Ahh, Figure Friday…best day of the week. I haven’t picked up anything new in the way of toys recently but there’s plenty of stuff on the horizon that I’m looking forward to. Let’s get to it.
S.H. Figuarts Obi-Wan Kenobi
This guy here was unveiled on the Tamashii Nations Instagram earlier this week. It went up for order Thursday and I’m having a hell of time securing one. It appears that I may have been too quick to sing the praises of Amazon Japan since the only listing for this figure on there at retail price won’t ship to the US of A. So I’m currently chasing down retailers that will ship to the states at what I hope will be a reasonable price.
Anyways, I liked the Obi-Wan Kenobi series from Disney+ a great deal and was hoping the titular Jedi Master would get the Figuarts treatment and here we are! I do find it odd that they chose this look of his from late in the series since it’s so close to some of Kenobi’s other Jedi looks from the past. But it’s not as odd as him having half a dozen costume changes over the course the few days the series takes place over! For a crazy old hermit, he sure is a style icon.
I have to admit I’m currently going back and forth over ordering this figure since the press photos that have been released don’t look that great. The sample that was posted to the above mentioned Instagram looked a bit better, so I’m leaning towards pulling the trigger on a preorder as long as I can cancel it later.
As much as it pains me to say, that’s been the name of the game when it comes to Figurarts the last couple of years. The face sculpts used to be top notch but now it’s extremely hit or miss. I had preordered the Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness Figuarts but promptly canceled it when some collectors posted in-hand photos.
It’s maddening as a collector of these things since you can’t just pop down to the local Target or Walmart and grab one off the pegs. Often times if you miss the preorder, THAT’S IT. I missed the Anakin Skywalker Attack of the Clones figure and, to date, it’s never been reissued and commands a hefty secondary market price. But lately, for every Anakin there’s an Ikaris from Eternals or John Walker from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which are now routinely on clearance at most online retailers for $20 to $40 USD. Ouch.
Also reveled was a Spider-Man No Way Home Green Goblin resplendent in his Willem Dafoe-ness. No release date was given but if I had to venture a guess it would be the end of May.
Star Trek: The Next Generation Type-2 “Dust Buster” Phaser Limited Edition Prop Replica
Now here’s a high priced oddity for the Star Trek faithful among you.
I love Trek and especially TNG but the first couple seasons of that show were, and I say this with love, not good. Bad costumes, bad writing, iffy special effects…but there were moments of greatness in there and flickers of the show it was going to grow into starting with the third season.
The reason this Phaser is lovingly (?) known as the “Dust Buster” Phaser is because it looks like a damn Dust Buster. With its sleek handle and flared emitter, it doesn’t seem much like a 24th century laser weapon but rather something you would use to suck up Cheerios from the floor of your Ford Aerostar.
All that being said, I respect the hell out of Factory Entertainment for choosing to make this Phaser when there are so many other, cooler Phasers they could have made. It’s limited to 1,500 pieces and will set you back $559.00 USD and I KNOW they’ll sell each and every one of them. Engage!
