One good thing about having a very short lead time between Star Wars movies is that it doesn't give stores long to clear out stock. In the prequel era, retailers had a solid three years to get rid of a movie's merchandise. Now they barely have a few months. For collectors, this means some great clearance details - like the rathtar I recently acquired. The ski speeder is another case of this.
I was largely indifferent to this vehicle when it was first released, but after seeing The Last Jedi I fell in love. Unfortauntely, the $89.99NZ price tag was incredibly discouraging. Recently however, Target had them on clearance for a much more reasonable $18.98US ($26.35NZ) each - and that was an offer I couldn't refuse.
The first thing you notice about this vehicle is just how darn big it is. The box belies its true size, largely because the vehicle ships broken into two pieces. If it's not exactly 1:1 scale with a regular 3 3/4" figure, then it's awfully close - and that's great to see. Not only is it big, but it's packed with fantastic features too. The one concession to playability is the handle on the lower side - but this is perfectly incorporated into the stabiliser and doesn't detract from the aesthetics of the vehicle one bit. Pull a trigger on the handle, and two missiles (again, discretely concealed into the engine greeblies) will fire. Depress another button on the top of the engine, and the starboard wing will 'blast' off battle-damage style. The whole engine canopy is removable, in fact - giving you further options for displaying damage, or setting up a maintenance diorama. The ski speeder also features a pair of fold-down landing gear so she can nestle somewhere safe between battles. Perhaps my favourite feature, however - and one that isn't even given a call-out on the box - is the tiny working seatbelt used to hold a figure securely in the cockpit.
Speaking of figures: the ski speeder comes with one of the nicest Poe Dameron figures we've seen yet. It's a spot-on likeness, and he features some great details like a rubberised jacket, working holster, and removable headset. So far, this version of Poe is exclusive to this set - which is interesting, given that it's his most iconic outfit from The Last Jedi. Nevertheless, that makes him something of a must-have for 3 3/4" collectors, so he's a very welcome bonus with this vehicle.
You might think I have only praise for this set. And you're right. I really can't fault a thing. Hasbro have done a phenomenal job in translating this vehicle from film to plastic, creating a piece that plays well and displays wonderfully. It might not have the bang-to-buck ratio of the A-Wing, but it's definitely worth the money on clearance!
