I’ve had almost all of my Walmart Black Series 3.75” figures unopened since the line started, what, almost 2 years ago now?  I bought them, but just wasn’t interested enough to open them.  I did open a couple that I had has multiples, such as the stormtrooper and both Rogue One troopers, while the singles remained packaged.  I was holding out hope for this time to come; the time that we knew The Vintage Collection was returning, and I would be inspired to continue the work of uploading these galleries and reviews again.  So here we are, and despite my feelings towards this Walmart line, I was excited to begin photographing and opening these figures after all this time.

The first one I opened was this Leia.  I was excited to get the figure out of the package (a super articulated figure!) after reviewing so very many 5POA’s.  But at the same time, I was well aware of just how unpopular this figure was at retail.  I wasn’t sure if it just wasn’t an exciting choice, or if it was a bad figure.  Well, I think it’s both, but mostly the latter.

At this point in the history of Star Wars action figures, I think we know what to expect from a figure like this.  It’s not meant to be an “action” figure, it just needs to look nice.  Well, the sculpt isn’t really bad as a whole.  The outfit seems true to the movie.  The dress is sculpted in plastic for the most part, with a strip down the front made from fabric.  So far this is all well and good.  However, after this we run into a lot of complications.

First, the head sculpt/paint.  It’s bad.  Like, real bad.  The figure looks nothing like Carrie Fisher.  Generally, Carrie Fisher likenesses haven’t been Hasbro’s strong point, and the tradition continues here.  If you can forgive the face (and it’s not easy), you move on to the articulation.  Now, to be fair, this is a decently articulated figure.  Nothing particularly special, but all the expected joint locations are articulated.  The problem is that the plastic dress severely, if not completely, limits everything other than the arms.  The figure has hips, knees, and ankles, but what’s the point?  One image above shows the articulation, but also makes the case that none of it was necessary if Hasbro was going to go the plastic robe route.  This is a figure that absolutely could have gone the “salt shaker” route, like many of the elaborately dressed Padmé figures from days of yore.  And we should be fine with that.  In fact, Hasbro could have made this an acceptable 5POA figure.  Ditch all the lower body articulation, and just leave us with neck, shoulders, and elbows.  It would have been fine.  While the soft goods look nice, Hasbro could have gone with plastic all around.  $7.99.  Done.

Instead we get a weird figure that comes with absolutely no accessories.  Not a pistol, not a sandwich, not a bong.  Nothing.  In the old days, we might get a control panel or something.  Whatever. 

It’s a poorly conceived figure design, but if you can get over the facial appearance, you might find this figure acceptable for your TFA shelf, as long as you put it in the back, where the light doesn’t reach so well, and other taller and wider figures block the view.

So you get a small figure, with an ugly face, useless articulation, and no accessories.  You probably had to give Walmart your money to get it, and you had to take it in that depressing black box.  (Leave that junk to the Sixers!)  It would be a decent, possibly even a good, 5POA figure, but it’s a bad SA figure.