Kanan Jarrus - TFA - Build A Weapon (Desert)

A Jedi Padawan who survived the destruction of the Jedi Order, Kanan kept his past a secret until he joined a group of Rebels dedicated to resisting the Empire.

Is Kanan Jarrus the modern version of 1999’s POTF2 Han Solo CommTech figure? It’s beginning to feel that way. For he is the only Rebels action figure to receive “too many” releases thus far in a very short period of time. Admittedly, Hasbro cleaned him up a bit for The Force Awakens release and this time he comes with a Build A Weapon part for about $1 more. With any new toy line, straight repacks are inevitable, but as we’ve mentioned, the paint operations on this particular version of Kanan Jarrus are cleaner and tighter, not that this makes another repack of him any more palatable. As a main character in Star Wars: Rebels, we know how important it is to keep the main cast in the toy line, especially when the show is active but even during The Clone Wars, Hasbro was constantly evolving the action figures to improve them with each successive release a whole lot more often that they did simply repacking their greatest hits. Let us say this. Repacking simply articulated action figures becomes very boring much more quickly than super-articulated action figures. Because you literally can only do minimal things with them. Once is probably enough for most of these figures, but then how would new fans get them? It’s obviously a bittersweet thing. But judging by initial shipments of this second wave of figures, it appears that most other people are tired of seeing this character get release yet another time.

In order for the Rebels television show to work, the creators need to have certain characters in place. You have the protagonist, the antagonist, a few other heroes and villains and the obligatory former-Jedi-turned-rogue. That’s where Kanan Jarrus falls into the Rebels mix. A character who has bits and pieces of Kyle Katarn, Han Solo, Quinlan Vos and a few other tough guys from the Star Wars universe, Kanan Jarrus is one of the main lead characters in the Rebels television show and he has gained a strong following because he is very likeable and a very strong character. First introduced in the Hasbro line via the 2014 Rebels Reveal The Rebels: Jedi Reveal Mission Series Toys R Us exclusive multipack, the figure is once again available in the single-carded format, which is frankly the bread and butter of any Hasbro Star Wars line. Aside from cleaner paint operations, there are virtually no other differences between the two versions of this action figure. So if you got him via the Toys R Us exclusive or the Rebels Kanan Jarrus (SL04) basic figure, you essentially already have him. But if you want the Build A Weapon part then you’re going to have to plop down more cash. Also, if you’re a carded collector, get ready to dump another $7 (on average) for this release too because we obviously have different packaging here too. Just keep in mind, this is an action figure with only five points of articulation. How much money should we be spending on one action figure like this?

In all honesty, the Kanan Jarrus action figure looks great. He comes with the standard five points of articulation. The sculpt is pretty great and the paint operations are a far cry from where there were just a year ago with some clear enhancements taking place for this release. The details in the costume are wonderful. And although we still find it frustrating to see a spectacularly sculpted blaster in his holster that will stay there as it’s all one mold, we admit that the detailing is impressive and certainly exceeds our expectations. The sad thing is that no one (kids and collectors) will be able to achieve the really dynamic poses this character displays in the Rebels television show. With only five points of swivel articulation, there aren’t that many ways to display this action figure without giving him a very robotic stature. But as a display piece, Kanan Jarrus meets all of our expectations. Well sculpted, well painted and properly outfitted with a lightsaber accessory, there is honestly very little to complain about outside of the obvious desire to see more articulation. While it’s great to see the main characters of Rebels get reentered into the line, there are still some major characters Hasbro has ignored which frustrates many. And are there going to be any Stormtrooper figures released or carried forward so these Rebels have something to battle against? It all seems half-baked and completely unorganized. But what do we know? We’ve only been collecting for 37 years.