Commander Faie/Quinlan Vos - TLC - Comic Packs (13)

Quinlan Vos and Commander Faie are sent to Kashyyyk, the lush forest homeworld of the Wookiees, during the Clone Wars. The Jedi General and the clone commander have an uneasy relationship given their very different natures, and their ability to work together is made more precarious when the duplicitous Devaronian smuggler Vilmarh Grahrk appears and, predictably, stirs up plenty of trouble.

The Comic Packs line has rejuvenated the Expanded Universe for many reasons. They provide a source for rich background stories and continued stories that didn’t get captured in the films. The EU provides a plethora of additional characters and their corresponding storylines that have quickly become fan favorites. In fact, some EU characters have seen themselves inducted into the films due to their popularity. (Look at Aayla Secura as a prime example.) Quinlan Vos is one of these very popular fan favorites and to date we have received two versions of him. Both, coincidentally, have been released in the Comic Packs sub-line and to date are the only place to find him. For this Comic Packs release, Commander Faie has been designed in the outfit that tends to be the fan favorite version. Both Commander Fair and Quinlan Vos are both retools from previously released figures. Faie is based on the 2008 TAC Kashyyyk Trooper (08 04) figure and Quinlan Vos is based on the figure in the 2007 TAC Quinlan Vos/Vilmarh Grahrk (No. 05) Comic Packs set. This time around, Faie includes a revised torso and a new removable helmet while Vos has been given a completely new upper body including his head, torso and arms. The figures look great as a duo and they fit right at home on Kashyyyk fighting alongside the Wookiees to defend their liberty. While the EU sources explain that Faie and Vos didn’t see eye to eye on many issues, being packed together has done wonders for their interaction. Interestingly, Faie and Vos were further driven apart by Vilmarh Grahrk’s manipulative trouble making. It is interesting because Vos has now been packed with both Vilmarh and Vos. Nevertheless, Faie and Vos fill in many gaps during the events in the Clone Wars and Revenge Of The Sith and their adventures make for very interesting reads.

It is pretty surprising how differently Commander Faie looks from the standard 2008 TAC Kashyyyk Trooper (08 04) figure. Hasbro decided to go with a much brighter and bolder camouflage pattern whereas the paint on the Kashyyyk Trooper was much more muted. It is very different and makes this purchase worthwhile in and of itself. In fact, you may be inclined to think that they are two different characters (which technically they are). But of course, Commander Faie in the Comic Packs set is much more different when compared to his concept art figure from The Legacy Collection (BD 24) more than the Kashyyyk Trooper. The Commander Faie (BD 24) figure was pretty much all white and looked more like a regular clone trooper. While it is hard to say whether the Commander Faie figure is better than the Kashyyyk Trooper, we will say that he isn’t as short and looks in much better proportion to Commander Gree. Quinlan Vos is an excellent action figure. Hasbro went with a sleeveless interpretation of him this time and significantly improved the head sculpt. Figures that have flesh colored painted faces are problematic for a few reasons. For starters, the portrait always seems to look poorly painted. The layer of paint covers up the fine details of the sculpt and the final result looks too porcelain. Secondly, the heads are unlikely to get that exact color of matching flesh tone to the rest of the body. Finally, chips on the noses are much more inevitable as they get played with or eve sitting in your collection. The finest details on the head come out much sharper when the head is cast in flesh color versus being painted in flesh-colored paint. The expressions on the face tend to look exceptional. The good news is that this new version of Quinlan Vos has a portrait that has been cast in flesh-colored plastic. So in short, he looks worlds better than the first one!

Comic Packs have been performing very well and their end is really no where in sight. But they need collector support to ensure their continued success. And Hasbro has been good so far with rereleasing only one Comic Packs from the 30 (77-07) line into The Legacy Collection. The TLC line is full of repacks for other types of product and it is really stating to clog up the pegs at retail. But Hasbro has not gone into overkill with Comic Packs repacks. And for this we are extremely thankful. Some collectors are not too keen on them, but they still perform very well. We understand that movie-only collectors may want to overlook these, but there are some sets that have quite a few movie characters in them. This Commander Faie/Quinlan Vos set is a good example of this. There have only been a few inferior sets so far that Hasbro has released. They have really worked overtime to ensure that these sets remain fresh and stimulating to fans. We believe if Hasbro keeps delivering great sets like this particular one, they will continue to make EU fans ecstatic while simultaneously growing additional fans and collectors. And most importantly, they are one of the best cost-per-figure deals out there. In the age where the Star Wars brand is commanding outrageous prices, it’s nice to know that collectors can still grab a deal with the Comic Packs. Battle Packs may rival this, but remember that we are also getting a comic book with these sets and these are not as cheap to purchase anymore as well. (And Battle Packs are lowly but surely creeping up in price too.) We are not sure how long this very affordable and fair price will last, but where else can you get a nice little set like this? If you are a Commander Faie fan, then you probably already have this set to command some of your Kashyyyk Troopers. And you should, because he is totally capable of answering this call!