STAR WARS Hot Toys Director Krennic (updated with Deleted Scenes)

For additional images, see Post 9 below.



Introduction

After a long wait, Hot Toys has released its sixth-scale rendition of Director Orson Krennic from Rogue One. I still have a soft spot for this film, which felt more like Star Wars than any other since Return of the Jedi, although I have gradually come to realize how many plot holes, inconsistencies, and improbabilities it contains. Krennic, played by Ben Mendelsohn, served as a relatively interesting and relatively well-developed disposable antagonist, and I'm happy to see that he has made it among that select list of characters from the film that has received the Hot Toys treatment (apart from Chirrut Imwe and the three versions of Jyn Erso, he is the only one with an actual face, all the others being masked and a robot). As far as I know, this is the first higher-end sixth-scale rendition of Krennic, the closest thing to it being the Disney version which I reviewed HERE. Although it would be an unfair comparison, in every respect except price, unsurprisingly the Hot Toys product is superior.



Packaging - 3 / 4 stars

All Star Wars sixth-scale collectibles from Hot Toys come in identical packaging, which has its advantages, but also means that there is even less cause for excitement than usual. Perhaps it is unfair to expect more, and I personally don't put a lot of store on this. The packaging is perfectly collector-friendly and safe, and accomplishes its purpose beautifully. Krennic comes in a standard shoe-box type container with a removable lid, a printed color "title card," and a transparent plastic trey with its plastic lid holding the figure and its accessories; a small transparent plastic trey and lid combo holds the rain poncho, and is taped on the underside of the main trey. Like other Rogue One sets by Hot Toys, the box lid features a "cigar band" affixed near its bottom, with the character's name and stylized depictions.



Sculpting - 4 / 4 stars

I don't know whether they quite nailed Ben Mendelsohn's features perfectly -- from certain angles the likeness is striking, from others less so. However, they did achieve a lifelike and realistic portrait, complete with countless wrinkles and hair strands. And that is just the head. The sculpting on the other molded pieces (rank badge, code cylinders, belt buckle, gun, ammo clips) seems to be flawless and sharp. The cap is molded plastic in fine and fitting detail, giving it the appearance of real cloth. Hot Toys resolved the usual dilemma of making such removable headgear look realistic and properly sized by giving Krennic a magnetic removable hairpiece that could be swapped with the magnetic removable cap. The cap looks flawless when in place, and the hairpiece is quite undetectable. The stature of the body, 11.75 in (about 30 cm) is approximately correct to Ben Mendelsohn's height of 5'11". This is worth noting, because in the film Krennic appeared shorter than Tarkin, but the action figures are about the same height. We should not forget that Peter Cushing's Tarkin was digitally recreated for Rogue One, and Hot Toys' Tarkin is actually scaled correctly to Cushing's height of 6'.



Paint - 3.5 / 4 stars

Hot Toys is known for both the excellence of its sculpting and the almost equal excellence of its paint application. It is done extremely well, with various dull and glossy surfaces as appropriate. However, it is not quite perfect. I noticed a little bit of inaccuracy here and there on the blaster pistol, and the overall treatment of the face is perhaps a little less nuanced than what we saw in the promotional materials (which is not necessarily surprising). When dealing with light-colored hair, Hot Toys has a tendency to use a metallic paint or finish, and this is what it did here. It looks good and allows us to appreciate the incredible detail of the finely molded strands, but it does not necessarily convey the salt-and-pepper hair of Ben Mendelsohn in the film with complete realism. That said, I'm not sure anyone could have done a better job of it with molded, painted hair. The entire color palette appears to be slightly warmer than what we see on screen.



Articulation - 3 / 4 stars

I am tired of writing that the Hot Toys body has the usual excellent articulation, but the clothing gets in the way. Unfortunately, this is true here, as so many other times in the past (Bespin Leia was mercifully spared this issue, but that seems to be an exception these days). The problem appears to be Hot Toys' insistence on using padded undergarments; these are intended to fill out the clothes better than the plastic body itself, but the difference in appearance is minuscule, while the degree to which articulation is made more difficult or outright restricted is consistently annoying. In the case of the Krennic figure, this is especially true for the shoulders and to a degree for the hips and abs -- although with some effort you can make Krennic sit down passably. The wrists work well, the knees and ankles very well, and the tall boots do not impede the ankle articulation. This helps the figure balance well in various poses, and you can even achieve some mid-stride poses at times. I understand why they went with a head sculpted with an integral molded neck (with all sorts of creases on it), but the resulting head articulation is very limited in terms of tilting.



Accessories - 3 / 4 stars

Krennic comes with a blaster pistol that fits on the holster suspended from the belt, three ammo clips that fit into special openings on the belt, two code cylinders to fit in the slots on both sides of the chest on the tunic (or together in the one slot on the right side of the poncho), a molded plastic hat that can be swapped for the hairpiece making up the top part of the hair, and several interchangeable hand sculpts, including a right fist, a left pistol grip hand (which works ok, but not great), and five more hands that are difficult to describe, but I try anyway: a right closed hand, a right almost closed grasping hand, a left open grasping hand, a left more closed thumbs up hand, and a left more open thumbs up hand. Each of these was presumably useful for some scene, but as I was looking at Krennic's scenes I found that many of the hands that would be necessary to replicate them were not provided with this set. Add to the partial repetitiveness and idiosyncrasy of the hand sculpts the absence of any real pairs (i.e., there's only one fist, there's only one gun grip, there are no relaxed hands, etc), and this makes for an odd and limiting choice of hand sculpts. In terms of spare parts, there are two extra wrist pegs and an extra belt button. There is a now fairly standard stand with a neat extra piece to fit under and around the detachable name plate that makes it look like the end piece of futuristic ramp. However, the top of the base, instead of the usual Death Star floor texture (or the like), has a printed image of Krennic's head (alongside a Death Trooper's) glued on. The image is slick enough and colorful enough, and there is a faint textured inscription of the character's name ("Orson Krennic") in the fictional Star Wars alphabet on top of it (it is not apparent in my photo). But unlike so many previous stands, you are not given the option of using a standard floor-textured surface instead. And that is disappointing. The limitations of the base and of the hand sculpts and the fact that virtually every "accessory" is actually part of the character's outfit detract from this category, especially at this price point.



Outfit - 3.5 / 4 stars

Krennic's outfit ought to be considered one of the best things in this set, yet here too there are some flaws. The basic outfit is the cream (not white) officer's tunic paired with black pants and black leather-like jackboots, as well as a black leather-like belt with a silver buckle and button. Over this, Krennic wears his cape in a matching color, held fast with magnets at the shoulders. Everything is beautifully tailored and looks and works great; the cape has some wires along the bottom edge that allow for some posing, if not much. But if you look closely, you would see that the cape's collar rides too high -- perhaps it is too wide, or perhaps the cape's magnets do not hold it far enough down -- in stills from the film the cape's collar does not reach as high as the tunic's collar, leaving its top edge exposed; with the figure it is the opposite. Moreover, when Krennic bends his arms at the elbows, the sleeves ride short at the cuff. Neither of these flaws is particularly horrid, but they are notable. Then there is (almost) a whole alternative outfit, and this is what gives this category a higher score. You can remove the cape (and the rank badge which plugs into the tunic) and swap them for the rain poncho, once again in matching colors, and pair that with the molded plastic officer's cap (replacing the hairpiece). The light material used for the rain poncho seems like a good idea, except that it really does not drape well enough, and there are no weights or wires to help it. Moreover, unlike the rank badge on the tunic, the rank badge on the rain poncho is not designed to be removed; but it should have been, as in different scenes in the film Krennic wears different rank badges with the poncho -- the one-row all-red rank badge at the beginning, and (presumably after promotion) the two-row red over blue rank badge (here used for the tunic) at the middle. I suppose one could make modifications, but this appears to be a detail Hot Toys overlooked. Speaking of rank badges, the film continues the tradition of inconsistency and confusion that has plagued the Star Wars saga since just after A New Hope (apparently). The six red squares in a single row badge gives Krennic a rank equivalent to general (like Tagge in the Death Star conference room in A New Hope), while the six red squares over six blue squares badge gives him a rank equivalent to fleet admiral (like the unfortunate Ozzel in The Empire Strikes Back) -- although the number of code cylinders might make a difference. Of course, the confusion of Gareth Edwards' team is not Hot Toys' fault, but once again, both badges should have been removable/swappable. As noted above, everything in the set seems to have a slightly warmer palette than what is seen onscreen in the film. This is a good thing where the outfit is concerned, as the creamy tunic allows one to kitbash imperial security bureau officers (like Yularen from the Death Star conference room in A New Hope) far more effectively than if the tunic was in a lighter, colder white. Note that the great cap will be problematic for kitbashing, because it is inside is adapted for use with a magnet and would require substantial modification before you could place it believably on another head.







Fun Factor - 4 / 4 stars

Whatever the limitations of the set, there is no denying that Hot Toys has delivered a recognizable Krennic who can be paired with all but one of the more frequent characters he interacted with in the film (the notable omission is Galen Erso). We have a Vader from Rogue One (not to mention two from A New Hope), a Tarkin (from A New Hope), three Jyn Ersos, as well as Death Troopers, Shore Troopers, and Stormtroopers (all from Rogue One). Even without the natural kitbashing potential for imperial security bureau personnel, this gives Hot Toys' Krennic a great potential for posing and/or interaction with other figures and in a variety of real or digital environments. I had fun attempting to recreate various frames from the film, or to pair Krennic with others -- so much so that I took more photos than I'm including in this already more than usually illustrated review. So, yes, this set is fun, and I'm glad I went for it. For additional images, see Post 9 below.





Value - 2 / 4 stars

Retailing at about $235+ (USD), this is not a low-cost product, and being mid-range (and increasingly low-range) for Hot Toys these days is not particularly comforting, given their notorious inflation of prices. On the other hand, even if it lacks some of the "fancy" electronics or more elaborate bases and backdrops found in some of Hot Toys' deluxe sets, it does come with enough extra clothing and accessories to allow for a whole second look. So this category gets a middling rating.





Things to watch out for

Really nothing much -- except perhaps to watch that you don't lose those smaller pieces, like the code cylinders and ammo clips. The figure is reasonably sturdy and capable of balancing on its legs, in part due to the good ankle articulation. The hands are easier to swap than usual (softer plastic?), which is a great thing, although Hot Toys included a spare pair of wrist pegs just in case.  







Overall - 3.25 / 4 stars

This rating may not convey my pretty thorough enjoyment of the set, but it does reflect the several limitations and imperfections, compounded with Hot Toys' increasingly hefty prices. Judging by the fact that most of my usual go-to sellers have already sold out this brand new set, it must be popular enough (and perhaps produced in small enough quantities). There is plenty you can do with it or with its parts, which is not always the case.







Where to buy

Among my usual go-to stores, Alter Ego Comics, Big Bad Toy Store, and Timewalker Toys have sold out of this set, so you can try your luck on our online retailers list (HERE) or on eBay.







I hope this has been useful. What do you think?

One more for the road...



For additional images, see Post 9 below.

#starwars #hottoys #rogueone #director #krennic #scifi #film #male #fiction #review

Thanks for the exhaustive review. Seems fair and reasonable. One point of correction, there is a third figure with a face, Chirrut (Donnie Yen), in addition to Jyn and Orson, from RO.

An excellent and detailed review of what seems to be a pretty nice figure! Thanks for taking the time to compose such an extensive and informative post. 

You are right that the headsculpt likeness is there, albeit not 100%. I think Hot Toys has this problem where a lot of their sculpts look much too thin in the face when viewed 'dead on'. This Krennic seems to have similar issue with some of his features being a tad narrow, or perhaps rather his face seems not 'filled out' enough. Hard to put my finger on it, but yeah. It's not 'off' enough to bother me all that much, but for those who are persnickety enough to notice such things, the discrepancy is there. But again, that's a more general HT problem, it would seem. 

I quite like the fact that he does come with two interchangeable 'looks', as it is always nice to have some versatility there and the ability to recreate as many scenes as possible with only one figure. Having just run into huge issues with kitbashing a second RotJ Luke, I rather resent how Hot Toys usually tends to release different outfits as entirely different figures. I get why they do (cause it's a money grab), but I'd much rather just have one figure whose outfits I can change if I want to. In this case, both the Krennic outfits are fine in terms of resemblance to the film outfits, though it's a tad frustrating that the rain poncho version seems a bit wrinkly out of the box and requires some serious futzing. I watched a couple of youtube reviews of this figure as well, and it was kind of amusing how confused many of the reviewers were about how to put on the second outfit, with several putting it on completely wrong. This seems to happen on Youtube reviews a lot , lol. So thanks for actually taking the time to put it on correctly!! ;'D 

ETA: I forgot to mention that I agree with you about the HT padding and the overall hindrances to articulation -- it's extremely frustrating. But imo, some of that is also down to the HT bodies themselves, which are not as great as they are supposedly meant to be. I find them personally quite lacking, and that's not even in comparison to something like tbleague , which would be an unfair comparison, but rather to other standard/higher quality 1/6 bodies on the market. DamToys are a gazillion times better to pose, and, heck, I've even had more success with CooModel bodies than I have with HT bodies. I could go on a long-winded rant about how much I currently dislike HT bodies, but I'll spare you!!  

Of the two outfits, I think I just slightly prefer the more simple version, with the longer cloak and no hat, as it's a more elegant and streamlined look. But both do admittedly look good when put together properly. 

Probably my main concern when handling either of these outfits would be my bare fingers eventually leaving stains on the pale material (another thing that had me cringing during the video reviews!!). I'd definitely wear gloves. :3 

Kudos also for the shoutout to — and inclusion of! —Yularen, a rather underrated character who is also featured extensively as a Republic Admiral in the Clone Wars series. :') 

Overall, this is a really well-done review, and I am especially impressed with your photos. You always go over and above with your review pics, but these ones are especially nice. You used the backdrops and edited images effectively and created a lot of visual interest. I especially enjoy the group pic of Tarkin and Krennic and co, and also the one of Vader and Krennic... that looks so good it could have been in the film!

At this point, I'm just rather relieved that a) I don't focus on 'villains' in my SW collection, and b) even if I did, I am swiftly running out of space for more additions, as otherwise he'd be one I'd have on my radar as, despite whatever shortcomings are there, he really does seem like an overall nice figure. 

I'm out of the loop when it comes to these things, and had honestly not been aware of this one being released until you had mentioned it in the other thread. I'm not sure how the heck Hot Toys releases even 'work', but I wonder if this figure being released relatively 'late' in the sense that it's been four years since the film came out might give me some hope that other Rogue One figures might still eventually be made? My top *personal* wishlist would probably be Galen Erso, Mon Mothma, and Bail Organa (though I'd take an RotS-based Bail too, of course), but there are also a slew of other characters from that movie that I'd love to eventually see in 1/6 form. I fear the ones I mentioned might be overlooked as they are not 'action-y' enough, but imo the latter two especially are iconic SW characters and ought to be made at some point or another.

Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to put this together! 

If I want to read a review I will take a Gube Review. I really like to see a new Figure acting next to other figures from the same series. Little details like the size. Peter Cushing is a little taller than Ben Mendelsohn. All the dios are very atmospheric. Is there a Light up function in some of your backgrounds ?

note to self... need a Star Wars character

Stryker2011 wrote:Thanks for the exhaustive review. Seems fair and reasonable. One point of correction, there is a third figure with a face, Chirrut (Donnie Yen), in addition to Jyn and Orson, from RO.

Thank you very much, glad you agree. You are right about Chirrut Imwe, I had forgotten about him (though I did pick up the head), went back and corrected my text accordingly -- thanks. You're usually an expert on facial likeness -- what do you think of the head sculpt?

skywalkersaga wrote:An excellent and detailed review of what seems to be a pretty nice figure! Thanks for taking the time to compose such an extensive and informative post. 

You are right that the headsculpt likeness is there, albeit not 100%. I think Hot Toys has this problem where a lot of their sculpts look much too thin in the face when viewed 'dead on'. This Krennic seems to have similar issue with some of his features being a tad narrow, or perhaps rather his face seems not 'filled out' enough. Hard to put my finger on it, but yeah. It's not 'off' enough to bother me all that much, but for those who are persnickety enough to notice such things, the discrepancy is there. But again, that's a more general HT problem, it would seem. 

Thank you so much, glad you liked it. I, too, can't put my finger on it. It seems very good from the side, but, yes, a little off head-on. Perhaps the chin is too weak? Maybe Stryker can spot it for us?

skywalkersaga wrote: I quite like the fact that he does come with two interchangeable 'looks', as it is always nice to have some versatility there and the ability to recreate as many scenes as possible with only one figure. Having just run into huge issues with kitbashing a second RotJ Luke, I rather resent how Hot Toys usually tends to release different outfits as entirely different figures. I get why they do (cause it's a money grab), but I'd much rather just have one figure whose outfits I can change if I want to. In this case, both the Krennic outfits are fine in terms of resemblance to the film outfits, though it's a tad frustrating that the rain poncho version seems a bit wrinkly out of the box and requires some serious futzing. I watched a couple of youtube reviews of this figure as well, and it was kind of amusing how confused many of the reviewers were about how to put on the second outfit, with several putting it on completely wrong. This seems to happen on Youtube reviews a lot , lol. So thanks for actually taking the time to put it on correctly!! ;'D 

I agree completely about the outfits -- the only thing they missed here (apart from making sure the rain poncho drapes better) is not making the rain poncho's badge swappable with the tunic's. The included little instruction leaflet does go into detail about the placing and removing of clothing and accessories. Between that, movie stills, and common sense, there is plenty of help.

skywalkersaga wrote: I forgot to mention that I agree with you about the HT padding and the overall hindrances to articulation -- it's extremely frustrating. But imo, some of that is also down to the HT bodies themselves, which are not as great as they are supposedly meant to be. I find them personally quite lacking, and that's not even in comparison to something like tbleague , which would be an unfair comparison, but rather to other standard/higher quality 1/6 bodies on the market. DamToys are a gazillion times better to pose, and, heck, I've even had more success with CooModel bodies than I have with HT bodies. I could go on a long-winded rant about how much I currently dislike HT bodies, but I'll spare you!!  

Again, I agree. HT bodies -- which used to be (no more?) available also as separate base bodies for kitbashing (at first with heads, then without) -- were considered the golden standard at the time when I got into sixth-scale collecting. And to some extent many of us seem to be stuck with that mentality. But by now other companies have caught up and possibly surpassed them -- certainly DAM, CooModel, maybe Soldier Story, and the slightly different World Box types.

skywalkersaga wrote: Of the two outfits, I think I just slightly prefer the more simple version, with the longer cloak and no hat, as it's a more elegant and streamlined look. But both do admittedly look good when put together properly. Probably my main concern when handling either of these outfits would be my bare fingers eventually leaving stains on the pale material (another thing that had me cringing during the video reviews!!). I'd definitely wear gloves. :3 Kudos also for the shoutout to — and inclusion of! —Yularen, a rather underrated character who is also featured extensively as a Republic Admiral in the Clone Wars series. :')

Me too. What I forgot to do is to pair the cap with the regular tunic look (sans cape), but that too will happen soon enough. The material handled ok in my hands, no staining; there was a tiny spot on the back of the tunic, but I'm pretty sure it was there straight out of the box. Yularen was an admiral earlier? Didn't know that. Maybe it was his cousin? One of the lame inferences from Rogue One is that Vader's chamberlain (or butler or whatever he is) is the same guy as one of the imperial dignitaries who arrived on the second Death Star because they (partially) share the same last name.

skywalkersaga wrote: Overall, this is a really well-done review, and I am especially impressed with your photos. You always go over and above with your review pics, but these ones are especially nice. You used the backdrops and edited images effectively and created a lot of visual interest. I especially enjoy the group pic of Tarkin and Krennic and co, and also the one of Vader and Krennic... that looks so good it could have been in the film!

Thank you very much! I did rewatch the Krennic scenes in the film, and was struck by how close the resemblance between screen Vader and my modified HT Vader happens to be. And HT's Vader eyebrows issue may be considered confirmed as being caused by the tendency to shoot Vader from a lower vantage point (since he is supposed to tower over everyone else).

skywalkersaga wrote: At this point, I'm just rather relieved that a) I don't focus on 'villains' in my SW collection, and b) even if I did, I am swiftly running out of space for more additions, as otherwise he'd be one I'd have on my radar as, despite whatever shortcomings are there, he really does seem like an overall nice figure. 

Umm... Anakin? Vader? Just kidding, I know what you mean. And agree.

skywalkersaga wrote: I'm out of the loop when it comes to these things, and had honestly not been aware of this one being released until you had mentioned it in the other thread. I'm not sure how the heck Hot Toys releases even 'work', but I wonder if this figure being released relatively 'late' in the sense that it's been four years since the film came out might give me some hope that other Rogue One figures might still eventually be made? My top *personal* wishlist would probably be Galen Erso, Mon Mothma, and Bail Organa (though I'd take an RotS-based Bail too, of course), but there are also a slew of other characters from that movie that I'd love to eventually see in 1/6 form. I fear the ones I mentioned might be overlooked as they are not 'action-y' enough, but imo the latter two especially are iconic SW characters and ought to be made at some point or another.

I'd like to see those made too, although since I'm building up the imperial forces and want to make security bureau officers, you won't hear me complaining about them making Krennic first. He was the immediate antagonist, after all, so the natural counterpoint to Jyn Erso.

Ephiane wrote:If I want to read a review I will take a Gube Review. I really like to see a new Figure acting next to other figures from the same series. Little details like the size. Peter Cushing is a little taller than Ben Mendelsohn. All the dios are very atmospheric. Is there a Light up function in some of your backgrounds ?

Thank you so much. A huge compliment indeed. I'm glad you liked the figures posed next to each other -- scaling, comparison, and scene-making potential is what it's all about. The days when I'd run off to Staples and print out my edited blown-up backgrounds are over for now (and have been for over a year), so apart from a couple of my printed Death Star walls, the background images are projected on my new wide monitor; in some (but not all) of the cases showing Death Star light panels, I used the actual light up backdrop elements HT released with their deluxe ROTJ stormtroopers -- I only got one such set, but picked up a couple of extra parted out backdrops before they became even more prohibitively expensive. Those are the only ones with an actual light up function. But I've noticed that especially when they are hit by the light, the printed out versions of the same wall elements cast a pretty much equally effective reflection on the shiny floor.

To answer your question about the likeness, I think it’s pretty good — and as has been pointed out when it comes to HT, they have a tendency, with just about everyone, to idealize, or simplify some of the less appealing aspects of a human face — particularly older or semi-homely (like Mendelsohn). But overall, it is instantly recognizable and pretty nice. This was a figure not on my radar, but he does look good.

Stryker -- yeah, the likeness is certainly not as 'off' as some of HT's are! 

GF -- Ah ok, glad I'm not crazy for being perplexed by HT bodies' supposed reputation as being 'good', since in my experience the best I can describe them as is 'frustrating'.  

Your use of the monitor for some backdrops seems to have turned out very well! Looks really classy!  

And ha, interesting that the lower angle on Vader is the source of HT's erroneous 'eyebrow' interpretation. Glad to have that mystery resolved. ;D 

Re: Wullf Yularen -- I'm pretty certain the character who is featured in The Clone Wars is supposed to be the same character as the one in ANH. He also showed up for a couple of eps in the Rebels animated series as well, and it was implied he was definitely the same character as in both. 

From left to right -- Yularen in the Clone Wars, Rebels, and OT:





Re: Anakin/Vader -- I know you were just kidding , but I don't really 'count' him because, a) Anakin is not a villain, but a tragic hero, and b) as Vader, regardless of whether he is 'evil' or 'redeemed', or whatever in-between at a given time, he is still, in my eyes, the central figure of the saga. For that reason, I don't consider him in the same way I would other SW villains, whether they be 'minor' or 'major'. To me he's just *that* important that he kinda transcends all of it -- my entire collection revolves around him for the very fact that I view Anakin/Vader as THE main character of the story.  

Going back to the topic at hand...oh goodness, yes, I'm not complaining they made Krennic either!  I agree that it makes perfect sense for HT to have made him prior to making any of the other characters I had mentioned. If anything, I'm surprised they hadn't made him already! In fact, I think I had previously assumed they already HAD made him, and that I'd just never seen a pic of him. Regardless, I'm glad they finally remedied that! ;'D

Stryker2011 wrote:To answer your question about the likeness, I think it’s pretty good — and as has been pointed out when it comes to HT, they have a tendency, with just about everyone, to idealize, or simplify some of the less appealing aspects of a human face — particularly older or semi-homely (like Mendelsohn). But overall, it is instantly recognizable and pretty nice. This was a figure not on my radar, but he does look good.

Thank you for your thoughts on that, Mark. I know you have an eye for these things.

skywalkersaga wrote:GF -- Ah ok, glad I'm not crazy for being perplexed by HT bodies' supposed reputation as being 'good', since in my experience the best I can describe them as is 'frustrating'.  

Sometimes they are. After all the high expectations and you get one that has an incredibly loose knee or something. They happened to be better in quality and design for a long enough while that some of us perhaps have grown accustomed to think of them as the best. Which perhaps leads to more disappointment these days.

skywalkersaga wrote: Your use of the monitor for some backdrops seems to have turned out very well! Looks really classy!  

Thank you. It is more of a hassle in some respects, but see it as a little more natural than superimposing the cropped out figure(s) over another image digitally.

skywalkersaga wrote: Re: Wullf Yularen -- I'm pretty certain the character who is featured in The Clone Wars is supposed to be the same character as the one in ANH. He also showed up for a couple of eps in the Rebels' animated series as well, and it was implied he was definitely the same character as in both. 

Oh, you're probably right. What was giving me pause was that he was admiral before becoming a colonel in the security bureau.

skywalkersaga wrote: Re: Anakin/Vader -- I know you were just kidding , but I don't really 'count' him because, a) Anakin is not a villain, but a tragic hero, and b) as Vader, regardless of whether he is 'evil' or 'redeemed', or whatever in-between at a given time, he is still, in my eyes, the central figure of the saga. For that reason, I don't consider him in the same way I would other SW villains, whether they be 'minor' or 'major'. To me he's just *that* important that he kinda transcends all of it -- my entire collection revolves around him for the very fact that I view Anakin/Vader as THE main character of the story.  

Makes sense. So, if Vader is so central, wouldn't you want to own the only guy made in higher-end sixth-scale that he force chokes (or did Sideshow make that rebel captain from Tantive IV)? Just kidding... I don't work for Hot Toys (if I did, I'd hope these things would come to me at a hefty discount! And I know I'd save them from a mistake or two).

Appendix - Deleted Scenes

Here is a bunch of additional photos I did not use in the review text above, but some of them might still be of illustrative value, showing some additional angles or recreated scenes.



















Hope you like them.

Re: the HT bodies -- yes, I can understand that they were once considered one of the best on the market and I don't mean to sound overly dismissive. I just have found them difficult to pose in many of my preferred poses, if that makes sense. I guess some of that could be down to the clothing limiting them, and in some cases it definitely is -- especially in the arm areas, and also the boots/ankles. But the clothing doesn't explain or excuse the fact that the knee joints seem to go super loose after just one single posing session. Eek. Nor the fact that the plastic in certain areas feels kinda cheap and brittle, like it's going to split at the seams. On a £20 body I could understand that, but at the HT price point it's ridiculous. 

All the same, I could live with the fragility, as long as they were flexible enough. But sometimes I struggle to get them into decent poses at all. Maybe it's just me and I suck at posing HT bodies.


Re: Yularen -- I'm not sure if the change in rank/position is ever explained (it might be covered some later eps I haven't seen), but obviously there is a huge alteration in terms of how things are structured and run during the Twilight of the Republic-era vs. during the Dark Times. So it could be that his seeming rank change is not actually a big thing in terms of equivalency. From what I recall, in the Rebels episodes he was in, his position in the Imperial security bureau was still portrayed as fairly 'important', regardless of his actual rank in that instance. 

Incidentally, Tarkin also appears in The Clone Wars as well, though in his case he is first shown as somewhat lower ranking, and then obviously we know he eventually rises (much!) higher. Tarkin of course is shown as incredibly ruthless and ambitious, whereas Yularen is characterized as more measured and even with a somewhat 'kinder' side to him. Knowing how the Clone Wars series functions on a meta-level, it could be that Yularen was deliberately portrayed as a sort of contrast to Tarkin. 


Re: Vader and Krennic.... lol, yes it is highly tempting to get him just so I can recreate the 'be careful not to choke on your aspirations' scene. Just wish I had more £££ ... and more space.


ETA: You posted the new images right as I was about to submit this response -- they look awesome! I think my fave is that one of him facing the rising Death Star. Love it.

Nice extra shots, Guv. He is a really good looking figure. I can see you having tons of fun playing around with him.

skywalkersaga wrote:Re: the HT bodies -- yes, I can understand that they were once considered one of the best on the market and I don't mean to sound overly dismissive. I just have found them difficult to pose in many of my preferred poses, if that makes sense. I guess some of that could be down to the clothing limiting them, and in some cases it definitely is -- especially in the arm areas, and also the boots/ankles. But the clothing doesn't explain or excuse the fact that the knee joints seem to go super loose after just one single posing session. Eek. Nor the fact that the plastic in certain areas feels kinda cheap and brittle, like it's going to split at the seams. On a £20 body I could understand that, but at the HT price point it's ridiculous. 

All the same, I could live with the fragility, as long as they were flexible enough. But sometimes I struggle to get them into decent poses at all. Maybe it's just me and I suck at posing HT bodies.

I doubt that -- I think they just have their limitations. Even TBLeague bodies do, but they generally look more natural.

skywalkersaga wrote:Re: Yularen -- I'm not sure if the change in rank/position is ever explained (it might be covered some later eps I haven't seen), but obviously there is a huge alteration in terms of how things are structured and run during the Twilight of the Republic-era vs. during the Dark Times. So it could be that his seeming rank change is not actually a big thing in terms of equivalency. From what I recall, in the Rebels episodes he was in, his position in the Imperial security bureau was still portrayed as fairly 'important', regardless of his actual rank in that instance. 

According to Wookiepedia (or was it Wikipedia) he resigned his admiralty to join the security bureau as a colonel. But as you know, I have very conservative views of what constitutes true canon, so I'm not overly concerned with/invested in the details.

skywalkersaga wrote:Re: Vader and Krennic.... lol, yes it is highly tempting to get him just so I can recreate the 'be careful not to choke on your aspirations' scene. Just wish I had more £££ ... and more space.

Don't we all? I frankly don't know how much longer I can justify getting sets -- or even parted out pieces -- to myself. Or plain afford it.

skywalkersaga wrote:ETA: You posted the new images right as I was about to submit this response -- they look awesome! I think my fave is that one of him facing the rising Death Star. Love it.

Thanks so much, very glad you liked them. I like that one a lot too, just wasn't quite "informative" enough (about the set) to make it into the review proper.

Stryker2011 wrote:Nice extra shots, Guv. He is a really good looking figure. I can see you having tons of fun playing around with him.

Thank you very much -- and yes, I definitely did -- more so than I was expecting to.

Yeah , no worries, it doesn’t really matter . On principle I tend not to read Wookiepedia myself since it often has too many spoilers for things that I likewise don’t consider ‘canon’ either, so I get it. :p I just had been interested by the subject since it’s so rare to see someone recreating that particular character! I’m curious ....what headsculpt did you use for your ‘Yularen’? It looks great!

I’m so glad you are enjoying this awesome Krennic figure and I thank you again for sharing him with us so we can enjoy him vicariously through you . :’D

skywalkersaga wrote:Yeah , no worries, it doesn’t really matter . On principle I tend not to read Wookiepedia myself since it often has too many spoilers for things that I likewise don’t consider ‘canon’ either, so I get it. :p  I just had been interested by the subject since it’s so rare to see someone recreating that particular character! I’m curious ....what headsculpt did you use for your ‘Yularen’? It looks great!

I’m so glad you are enjoying this awesome Krennic figure and I thank you again for sharing him with us so we can enjoy him vicariously through you . :’D

I think I feel the same way about Wookiepedia, but occasionally it comes quite handy. Glad you're enjoying Krennic, even if vicariously.

As for Yularen, I've naturally revamped the kitbash, and the answer you seek is here:
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com/t2953-star-wars-custom-colonel-yularen-from-a-new-hope#39060

Yeah, in this instance it was no big deal, and I appreciated the reminder. Was just explaining why I didn't just go look it up there myself.    

Going to check out the thread!

GubernatorFan wrote:According to Wookiepedia (or was it Wikipedia) he resigned his admiralty to join the security bureau as a colonel. But as you know, I have very conservative views of what constitutes true canon, so I'm not overly concerned with/invested in the details.

At the end of that page, in the 'Behind the Scenes' section, it's revealed there was a silly blunder with reference to his rank:

In the commentary for The Clone Wars movie, the movies' creators were under the assumption that Yularen had been a Grand Admiral during the time of Episode IV, given his white uniform. As such, they opted to portray Yularen as an admiral, as a means of showing him in the process of rising through the ranks.

Regardless of his tunic colour they hadn't taken into account that he wore the rank of Colonel in Episode IV.


That one little error slipped through, and gave rise to a contorted plot which meant Yularen dropped an unlikely number of ranks:





The error may also have given rise to them using less rank bars for the Republic era:







Just as well that Dave Filoni is a lot more on the ball since directing that Clone Wars movie.

Thanks for confirming and explaining the anomaly, Asta. I appreciate the rank badge guides, too. Is there a rational way of interpreting the rank badges and cylinder combinations for Krennic? He has only two cylinders but first the six red squares in a row badge of a high general (in the guide you posted), then the same number of cylinders with the six red squares over six blue squares of an admiral (ditto, though there seems to be some confusion with the number of cylinders assigned there).

GubernatorFan wrote:Thanks for confirming and explaining the anomaly, Asta. I appreciate the rank badge guides, too. Is there a rational way of interpreting the rank badges and cylinder combinations for Krennic? He has only two cylinders but first the six red squares in a row badge of a high general (in the guide you posted), then the same number of cylinders with the six red squares over six blue squares of an admiral (ditto, though there seems to be some confusion with the number of cylinders assigned there).

The number of cylinders in that diagram is all over the place, and doesn't make a lot of sense, as Wookieepedia explains that cylinders were issued as required. When an officer attained a post or assignment that required a new level of access he would need an extra cylinder.

Imperial installations were divided into a variety of sectors, each separated from others by security checkpoints. At major checkpoints, officers who wished to access the next secured area had to prove their identity and rank by inserting individualized cylinders into a scomp link. The scomp link interfaced with a centralized computer, which determined whether the officer had the proper clearance before denying or approving their access request.[1]...

All officers of the Navy and Army were issued with at least one cylinder, which they were ordered to display at all time. A second device was sometimes issued when an officer's duty spanned a number of unrelated sectors. Admirals of the Fleet were usually issued with three code cylinders, which enabled them to access the intelligence databanks carried by capital ships.[3] Because each cylinder permitted access to only specific sectors, high-ranking officers carried up to four of them.

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Imperial_code_cylinder


To interpret rationally why Krennic only has two cylinders, it would have to be that two is enough to grant him access to everything he's entitled to.

He was the Director of a specific department with a specific task of building the Death Star.

Admiral Ozzel, for example, had three cylinders, which would indicate that his duties were likely to be more varied.

Tarkin was a regional governor and had four cylinders.


I also think that giving Krennic only two was a visual put down. He considered himself invaluable to the Empire, but figures like Vader and Tarkin treated him like a mere project manager.

Further to the issue of Imperial ranks, Wookieepedia noted the inconsistency between the films:

According to Pablo Hidalgo, the rank badges "only mean anything in Empire Strikes Back".[40] In A New Hope, the plaques look different than in The Empire Strikes Back, despite many officers holding the same rank. In Return of the Jedi, all of the plaques were mistakenly made as commander plaques[41] due to a costuming error,[42] even those of Admiral Firmus Piett[4] and Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod.[42] Both Rogue One: A Star Wars Story[16] and Star Wars Rebels feature both styles of plaques.[34]

Glyn Dillon, costume designer for Rogue One, released the following chart created by David Crossman for the film:





The image is clickable and opens into full size.

Nice, I think they made some good choices, that hat for example and the two outfits. He really shines in the right surroundings.

Not a fan of the stand with the portrait, he will be standing on his own face? But looks better among his fellow Planet destroyer friends anyway. Speaking of, I like the pics in front of that space window the most, like the one were he feels the power of evil running through his veins. They really cast this actor often to play the bad guy. (Duh.)

Never got a look at the pistol, looks very unique and kind of sixshooterish.

Regarding rank, never gave it much thought, but I always had the conception the empire takes the 'longer/bigger the better' kind of approach. Like: 'I have more squares I outrank you!' 
but now he could add: 'But I have more blue squares!'
What are these silver cylinders anyway, some kind of ball point pen?

Looking at all those rank charts gave me a headache. Oh the mistakes made by the Script Supervisors over all these films (it happens all the time, even in the same movie, so I don’t know how much stock I would put into any chart made by Fanboys).

Krennic was a pretty good character, his blind obendience and faith in the empire where his downfall. I do love that final scene with him as he looks up and finally understands that in the empire it's "Eat or be eaten." and that loyalty and obedience are basically meaningless, specially if all you want is power.

The deleted scenes are nice, specially the death trooper bringing him some pretty well known red boxed fries, I guess everyone likes those fries including evil men in a galaxy far far away.

Asta wrote:Further to the issue of Imperial ranks, Wookieepedia noted the inconsistency between the films:

According to Pablo Hidalgo, the rank badges "only mean anything in Empire Strikes Back".[40] In A New Hope, the plaques look different than in The Empire Strikes Back, despite many officers holding the same rank. In Return of the Jedi, all of the plaques were mistakenly made as commander plaques[41] due to a costuming error,[42] even those of Admiral Firmus Piett[4] and Moff Tiaan Jerjerrod.[42] Both Rogue One: A Star Wars Story[16] and Star Wars Rebels feature both styles of plaques.[34]

Glyn Dillon, costume designer for Rogue One, released the following chart created by David Crossman for the film

Thanks for the extra resource. I'm glad Rogue One tried to be systematic (though they did make some unforgivable mistakes in terms of continuity in costuming). However, the received opinion is that insofar as the badges were consistent, it was in A New Hope, and that Empire began the process of introducing inconsistencies. And that seems correct, if nothing else, because A New Hope introduced all this in the first place (and any inconsistencies may be due to retcon -- e.g., retrospectively naming and titling characters not actually named and titled onscreen).

Ovy wrote:Nice, I think they made some good choices, that hat for example and the two outfits. He really shines in the right surroundings.

Not a fan of the stand with the portrait, he will be standing on his own face? But looks better among his fellow Planet destroyer friends anyway. Speaking of, I like the pics in front of that space window the most, like the one were he feels the power of evil running through his veins. They really cast this actor often to play the bad guy. (Duh.)

Never got a look at the pistol, looks very unique and kind of sixshooterish.

Regarding rank, never gave it much thought, but I always had the conception the empire takes the 'longer/bigger the better' kind of approach. Like: 'I have more squares I outrank you!' 
but now he could add: 'But I have more blue squares!'
What are these silver cylinders anyway, some kind of ball point pen?

I'm glad we agree and that you liked the images. The code cylinders, if I remember correctly, have to do with automatic access (clearance) based on rank and status.

Stryker2011 wrote:Looking at all those rank charts gave me a headache. Oh the mistakes made by the Script Supervisors over all these films (it happens all the time, even in the same movie, so I don’t know how much stock I would put into any chart made by Fanboys).

It seems to me that much about what we "know" about these is essentially retcon. As in fans (and later filmmakers) apparently trying to make sense of what was already becoming inconsistent by the second film.

Theboo-bomb wrote:Krennic was a pretty good character, his blind obedience and faith in the empire where his downfall. I do love that final scene with him as he looks up and finally understands that in the empire it's "Eat or be eaten." and that loyalty and obedience are basically meaningless, specially if all you want is power.

The deleted scenes are nice, specially the death trooper bringing him some pretty well known red boxed fries, I guess everyone likes those fries including evil men in a galaxy far far away.

Yep, everyone like fries. Greasy food is supposed to be comfort food, and Krennic was still smarting from being told off by Tarkin. Speaking of which, a clear glass might have been an appropriate extra accessory for the set.

GubernatorFan wrote:Thanks for the extra resource. I'm glad Rogue One tried to be systematic (though they did make some unforgivable mistakes in terms of continuity in costuming). However, the received opinion is that insofar as the badges were consistent, it was in A New Hope, and that Empire began the process of introducing inconsistencies. And that seems correct, if nothing else, because A New Hope introduced all this in the first place (and any inconsistencies may be due to retcon -- e.g., retrospectively naming and titling characters not actually named and titled onscreen).

The ANH ranks are pretty confusing, and I don't know whether much thought went into them, but as you say the retrospective naming and titling has only made it more difficult to rationalise them.

I looked at the behind the scenes info for the ANH characters named in Glyn Dillon's chart, to see how much original intent there was in relation to the rank bars on screen. It's apparent that there wasn't much set in stone from the beginning:

Motti...was played by Richard LeParmentier, who was credited as "General Motti".[4] Motti was originally intended to be an admiral, but as LeParmentier proved to be too tall for the uniform that he was to wear, he was fitted in the uniform of a general and Motti's rank was changed.[12]

Wullf Yularen first appeared as an unnamed background character in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, whom the fan website Aveleyman claims was portrayed by Robert Clarke,[36] and he was given the name Wullf Yularen by the Star Wars Legends card game Star Wars Customizable Card Game.

Chief Bast...was portrayed by Leslie Schofield and credited only as "Commander #1."[2]

The character of Romodi [Hurst] first appeared in the novelization of the 1977 movie Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, released several months prior to the film. Attending a meeting aboard the Death Star, he delivers a line[10] that is instead given to Admiral Motti in the movie.[1] Although his appearance in the novel rendered him a part of Expanded Universe continuity, it was unclear if Romodi actually appeared in the film until 2012 when author Jason Fry confirmed that he was the "bald guy" present at the meeting;[11] a character whom the fan website Aveleyman claims was portrayed by Ian Selby.[12] In that same year, Fry and Paul R. Urquhart provided the first name of "Hurst" in the reference book The Essential Guide to Warfare.[13]

General Tagge was created by George Lucas for the 1977 film Star Wars, in which he was portrayed by Don Henderson. The character is credited erroneously as General Taggi in the film's end credits. In early drafts of the film's screenplay, Lucas swapped the names of General Tagge and Admiral Motti, which had repercussions in the film's various adaptations. Early dialogue for Tagge revealed that he, like Motti, has reservations about Darth Vader's capacity to recover the data tapes of the Death Star plans. This version of the script is reflected in the first part of Marvel Comics' adaptation of the film, although the character's appearance more closely reflects that of the actor playing Admiral Motti, Richard LeParmentier, rather than Henderson.[2] The comic issue also gives Tagge the rank of commander rather than general. Alan Dean Foster's novelization of Lucas's screenplay further confuses the issue, giving Motti's lines to Tagge, and as a result it is General Tagge who is strangled by Darth Vader in the scene.[2] Foster's novel also gives Tagge his earlier line regarding Darth Vader, and features him arguing with another character, Romodi. The novel also features dialogue from Tagge that concerns his opinion on Tarkin, which does not appear in the film.

Trech Molock...reached the rank of High General, he acted as the first Death Star's Army Operations Chief under Cassio Tagge....

Although he appeared in the 1977 movie Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope,[2] Molock was only identified as such in 2013 in The Death Star Coup, an article written by Jason Fry for the Special Edition 2014 of the Star Wars Insider magazine. The article, however, does not precise whether Molock died in the destruction of the Death Star over Yavin 4 or not.[1]

It's in my nature to try and make sense of these things, but over the course of the Original Trilogy it's just not possible. By contrast the system in Star Trek is much more satisfying, whether it's sleeve bands or collar pips you can tell a character's rank.

Good point about the notorious fluidity of Lucas' drafts, which appear to have confused things even more. Here are a couple of links from a site that tried to make sense of it, in case anyone is interested:

https://www.theforce.net/swtc/insignia/badges.html

https://www.theforce.net/swtc/insignia/empire.html

https://www.theforce.net/swtc/insignia/cylinders.html

https://www.theforce.net/swtc/insignia/uniforms.html

I don't know enough about Star Trek, but from what I do know, I would imagine they were far more systematic about this.