EDITOR’S NOTE:  THERE ARE NO SPOILERS FOR LAST NIGHT’S REBELS EPISODES.  IT IS SAFE TO READ THIS REVIEW.

In honor of Rebels returning for its final episodes, we’ve got another gallery and review from the series.  This time, it’s Hera Syndulla’s A-Wing Starfighter from the Rogue One line.  The character has come a long way, and the mid-season finale had Hera stepping up to the plate and growing into a true hero.  By now, if you’ve seen last night’s back to back episodes you will know if she survived.  Or was killed.  Or turned into a frog.  Or drafted by the Browns. 

Of course, you also already know the answer to the question of her survival if you’ve seen Rogue One.  Since her name was mentioned on Yavin, it kind of makes sense that Hasbro included Hera in the Rogue One line look.  Hasbro gave plenty of love to Rebels in the line, as 5 of the 23 basic 5POA figures released in 4 waves were from the series, along with a 2 pack and this vehicle/figure set.  Sadly, none of them were realistically styled.  Despite this, I would have expected that the vehicle itself would shine through, and be a fine addition to my collection.  It isn’t.

Rarely am I disappointed in Hasbro’s vehicle execution.  Even when I thought the Rebels line vehicles were cartoony before I saw the series, they ended up fitting well enough into the realistic aesthetic.  This A-Wing just looks like a toy and not a model of a ship from a Star Wars movie/show.  Why?  Because it’s about 2/3 the size of previous A-Wings.  It’s almost a mini-rig.  In and of itself, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, because mini-rigs are usually pretty nifty.  But a mini-version of an already pretty small full sized vehicle, especially a single pilot starfighter, is simply unnecessary. Just make the full sized thing!

So the ship looks pretty good, once you get past the size.  The colors, the sculpt, the details…they all work.  The cockpit is unfortunately much larger than it needs to be, and Hera has entirely too much room to bounce around in there.  This seems to be typical of vehicles in recent years, but has been addressed somewhat in the TLJ line.  But then you get to the giant NERF launcher on the bottom of the ship.  It’s one of the more aesthetically destructive features on any Hasbro toy as of yet.  Other efforts have it retractable (U-Wing) or completely hidden (AT-ACT).  This one was just lazy.  It definitely seems that Hasbro was aiming to make this a 100% kids toy, with little regard for screen accuracy.  That also isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but then it should have been in a different line, like Titanium or Choppers.

The figure itself is basically standard cartoony 5POA fare, although it’s notable that this is an improvement over the version that was released in the two-pack from the Rebels line. This one is painted better and has an all new and improved sculpt.  The real bummer here is that the helmet is attached to Hera’s head permanently.  A removable helmet would have elevated the figure a bit.  She also lacks a holster, which is annoying.

I’m not sure how to grade this.  The figure’s baseline is a 3, due to the 5POA cartoon sculpt. The vehicle is just disappointing due to its small nature.  The $29.99 price tag seems a bit high for what amounts to a goofy mini-rig.  The whole package is a letdown.  I’m giving it a 5.  A bigger sculpt, a lower price, and dropping the NERF would have been worth 1 point each.  If all that had happened, then adding an SA realistically-styled Hera would have finished this off with a 9 or even a 10.  Maybe next time.  There’s always HasLab.  Oh, if you’re reading this, get a Sail Barge.