Although it's taken a little longer than in other parts of the country, the Rose (First Order Disguise), BB-8, and BB-9E 2-pack - one of the last releases in the Last Jedi Force Link line - has finally turned up in my area.
This set is everything a 2-pack should be. While Rose is a great figure - and would have always been a must-have for me - current stock levels at brick-and-mortar stores suggest she would most likely have become a peg warmer had she been released single-carded. So instead, Hasbro have packed her with two highly-desirable droids: a resculpted BB-8, and the all new BB-9E. They've even eschewed the usual oversized missile-firing accessory in favour of a fantastic screen-used cannon that'll look great alongside a cadre of first order stormtroopers.
Rose is a wonderful sculpt featuring a spot-on likeness. As usual, she only comes with 5 points of articulation, but she does have a working holster for her included blaster pistol. Both BB-8 and BB-9E come with two points of 'neck' articulation, giving them a significant range of expression in their heads.
My only criticism of this set is the cannon. Don't get me wrong - it's great, and can be disassembled into four separate pieces for all kinds of added display options. Unfortunately, it's sculpted from a soft rubbery plastic that seems prone to warping. Both the barrel and prop came severely bent, and a quick search online shows that I'm not the only one who's had this issue. It's an easy problem to solve (hot water, straighten, then cold water), but Hasbro's quality control should be ensuring that this kind of fix isn't even needed in the first place. Stormtroopers already have enough trouble firing straight!
