Bastila Shan - TBS [P1] - Basic (#20)

Bastila Shan is a brash Jedi Knight during the Jedi Civil War that took place in Old Republic era. Shan is especially gifted in the Force power known as battle meditation.

One down! Two to go! That’s about how most Star Wars collectors feel about the three highly sought after figures that made up wave 9 of The Vintage Collection. Rebel Soldier (Echo Base Battle Gear) (VC68), Bastila Shan [ToyFare Fans’ Choice] (VC69) and Ponda Baba (Walrus Man (VC70) made up a highly coveted wave of figures that really got lost in the Revenge Of The Jedi case assortments near the end of 2011. Although in a few way technically not a new wave of figures (and more like a revision case of wave 8), wave 9 of The Vintage Collection proved simple for some and difficult for most to secure for their collections. These three all-new figures at the time were all excellently sculpted and beautifully decorated. And it was unfathomable how a Fans’ Choice figure got stuck in a revision case. Ultimately, Bastila Shan and company did get lost in the shuffle and it goes without saying that this group of action figures were impossibly hard to locate at retail. With some new enhancements for the 2014 The Black Series version, Bastila Shan can be welcomed back into the line again which will be a first for so many collectors.

Bastila Shan is definitely a well constructed action figure. She comes with a perfect 14 points of articulation and can be displayed in an array of positions that look dynamic and plain awesome. But this is nothing new for collectors who already own the 2011 The Vintage Collection figure. All of her goodness has been carried forward once again. Where Bastila Shan is different (and quite different if we may add) is her paint operations. And although it might be somewhat difficult to claim that the paint jobs are better this time around, we are confident in saying that Hasbro made them more accurate. There applied a little bit more sloppily this go round, but we think the actual colors are more true to this character and how she appeared in Knights Of The Old Republic. The burgundy flavored highlights surrounding her predominantly yellow colored costume are much more brown this time around and so are some of the details, including the color of her face. In fact, she really looks quite different in general from The Vintage Collection release. She still comes with two accessories. The first is a double-bladed lightsaber with a yellow blade and the second is the lightsaber hilt. The lightsaber hilt nicely plugs into a hole on her belt and stays firmly in place.

Bastila Shan’s lack of availability will make her a highly sought after action figure in The Black Series, but we imagine that over time The Vintage Collection release will hold its value quite well. The figures are notably different from one another and the packaging on The Vintage Collection versions is ultimately superior. Poor Bastila Shan. She just didn’t get the accolades she deserved from Hasbro. The effort to re-release her is very much appreciated, but they could have averted the problems by giving her a place in the line that was more visible and produced in greater numbers. And Bastila still maintains a strong underground movement supporting her. It’s so rare to get action figures from Knights Of The Old Republic, so the figure’s rarity in conjunction with its good design make this figure a winner…. for the second time around. And with Hasbro sharply turning its attention away from the Expanded Universe, this may be the last time for years for collectors to grab hold of this remarkable action figure. We dare say that The Black Series version of Bastila Shan is the better action figure, but at this point collectors around the world will just be happy to have easier access to her so they can add her to their collections.