Garazeb Orrelios sounds like the name of an NFL kicker from the 70’s.  I can’t see the name without hearing John Facenda narrating, “Garazeb Nikos Orrelios, the son of Greek immigrants, would become the first kicker in NFL history to miss eight consecutive extra points”.  Fortunately Zeb is not an NFL kicker, but with his prodigious clodhoppers, he would probably be good at it.  Zeb is crewmember of the starship Ghost.  The Ghost’s crew is like a family.  Hera and Kannan are the momma and the pappa. Sabine is the uniquely rebellious sister.  Ezra is the annoying little brother.  Chopper is the gassy dog, and Zeb is the older brother who aint so good at school, but he’s good at sports.  He’d probably be an NFL kicker.  I think I read that somewhere.

Zeb believed he was one of the last remaining Lasats, who were nearly brought to extinction by the Empire.  However, during his time with the Ghost crew, he met two other Lasats, who were trying to smuggle themselves away from the Empire.  Once they were rescued by the Spectres, Zeb reluctantly decided to assist them in finding their mythical homeworld of Lira San.  After a perilous journey, they not only found Lira San, but discovered millions of Lasat already living there.

Dave Filoni loves to mine Ralph McQuarie concept art for this character designs, and Rebels is filthy with it.  Zeb and the Lasat are presumed to be based on the Cewbacca concept art, but it is definitely a softer design.  To that point, I have to wonder if it’s secretly based on another piece of McQuarrie art, the cover for the novel War for Eternity.  According to McQuarrie, that 1983 character is not derived from the concept Chewbacca, but is based on his cat instead.  Zeb might be a big kitty. 

With respect to the Zeb figure itself, the simplistic animated design is neatly captured.  The “shark” design on the shoulder armor is the most noticeable feature.  The iridescent green eyes really project from the figure and give it an odd presence on your shelf in a good way.  The figure interacts okay with the AB-70 bo rifle.  The inability to engage a THWG (two handed weapon grip) really limits the posability with the accessory as both as a rifle and a staff.  All Zeb can do is point it straight out.  Despite the large feet, my sample stands, but not as easily as I’d suspect.  I think this is largely due to the fact that the back of the heels end right at the midaxillary line of the figure (GO PHOENIXES!).  With the high center of gravity this means the figure tends to tip of backward from time to time.  Overall, I would give this bigger than average figure a 4 out of 10. 

The Stormtrooper figure is the absolute perfect companion in a two pack.  What collector or kid wouldn’t jump at the chance to get their hands on more Stormtroopers. Due to the aesthetic of the line, we are given our first animated style Stormtrooper.  Because of the constraints of the line, it’s a 5POA figure.  The figure passes the 5POA job of standing and interacting with the accessory, but fails at the paint application part of the job.  Despite being simplistic, the paint apps are not cleanly applied.  The eyes are not completely filled and the band on the helmet extends beyond its borders.  That was four years ago at the time of this review.  There is a lot to be optimistic about for collectors right now.  A lot.  One of the best things is that the paint issues that beset the line appear to be moving to the rear view.  I would grade this figure a 3.  That averages the pack to 3.5, but I’m going to round down.  3 out of 10.