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

Original Review (edited from DTF Naboo Pilot “pre-pack”):  Chris - 2/19/12 10:01 PM

If the following review looks similar, it’s because I cut and pasted it from Ric Olié.  HEY!  They’re the same figure and this gig is unpaid, so get of my back!

Here’s another figure from the Discover the Force subset that I happen to like.  The detailing is once again very nice.  There are three different paint applications on the S-5 blaster alone.  The plastic lower jacket has a slit the allows the figure to sit, but it does take some working to make the front pliable enough to extend the legs straight out to the point that I think it will develop some stress lines over time.  And when positioned in the seated position, the back of the lower jacket still stick straight down meaning the figure’s fanny never quite makes contact with the seat.  The inclusion of the orange soft goods duster is a nice touch, but with all soft goods in this scale, it does take some futzing to get it to not look ridiculous.  The fact that the collar of the flight jacket is sculpted so the duster can be tucked under it is another nice minor detail that really punches up the display appearance of the figure.  Add in super articulation with ball joints at the customary positions, and I don’t have much to complain about with this figure. A solid 9 out of 10.

Updated Review:  Bret - 8/24/2018 07:05 AM

Another one of the 4 figures that Hasbro “pre-packed” in the galactically stupid Discover The Force 3D sub-line (only at Walmart!), this is an excellent figure.  Hasbro actually doubled down on the sculpt by releasing it with a new head sculpt in the aforementioned 12-figure DTF3D sub-line (only at Walmart!) and calling it Ric Olié.  It was then re-released in the delayed final wave of TVC, as the originally intended VC72.

The figure is an outstanding sculpt, with plenty to like about the detailing and paint applications.  The face is that of a generic pilot, and fortunately, he doesn’t have distinctive facial hair, rendering army-building moot.  It’s not a popular enough pilot design, but if it were, Hasbro should have felt free to move forward with alternative head sculpts.  The figure is super-articulated, though it lacks ball jointed hips.  Even still, it can achieve a nice variety of poses.  Very importantly, it can fit snugly (perhaps a little too snugly as Chris pointed out) inside the cockpit of the rather awesome DTF Naboo Starfighter (which totally exists, even though nobody ever saw one in the wild). 

The duster is a little large, but kudos to Hasbro for not simply throwing in a Jedi robe. It lacks the Jedi hood, has lapels, has distinctive stitching, and adds belt/tie in the back.  The S-5 Blaster pistol fits snugly in the holster, and can be gripped tightly in the pilot’s hands.  A simple THWG can be performed, which is always nice, even if not that useful with a pistol. 

As with the other “pre-packs” from DTF, this figure is a straight repack, minus the game die and figure stand, but with one important and welcome difference.  This figure comes with both Naboo flight helmets: one with the visor up (which came with the DTF version), and one with the goggles down (which did not come with the DTF version.)  The goggles down helmet was originally packed with the Ric Olié DTF figure.  When I reviewed the older images found on this page prior to the re-shoot, I did not see the goggles down helmet, nor did I see any in my figure bins where I had my 4 Naboo pilots, so I didn’t include it in the photography at first.  However, I had referenced this figure against the “Research Droids Review” at Jedi Temple Archives, and saw both helmets.  As we had taken a short cut and re-purposed imagery from the DTF figure for this TVC entry, the second helmet was omitted.  Furthermore, I realized that I never actually bought this TVC figure, as I had picked up 4 in the DTF line.  I had no idea the second helmet was included.  So I had to go back and add a couple of images including the second helmet.  The one in his gallery is from Ric Olié, and he wants it back.  Anyway, it was a nice decision by Hasbro to add this extra helmet, as it makes more sense to be displayed that way inside a Naboo Starfighter cockpit.  Hasbro had taken the opposite approach with Mawhonic, when they dropped his podracer flag that was included with the DTF figure.  Screw consistency!

In the end, this is an outstanding figure, even if the source isn’t that exciting.  The duster, pistol, and both helmets give plenty of display options.  It’s a versatile figure that works well in any Naboo diorama.  I second Chris’s 9.  This figure is definitive.  The only improvement would be to offer head variants, but given the lack of interest in TPM for now, that’s about as low on the wishlist as one could get.  Hasbro could have offered such a variant between the DTF and TVC releases, instead of a straight repack, but I guess I’m happy they just included the second helmet.

Verdict: No Action 

A definitive figure for sure, but due to the double release (DTF and TVC) and the lack of popularity with the source material (TPM) the figure can be had for a fairly low price on Ebay, and even slightly lower if you’re an opener and grab the DTF version.  Hasbro should leave this figure alone.  The only acceptable update would be an alternate head included in some kind of Naboo multipack related to some kind of TPM anniversary commemoration, but let’s not get too crazy.

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.