Major Bren Derlin - TSC - Basic (SAGA 008)

The background characters at Echo Base have not received that much love from Hasbro over the years, but when it was time to outline the group of figures that made up The Saga Collection, Hasbro repacked and slightly repainted one and then released an all-new sculpt for another. The all-new sculpt was Major Bren Derlin, a figure that should make Hoth enthusiasts very happy, but in all honesty lacks the excitement of many other action figures since it has limited articulation and just an alright likeness. You can decide for yourself of course, but while the portrait loosely resembles John Ratzenberger, the action figure looks “mean” and bug-eyed and we don’t think it accurately reflects the character at Echo base all that well, someone who was really more sympathetic than angry. To its credit, Major Bren Derlin has been sculpted in a very static pose which is perfect because he didn’t do anything but talk. He doesn’t have any wacky wide stances or is positioned in an action pose. As a result, he will complement any Hoth display of yours and will fit in rather quietly. In fact, he may be so quiet that you may not even notice he’s in your display.

Major Bren Derlin isn’t a bad figure at all, despite his bizarre expression on his face. But he isn't overly exciting either. He also suffers from swivel elbows (we will complain about this until we die) and while they work well to tuck his arms behind his back at attention, just like General Veers (SAGA 007), they become more of a problem than a help when you want to have him point or realistically hold his gun. His right arm has been designed to effortlessly hold his blaster pistol and he has a functioning holster so you can house it for later. A removable cap would have been splendid, but perhaps the figure’s other issues should be resolved before wishing for this amenity. Major Bren Derlin comes with only ten points of articulation, and the included points aren’t even of a quality caliber. He has the standard ball-socket head, but he is limited to swivel joints throughout the rest of his body including shoulders, elbows and gloves, waist and hips. While his stance is very straightforward, his feet aren’t flush with any flat surface you pose him on, so this makes it a bit frustrating for those of you who like to display your action figure. You may want to utilize the included action figure stand to make life a little bit easier on yourself.

His uniform is sculpted and decorated wonderfully. It lies flush against his body and isn’t bulky in the least. He is wearing a three-quarter length coat so it hangs over his belt line and onto the top portion of his thighs. As a result, movement in his hips is limited. But like we stated earlier, Major Bren Derlin serves the action figure community best by fleshing out dioramas and various other displays in an upright position. He isn’t meant to fight in battles, nor should he, and while we would love to see a super-articulated version of him one day, this figure will serve the purpose for the time being. You may not be aware, but the Expanded Universe goes on to explain that Major Bren Derlin, a survivor at the Battle Of Hoth, led the Rebel commandos at the Battle Of Endor. While he wasn’t seen or identified in Return Of The Jedi, it’s pretty cool that somewhere in the Expanded Universe he is acknowledged for his service in this battle as well. Major Bren Derlin is a welcomed addition to the basic figure line because it isn’t too often that we get specifically named Rebels from Echo Base made into action figures. Hasbro has many more to make for us and we hope they can keep the frequency strong. But if they do make more, we really need them either better articulated or super-articulated. There is no other way to do it.