Vinylmation Review - Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens received its own Vinylmation series on its release day. Previous Star Wars Vinylmation series have proved popular with collectors and it seems this series was received with enthusiasm also. The series is even more appealing to those who have seen and enjoyed the latest installment of Star Wars. I actually think this movie had enough going on that this set could have been expanded to 12 figures. I would have included Luke, Maz Kanata, Captain Phasma and General Hux and made this set 12 figures, keeping Han as the chaser.

Reasons to love this series:

• Character assortment - I think every character you could possibly want from The Force Awakens is in this series. (Okay, you might want Chewbacca but there's already a Vinylmation of him in existence). There's the heroes, the lovable droid, the new villain, C-3PO sporting his new look, and the updated Stormtrooper. Kylo Ren is particularly popular among collectors 
• Variants - The possibility of a variant is often the incentive collectors need to pick up blind boxes these days, so it's always great to have them in a series, but they only get my vote if they make sense as part of the set. Rey in her desert gear and Finn in is stormtrooper outfit definitely fit that description. (I would have liked to have seen a variant of Finn with his helmet on and the bloody hand print, but perhaps that was too risque?)
• Desirable chaser - Some collectors argue that the quality of chasers is starting to decline and thus chasers aren't what collectors chase anymore. I don't think that applies to the Han Solo chaser in this series. Fans were thrilled to see the return of the lovable scruffy looking nerf herder. I think this is a wonderfully designed figure and perfect for the chaser
• Accessories - Kylo Ren would not be complete without his 3 prong lightsaber and Rey would not be complete without her staff. Thankfully, both were included as accessories as they look perfect! To top it off, the stormtrooper even has a blaster to make him an even stronger figure
• Creativity - I think the way BB-8 was designed is perfect! What a neat and creative way to translate another popular new character on to the Vinylmation mold

Things that aren't so great:

The only criticism I have with this set is the character faces. It is so hard to translate human faces on to the new Mickey mold. Most end up looking chubby and not quite like they should. I think Han (designed by Thomas Scott) is the best at looking most like the actor, but he still doesn't look as good as Thomas Scott's Indiana Jones figure, also played by Harrison Ford. Rey, Finn and Poe all look good, but in my opinion do not look like Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac.