Admiral Piett - TVC - Basic (VC270)

What a joy it is to have a pure and unadulterated Hasbro Star Wars action figure based on the Original Trilogy added to The Vintage Collection! There are no ties to the dreadful Disney Star Wars disaster here. It is George Lucas-era joy like no other. And we couldn’t be more thrilled to add the figure to our collections. Admiral Piett has so much going for it that we’re unsure where to start. So, we’ll hop right into it. Admiral Piett is a first-time offering in a 3.75-inch scale. How amazing is that? Sure, we got Captain Piett in The Power Of The Force “2” Freeze Frame lineup, but that version of the character is from The Empire Strikes Back, and that ranking badge has six red squares above six blue squares. Although promoted to admiral in The Empire Strikes Back, we see the revised ranking badge sporting three red squares above three blue squares for the first time in Return Of The Jedi. The latter is what Hasbro based this new figure. Admiral Piett has an excellent likeness and fantastic body sculpt. And it’s safe to say that collectors now have a definitive Imperial Officer/Commander sculpt, so Hasbro should get to work and give us a General Veers as soon as possible so we can knock out 1981’s ESB Imperial Commander off of our Vintage versus Modern comparisons. Admiral Piett offers a wide range of opportunities for The Vintage Collection. We hope Hasbro takes advantage of it. We’ll even take an “army building” set of generic Imperials.

Hasbro only made one mistake here. The ranking badge isn’t a separate piece. We aren’t thrilled with their approach to 2009’s TLC Captain Needa (BD 40) figure. But they could have beveled out the rectangular shape in the chest so that the ranking badge lies flat in the cavity. We hope and pray Hasbro retools the chests of future Imperials so they sport accurate ranking badges. It’s fantastic to get a super-articulated Imperial officer action figure. Including ball-socket hips and “rocker” ankles gives this figure a tremendous array of motion. Admiral Piett is capable of nearly any pose possible. You’ll become ecstatic when you find out that not even the lower skirt of the figure’s uniform inhibits the posing of this figure. Hasbro engineered this figure beautifully, and we’re so happy with how the final figure turned out. The figure looks like the on-screen character, has an ideal body shape, incredible articulation, and a paint job that's as impressive as it is beautiful. It’s unbelievable that Hasbro made collectors wait an astounding quarter of a century to revisit Piett, no matter which film they chose for its modern release. But in the 25 years we waited for this figure, a lot of technology came and went, and we’re living in an era where Hasbro has the potential to make the most outstanding action figures ever. So, imagine what the future holds if Hasbro buckles down and starts banging out a ton of figures now.

Admiral Piett comes moderately accessorized with a removable cap and an Imperial blaster pistol. The cap fits well and is likely proportionate to the figure’s head and body, but we think it’s slightly oversized. Your opinion may vary on this. The takeaway is that it’s not noticeable, and you may overlook it altogether. The blaster pistol fits perfectly into the figure’s right hand. With the terrific articulation in place here, you’ll find that you can pose a leadership-level Imperial officer into some dynamic poses. You’re going to adore Admiral Piett. Another detail we’d like to comment on is the figure’s packaging, specifically the character photo. We’re unsure if we fully understand what’s happening at Hasbro’s art department, but they’re doing mediocre work lately. Firstly, an awful 40th Anniversary logo is in the top right-hand corner of the card. We all know it’s the four-decade anniversary of the best Star Wars film of all time. We don’t believe the figures need to remind us of this. Also, the character photo of Piett has the actor pressed up too far left against the bubble. They probably wanted to capture a notable section of the Death Star behind him, but it sacrifices the artwork of the image. They should have centered Admiral Piett in the space allotted for the characters. There is little to complain about with Admiral Piett; we’re thankful for this truth. With so much trash thrown our way, a little grace like this is enough to make the misery Disney Star Wars creates feel a little more palatable.