Editor’s Note:  This review has been updated with our second look at TVC…

Original Review:  None

Updated Review: Chris - 5/24/18 07:05 AM

Say hello to my little green friend.  We did not review this figure at the time of its release.  Reviews are hard.  I skip them if I think I can get away with it.  I almost got away with it this time until that meddling nomadscout said we should do a Vintage Collection retrospective.  Foiled again! 

This figure shares a common theme with many of the early Vintage Collection figures:  delay.  This was originally slated to be released with the Return of the Jedi wave in 2010.  It was featured on a replica of the vintage Kenner Episode VI card.  But then the internet fired up its correction engines and corrected Hasbro for their faux pas as the internet loves to correct.  It’s why it was invented.  It is not to share information.  It’s a vehicle for people to point out with great indignation that other people are wrong, no matter how picayune the detail.  We are better for it.  In this case the internet said to Hasbro that this is not an Episode VI Yoda.  It’s a prequel Yoda.  Hasbro listened and delayed the figure in order to release it on a correct(ish) Episode III card.  The figure was bumped from wave 3 to the “repaint” wave 5 which appeared in stores before wave 4.  Got it?  Good.

This figure proves that size matters not.  Despite being tiny, it packs a ton of articulation.  Unfortunately the elbows have swivel articulation. Ball jointed elbows probably wouldn’t have added much range of motion considering the shortness of the limbs (especially considering the figure technology at the time).  The knees are ball jointed, which is pretty remarkable, and they offer a little bend to the legs.  You can achieve slightly more aggressive fighting stances due to this.  The ankles are ball and socket versus a true ball joint.  While the range of motion isn’t terrific, it does allow the foot to be articulated in all directions.  What makes this figure even more remarkable is that the articulation greatly regressed when Hasbro later released a true Episode VI Yoda.

The soft goods robe is one of the best in this scale.  While it does get a tad bulky in some poses, it’s hard to completely eliminate that.  The accessory load out is decent.  It includes Yoda’s saber, but the figure can only achieve a tenuous grip.  It includes a Force Lighting deflection effect which the figure’s left hand does grip assuredly.  I feel this is made to more closely match the effect from Yoda’s battle in Attack of the Clones with Count Dooku.  Incidentally, I played my digital copy of Attack of the Clones for the first time for this review.  Movies Anywhere asked me “Are you sure?” when I hit play.  It was very correct to do that.  The final accessory is Yoda’s familiar gimer stick which he uses to deploy his old man fake out in the Prequel Trilogy.  The Sith fell for that twice.  Idiots!  Unfortunately the figure is not capable of gripping that accessory at all, and instead you have to pose the figure resting on the walking stick. 

P.S.:  Like the POTF ‘85 Yak Face, this figure was released on the Episode VI card in Canada.  They pop up on the secondary market from time to time and fetch a hefty premium. 

Verdict:  No Action 

Overall, this is the definitive PT Yoda.  It’s not perfect, but an upgrade wouldn’t be justified. 

Verdict Guide:
Re-sculpt = The figure is not definitive, and a new version should be developed.
Re-issue = This version is definitive (or close enough), and shows sufficient secondary market demand to warrant a straight repack.
No Action = This release does not require new attention.