Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Average Ornament: The 2017 Rey The Last Jedi Is A Mixed Bag!


The Good: Neat lightsaber, Cool skirts, Good balance, Some of the coloring and sculpting details
The Bad: Light on detailing for the coloring and sculpt, Comparatively expensive
The Basics: Rey is finally rendered in ornament form for The Last Jedi, with mixed results!


As enthusiasm rises for the next installment in the Star Wars Saga, it is unsurprising that merchandising for the film is already hitting the market. Regardless of what happens in The Last Jedi, it is pretty clear that Rey will be integral to the film's events, as her training has been featured heavily in the preview trailers for the movie. Hallmark has released its first Keepsake ornament of Rey in advance of The Last Jedi and it seems like she is an incredibly safe bet for a character ornament from the sequel Trilogy.

The new Rey ornament is a standalone character ornament from Star Wars. Fans of the Star Wars Saga know who Rey is and have the potential to recognize her in ornament form from The Last Jedi (reviewed here!), despite the fact that the film has not yet been released. Hallmark captures Rey, in an action pose with her lightsaber out, for the ornament.

Basics

The Rey ornament recreates the new, potential, Jedi in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2017, is the Jedi apprentice in essentially the same outfit she wore on Jakku in The Force Awakens. Rey is sculpted to look like she is defending (which makes her ideal to put next to the Kylo Ren ornament!) with her lightsaber raised in a two-handed grip. This character ornament is three and seven-eighths inches tall, four inches wide and two and three-quarter inches deep.

The Hallmark Rey ornament is made of a durable plastic and has her with her lightsaber active. Rey looks generally like Daisy Ridley, though the facial sculpt is a little more round than Ridley's face. The sculpted details on the skirts, which look like a wider weave or woolen threads, is quite good. Similarly, the detailing on the various wraps on Rey's arms and legs are good. That said, the ornament's hands are not especially detailed, nor is the hair.

Rey is very lightly detailed on the coloring front. Rey's hair is almost monotonal, without the realistic depth and shading of hair that Hallmark often does on its ornaments. The bright red blood spot on Rey's right shoulder - presumably part of the events in The Last Jedi - is so bright and simplistic in its coloring that it looks ridiculous. That said, on the broad strokes, the Rey ornament looks good on the coloring for the different pieces of her costume.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Rey could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just a character ornament for those who might not want to shell out for the ship or diorama series' of Star Wars ornaments. This is Rey ornament simply hangs.

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Rey ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Wars Christmas Tree, this version of Rey is essential, as it is the only Rey so far. The ornament has a steel hook loop embedded into the back of the character, between her shoulder blades. From that loop, the Rey ornament hangs perfectly well-balanced. Because Rey's feet are spread in an action pose, she would be noticeably off-balance if there were and issue. Fortunately, Hallmark got the balance on this ornament just right!

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!) and the marginally more common Millennium Falcon ornament from the Star Wars line. Since then, they have branched out into other popular franchises like Star Wars and The Wizard Of Oz. The Rey ornament is very common and one suspects more will sell on clearance after the holiday is over. Despite this being the only Rey ornament so far, the late-season release and the very common nature of it make it a tougher ornament to bet on for investment potential.

Overview

The Rey ornament is not disappointing so much as it is an example of unfulfilled potential. While the translucent lightsaber is neat, its coloring is light and not very vibrant; while the hair is sculpted with Rey's topknot, the coloring is a bit off, etc., etc. The result is an ornament that only slightly makes the consumer excited about it or The Last Jedi!

For other Hallmark ornaments of Star Wars characters, please check out my reviews of:
2017 Luke Skywalker The Force Awakens
2017 First Order Stormtrooper FN-2199
2016 Death Trooper Rogue One
2016 Imperial Stormtrooper
2016 BB-8
2016 Han Solo The Force Awakens
2015 Captain Phasma The Force Awakens
2015 Kylo Ren The Force Awakens
2015 C-3PO and R2-D2
2015 Admiral Ackbar (Limited Edition)
2014 Yoda Peekbuster Ornament
2014 Imperial Scout Trooper
2013 Jango Fett
2013 Wicket And Teebo
2013 Lego Yoda
2013 Boushh Limited Edition
2012 Lego Imperial Stormtrooper
2012 Sith Apprentice Darth Maul
2012 General Grievous
2012 Momaw Nadon Limited Edition
2011/2012 Lego Darth Vader
2011 Jedi Master Yoda
2011 Bossk Limited Edition ornament
2010 Lando Calrissian Limited Edition ornament
2010 Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot
2010 Boba Fett and Han Solo in Carbonite mini-ornament set
2009 Greedo Limited Edition ornament
2009 Han Solo As Stormtrooper
2008 Emperor Palpatine ornament
2005 Slave Leia ornament
2000 Darth Maul
1999 Max Rebo Band mini-ornament set
1998 Princess Leia

5/10

For other ornament reviews, please be sure to visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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