You’ve seen this figure before, when it was included in the TLJ BB-8 2-in-1 Mega Playset.  But have you heard this figure before? 

No, you haven’t.  That’s because it’s FORCE LINK 2.0! 

This figure was released as part of the $180 BB-8 playset back in September in 2017, for the launch of the TLJ product line.  At the time, it was the only available Snoke figure in the one true scale.  All else being equal, it would have seemed like a great idea for Hasbro to repack the figure on a card at the soonest opportunity.  Unfortunately, all else is not equal, as there were two major developments which made it a poor choice for a re-release in May of 2018. 

First, the release of The Last Jedi turned out to be one of the most divisive events in the history of Star Wars.  In the film, Supreme Leader Snoke started off strongly, as we see him manipulate his two lieutenants for his own purposes (or amusement?), and then he has Rey prisoner, and mocks her (and Kylo) before attempting to goad Kylo into killing her.  Just one problem: he was too busy thinking about which tile he was going to choose for his kitchen renovation, and he got bisected.  Since nobody ever survives a bisection, we’ve certainly seen the last of Snoke.  One of the many sources of disgruntlement for fans watching the film was how Snoke got duped, and the assumed main villain of the trilogy was taken out so easily.  In an instant, Snoke went from being the source of intense fan speculation to the source of intense fan derision.

Second, this figure’s re-release coincided with the release of a super-artuclated Supreme Leader Snoke figure in the first wave marking the return of The Vintage Collection.  So, as has happened several times over the past few years, we have the same character available in both lines (5POA and either TBS or TVC) simultaneously.  Needless to say, both of these factors make this figure a curious, and possibly doomed, repack.  If it was released before December of 2017, it probably would have been a huge seller.  In fact, even the TVC Snoke is reported to be a slow-seller, despite the relative excitement over its reveal back at HASCON.

As for the figure, the sculpt is identical to the BB-8 pack in figure.  The only difference is the change from Force Link 1.0 to 2.0.  Interestingly, the phrases are completely different, but I don’t know that it’s enough to convince a lot of people to buy it.  I’ve seen this assortment of Solo Wave 2 at one of my local Targets, and there were 4 Snokes, 4 Kylo Rens, and nothing else.  Obviously it’s too early to officially label this figure a peg warmer, but it’s probably a safe bet that it will not be a hot seller by any stretch.  To be completely fair, it’s not a bad looking figure.  It’s looks pretty good standing tall, with a reasonably impressive face sculpt.  The 5POA nature of the figure results in a devastatingly bad looking sitting position.  It’s inexcusable, considering Snoke spends the majority of his time lording over his subjects in his throne.  So the TVC Snoke destroys this figure (as it should).  Of course, maybe it’s not that big of a problem because Snoke’s throne is still only available with the BB-8 set.  The good news is that you can get the set for under $50 from our sponsor, Amazon.

For $8, you can have a Snoke figure that talks, without buying the playset.  But he can’t sit.  That’s crippling.  You’re better off going for the TVC version.