Rio Durant - SW [S] - Basic

There are aliens and strangers of all types in the Star Wars universe. And thanks to CGI we can see all of them interact seamlessly in the latest Disney Star Wars films. Love it or hate it, Solo: A Star Wars Story is the hit that never was. Although a fair criticism is that the film played it safe in many ways, the writing, direction, action and overall plot twists made for an exciting engagement. A band of rogues is a central theme in the film, and it is made up of a pleasantly diverse cast of characters. Rio Durant, an Ardennian pilot, is that monkey on your back you can’t shake in the story, but ultimately comes off as an endearing character in the film. And even though we lose him in the film, his few scenes and lines are as memorable as anyone else’s in the film. All Star Wars collectors like to complete the various formed crews and gangs that are featured in the Star Wars Entertainment. So, Hasbro is wise to make them a focus in the Star Wars [Solo] Force Link 2.0, even if we feel that they’re arriving MUCH TOO late at this point. The character is voiced by Star Wars television director Jon Favreau, and the quirky character came off as very likable with audiences. If the audience likes the character, then the merchandising has an easier time too. Thankfully, both The Black Series 6” collectors and 3.75” collectors will have an appropriately sized version of Rio Durant for their collections.

When you’re approaching six months out from the release of a Star Wars film and the main characters are just beginning to arrive, the risk of them becoming a success at retail diminishes. But we don’t believe this will be too big of an issue for most of the figures in the Rio Durant wave. Even with a late release, we feel that Rio Durant and company will be a point of focus for collectors of the 3.75” range because of their large roles in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Besides, you know we’re not getting most of these figures in super-articulated form probably ever. Rio Durant is one of the latest figures in the Star Wars [Solo] Force Link 2.0 line. But despite his format, it is a tad difficult to assess him as a 5POA action figure. The inherent design of the character shoots him well beyond the standard 5POA status, and, in fact, Rio Durant graces the Star Wars toy line with an impressive 11 points of articulation. All four arms swivel at their respective shoulder sockets. What’s more, all four wrists swivel as well. He also comes with a ball-socket head with a nice range of movement and two swivel hips. Ball-socket feet might have perfected this action figure, but even without them, Rio Durant shines. He also comes with a functioning holster, a blaster, and the ability to hold it in any one of his four hands. Hasbro did a great job on Rio Durant. And if you’re a cranky Star Wars collector, you should be able to see the figure’s charm despite your crankiness.

Rio Durant comes with a nicely done point job. We can always count on Hasbro creating dynamically sculpted action figures, but Rio Durant is a step above what they’ve done in the past in the 5POA range. Also, the paint operations given to Rio Durant are beautifully done too. The lines are clean. The colors are vibrant. And Hasbro’s faithful recreation of the character shows how concerned they are with a character’s authenticity. Things that shouldn’t be taken for granted are Rio Durant’s free-floating communications microphone, the “separately sculpted yet forever attached” holster and belt piece. And his diminutive size is perfectly scaled with the other figures that support the line. In retrospect, it’s truly a shame that Solo: A Star Wars Story didn’t meet expectations. It’s a terrific film with a great cast of characters. And even if all of the plot points didn’t meet your expectations of Han Solo, it shouldn’t be enough to prevent you from enjoying the film. Aside from wishing Rio Durant was available during Wookiee Weekend, we don’t have much else to criticize. Why Hasbro released that third “interim wave” of figures before Rio Durant’s wave is baffling at best. Why would Hasbro set back the line that much further out than they already did? It puts the later waves at risk for experiencing “last wave syndrome,” and that doesn’t do anyone any good: collectors or retail (or Hasbro for that matter).