“Being a Jedi isn’t about wielding a lightsaber. Train your mind. Train your body. Trust in the Force.”
When Ahsoka first aired on Disney+ in the Summer of 2023, the subsequent releases in the Star Wars Black Series repacked the existing Ahsoka Tano live-action figure from The Mandalorian into the Ahsoka Galaxy Collection. While marginally disappointing for collectors who now had to double-dip on a figure, the release was accurate to Ahsoka’s robes during the majority of the season. Her revised ‘Ahsoka the White’ costume as seen as she journeyed to Peridea was released a year after the season aired as part of Wave 19 of the Galaxy Collection. Wave 19 was a disjointed wave that felt like it was released in segments and not as a whole. It included the first live-action Grand Admiral Thrawn figure as well as figures from Andor Season 1 and Season 2, a repacked Darth Maul, and the new Imperial Commando design from The Mandalorian.
The wave utilises the new square boxes and retains the cyan accent colour used on the Ahsoka Galaxy Collection releases to date. Ahsoka Tano ‘Peridea’ is number 11 in that series, with her artwork technically connecting to the first Shin Hati release - although that one is on the slanted side packaging - and then onward to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Like other transitions from slanted side artwork to the new packaging, the colour change is subtly different if you ever line them up together. The same artwork is used on the rear of the box alongside a short piece of text covering Ahsoka’s experience in the World Between Worlds. The backing card for the figure uses the same colour scheme as the box and incorporates a clouded sky image.
Despite similarities in the costume design, the 2024 Peridea Ahsoka is an entirely new figure now using various shades of lighter grey across the costume. This starts with the torso in two-tone grey and with a painted front cream panel. The trousers use a similar light grey finish and are the baggy ‘parachute’ style trousers as seen on the old figure but with a new joint system for the knee. These are topped off with a new belt piece with two side panels in cream, a central sash in a darker grey, and the hanging beads we saw on the original figure. The belt also features an intricately tied finish at the back and four loose strands of the central tie wrap. It is also inclusive of two hooks positioned at the hips to hang Ahsoka’s lightsaber.
The arms start with an upper arm cast in the orange Togruta skin tone, which transitions into painted grey wraps - a finish that does still show through some orange base colour at the joint. Beneath the elbow, the wraps continue under a pair of two-tone bracers and finish with fingerless gloves. The legs similarly feature a plain grey finish beneath the knee, then shin guards in grey with sculpted straps and a simple pair of shoes.
vs 2023 Ahsoka #01 Release (right)
Ahsoka’s head sculpt is also new with extended Leku and what looks to be an improved likeness to actor Rosario Dawson. The facial markings, eyes, and mouth are photo-printed and the face itself framed with a metallic silver headpiece that sits between the head and the Leku. The Leku themselves feature the blue markings down each of the three head tails.
One of the criticisms of the first Ahsoka figure was a lack of a soft goods cloak as sported in both her Mandalorian and Ahsoka season 1 appearance - particularly when one exists in the line and has only been sold with a very hard to obtain (here in the UK anyway), overpriced Amazon exclusive.. The same is true of the Peridea release with Ahsoka lacking the white outer cloak she is seen wearing when she and Sabine finally arrive on Peridea itself.
What we do get in the release is Ahsoka’s lightsabers, with both long and short hilts cast in silver with black markings. Each hilt features a loop at the end which allows them to be slung on Ahsoka’s belt. The other end incorporates the clip-in lightsaber blades - again one long, one short - in a translucent milky white finish. The saber hilts fit in either hand, although when the grip is reversed to mimic Ahsoka’s ‘Djem So’ reverse grip, the hand can’t quite hold the saber as securely and it will droop backward - an issue carried forward from the original release and one that would have only been solved by breaking the established principles of the Black Series and including alternative hands.
Ahsoka has 17 points of pinless articulation with more emphasis placed on incorporating the joints into the costume as seen with the changes to the knee joint, and the way the butterfly shoulders match to the way the costume sits over Ahsoka’s torso. Despite the size of the upper half of the trousers, there is a good level of movement available at the legs with the belt moving with the joints and not impeding it. The arms also extended fully in nearly all directions - particularly useful for lightsaber posing - although the elbow could really have done with a tad more bend past the 90-degree point. There is some restriction in the neck joint thanks to the Leku, but there is enough play to have Ahsoka look up and down to a degree with the side-to-side movement the one that is blocked by the anatomy of the Togruta.
The Wave 19 release of Ahsoka Tano on Peridea does lots of things right, not least redesigning the Ahsoka figure from the ground up even when some parts might have been translatable from the original release. The likeness is improved on what was a pretty good Rosario Dawson sculpt, and the costume features a number of layers and colour changes as well as smaller details like the belt and the beads. The lightsabers are carried forward - but do the job - they just really needed a rethink on the hands to allow for Ahsoka’s often-used reverse grip.
The lack of a cloak is disappointing, although Hasbro do have a track record (Shin Hati and Baylan Skoll) of recycling the figures into exclusives with updated soft goods. The Ahsoka Galaxy Collection is shaping up nicely after a year and a half with this updated look for Ahsoka much more visual on display than the original. We just need Hasbro to stick with this part of the franchise long enough to get us an Ezra figure and the Nightsisters - and maybe a few more of Thrawn’s troopers.
Keep Track of all the Star Wars Black Series figures from Hasbro at our comprehensive
If you are reading this via a 3rd party website that is importing our newsfeed, please come and visit us directly and give us a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check out our direct news feed for more action figure news, reviews, and store reports
About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
Comments