Hondo Ohnaka - TVC - Basic (VC173)

The quickest way to assess The Vintage Collection’s Hondo Ohnaka (VC73) figure is that it should have stayed a pack-in figure with 2020’s TVC Millennium Falcon (Smuggler’s Run) TARGET exclusive. It’s not a great figure. It’s not an interpretation of the character that fans of The Clone Wars want to see. You can then add to the pile the fact that anything that focuses on Disney Star Wars sticks in the craw of most long time collectors of the 3.75” Star Wars toy line. This release of Hondo Ohnaka feels no different than a release like Doctor Aphra. Its only advantage is that the character has a lush backstory in The Clone Wars original run, which all Star Wars fans embrace. But the character’s release on a Star Wars card back feels odd. Hasbro MUST develop some category for Star Wars characters that don’t fall under the movie titles. We understand that the words “Expanded Universe” don’t fit with the Disney Star Wars categorization of the timeline anymore. Still, perhaps they could create another category for characters that fall under the “everything else” umbrella. Whatever they decide, a “Star Wars” card back is the wrong way to go.

We admittedly aren’t fans of Galaxy’s Edge or the merchandise produced for it. It was the wrong decision to set its timeline in the Disney Trilogy era. Most have forgotten the hellish half-decade that nearly killed the spirits of most of the longtime and hardcore Star Wars fans. So why Hasbro is making more and more characters in The Vintage Collection, and The Black Series 6” line dumbfounds and confounds us. It’s time to move forward and forget the past. Let’s kill it if we half to do that. But whatever Hasbro decides next, let’s get The Vintage Collection back to its core and the basics of why it exists. Hondo Ohnaka feels like a misfit in The Vintage Collection line. Hasbro faithfully captured the character’s likeness, and it feels like a miniature of the animatronic prop that Disney has at Galaxy’s Edge. Was that the point? To make a miniature version of the animatronic prop from the park? Well, if it as, Hasbro succeeded. It doesn’t feel like a “normal” action figure in the 3.75” line. It makes us wish that Hasbro developed an interpretation of the character from The Clone Wars.

There is no denying that Hondo Ohnaka is a beautiful-looking action figure, complete with a stunning sculpt and tons of articulation. But it’s a functional nightmare. The figure’s swivel thighs are so loose that it makes posing the figure a relative nightmare. We have to say it. We’re incredibly disappointed by the figure’s lack of tight joints. Also, the coat shell inhibits the movement of the hip and leg movement. You’ll quickly discover how uncooperative this figure’s articulation system is. It’s challenging to pose it in a variety of ways. Hondo Ohnaka comes with a blaster rifle and a removable coat shell. While this iteration of the character is quite different than what we see in The Clone Wars, the outfit is still reminiscent of a pirate. The bright red coat is quite a contrast from the drab skin color. We wish we could see more portrait detail, but unfortunately, the hat and glasses aren’t removable. We don’t know how well this figure will perform at retail, or even online for that matter. Hondo Ohnaka honestly feels like a wasted slot in The Vintage Collection. At the same time, we know not everyone could purchase the Millennium Falcon (Smuggler’s Run) vehicle