Kylo Ren - Premium Elite Series

In collaboration with Lucasfilm, Disney Store is proud to introduce the Star Wars Elite Series, a premium line of toys featuring iconic characters from the expansive world of Star Wars. This exclusive collection is meticulously engineered and crafted with the Star Wars fans in mind.

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

The Premium Elite Series Star Wars line has just kicked off, but it’s piquing the interest of many collectors around the world. A quasi 12” scaled line, these figures have already exceeded expectations; something not too many of us had planned to see happen. If the Premium Elite Series line gains any significant momentum, we bet that it could become quite popular. With plans already in the works for characters from Rogue One and the Original Trilogy, it seems that Disney Store already has an intense schedule set to bring out as many figures as they can in a short amount of time. It’s absolutely true that Disney has produced a very fine line of large-sized action figures which include a ton of articulation and beautifully woven soft-goods with these figures. In our opinion, they’re already better than anything Hasbro has done or will do in this same scale. (Just forget about those “shampoo bottles”.) If possible, try to recall The Power Of The Force “2” era. Hasbro (technically Kenner then) produced a range of 12 Inch Figures called the Action Collection. Kenner was attempting to capture the audience of “higher end” collectors and it exceeded their own expectations. The line ended seeing over 150 figures by the time it came to an end. By the time we reached The Saga Collection in 2006 however, Hasbro had released news that they were ending their long-running 12 Inch Figure line and had leased their license out to Sideshow Collectibles. The rest is history.

Many collectors couldn’t afford Sideshow Collectibles’ line, so a whole market of collectors became instantly alienated. Thankfully, Disney Store has entered this competitive fold and have produced their own take on 1-6 Scale-ish action figures. Branded under the “Elite Series” banner (by adding the word “Premium” in front of it), the Premium Elite Series line is officially out and the first two figures. Including Kylo Ren, are definitely going to interest Star Wars fans. Imagine if you will what a Hasbro Star Wars 12 Inch Figure would look like today. The Disney Store exclusive Premium Elite Series Figure is just that. They may not be in completely perfect scale to other 12 Inch Figures, but they’re comparable enough to be mixed into the line seamlessly in our opinion. But with the advancements of technology, these figures are looking better than we ever imagined. With over 30 points of articulation (we actually counted 33 points on Kylo Ren), fitted clothing and a nice array of accessories, these figures are well worth the $35 they command. With Hasbro’s cost containment woes that have been more chronic than ever before, it’s absolutely refreshing to see something like this for a “mere” $35. A figure like this would easily top $75 with Hasbro today. These figures may not be perfect, but they are better than good or even average.

We’re definitely not crazy about Kylo Ren, but the Premium Elite Series version of him is actually quite nice. He comes with a lit lightsaber and lightsaber hilt. He also comes with two interchangeable hands. Kylo Ren is loaded with soft-goods including his outer robe, inner robe/undershirt, pants and hood. This version of Kylo Ren doesn’t look as evil (maybe that was intentional here), but it does represent the character very nicely. There is a nice “mixed media” feel to Kylo Ren and we’re impressed Disney Store went this route. Typically this is a path that you only see done by high end licensees like Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys go. But it works very well for this “budget” $35 lineup. How they’ve managed to affix fitted clothing to this action figure while giving it an inordinate amount of movement thoroughly impresses us. So clearly what grabs us the most is the wondrous articulation Disney Store has added to this figure. Across 22 areas of articulation, Disney Store worked in 33 points. Kylo Ren can move in any way you wish, and the joints are firm which allows him to keep these poses effortlessly. He looks great just standing there or swinging a lightsaber. And we really can’t wait to see what other characters make for this line. We know we can’t wait to see how they’re going to approach Darth Vader. This line has us thoroughly interested.