Rey (Jedi Training)/Elite Praetorian Guard - SW [TLJ] - Two-Packs

The entire Star Wars collecting community can admit now that Hasbro has come very far with the 5POA line. Besides making the sculpts more dynamic and enhancing the paint operations, they’ve also added extra or different articulation when applicable, and have included more accessories when needed too. They’ve developed the 5POA platform into a wider-ranged line, too. Instead of just single-carded basic figures, Hasbro has added them as pack-in figures or paired them up in Two-Packs and other multipacks to help diversify the line. All of these formats seem to work well, and for the most part, Hasbro has been consistent with making simply articulated action figures for kids and adult collectors who are less likely to distinguish the 5POA line from the super-articulated line. For the Star Wars [The Last Jedi] launch, Hasbro added two new Two-Packs sets on Force Friday II. The Han Solo/Boba Fett set was based on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, but the Rey (Jedi Training)/Elite Praetorian Guard is based on Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Now, we’re not sure how many people know for sure if Rey battles the Elite Praetorian Guards in Episode VIII, but it makes for an interesting two-pack of figures. It will be interesting to see what actually transpires.

The Rey (Jedi Training)/Elite Praetorian Guard is 50% repeated and 50% new. Rey (Jedi Training) is a repaint of the 2017 SW [TLJ] Rey (Jedi Training) Force Link figure. The paint job with this version versus the basic figure is quite different. The color scheme is the same, but the way they painted her expression on the two separate figures is almost like night and day. She has squinty eyes on the Force Link version and much wider “doe eyes” on this Two-Packs version. The 5POA figures vary greatly from one another too, so that could be the stark difference here. Rey (Jedi Training) comes with a ball-socket head, two swivel shoulders, and two swivel hips. To help add more value to the set, she has been given an off-screen harnessed cannon in addition to her lightsaber and blaster accessories. It certainly adds additional play value to her figure, but it's equally ridiculous as well. Rey hasn’t changed all that much from The Force Awakens, so it makes sense why Hasbro is going “off the deep end” with trying to make this version of her appear unique, new, and fresh again. Sure, her outfit is a different color, but more has to be included to feel like consumers are getting a whole new figure here. We should also mention this set is part of the Force Link functionality, too (if you’re interested in such things).

The Praetorian Guard is a nice addition to this set. As you know there are four unique versions of this character in Episode VIII. This 5POA version represents another unique version of this character. It looks like we’re going to eventually get all four different characters across multiple formats of The Black Series [Phase III] and Star Wars [The Last Jedi] lines. This 5POA Elite Praetorian Guard looks a little more different than the other figures released so far. He has a head sculpt that looks like a reversed top hat (for lack of a better description) and a force pike that breaks down into two separate pieces. You can have him hold it as a whole weapon, or have him hold each half in each of his hands. But no matter which method you choose, we can guarantee you this figure looks pretty cool regardless. Yes, the articulation is dreadfully limited, but the figure has a very nice sculpt and will undoubtedly hold up over time thanks to how much detail Hasbro tooled into this basic action figure. They even took the time to tool inside of the figure's legs to create boots on the interior but robes on the exterior. It admittedly looks better than you might think. The Rey (Jedi Training)/Elite Praetorian Guard serves a purpose. It's part of the Two-Packs line which inextricably links two characters for some greater purpose. With this one, we just have to wait to find out how.