I’m either going to have to eat a little bit of crow on this review, or it will just highlight how my interests in the hobby have evolved.

Our review of the 2010 TLC [Red] Shaak Ti from the 2nd wave of Target Geonosis 2-packs was posted in September of 2020, but it was reposted from what I wrote in March of 2019.  So these words of mine are nearly 7 years old:

Overall, the set was good for 2010, but today it struggles to keep up.  Given the lack of articulation in Shaak Ti, I’ll give a generous 6…

Let me be clear that the “High Priority” ranking is specifically meant for Shaak Ti, as she needs a complete overhaul.  It’s time.  The character is a fan favorite, and is a striking looking Jedi.  Full Jedi-Level Articulation (JLA), a well fitting outer robe, and a full saber and unlit hilt would do the trick, and should be ripe for a single carded TVC release… 

...Shaak Ti needs work.

So 7 years ago, I felt that the 2010 Shaak Ti, which itself was largely based on a 2005 sculpt, required a “high priority” update from Hasbro.  Now here I am 7 years later, looking at a 21 year old figure (with some tweaks), and I feel I could have done without the update.

Let me be perfectly clear:  The 2010 Shaak Ti is not anywhere close to today’s standards, but it still looks decent in a display.  I don’t feel it falls anywhere near the category of, say, Owen Lars, which looks ridiculous in a modern display.  If it were re-issued on a TVC cardback today, it would be reasonable for collectors to rise up as one and storm the castle walls in Pawtucket.  But obviously my tastes and interests have changed fairly dramatically.  I would have assumed that Hasbro could have done much better today with all new Shaak Ti than the one we have from 2010.  But as is usually the case these days, with new tooling so limited, I would have much preferred those precious resources went to something I didn’t already have. 

While my tastes have changed, I am still generally in awe of the modern day TVC figures, whether I wanted a particular character or not.  There was a pretty good chance I’d fall in love with VC384 Shaak Ti once I had it in hand, so I was still looking forward to it, even if my excitement was muted.

Right out of the package, at first look, Shaak Ti is indeed a wonder to behold.  The headsculpt is outstanding, and the paint on the lekku, as well as the Photoreal application is tremendous.  I already reviewed Padmé last week, and I think that was one of the best faces on a 3.75” figure I have ever seen.  Shaak Ti is also incredible, although it’s less urgent here due to the fact that it’s a lot of alien prosthetics and makeup as opposed to a highly recognizable human A-list actor.  The body is sculpted well, and of course has the standard 2026 articulation count and systems - with the notable exception of the inclusion of swivel wrists (as is typical of female figures these days).  The lekku prevent much meaningful movement of the head, but that’s the fault of the character design, not Hasbro.  The other joints perform well.  The elbows even go past 90, which, mind-bogglingly, is not standard.  The swivel wrists are a real bummer, especially on a Jedi figure.  While she can perform a two-handed weapon grip, she cannot hold the lightsaber extended forward and horizontal, like she does in her signature flourish when arriving at Petranaki Arena. 

The soft goods are excellent.  The skirt is very similar to the one on the previous version.  It’s kind of a shmata, but I don’t have a problem with that.  It falls nicely, and is wide enough to allow for a good range of motion for the lower body.  The outer robe is an addition as compared to the 2010 figure.  It’s an important one, because she wore her Jedi robe on Geonosis.  Hasbro has made great strides in the tailoring of Jedi robes recently.  This one is no different.  It fits her well, has stitching and folds in places that help it fall correctly.  The sleeves are perfect, with a nice widening at the cuffs, without causing parachute arms.  The hood falls well over the back of the shoulders.  Again, it doesn’t hinder the articulation much at all.  Interestingly, the “scarf” is a separate and removable piece where it was sculpted/glued on the 2010 figure.  I don’t know if that adds anything, except perhaps a bit of depth to the figure.  Shaak Ti also comes with a hilt that plugs into her belt, as well as a full lightsaber.

Posing the figure wasn’t as fun as I was hoping.  It was a bit of a challenge, possibly due to the soft goods skirt being a bit long.  And while the soft goods generally didn’t negatively impact range of motion, the decorated plastic skirt tabard prevented any crouching stances, because it would “stick” on the ground like a kickstand.  Used in specific cases, it could help with balance, but I found it to be more of a hindrance.  And the lack of ball jointed wrists really prevents the most dynamic Jedi poses. 

VC384 is an amazing looking figure, with a lot of great articulation, near-flawless soft goods execution, and proper accessories.  The wrists and the limiting aspect of the plastic lower tabard are enough to deduct a point.  Personally, on the nomadscout scale, I’d probably knock off a point because it just isn’t as “fun” as I’d hoped, but I won’t do that here.  I’m giving it a 9.  While it fails to check one of my boxes for being a new character, it does at least check my other main box of supporting a Haslab.

One last note, and it goes to explaining why I don’t find a ton of joy in a figure that is as amazing looking as this one.  In all honesty, when I hold the two figures side by side (minus the new Jedi robe), it doesn’t really appear at first glance like the TVC one moves the needle enough for me.  Obviously the skirts hide the lower body articulation, which is light years better on the new one, while the most obvious differences are the improvements in the coloring and the face.  I gave 2010 Shaak Ti a 6, and I am giving this one a 9.  That’s a 3 point difference.  For me, it’s simply not worth the new tooling investment for a mere 3-point improvement to a background character, Jedi or not, that I already own.  Even a crappy 7/10 score (by today’s standards) would be 7 points better than the 0/10 we currently have for Atheloe, Fozec, Shasa Tiel, or any other unmade character.

In any case, I know mine is a minority opinion.  Shaak Ti is a popular character, she supports the 2026 Geonosis push, and it’s definitely a great figure no matter how I slice it.  Most collectors will love this figure.