Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 4

[ThePhantomEmperor]

These could possibly be the upcoming Wave 4 figures:

Captain Phasma (Chrome Stormtrooper - Commander) (First Order) (TFA)
General Leia Organa (D’Qar Celebration Gown) (TFA)
Han Solo (Cold Weather Gear or Starkiller Base Outfit) (TFA)

Tell me what you think, thank you for letting me post.

[McMetal]

The photos all over the internets look pretty legit. Seems like a solid 4th wave.

[Jesse James]

I'm kinda bummed Leia got a slot, simply because she's a figure I'd be perfectly happy with 5POA...

Han is welcome as is Phasma.  Cool stuff.

[Nicklab]

Phasma certainly isn't a surprise.  I think a lot of people saw through the codes on that one.  The figure looks good, even if the character was somewhat underwhelming in terms of impact to the story of Episode 7.

I can't say that I'm surprised by the Starkiller base Han Solo.  I think a 3.75" Black Series Han Solo was a near certainty, especially given Han's very central role in THE FORCE AWAKENS.  While I would've preferred a version much more like Han is his leather jacket, I can understand why Hasbro went a different way.  Just look at the release schedule!  The 3.75" basic figure has only been in reasonably wide release for the past month or so.  To announce an SA exclusive version of Han Solo in the same deco as the recently released 5POA basic figure would probably hurt sales of the general release offering.  That would probably also lead to upset retail partners.  So the logical way to go would seem to be the only other version of Han Solo from TFA that makes sense:  cold weather gear.  I feel confident that there will be a TFA SA Han Solo in the leather jacket, but I think Hasbro wants some time before they "fix" the figure that just came out 2 months ago.

I'm a little surprised that Hasbro went with this version of Leia.  But perhaps they want to offer up the Resistance General version in the main 5POA line.  As for the name?

General Leia Organa (D’Qar Celebration Gown) (TFA)

...I think I would probably refer to this as the D'Qar Mourning gown.  We've never really seen Leia in clothes so dark before, and I think the final scenes of her on D'Qar depict someone who is mourning, and not celebrating.  Han and Leia didn't seem like they were on the best of terms, but they still seemed to care for one another deeply.  As for a figure commemorating that?  It's tough.  Simply because Leia only had two different costumes.  And my belief is that General Leia is almost certainly coming in the 5 POA line this year.


All of this leaves me wondering what's next in the WalMart exclusive 3.75" SA figure line.  Where do you go from here in terms of the character selections?  The ones that immediately come to mind and make sense in the SA format are:
-Resistance uniform Poe 
-Stormtrooper Finn 
-First Order Trooper (TIE Pilot, Flametrooper, Heavy Gunner, Snowtrooper, Fleet Engineer)
-Hux
-Resistance Troopers
-X-Wing pilots
-Knights of Ren
-Luke Skywalker

[Ben]

I hope that Leia is a factory reject, because those eyebrows are fierce.

[Jeff]

I'm kinda bummed Leia got a slot, simply because she's a figure I'd be perfectly happy with 5POA...

Same here.  Loving Starkiller Base Han (assuming it's legit, of course).  Phasma is nice.  Leia... coulda been 5POA with that dress.  Oh well...

[Pete_Fett]

I think that at this point Leia is the Jocasta Nu of the Star Wars line. Hasbro is never going to put out an action figure of an "old lady" in the mass market 5POA line, so she'll be relegated from here on out as an exclusive. I think the 3.75" Black Series is the ONLY way we'd ever get Leia in this outfit from TFA, so I'm kinda glad she got a slot. I'm definitely glad she got a slot instead of a 3.75" SA rendition of a character like General Hux.

[Diddly]

Well consider me disappointed in this whole set. We knew Phasma was coming, but honestly I'm perfectly fine with the 5POA version considering all she does is type on a keyboard. Han is just disappointing, from the outfit he wore for a grand total of 30 seconds to the brown hair. Seriously, that's 3 figures now where Hasbro has refused to paint Han's hair the correct color. What's the deal? And I agree that Leia is not a figure that needs to be SA at all, especially in her 30 second outfit.

[Jayson]

Some new pics. Not sure what to make of the astromech as it uses Disney's leg molds from their Droid Factory line. Could be a yet to be announced exclusive.

[Jesse James]

I think the 3.75" Black Series is the ONLY way we'd ever get Leia in this outfit from TFA, so I'm kinda glad she got a slot. I'm definitely glad she got a slot instead of a 3.75" SA rendition of a character like General Hux.

This I just completely disagree with, haha.  Sorry Pete...  I'd take SA Gen Hux over any Leia outside of an ANH resculpt, any day at this point.  Maybe not a "general duds" Leia from TFA maybe.  She was more important in that outfit I think, for that film.

I liked Ceremony Leia for what she was, but honestly I can't say I'd ever have cared if they never updated her at all either.  To me, SA slots are precious few right now, and Leia (old Leia) really sucks to get one.  That said, if it were her in her General's uniform and not this goofy outfit she wore briefly, I'd have much rather had THAT figure made, but at the same time, neither one is as interesting to me as an SA Resistance Trooper (so Stormies have some kinda targets to aim at poorly), or some random alien even from Maz's.  Or the cool droid there for that matter.

Han I love, but I'd take Han in any outfit from any film in the SA line.  Speaking of, was his coat blue in the movie?  I can't recall.  If it was, cool nod to the vinty figure.

The "new" droid is a cool deco, but man, $13 for a droid repaint blows.  That said, I like droid repaints and just paid $70 for 7 of them soooooo I guess I was already down that rabbit hole for the most part anyway.

On Phasma, I know she didn't do jack in the movie really, but neither did Boba Fett or Jango (much) so I just am glad to have a SA version of her because I really just want to be able to pose her like she IS doing cool ****.  I envision that she has done quite a bit, and figure she's a badass ultimately, and so getting that SA version (was gonna make one, now won't) is quite awesome to me.

TFA didn't have a TON of memorable figures oddly enough...  I'd like to have seen better articulation on some of the aliens we've gotten, but Maz's was kind of a brief alien bit that was glossed over.  Outside of Resistance Pilots/Troopers/officers, and First Order pilots/troopers/officers, I feel like there just is a few main guys in outfits to wish for with this quality level.

SA Poe in Resistance Pilot Ground duds, and then a "tortured" deco variant?   I'd buy both.  One can wish.  A SA Finn in trooper duds.  An SA General Leia would be cool for me, and an SA Han in the outfit he appeared in 90% of the film in would be amazingly awesome and my top TFA want I'm sure (saw the 5POA and it's not a bad sculpt but not poseable kills it for me).

So yeah...  Ceremony Leia, and this Leia, they just don't have the umph for $13, to me.  I think if Maz can get a figure, any Leia can...  Maz is an alien, sure, but at her character's core she seemed just like a little old lady too.  And hell, Hux as a basic 5POA figure?  Did kids really care about him either?  I think anything's possible, even in the "aimed at kids" line.

But an SA Hux...  That'd actually be kinda cool to me. 

[Muftak]

Han I love, but I'd take Han in any outfit from any film in the SA line.  Speaking of, was his coat blue in the movie?  I can't recall.  If it was, cool nod to the vinty figure.

There is a theory that his coat changes color from blue to brown intentionally during the movie, but I can't confirm that because my eyes are terrible for gauging that kind of thing. (Where's Scott? He's the one who started all this...)

When they are getting ready to leave the Starkiller Shield Generator and go to the Capacitor, Chewie hands Han his coat, and Han definitely does a double-take when he sees it.

[Scockery]

I've yet to buy any of the Wal-Mart Black series. It would take something special like Resistance Trooper with swappable heads...i.e. "something they'd never do".

[Jesse James]

What they've done so far is really nice...  Poe and Rey have been some of the bed figures I owned in a while.  FO trooper is pretty kick ass too.

I'd be happy with any resistance trooper that is just nicely articulated and has a removable bucket.  I like figures to have a counterpart.  The swappable head thing isn't a big deal to me.  Rey's was a nice touch though.

[ThePhantomEmperor]

Phasma certainly isn't a surprise.  I think a lot of people saw through the codes on that one.  The figure looks good, even if the character was somewhat underwhelming in terms of impact to the story of Episode 7.

I can't say that I'm surprised by the Starkiller base Han Solo.  I think a 3.75" Black Series Han Solo was a near certainty, especially given Han's very central role in THE FORCE AWAKENS.  While I would've preferred a version much more like Han is his leather jacket, I can understand why Hasbro went a different way.  Just look at the release schedule!  The 3.75" basic figure has only been in reasonably wide release for the past month or so.  To announce an SA exclusive version of Han Solo in the same deco as the recently released 5POA basic figure would probably hurt sales of the general release offering.  That would probably also lead to upset retail partners.  So the logical way to go would seem to be the only other version of Han Solo from TFA that makes sense:  cold weather gear.  I feel confident that there will be a TFA SA Han Solo in the leather jacket, but I think Hasbro wants some time before they "fix" the figure that just came out 2 months ago.

I'm a little surprised that Hasbro went with this version of Leia.  But perhaps they want to offer up the Resistance General version in the main 5POA line.  As for the name?

General Leia Organa (D’Qar Celebration Gown) (TFA)

...I think I would probably refer to this as the D'Qar Mourning gown.  We've never really seen Leia in clothes so dark before, and I think the final scenes of her on D'Qar depict someone who is mourning, and not celebrating.  Han and Leia didn't seem like they were on the best of terms, but they still seemed to care for one another deeply.  As for a figure commemorating that?  It's tough.  Simply because Leia only had two different costumes.  And my belief is that General Leia is almost certainly coming in the 5 POA line this year.


All of this leaves me wondering what's next in the WalMart exclusive 3.75" SA figure line.  Where do you go from here in terms of the character selections?  The ones that immediately come to mind and make sense in the SA format are:
-Resistance uniform Poe 
-Stormtrooper Finn 
-First Order Trooper (TIE Pilot, Flametrooper, Heavy Gunner, Snowtrooper, Fleet Engineer)
-Hux
-Resistance Troopers
-X-Wing pilots
-Knights of Ren
-Luke Skywalker

I believe that the Celebration Dress or Gown fits. Here is why, while Leia has a heavy heart for the loss of Han. As General leading the Resistance, Leia shows great hope and courage. Rey, Finn, Poe and the rest of the Resistance just blew up the First Order's Starkiller Base. Also, if you remember Leia feels Han die in the war room, she should great remorse and then when Leia comforts Rey on their return to D'Qar, this scene shows how sad everyone is by the loss of Han Solo. Whether it be fictional or real. In war no one really wins. The side that people consider victorious is the side with the least casualties. This how I will list my Leia figure. Disney, Hasbro or everyone can decide on a name. Remember though Disney likes using sweet and pleasant words. Mourning is what Luke does when watching Darth Vader's Armor burn in Return of The Jedi. Thank you for opinion.
 

[Darth_Anton]

Yeah, the astromech would be a bummer without the wire legs, but the others are very welcome additions. Now onto hoping they're better distributed on the west coast...