they look and interact with others in the series. Personalities certainly come through the way a character looks in certain outfit, and with the release of the new Ahsoka figure, she has a whole new presence in the basic figure line. It may be a stretch to say that she is all grown up now, but she looks a little bit more like Shaak Ti than ever before, and we’re talking about the conservative Shaak Ti. No, we’re kind of saying she looks more like The Force Unleashed Shaak Ti (BD61) from the Legacy Collection (with more clothes covering her of course). With the evolution of the character also comes the evolution in the approach of Hasbro has designed the action figure. And it’s an evolution that should make you very happy to be a fan of The Clone Wars or just Star Wars in general. This is without a doubt the absolute best Ahsoka figure we have ever received. It’s quite perplexing how much she looks like the television show character. But to their credit, Hasbro has been successfully nailing the likenesses of the female characters in The Clone Wars effortlessly. Ahsoka is an example of them getting even better at it.

Despite having a sexier look, interestingly, Ahsoka actually has more skin covered that the 2008 TCW Ahsoka Tano (No. 9) figure. But the arm wrappings, the open back and the lattice pattern running up and down her outer legs reinforce the point that Ahsoka is definitely maturing. She is thin and dainty, but don’t be fooled by our use of these words. She certainly couldn’t look more athletic and agile but her leanness works towards revealing her vulnerability. Ahsoka comes very articulated, but it’s not all 14 points like you may want. With about a 50-50 mix of ball-jointed and swivel points, Ahsoka is very versatile. Her limbs are so thin that they have a lot more flexibility than you may imagine. We discovered that we could attain a lot more poses for her than the standard figure. The thinness of her limbs seems to allow you to angle her in more ways. In short, we just adore this figure. Hasbro has definitely mastered the way they can hide premium (and other) articulation and they do a fabulous job on this figure as well. Her coloring looks to be spot on to the character seen in the television series an even the finest details like the metal “snaps” on her fingerless gloves proved that Hasbro is in this business for accuracy. Her skin looks to be the right color an her distinctive horns on her head are complete with alternating purple and off-white striping. If you recall from the original figure, there is adornment on her horns, a green and beaded necklace. It now actually falls off of her head and actually dangles off the head. It looks fantastic!

Ahsoka is nicely accessorized with two lightsabers that are lit and two lightsaber hilts. By the time season 3 came around, Ahsoka began to learn the art of Jar’Kai from Anakin Skywalker. This is the mastery of dueling two lightsabers at the same time. Previously holding her lightsaber with a reverse grip, Ahsoka is now learning the proper techniques to wield her lightsaber in battle and defense. The second and “new” lightsaber is much smaller, almost the size of something Yoda would use. Both hilts can plug into the side of Ahsoka and it looks great. Ahsoka debuted in this outfit in the episode entitled Heroes On Both Sides. One of the more controversial episodes in The Clone Wars, much of the plot appeared to be art imitating real life and its problems. Actually, the episode was criticized by many and it overshadowed the more important things that happened, like the major outfit changes of the three main heroes. But thankfully we now have a memento from the episode that will allow us to fix our eyes on what may have been missed. Ahsoka is a much needed update to a great character from The Clone Wars and Hasbro has ensured that she was as authentic as possible to how she appeared in the television series. But perhaps more important than this is that Hasbro keeps making the figures in this animated line better and better and we anxiously await to see how far and wide the line will go. Female characters are a highlight in this line and Ahsoka just seems to be the tip of the iceberg of what Hasbro can provide for us.