Here’s Rey in what is essentially the same outfit she wore in the previous two films, but in a different color.  While that may annoy some folks who think the ST is unimaginative, I feel it works.  Rey has a certain style, and apparently she sticks to it.  I guess she’s got better things to do then keeping up with the latest trends in high fashion. 

This figure had potential to be an 11, but a few annoying aspects kept it from being perfect.  First of all let me just say that this is a spectacular looking figure.  The sculpt is outstanding.  That is something that could be said for most TVC figures this day, at least as far as first impression looks are concerned.  But this Rey takes things to another level with the application of PhotoReal.  I can’t say that it 100% looks like Daisy Ridley, but it definitely is close.  But even if you think the likeness is off, there’s no doubt that it’s a beautifully executed face sculpt and paint application.  It’s probably one of the best examples PhotoReal that I have seen. 

So the figure starts out awesome as you look at it in the package and even after you rip that bubble open.  The articulation is top notch, lacking only ball jointed wrists.  Like Zorii Bliss, this figure is so slim that such wrists would seem to be impossible, so I’m fine doing without.  The elbows joints are awesome because they actually allow the elbows to flex well beyond 90 degrees.  I believe they can actually approach a 45 degree bend.  That’s pretty amazing.  Very few figures have this ability.  Zorii Bliss’s elbows went past 90 degrees, but not nearly as far as Rey’s.  Because of this, it adds a whole new dimension to upper body range of motion and posability.  Ball jointed wrists would make it perfect, but again, it’s understood why they’re just swivels.

The lower body is another story, and here’s where the negative issues begin.  The articulation is appropriate, but the lower plastic robes are a bit too stiff to allow for full range of motion.  That’s frustrating, because Rey is one of those dynamic characters that needs to be able to execute a wide range of action poses.  It can still be posed fairly well, but it’s definitely not as good as it should be.  The hip joints aren’t that easy to manipulate.  I found this same problem with Knight of Ren.  The pin that connects the hip ball joint to the torso seems to be fragile, while the ball joint itself is a bit tough to engage.  There’s some resistance there, and while trying to get it to move, I can’t escape the feeling that I’m going to snap the pin right off.  The swivel hip is pretty tight as well, and trying to turn it gives me the same queasy feeling that I’m about to destroy the figure.  The knees and ankles are much better, fortunately.  But all in all, even if you can get the joints moving, those hanging pieces of plastic robes get in the way.  In my sample, the feet are angled strangely, which also adds to the posing difficulty.  Rocker ankles would help here.  ROCKER ANKLES!

While the robes can hinder the legs, I did find that in a few cases, they would touch the floor in such a way as to provide support for some poses.  Its not ideal overall, but you can put this to good use sometimes.  The Knight of Ren figure practically requires his cape to make poses, due to the crappy center of balance.  In that case it’s awkward.  Here, it’s tolerable.

The accessory loadout is top notch.  This is what TVC is supposed to be about.  Rey comes with her signature staff, which she can sling over her shoulder, or grip with either hand or both.  She comes with a lightsaber, which is apparently a repaired version of Luke’s.  It’s much stubbier than we are used to seeing.  Again, Rey can grip the saber hilt solidly in either hand, perform a very easy two-handed weapon grip (THWG) and even perform a two-handed overhead chop (THOC).  There is also an unlit hilt included.  In something of an unforgivable oversight, Hasbro neglected to make the hilt interact with the belt, either with the traditional hilt peg / belt hole, or the more modern hilt loop / belt peg.  That’s a real shame.  So the hilt is somewhat useless, unless it ends up being an important prop in the film, which it very well may be.  Another accessory that is included is a removable crossbody satchel/backpack.  It’s a neat touch that adds some depth to the figure.  It would have been cool if the hilt could be stuck inside the back of the satchel, in much the same way as the Airborne Trooper’s satchel was designed.  At least that would have given you a place to put the hilt and not risk losing it, in lieu of a proper belt hook.

Rey also includes the blaster that was given to her by Han in TFA.  It fits snugly in her hand, as well as the holster.  The holster has two problems, both of which are frustrating.  The first is that the sculpt of the strap/holster ends up hindering the range of motion of the right hip.  If you roll the hip/thigh to far in the wrong direction, you could very well tear the holster strap.  This is unfortunate, and would have been better if it could be unplugged from the hip, or if the strap were sculpted directly on the hip rather than being a separate piece.  The second problem is that it is sculpted in such a way that the blaster can only be held securely if the grip is facing forward - in the same way as is worn by Zorii Bliss (a detail I did not catch at the time I took photos of that figure).  But all the reference photos I found of Rey in this outfit have the blaster stowed in the traditional manner, with the grip facing backward.  Again, a small but annoying detail.  Now here’s the reason why this figure got a little under my skin.  I tried to see if I could fit the blaster into the holster facing the proper direction.  I can tell you that this can’t be done, and if you try, you will risk snapping the barrel off of the blaster.  How do I know this?  Because I snapped the barrel off of the blaster.  I was able to unlock this amazing achievement largely due to the soft rubbery nature of the tiny pistol.  They don’t make ‘em like they used to.  Fortunately for the posterity of these galleries, I had a second Rey figure, so I could photograph the unbroken blaster.

Problems?  Leg range of motion hindered by the holster and the plastic robes; lightsaber hilt not interactive with the belt; feet angled slightly off kilter; ball jointed hips frighteningly delicate; holster facing the wrong way, blaster easily broken.  All of these things combined were very frustrating.  But I really have a hard time getting over the amazing sculpt and the truly spectacular face.  Maybe it’s a little too generous given the faults I’ve listed, but I’m going to still give this figure a 9/10.  If all those relatively minor things on the list were corrected, this would definitely be in the conversation of one of the best figures Hasbro has ever made.