Original review by Chris, 10/14/14

This Biggs Darklighter figures is sourced from the deleted Anchorhead / Tosche Station scene from A New Hope.  Most casual fans weren’t fully aware of its existence prior to the release of the Star Wars Blu-rays.  I am of the opinion that it is tragic this particular scene ended up on the cutting room floor.  Not because it’s particularly good, but because it’s so important to a minor plot point of the story.  Luke mentioned that Biggs and Tank joined the academy, but what academy?  Surely the Rebels had no academy as they were a fledgling group in hiding.  If it was the Imperial Academy, why didn’t Luke make comment of Biggs’ defection to the Alliance on Yavin? Everything is answered in this one scene.  I’m at a loss as to why it was considered unnecessary.

Biggs had indeed joined the Imperial Starfleet Academy, and it was during his meeting with Luke at Tosche Station where he confessed that he was planning to join the Rebel Alliance.  Luke met this admission with understandable shock.  When this scene was dropped from the final edit of the movie, that shock needed to be carried forward to the meeting on Yavin.  Since it wasn’t, it created a minor plot hole.  Nothing important, but something that certain people (raises hand) dwell upon after viewing the movie fifty times.  In addition to establishing Biggs’ academic past, the Anchorhead scene also established the depth of his friendship with Luke.  It would have given greater impact to Biggs’ death during the Battle of Yavin and would have made the solemnity of that scene fit better and explain why that death, among several, was emphasized with the score.

Perhaps because Biggs had an unrealized significance to A New Hope is the reason that Hasbro has given so much significance to the character.  Hasbro released an X-Wing pilot Biggs in the second wave of the 30th Anniversary Collection and this Academy Biggs in the third wave.  The first POTF2 X-Wing Biggs was an epic “pegwarmer”, so I’m not sure where Hasbro got the confidence to release these figures in consecutive waves.  True to form, the X-Wing Biggs didn’t sell well.  Neither did the Academy Biggs, but it did slightly better.  Amazingly, Hasbro went for a third crack at an X-Wing Biggs in the Black Series.  It didn’t do well relative to the other figures in contemporary Black Series release, but it didn’t die on the pegs like the previous releases.  Finally pushing a Biggs figure through to a modicum of retail success makes me worry that Hasbro will try a fourth crack at Quinlan Vos.

This is another figure in the 30th Anniversary Collection that is a reminder that we were still in the pre-super articulation era.  It features no lower body articulation except for the swivel hips.  By this point we had come to expect at least knees on our figures.  It does have a super articulated upper body with ball jointed shoulders, elbows and swivel wrists.  The figure does not interact well with its blaster at all.  The blaster has a enclosed trigger guard, but the figure lacks a floating trigger finger.  This means the blasters rests above the hand rather than gripped in it.  Even before Seinfeld drew attention to the subject, I’ve been fascinated by capes, so I’m happy the Imperial Academy uniform included the fashion accessory despite any true practical purposes.  I’ve often wished the US Miltary would reintegrate his particular uniform item into its arsenal.  I am very happy to own this figure, but the cape can’t cover up for its shortcomings.  It’s a 6 out of 10.

Updated review by Bret, 9/12/19

After reviewing the TAC Rebel Pilot Biggs yesterday, we decided to jump forward a couple of figures to bring back-to-back Darklighters.  Scientific studies have proven that Bantha Skull gives you 41% more Darklighter than any other collector site.  It’s true.  Ask any scientist.

Due to zero knee or ankle articulation, this figure might even score a 5, but due to the obscure nature of the figure being sourced to a cut scene, we didn’t need Hasbro’s full repertoire to be used here.  We should just be happy we have this version of Biggs.  You know why?  Because it would never exist in any other scale.  Despite all the shortcoming Chris pointed out, it should warm the hearts of collectors, so it keeps the 6, just for emotional reasons.