Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been hit with yet another toy leak, this one revealing the first wave of 3.75-inch action figures from Hasbro. In just about a month (as of this writing), fans and collectors will be flocking to stores in celebration of Force Friday II, which is when various tie-in merchandise for Episode VIII will be available for purchase. If previous years for The Force Awakens and Rogue One are any indication, there will be a bevy of products on shelves - ranging from apparel to cans of soda. Of course, toys will be some of the hottest sellers, as viewers (especially youngsters) will be eager to create their own Star Wars adventures at home.
As people start saving up money for their shopping sprees in September, we've already been treated to images and descriptions of LEGO sets that confirm rumors and tease other plot developments from the movie. Now, Hasbro's action figures are beginning to pop up. A batch of them were accidentally put on sale early in Panama, and customers were quick to take pictures of what's available.
Appearing on the Instagram account SWRogue507 (hat tip Star Wars News Net), the action figures do not spoil much in the way of story details, but they do offer another look at the film's main characters in their new costumes. Each item is enabled with "Force Link" technology, which allows fans to activate sounds for the toys with a special gadget. The characters included in this wave are Resistance gunner Paige (Rose Tico's sister), C-3PO, Chewbacca, General Hux, Kylo Ren, Rey, Finn, Rose, a stormtrooper, Luke Skywalker, and Poe Dameron (with the Resistance ski speeder). We've embedded nine images in the space below. Visit SWNN to see the others.
While there will almost definitely be more action figures once The Last Jedi is released, this wave is a good start, highlighting many of the principal characters from Star Wars 7. There are only a few noteworthy individuals missing from the collection, such as General Leia Organa, Captain Phasma, and Supreme Leader Snoke. It's possible they will be among the action figures once the products (officially) go on sale, or they could be saved for later. New additions like Laura Dern's Vice Admiral Holdo and Benicio del Toro's DJ also are not in toy form for the time being, but that could be a conscious decision on Lucasfilm's part to keep aspects about those characters under wraps until they debut on the big screen.
It's interesting to look at the accessories (or lack of) that come with each figure and speculate how it might connect to the movie. Kylo Ren is once again seen in marketing sans helmet, so it looks as if he'll be spending a majority of the film without it. The Luke toy does not have a lightsaber, but it may not be worth reading too much into that. Hasbro frequently does not know key story revelations, and the filmmakers would obviously want to save Luke wielding his green blade again as a surprise. Chewie is paired with an adorable porg, essentially confirming that the Wookiee will befriend some of the feathered creatures while on Ahch-To. Hopefully, the inevitable R2-D2 figure comes with another porg that can rest on the droid's head. With only a handful of months until Episode VIII is released, Lucasfilm will ramp up their marketing efforts soon, which is an exciting proposition.
MORE: How Captain Phasma's Backstory Came To Be
Source: Instagram (via Star Wars News Net)
