Admiral Ackbar [Return Of The Jedi 40] - TBS [AC] - Six Inch Figures (Exclusive)

Ackbar led the defense of Mon Cala during the Clone Wars and masterminded the rebel attack on the second Death Star at the Battle of Endor. He became a Grand Admiral in the New Republic, winning many victories.

Hasbro doesn’t often repaint realistically-styled action figures in Kenner colors, but when there’s a reason or celebration to do so, they’ll make it part of the event. If you recall, Hasbro produced a “Kenner colors” version of Boba Fett years ago. So, they thought the same magic would apply to the 40th Anniversary of Return Of The Jedi via Admiral Ackbar. Admittedly, the figure has charm. But we wonder how many new collectors will understand the nostalgia applied to this fan-favorite Mon Calamari character. Hasbro took 2020’s TBS [P4] Admiral Ackbar (ROTJ01) figure and then repainted it in the colorful paint operations of 1983’s ROTJ Admiral Ackbar figure. Ultimately, the finished figure works; we’re happy to have it as part of our collection. But it’s a novelty figure, and those always are a mixed bag. Collectors have varying opinions on such releases, so it will be “hit or miss” if this figure resonates with the 6-inch collecting community. The 40th Anniversary celebration for Return Of The Jedi is mainly disappointing, so we must credit Hasbro with thinking outside the box for Admiral Ackbar.

Admiral Ackbar isn’t a perfect action figure. Once you start manipulating its articulation, we believe you’ll feel disappointed because the figure can’t do nearly as much as its peers in the 6-inch line. The tooling on Admiral Ackbar is astounding. It’s probably the best action-figure version of the character we’ll ever see produced. Hasbro paid close attention to the head sculpt, hands, the figure’s mottled lobster-like skin, and the military outfit. No one should complain about Admiral Ackbar’s tooling. Hasbro brought back the “opening jaw” feature as they did on the Sequel Trilogy version of the character, but this head sculpt is all-new from what we can tell, or they retooled the original head sculpt to make it unique for this release. The “opening jaw” feature limits the figure’s head articulation. You cannot easily turn Admiral Ackbar’s head left or right, but some movement exists. And the lack of this movement is a massive issue for the figure. We’re unsure why Hasbro chose the mouth gimmick instead of tooling a figure with an optimal head with more flexibility. But we certainly didn’t expect them to change a figure they only needed to repaint.

The figure has a vest covering up the waist articulation point, which makes twisting and turning quite the chore. That doesn’t mean the vest doesn’t look right because it does. The pants crinkle enough, and the shoes look appropriate for the figure’s size. All of the figure’s details are in place here. However, the problem is that the functionality of this figure isn’t where it should be. The new “Kenner” paint operations remove much of the detail in the tooling, but that’s the point of this figure. It should look more superficial and fundamental than a realistic interpretation of the figure. Hasbro graciously added the “baton” accessory with the 1983 action figure. Previously, the 6-inch version only came with a blaster. We get both accessories with this release. We still feel that Admiral Ackbar feels like a misfit without other Rebel Alliance characters joining the ranks. Where is Nien Nunb? Where is an Ishi Tib? What about General Madine or Mon Mothma? And what about the countless Endor Troopers (Rebel Commandos), B-Wing Pilots, and A-Wing Pilots we have yet to get in the 6-inch line? Hasbro has their work cut out for them. Unfortunately, they’re forever playing catch-up in the line, but they must beat out more characters faster.