Captain Rex - TVC - Basic (VC182)

Hasbro is already making excuses about re-releasing this debacle of an action figure that we call Captain Rex. Don’t be fooled by what they tell you. Hasbro has known for YEARS that this is NOT the Captain Rex 3.75” super-articulated action figure collectors want in their collections. The canceled Legacy Collection “2” line of 2013 included a “dream” version of a phase I Captain Rex that utilized most of 2011’s TVC ARC Trooper Commander (VC54) figure. But for reasons that Hasbro has been unable to answer for years, they never released that long-awaited action figure for us. And it’s about time we got some answers on it. Does Hasbro no longer have access to those tooled parts? Have the molds been lost at the factory level? Does the figure cost too much money to produce for $12.99? Whatever the reason or excuse is, it’s not enough to take the sting away from the salt-in-the-wound feelings we have from a re-released action figure such as this horrible Captain Rex sorry excuse. For the record, Jedi Temple Archives has expressed the need for Hasbro to release the canceled Captain Rex action figure to the MANY executives that oversaw the Hasbro Star Wars brand. Some even wrote the figure’s name down in their little black notebooks. So, there is no excuse why we still don’t have that figure today. And it’s our STRONG opinion that it would have been better if Hasbro did not release Captain Rex in The Vintage Collection now if this figure is the only option for the line. Tool a new one if you have to, Hasbro.

You probably want to know what makes this Captain Rex action figure so terrible. But where do we begin? It has almost no saving graces or redeeming qualities. Dare we say it’s an unredeemable action figure. It’s nearly as bad as the TVC Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot action figure that they’re re-releasing while laughing in our faces. Anyway, Captain Rex is riddled with countless issues. Firstly, the figure is a giant. It towers over most of the other clones released in the 3.75” scaled line. An all-new sculpt when Hasbro released the figure in 2015’s The Black Series [Phase II] lineup as Captain Rex (#09), the figure is aging terribly. Too short, poorly accessorized, boringly decorated, mediocre articulation and no removable helmet are the beginnings of the figure’s issues. We also feel the figure’s head sculpt is too small, and it’s very noticeable when displayed with other clone troopers in the line. We’re angry that there is no removable helmet here. After the successful TVC Clone Commander Wolffe (VC168) action figure, why didn’t Hasbro follow suit for Captain Rex? In fact, why didn’t Hasbro repaint Wolffe and give us an action figure that meets to design and quality requirements of premium 3.75” super-articulated action figures? Thanks to the figure’s disproportioned height, Captain Rex looks too lanky. We overlooked many of the figure’s negatives when it was first released, but it’s egregious that we see this figure again with the same dang issues.

Did anything change with this release of Captain Rex? Yes, some things did change. Hasbro repainted the figure. The blue color flashes have less “gray” in them this time around, and if you look at the elbow armor, they left off the blue stripes for The Vintage Collection release, which is not screen-accurate. Perhaps they were using the 5POA Captain Rex (SL10) Saga Legends version as a reference point for the deco. Who knows? The “stick men” on the armor look great on the armor again. Hasbro applied them very well. With a softer than usual kama and super-articulation, Captain Rex can be posed in various ways, but not all the ways you wish to see. And you’re probably so angry that Hasbro re-released this figure again that you probably won’t be able to appreciate what this figure offers the line entirely. For weapons, Captain Rex only comes with two DC-17 blaster pistols. These are the only weapons Captain Rex has? With all of the money they saved using a half-decade old sculpt, you think Hasbro would have included the DC-15 blaster and DC-15 blaster rifle, so the figure feels a little more complete? No, of course not. The current Star Wars team has no idea what it’s doing. Hasbro announced at a press event that this would be the last time they release this version of Captain Rex. But we want to know why they decided to release it this time. A character like Rex deserves an all-new sculpt, and they have some excellent base figures to build better versions of this character. Yes, we’re quite disappointed with this figure.