Anakin Skywalker (No. 1) - Hasbro - The Clone Wars [blue] (2008)

Rebel Commando - ROTJ - Basic

Rebel Commando

Visual Analysis

Detailed Visual Analysis

General Analysis

In retrospect, there was something endearing about army-building the same Kenner action figures and believing they were different characters. I guess to some extent we still do that today with the modern figures. But in the Kenner years we had almost no choices at all. Aside from receiving two distinctly different Bespin Security Guard action figures, Kenner didn’t double dip to help us army build in the late seventies and early eighties. When it came to the Rebel Commando, I don’t think that it mattered all that much. Rebel Commando gave us our Rebel soldier that fought in the Battle of Endor. Looking very much like a real member of the United States Army, the Rebel Commando encased all of the important military details so familiar in this world and extrapolated them to make them unique to the Star Wars universe. Kenner did a seamless job in achieving that. The Rebel Commando action figure came with a tan colored strapped rifle. He could hold it, but not without some struggling. What’s more, the strap functioned in a way that allowed you to hang the weapon from his shoulders when not in use., very similarly to the AT-AT Driver and his weapon. The Rebel Commando looked great with other members of the Rebel Alliance, or in the Ewok Village playset that accompanied the line. He may not go down in history as one of Kenner’s finest, but he holds a special place in my heart. Throughout the years, Hasbro produced a motley crew of Endor Rebel Soldier action figures, but they’ve been hit or miss to match the vintage Kenner figure. They came the closest with their first try in 1998’s THE POWER OF THE FORCE “2” [GREEN/FREEZE FRAME] lineup and sadly went in different directions for every version after that one, moving further and further away from the iconic vintage Kenner original. Hopefully one day, Hasbro will give us our definitive modern replacement.

Hasbro's Most Definitive Modern Counterpart: 1998's POTF2 [GREEN/FREEZE FRAME] Endor Rebel Soldier figure.