Rebels
Hera Syndulla &
Stormtrooper Commander
Fandom is a funny thing. Apparently, being strictly released in a two-pack is some sort of insult. Conversely, there is some sort of honor in being released on a single card. Is seems that single-cardedness is the equivalent of being a first ballot hall of famer. You would think the fact that the Rancor Keeper has been released as a single carded figure three times would take some of the shine off this honor. But alas, there was a minor uproar that Hera Syndulla, the captain of the Ghost, suffered the indignity of being released in a two-pack with a Stormtrooper Commander. If getting a desired figure released with an army builder is an insult, sign me up. To me it seems like a great deal. I wouldn’t care if the only way I could get an updated EV-9D9 was if she were boxed together with a pack of expired hot dogs. I would be thrilled if she was released…period. But as I said, fandom is a funny, funny thing.
For the record, if having a character released single-carded is important to you, I’m not trying to knock you at all. People should collect however they want without some other nerd telling them there is a better way to collect. I’m just saying that getting a Stormtrooper thrown into the deal seems like a pretty good thing. It’s funny, is all. Also, while I’m on the record, I have no idea if that minor uproar was a lot of people expressing a minor disappointment, or a few people beating metal trash cans. It’s hard to tell on the largely anonymous internet.
The character of Hera is drawn a bit high-waisted. She looks like an old man at a buffet. It was an odd choice, but the figure is faithful to that appearance nonetheless. One thing I can’t figure out is the occasional use of working holsters in the Rebels line. Sabine figures have them. The other figures have non-working holsters sculpted onto the figure, as in this case. There is the solid shape of an ankle holster sculpted. It’s borderline torture. Working holsters are fun, like breakfast for dinner.
The paint applications on the figure are fairly decent for a non-premium line. Of course, during this era, having the eyes and lips in the correct anatomical vicinity was cause to celebrate. The figure itself is naturally limited by the five points of articulation. You can do 5POA things with it. The only point of the hip articulation is to allow the figure to sit. Engaging the hip articulation even slightly prevents the figure from standing. The figure can also stick its arms straight out. Fortunately, with the small Blurrg-1120 holdout blaster, this is a natural aiming pose. It’s not ridiculous, as are the 5POA figures who have to hold massive rifles straight out. This somewhat spindly figure is also very easy to stand. That is not always the case with the thin-limbed figures, so it was a relief. I think if Larry David were evaluating this figure, he’d say, “Eh. Not bad….Not bad.”
The Stormtrooper Commander is what it is: a simply painted 5POA figure. The “frown” is simplistically rendered in a solid gray, but if you told me it was applied with a paint roller, I might believe you. The eyes and black band are definitely painted better than my sample from the Zeb 2-pack, but “better” is a relative term. In that case, the paint appeared under applied, here it seems to be laid on a little thick. At first blush, the shoulder pauldron feels too big, but a quick check for reference shows it’s accurately proportioned. I still think a giant shoulder pauldron being used to designate rank is a trip. I wish our military did that instead of officers wearing subdued rank on BDUs and then throwing a hissy fit when you don’t salute. Officers are the worst. [Editor’s Note: Maybe you should pay more attention instead of bepoppin’ and scattin’ all over me!]
Like the Hera figure, this Stormtrooper figure stands fairly well, but it’s hard to get too jazzed with a 5POA trooper. The straight arm blaster poses are not as natural with the larger E-11 Blaster rifle. Of course, it seems that the primary function of Stormtroopers in Rebels is to stare quizzically at Sabine’s beeping explosives, so maybe extra articulation isn’t necessary to pose these figures true to source. At the risk of inciting Randy and his unwavering band of anti-5POA zealots, I need to look at all the factors when grading this set. The Hera figure isn’t terrible, and she comes with an army building extra. That’s pretty good, and I think it deserves a 4 out of 10.