Kylo Ren - TFA - 12-Inch Figures

A dark warrior strong with the Force, Kylo Ren commands First Order missions with a temper as fiery as his unconventional lightsaber.

When it comes to a main hero or villain, you know you’re going to see him or her in every scale and format possible. With the Star Wars line this is especially true. For some characters it makes a great deal of sense. But for others, some people might be puzzled as to why some characters get the full treatment while many others do not. Regardless, one villain that likely gets the “green light” for release in every format is Kylo Ren. This very dark character (visually and emotionally) has become a focal point of interest for many (most) Star Wars fans waiting to see Episode VII. We’ve been treated to many appearances of him in stills and trailers, and it seems we cannot get enough. A popular character already in the Hasbro toy line, We have him in multiple The Force Awakens 3.75” formats, in The Black Series [Phase III] 6” and 3.75” arrangements and as a 12-Inch Figure. We imagine more are forthcoming as well. Obviously we have options. Perhaps the most controversial scale of all is the 12-Inch figure line (which had its biggest impact thus far as Hero Series figures during the Rebels line). Not a fan favorite amongst adult collectors, they were quickly referred to as “shampoo bottles,” and in all honesty, they look a whole lot like them. In all fairness, and there are exceptions, Hasbro has really stepped up the sculpting for these figures.

Besides, there is a market for them; it is just not “us." And while we don’t personally see the roaring sales success of them at retail, there must be enough for Hasbro to continue manufacturing them. No one really knows right now. The day Hasbro casually states that this format is ending is the day we know it is no longer viable. Anyway. In all honesty, the Kylo Ren 12-Inch Figure is a beautifully sculpted interpretation of this new Star Wars villain. No, it doesn’t have super-articulation and the pose is much too static for our tastes. But the figure does come with swivel wrists, which aid in manipulating the included accessory as needed. Oh, about that accessory…. it has been cast in the same way that the accessory from 2015’s TBS [P3] Kylo Ren (03) figure was approached. The blade is one big coagulated mess at the tip of the hilt. Hasbro needs to retire those digital files immediately because if they’re not careful they’ll continue to use the erroneous screen inaccurate version of this lightsaber and that would be a nonstop travesty every time it did. Oh, and the blade isn’t removable from this piece either. So you’re stuck with screen inaccuracy “forever." If you can overlook the wonky design of the lightsaber accessory, you may be able to see how nicely this figure has been sculpted. The head sculpt in particular is quite impressive.

It seems that Hasbro is releasing too many of the 12-Inch Figures at retail, or maybe they’re just not selling. On top of that, they're adding older repackaged figures into the mix to further populate peg-warming trends. And to make matters even worse, Hasbro has produced a TARGET exclusive “shampoo bottle” multipack, just like they did for the Rebels line, which houses most of the 12-Inch figures in one fell swoop. There is literally nothing outside of the box or unique to make these exclusives “truly exclusive” for these retailers. We feel that if the retailers really know what they were being offered in their exclusive programs that most of this nonsense would stop. Regardless, as we stated earlier, there is a market for these figures. It may not be a big market, but apparently it’s there. We have heard from multiple readers how well these figures interact with those who have disabilities as well as young boys and girls where simplicity works better than intricacy. We have nothing against Hasbro producing a niche subset of toys for a smaller population of kids and those in need, but it’s hard to completely swallow the complete necessity of them when they continue to hang on pegs while cases and cases of basic figures in 3.75” and 6” scales sell through multiple times and almost never meet demand. Shouldn’t resources be calibrated just a bit more?