Having never purchased a Black Series figure before (I know, I’m a terrible Star Wars fan, I obviously hate the franchise, etc, etc), I figured that Force Friday would be a great time to hop on that bandwagon. These figures have been hyped up for a really long time. Most collectors of Star Wars merchandise that I know look at them as among the best products on the shelves, and they come at a relatively reasonable price. Fortunately, in spite of my high expectations, this Kylo Ren figure still blew me away as soon as I took it out of the box and began admiring, playing around with, and posing it.
First of all, it should be noted that you can pose him pretty much however you wish. I would assume this is the case with all Black Series figures (it’s definitely consistent with the Rey figure that I purchased), but it still surprises me that a $20.00 product has so many points of articulation – especially when the half-price equivalent has next to none. Currently, I have him sitting on my windowsill, modeled after the scene in the first trailer. Of course, this could change – and probably will. So far, that’s his iconic pose, but we may get some scenes in The Force Awakens that have him looking even more bada**.
It did actually take me quite a well to decide how I wanted to display him. I spent a good 15-20 minutes just experimenting with his limbs, seeing exactly what the figure could do, and as I said earlier, I was quite impressed. Part of my love for this product may come from a place of nostalgia. The time I spent posing Kylo Ren was reminiscent of my childhood days, largely spent playing with Star Wars action figures. Of course, this is a very different product, but it was lots of fun to feel like a kid again, and be able to justify it to myself by calling the figure a “collectible.”
The attention to detail here is incredible. The cloth cloak is a great touch, and gives the figure a certain degree of authenticity, as it feels more in line with the outfit the character actually wears. As much as I do love this touch, it is also my one problem with the figure. I would like the cloak to be removable, and for there to be a little bit of detail underneath. The signature lightsaber is, of course, included with the figure, and it’s just as awesome as one would expect. But what really takes the cake in terms of detail is the mask. My biggest gripe with the Rey figure was the facial detail, but with Kylo Ren, it’s exactly the opposite. His mask looks like it was lifted directly from the trailers, and planted right on the face of this figure. It’s a perfect translation of one of the character’s coolest aesthetic features.
At $20.00 (cheaper on certain online retailers), Kylo Ren is one of the standouts of the new line of Star Wars merchandise. It works exceptionally well as a display piece, and hey, if you just want to play with it and re-enact scenes from the trailer, it works for that too. It may be more cost effective to purchase one of the $8.00 action figures if you’re looking for something for a child to play with, but otherwise, I do wholeheartedly recommend this figure.
