Kaz Xiono - SW [R] - Basic

Confident and skilled when piloting a New Republic X-wing fighter, Kaz now feels out of his element having been assigned to be a spy for the Resistance.

We don’t like characters in Star Wars with names that are difficult to pronounce. Kazuda Xiono, nicknamed "Kaz," is one of these said characters. Star Wars: Resistance is the latest in Disney Star Wars Entertainment, and despite early reservations by most of the Star Wars community, the show seems to be going over well and is described as fun, energetic and filler that goes into detail of the beginning of the Resistance. Reminiscent of the G-Force show of yesteryear, Resistance continues the Star Wars timeline during the era of the Sequel Trilogy. Amazingly, Hasbro got the first wave of basic figures in this line out rather quickly. January 2019 is the official launch of this line, and we’re happy to say that the figures are looking rather excellent. The most notable thing is that it appears Hasbro incorporated early “photorealistic” technology on these figures. As a result, the facial expression and characteristics shine through brightly and helps solidify a line of action figures that will meet collectors’ expectations. Kaz Xiono is one of the leads featured in Star Wars: Resistance. And the action figure interpretation of him turned out beautifully.

The Kaz Xiono action figure is 50% what you’d expect, and about 50% what you might not expect. Yes, it’s an animated line because the show is animated. And that assuredly means that the line is the simply articulated 5POA style. That’s alright here, however. Kaz Xiono is thin and tall and perfectly captures the spirit of the character. The head sculpt is astounding, and the multi-layered hair and structured likeness of the character is not something to take lightly. The paint operations throughout the character are beautifully applied. And the details in the uniform are just as cleanly applied as the general paint job. Kaz Xiono comes with a ball-socket head, two swivel shoulders, and two swivel hips. Yes, this doesn’t give the figure it’s much-needed mobility, but this is the standard we now expect for the simply articulated action figures. It would be nice to see some vehicles added to the Resistance line, but we don’t expect Hasbro will oblige. They’ve always equivocated on when the right time to release new vehicles is. We don’t think this is a time to do that either.

Kaz Xiono comes with a removable jacket shell, a blaster pistol and a removable helmet. Again, the paint operations on the figure and the accessories are exquisite. When fully outfitted with the helmet, we’d love to see an accompanying vehicle in which to place him. It’s a shame we don’t. Kaz Xiono is described as a human male military pilot who served the New Republic in the years following the conclusion of the Galactic Civil War. Kaz served with the Starfighter Corps of the New Republic Defense Fleet during the cold war, at which point the Resistance recruited him to spy on the First Order. He was sent to the Colossus where Commander Poe Dameron instructed him to gather information about the local population's sympathies and determine if their allegiance was to the Republic or the First Order. Kaz also supported Yeager's Team Fireball as a racer and stunt pilot which made him a great potential asset for the Resistance. Hasbro did right by the Resistance line so far. The first wave exceeded our expectations, and we look forward to the other products also coming in this line.