Kit Fisto - TSC - The Episode III Greatest Battles Collection (8 of 14)

Kit Fisto is a Jedi Master of great skill and vision. He can breathe underwater, making him well suited for missions above and below sea level. He is asked by Mace Windu to help arrest Supreme Chancellor Palpatine for treason.

The Revenge Of The Sith Kit Fisto (III 22) figure should have turned out better than it did. Hasbro went “all out” when it came to the figure’s articulation system, but many of its joints weren’t as functional as they should have been. Plus, the figure’s coloring was incredibly off that many collectors wondered what Hasbro was using for reference materials. In practicality, this isn’t going to be a figure that will stand the test of time. In fact, it’s already aging. A figure that excels in superb sculpting and proportions should turn out fantastic as a production figure, shouldn’t it? But this fantastic sculpt with even better articulation fails mostly because of its paint job (aside from some other issues). Because of the multiples issues that plague this figure, we’re surprised to see Hasbro reissue it so many times regardless. In addition to a Battle Packs reissues, Kit Fisto has also been brought forth into The Episode III Greatest Battles Collection, a subset of “greatest hits” figures to complement The Saga Collection’s basic figure line. If you look beyond the paint job on this figure (which is difficult because it’s so glaring), you'll find a more than fair likeness to the onscreen character which accurately represents who this character is. As far as sculpting is concerned, this is a rather impressive figure. But between the fire engine red details around the eyes and head and the inconsistent ends of the head tresses, Kit Fisto needs to head straight back to the drawing board for a redesign. The art department has failed this figure terribly.

Kit Fisto comes with a lightsaber hilt and a detachable lightsaber blade. Lightsabers that come like this are bittersweet. It kills two birds with one stone, but the tip that secures the blade to the hilt is so fragile that breakage is very common. We have even encountered samples of these lightsabers where the insertion point of the hilt has breakage issues more consistently than not. The hole in the hilt to accept the blade sometimes has a wall that is much too thin and just crumbles under pressure. But keep in mind that having a separate hilt is something most collectors like to see. It’s awesome when you can attach the hilt to any Jedi’s belt for realism and authenticity. But since the current methods aren’t working out ideally as Hasbro would have hoped, the only viable solution going forward is to include a lit lightsaber and a lightsaber hilt as two separate accessories. Kit Fisto also comes with an environmental display stand. (We love these things!) But sadly, the accessory he is missing the most could be interpreted as the most important. Kit Fisto comes with no soft-goods outer robe. When he confronted Chancellor Palpatine, he was in full Jedi garb. Kit Fisto feels more like how he appeared in Attack Of The Clones in the Geonosis arena because of this. (We should probably mention that Kit Fisto had a completely different facial appearance in that film, but hopefully you get the point.)

That being said, we have to give credit where credit due. The sculpt and articulation of Kit Fisto are excellent. He comes with 19 points of articulation. A swivel head, ball-jointed shoulders, ball-jointed elbows, swivel wrists, swivel waist, swivel hips, ball-jointed knees and one swivel boot all comprise the movement given to this version of Kit Fisto. He can move, but the articulation isn’t ideal. Still, his coloring sticks out like a sore thumb the most. Once again we’re drawn to the question of how it was possible for his final coloring to get approved by Hasbro…. or even by Lucasfilm, Ltd. for that matter to look like this. It’s simply mind-boggling. The joints original came tight on this figure, but with constant manipulation become a little loose over time. We find this frustrating. Tight joints are a basic necessity in this day and age of collecting. Obviously, Kit Fisto will need a revisit down the road. There are just too many things not perfect here for us to forgive or ignore. (Editor’s Note: The Vintage Collection brought us an definitive version of Kit Fisto. It’s one of Hasbro’s crowning achievements.) Kit Fisto is one of our most favorite Star Wars characters of all time, so it’s hard to see this figure suffer the way it does. But we suppose if you can find an extra Jedi robe lying around somewhere and put it on him that it might cover up some of the things that are so wrong with Kit Fisto. It might be time to stop reissuing him. There is more wrong than right here, and we have plenty already.