Soft Goods Finally Acceptable?

[Jim]

Anyone else pleased with the new soft goods applications on the Obi-Wan and Anakin from this line.  I think Hasbro has finally gotten it right, or as close as they can for small scale figures.  I've picked up extras just for other figures. 

These robes look excellent on the VOTC Ben Kenobi as well at the ROTS Mace.  Heres hoping they follow suit and keep them going. There are alot of figures I would rebuy just with these new robes.

[CHEWIE]

I agree they have gotten better - as long as they use either a silky material like the Jedi robes/Dooku's cape/Vader's cape or like they did or a gauze like material like on the VSTC Sandperson, I like it.

But when they go with a thick, fuzzy material it looks bad (like the VSTC Greedo).

For the most part I do prefer plastic though.

 

[Darth_Anton]

I've always liked soft goods. I agree, the robes in question are outstanding and I try to pick extras up when I have the chance ( through trades, collector shops etc...)

[Clone Hunter]

I agree they have gotten better - as long as they use either a silky material like the Jedi robes/Dooku's cape/Vader's cape or like they did or a gauze like material like on the VSTC Sandperson, I like it.

But when they go with a thick, fuzzy material it looks bad (like the VSTC Greedo).

For the most part I do prefer plastic though.

 

I have the opposite opinion. I like the"fuzzy" or normal cloaks, and hate the satin like cloaks.

Consequently, the new cloaks work well on the Ep. I Mace terrifically.

[SilverZ]

I've come a long way from my anti-soft goods stance over the years. Starting with the vOTC, through ROTS, and now the robes on the TSC repacks of Ani and Obi, I'm all for soft goods. I'd be very pleased if they offered up more of the same cloaks somehow so that I could use them on several of the older Jedi.

I've used one on the Evo AOTC Anakin and it makes the figure perfect.

My only complaint is that (like you mentioned with Greedo, CHEWIE) is that there are ways to use soft goods inappropriately, just to do it. That Greedo vest has no business being made of a cloth material. Hopefully they'll avoid crap like that in the future.

[Darth Broem]

I think they are getting better at soft goods.  However, I still look at a few like the Anakin they just repacked.  I don't really care for how it looks on that figure.  However, I think it looks great on the Kenobi.  Then again that Kenobi is a better figure anyway.  I wish the soft robes they used were somehow "smoother" than what they look like.  But that is kind of nit picky.  Regardless I wish it was.

[Mister Skeezler]

I've always been a fan of softgoods. they take a little work initially, but then you have an excellent and poseable representation of the characters.

I mean just look at the VTSC Sandpeople...if you pose the robes while you pose the figure, you've got the best Tusken raider figure in the line. Essentially, softgoods don't just allow for more articulation, they also add articulation since you can pose the softgoods along with the figure.

I'm just glad Hasbro is finally doing a great job with it...I hope they keep it up.

[Jesse James]

I'm a big proponent to softgoods features on action figures in this scale.  While I don't think they're ALWAYS the best option, I do think they should be used any time they are helping a figure's poseability.  So Jedi robes, any "cape", etc., skirt pieces, and the like...  These are good.

The trenchcoat that came with Han is amazing to me, and I think it's proof of how softgoods just make the toy better...  Does it look "real"?  No, but a plastic coat's going to hinder articulation, even the best flexible plastic would've unfortunately.  And Han's coat looks GOOD...  not great, not perfect, but good, and for a toy that's what it should strive for I think over looking perfect.

Sculpt/likeness has its set of rules, but when a character's outfit impedes a toy's playability I feel that the sculpt accuracy needs to take a back seat to the toy's quality as just that, a toy.  So the cloth coat is all good to me.

For my money, I like Greedo's vest a lot...  Fabric texture is important in how the cloth comes off aesthetically on the toy I think, so for me I prefer a thin fabric used on coats/cloaks like a Jedi robe, but with a coarse texturing to the fabric...  It matches up well with the costume's looks in the film.  The thinness of the fabric helps it lay flat on the figure, fold with the figure...  It helps the aesthetics, and the weave of the material gives a nice look of a heavier material.

If you want to see the single best softgoods robe for a Jedi, look at the old Lollipop Mace WIndu (Total Control Mace Windu) From Saga 2002-2003.  THAT figure has great fabric for its robe.  If they sewed full Jedi robes with that, they'd be able to sell them in bulk, I guarantee it.

When I do my reviews here at JediDefender.com though, I pick those little details apart...  Is the Jedi robe of the quality of an Evolutions Anakin's robes, or is it a VOTC Obi-Wan's robe?  That's important...  Neither is perfect, but one's clearly better than the other.

On Greedo VTSC, I liked his cloth vest.  I thought it was going to be attrocious, but when I opened the figure it gives a feel of a bulky and "hide" vest...  Like it's an animal skin.  It's kind of neat really.  And Greedo's vest in the film has a fuzz look to it sort of...  It's plain and flat, it's brownish-orange...  I thnk Hasbro nailed it.  And with the vest being one singel piece cut and only sewn at the sides, it's really not bulked up by excess fabric at the seams...  It's pretty spiffy I think.  To me Hasbro has a winner on that one.

It even covers the holster if you want, or you can have Greedo push it back over the gun for a cool gunslinging look.  To me it's far superior to fabric for those reasons, but does it look better than Commtech Greedo's vest?  It's a better color but the sculpted vest is more contoured and stuff to the figure...  For my money though, the cloth vest makes the better toy...  I'll take the cloth vest then over CTGreedo's plastic vest.

My CT Greedos have all been pushed into my Jabba's Thugs army now, and VTSC Greedo reigns supreme over all the others, hands down.