Yoda - TVC - Basic (VC20)

Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Force be with you!

Collectors basically needed oxygen when they saw first images of The Vintage Collection Yoda. Meant to originally be part of the third Return Of The Jedi wave, the Episode III likeness of the character along with a lightsaber and Force energy blast were all packaged together on a card back that had a photo from The Empire Strikes Back with a Return Of The Jedi logo. Talk about mixing three films seamlessly together while creating disaster, huh? Hasbro took note of the instant complaints and thankfully delayed Yoda to allow time for the much needed corrections. The figure made its debut in the fifth wave of The Vintage Collection (also unofficially referred to as the repack/repaint wave) making it one of the most truly “new" figures in the mix. The final figure came out very well thanks to upgraded articulation, a decent but certainly not perfect paint job (we think he’s a little too dark - there is a light wash over the skin of the figure, but it doesn't lighten him up enough and his extremities do not match his head) and a nice allotment of accessories may make this the best Episode III action figure of Yoda our collections have seen to date. He has a few small issues, but overall he impresses and he’s a perfect candidate for The Vintage Collection. Hasbro got the historical reference of 2005's ROTS Yoda (III 3) correct which is a good thing also! (It makes us happy at least, not so sure about you.)

The inclusion of ball-jointed knees is bittersweet. Don’t get us wrong. We love the flexibility of this added premium articulation, but because extra length was added to allow for the leg joint, Yoda appears ever so taller than he should be. In fact, he looks quite a bit taller than the figure his parts were based from which is the 2007 TAC Yoda [& Kybuck] (30 32) figure. (The 2007 is in a crouched position, but we still see an overall size difference between the two figures.) Yoda is technically all-new. Hasbro really just used most of the torso of the 2007 figure for the new figure. But between the new arms and legs (and especially the new head sculpt), this Yoda is a refreshing (and most authentic) Prequel Trilogy Yoda at the moment. Yoda comes with a ball-jointed head, shoulders, knees and ankles. And of this premium articulation is mixed with swivel elbows, waist and hips. (Personally, the swivel elbows are already driving us insane as they pop-up if you barely budge them.) His accessories include a Force lightning (or Force repel blast - whatever it is), lightsaber, gimer stick and a Jedi robe. Nicely constructed and appropriately accessorized, this Yoda action figure has a lot to offer collectors.

We don’t have a good feeling about the Jedi robe. It looks fantastic, with lots of wear and weathering, but it looks specific to the Original Trilogy. It seems as if the robe has seen the harsh elements of Dagobah rather than the antiseptic environments of the Jedi Temple and Coruscant. But what do we know? But we would have loved to see a much cleaner robe to finish off this figure. His hair looks too yellow also. We’re not sure what Hasbro intended to accomplish here, but it looks a little off in our opinion. And if we aired another one of our grievances, it’s that those darn production numbers are not being placed in inconspicuous spots on the action figure. On the front of Yoda’s left leg you’ll see the large font date stamp (or whatever number it is). Still, despite these small setbacks, we still think this is the strongest Prequel Trilogy Yoda out there. And besides, we are more thankful that Hasbro corrected the packaging on this figure. It almost forgives some of the small issues the figure has. Most collectors love Yoda. This is a strong Yoda figure. Therefore, you should ensure this figure makes an appearance in your collection. You’ll be happy.