General Lando Calrissian - TVC - Basic (VC47)

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We adore seeing The Vintage Collection release the original 92 (there are at least 100) vintage Kenner figures, wholly updated and placed on that gorgeous classic Kenner packaging. While Hasbro has introduced the Prequel Trilogy into this collection, and now the Disney Star Wars era. But Hasbro still seems reluctant to reintroduce the original 1985 The Power Of The Force collection packaging. With a renewed commitment to get out what they’re calling the Kenner 96, we also hope they include 1985’s The Power Of The Force line look too. We understand why they haven’t yet. They don’t want to bring back the expensive-to-make coins again. Their budget is next to nil for The Vintage Collection, so why expend it on things that they may deem as trivial? Perhaps there are some workarounds they could do instead, like using episode-specific Saga Legends coins from 2007 instead of the character-specific coins to help save on costs. But that doesn’t seem like a remote possibility at this point. The fifteen rarest Kenner figures from 1985 are the main characters to which Hasbro should focus incorporating into The Vintage Collection in their original format. But that’s not what Hasbro decided, and we have to tell you that it is indeed a letdown. The first of the original fifteen The Power Of The Force figures introduced into The Vintage Collection was General Lando Calrissian. Hasbro first released this action figure in 2011. Then they reissued it in The Black Series [Phase III] line as Lando Calrissian (without any "general" designation) in the Walmart exclusive line. It gets its third release back into The Vintage Collection in 2020 as a repaint of the original 2011 version, complete with original packaging (with a few enhancements).

For reasons unknown, Hasbro once again keeps the revised moniker of “General Lando Calrissian” instead of the original name featured on 1985’s POTF Lando Calrissian (General Pilot) action figure card art. Why did they change this character’s name from Lando Calrissian (General Pilot) to General Lando Calrissian? What is the significance of that? We’re not sure we understand why there was a need to revise it. To add a little more agitation to the name change, Hasbro made another change in 2011, and they carried it over into the second phase of The Vintage Collection for its 2020 release. The name “pill” and figure placement color changed from light blue to orange. This update is an odd move as well. They used orange on the original 1980 ESB Lando Calrissian figure. And this time they changed the Avant-Garde font to white. We wonder if they got things confused here. Thankfully, where Hasbro lacked by killing nostalgia for Kenner purists, they more than made up for with a brilliantly tooled and designed action figure. It was only the deco holding it back (and one or two other things perhaps). Although the 2011 release and The Black Series [Phase III] reissue don’t have fabulous facial paint operations, Hasbro changed things for the better with the 2020 version with Photo Real technology. Previous versions appear to have bizarre head sculpts, but the 2020 release corrects any aesthetic issues thanks to Photo Real updating. Past versions disappointed collectors, especially when it came to the figure’s mustache and “caterpillar” eyebrows. But that too is now a non-issue. Despite the figure’s long journey, we now have a definitive version of General Lando Calrissian, but a few niggling issues remain. Although the cape isn't free from issues, they did shorten its length, so the figure doesn't "trip" over it.

Seven years separate the 2011 TVC General Lando Calrissian (VC47) figure from the last previous version. Lando Calrissian (Death Star Attack) (’04 #21) came with limited features and not-so-good articulation, and it also had a plastic-molded cape. The figure didn’t have good articulation, but collectors found the likeness was excellent. Hasbro quickly reissued this figure in The Original Trilogy Collection. Although imperfect, it is essential to put things into perspective. Kenner/Hasbro released a worse version of Lando Calrissian (In General's Gear) in The Power Of The Force [Freeze Frame/The Kenner Collection] line. The bottom line is that we’ve come far with each successive release. The Vintage Collection General Lando Calrissian (VC47) figure brought new things to the table for the first time, and you shouldn’t discount them. The newness brought forward should show to action figure collectors that Hasbro once again delivered an incredible product for us to savor in our collections. General Lando Calrissian is super-articulated. And the icing on the cake is that the figure comes with ball-jointed hips (which is unexpected for this character). This premium joint upgrade is not too shabby for a character primarily stands, and then sits in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon during the Battle of Endor. (We should probably note that he did dance with the Ewoks in this outfit.) Between the inclusion of many premium articulation points, General Lando Calrissian has a whole new body shape in the basic figure line and feels slightly too tall. While we adore this figure, it might not look right next to others, including 2004’s VOTC Lando Calrissian and 2007’s TAC Lando Calrissian (In Smuggler Outfit) (30 39) for example. The head is much narrower by comparison, and the body is significantly slenderer.

General Lando Calrissian comes with a gorgeous soft-goods cape that is long. But it also has a significant issue. The elastic strap that holds it up around the collar is laughably too thick. It also has too much slack, so the cape hangs too low off of the shoulders. If you look at any movie stills that contain General Lando Calrissian in this outfit, you’ll immediately notice that the cape falls right below the collar. On the action figure, it will fall to right above the shoulders. The best advisement we have for Hasbro is that incorporating a plastic clasp or binder to hold the cape closer to his body would have been the best option here. Since nearly all figures come with ball-socket head joints anymore, it would have been easy to pop off his head to remove it. Anyway, we don’t mean to come across so critical because we love this figure. And there is a lot to be thrilled with here. General Lando Calrissian also comes with a holdout pistol, and this gun sits in a removable holster that drapes across the chest. Previous iterations of the character didn’t come with a removable holster. The new accessory offers collectors a new option for display, and it’s a nice touch. Most importantly, the 2020 paint operations are excellent. It feels that, for the first time, Hasbro nailed the paint operations exquisitely well. We’ve always known that General Lando Calrissian was a remarkable action figure. We’re closer to that ranking than ever thanks to the inclusion of Photo Real technology. And it makes The Black Series [Phase III] release feel like a complete waste of time for everyone, even though Hasbro fixed the miscolored ankle joints on The Black Series [Phase III] Walmart exclusive version.

The yellow blood stripes running down the outside of the figure’s legs are fantastic, and the light blue pants with the two-toned tan shirt in the upper body look remarkable. With the advent of technology, Hasbro has added incredibly detailed gadgets that we haven’t paid close attention to until the re-release. The wrist commlink and pouches on his belt stand out as examples of this. These features and details were present on older versions, but they look better now since we can focus on other more important things than a poorly decorated face. General Lando Calrissian has a powerfully secure connection to the vintage Kenner era. The Lando Calrissian (General Pilot) figure holds up remarkably well even by today’s standards, so demanding a modern update that passes the bar is notably essential. Also, because General Lando Calrissian serves as an update to one of the original “rare” The Power Of The Force figures, it holds an extra-strong interest in the collecting community. 2020’s TVC General Lando Calrissian re-release is Hasbro’s best effort making the action figure relevant for a demanding collecting community. We couldn’t be happier to have another opportunity to repurchase the upgraded version of this action figure for our collections. However, we would love to see the return of The Power Of The Force card back artwork before The Vintage Collection goes away (a second time). Without ending on a negative note, we hope the super-articulated 3.75” collecting community takes note of how far Hasbro upgraded General Lando Calrissian. We wish they fixed the cape clasp, but the Photo Real will wow you for sure.

Editor's Note: Hasbro re-released The Vintage Collection General Lando Calrissian (VC47) figure in May 2020 with a significant number of changes. Updates include: (1) "photorealistic" deco, (2) slightly revised outfit deco, (3) newly colored and textured hairstyle, (4) shortened cape, (5) refreshed 2020 packaging with different graphics, (6) revised font type for name "pill," (7) white font color instead of black

Review Status Update: The original publication date of this review is March 11, 2011. It was subsequently updated with a new Photo Gallery and revised General Analysis and republished on June 5, 2020 after Hasbro reissued the figure.