Rey (Jakku) & BB-8 - TBS [P3] - Six Inch Figures (02)

Rey is a resilient survivor, a scavenger toughened by a lifetime of dealing with the cutthroats of the harsh desert world of Jakku.

BB-8 is the spherical, loyal Astromech Droid of the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron.

The Black Series is back and it has been promised that it will be better than ever. As it enters its third phase (this time in beautiful red and black packaging), collectors are treated to brand new never before seen Star Wars characters that are concentrated on The Force Awakens film. Released in September, Hasbro unwittingly teases the Star Wars collector with fantastic sculpts, improved paint operations and a little more value for the dollars – all key items that make grumpy old fan boys very happy. One of the standout 6” figures in the very first wave is Rey (Jakku) & BB-8. Yes, it’s technically a two-pack in the single-packed line. To get two great characters that hang around an MSRP of $19.99, we hope that no one out there find this to be expensive or not worthy of opening your wallets. This is a collector-focused move on Hasbro’s part and the final results are thoroughly executed well. Rey (Jakku) & BB-8, while we don’t know much about as of The Force Awakens launch, are two main heroes in Episode VII, so it makes sense why Hasbro culminated part of the first wave of The Black Series [Phase III] figures with these brilliant characters. Rey (Jakku) & BB-8 are just part of the beginning of what is to come. But between this set and the rest of the characters that make up the first wave, we think The Black Series [Phase III] line is off to a tremendous start.

Let’s talk about the main figure in this set first. Rey (Jakku) is heroine in The Force Awakens. She is very reminiscent of a farm boy version of Princess Leia Organa – if that makes sense. Her facial features, her hair, and her frame are all reminiscent of Leia, yet her clothing and her demeanor seem to find common ground with Luke. In the scenes we have seen her in thus far, she has been pictured on a desert planet (obviously Jakku now) and this also helps make that similarity even stronger for us. It’s evident that JJ Abrams is no dummy as he is able to make the oldest Star Wars fans harken back to the wondrous 1977-1983 era with these connections. Hasbro has followed suit and has developed a stunning new 6” figure with all of the bells and whistles you’d wish for in this relatively new scale. Rey (Jakku) is proportionately scaled to the rest of the figures in the line so far. Her sculpt is phenomenal. Despite many early criticisms, it’s indeed true that this figure looks much better in person than from any camera lens. Don’t let a bad photo gallery (or any photo gallery for that matter) jade you into thinking this figure isn’t all that she is. She is all that and more. Aside from slightly too pale skin and a smidge of sloppy paint operations (like her hairline for example), Rey (Jakku) is about everything we wanted her to be. We’re thrilled with the final results.

Rey (Jakku) comes with some sort of battle staff and she can hold it easily with both hands. With the incredible articulation that the 6” line brings, Rey (Jakku) can attain pretty much any pose you desire. Her dress does inhibit movement, but overall we are pleased with how well she is able to be posed. The surprise of this set in the 6” scaled BB-8 figure. This astromech droid is a new design for Star Wars fans, but it has quickly become a favorite character despite its brief appearances in the trailers and in various stills. Just like Rey (Jakku), BB-8 looks incredibly better in person than any photographs we have come across on the web. Yes, we’ll agree with you that the paint operations don’t exactly match what Hasbro showed us on the prototype, but the deco looks pretty impressive, especially since Hasbro has been extremely guilty of taking major shortcuts in this area with the 6” figure line. BB-8 has a weighted anchor inside of its big ball portion. While this feature doesn’t allow it to stand “straight up”, it does allow the droid to lean upright a bit. We think Hasbro should have calibrated BB-8 a little bit better so that it could stand on its own and unassisted in any way. But in short, BB-8 is a pleasant surprise in this two-pack. Rey (Jakku) & BB-8 have impressed up. We look forward to what else will be released in The Black Series [Phase III] 6” line. We should be in for a great season of collecting.