Review of Director Krennic
Star Wars Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

By now you know I've had my fill of Iron Man, Darth Vader, and every other character Hot Toys has done a dozen times or more. I like to add somebody new to the shelf, someone who isn't a main character, and Hot Toys latest Star Wars release fits the bill perfectly - Director Krennic.

Who is he? C'mon! One of the best films in the entire franchise - third on my list - is Rogue One, and he provided some most excellent villainy...he was an easy buy for me.

The figure just started shipping in the States over the last few weeks, but has been long sold out at most retailers. He was originally $235 at most places, but I see he's up around $300 already on the secondary market.

Packaging - ***
The shoe box design is pretty standard stuff, with a couple shots of the character and a cigar band wrapper on the cover. Nothing super exciting or out of the ordinary, but it is all collector friendly and includes some useful instructions.

Sculpting - ****
Ben Mendelsohn is a terrific actor, and they've nailed his appearance on screen. Every aspect I rate - accuracy, personality, and realism - is top notch.

You expect every Hot Toys sculpt to be realistic, but they've set the bar high even for themselves over the years. Here we have some very finely detailed hair, a super subtle yet life-like skin texture, and small details like dimples in the flesh that create a tremendously realistic portrait. This is one you can easily mistake for an actual person at first glance.

It's also quite accurate, and if you pop the head off and hand it to someone, they might not realize it's Krennic at first (without the costume, that can be tricky)...but they'll know it's Mendelsohn.

They avoided any extreme emotion in the expression, but also avoided a mannequin appearance. He has life, but he's also cold and calculating, not prone to extreme outbursts. This look fits him, and will work great on the shelf.

It's also worth noting the removable hair in this category. You pop off the top of his hair to place the hat. This is a very smart way to go, and they managed to hide the seam in the layered hair extremely well.

He stands about 12" tall, and will fit in nicely with Jyn. The hands are all gloved, and while the sculpts are a little oversized, the gloved state makes it less obvious.

Paint - ****
Every Hot Toys portrait deserves perfect paint, and it's a hallmark of their production figures. Krennic shows off their skill nicely.

The skin has a realistic freckling and mottling, age appropriate. The subtle different in the lips looks great, and the glassy eyes have life and purpose. The eyebrows have a subtle transition between hair and skin, adding to the realism.

I don't love the bronze highlighting in the hair, however. I've mentioned this before on the occasions they've used it, but I will admit that they did better this time. It's less obvious, and it's getting closer to the effect they want. It's still not *quite* there, but it's getting better.

Articulation - ***1/2
The standard TrueType has all the articulation you expect - neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, chest, waist, hips, knees, ankles.

The neck is the only area where I was disappointed. The sculpt is improved by having the head and neck be one piece, with a simple ball joint in the torso. However, there's a trade off - the head is less able to tilt and lean, and I found it somewhat restrictive on the number of poses I could get.

However, the rest of the body works great. The tight tunic could have created issues, but the material is stretchy enough to allow the arms to take very natural poses, including shooting, and the pants and boots allow normal leg poses.  The soft boots don't bind up the ankles as much as harder sculpted boots, and getting the feet flat on the ground is easier.

There's also a thin wire in the edge of the cape, which comes in handy for adding a little flare to the ends in more dynamic poses.

Accessories - ***
He's not loaded, but he has some nice extras.

There's five extra hands to go with the pair he comes wearing, including fists and a gun grip left hand. They swap easily, but there's a couple extra wrist pegs in case.

I mentioned his hat earlier, and I'm counting it as an accessory here rather than as part of his costume. It fits tightly, and stays thanks to a strong magnet.

He has a second piece of costume gear that I'm not including here - his poncho. I'll discuss that in the Outfit section.

He has his very specific blaster, which fits neatly in the holster on his belt. There are also three 'ammo clips' that fit in loops on his belt.

There are two Code cylinders that slip inside specific pockets on his tunic or poncho. Nothing exciting by themselves, but they really add some visual flare to the outfit.

Finally, there's a display stand with crotch support. You can use it plain (it has a name plate) or with the character graphic card.

Outfit - ****
This is one of the nicest outfits I've seen in awhile. It's very character specific and more complex to produce than is initially apparent, and they absolutely nailed it.

The costume consists of his 'beige' tunic and cape, black riding pants, black riding boots, and belt with holster. I put the word beige in quotes, because that's what the marketing materials call it, but it's more like a cream color to me. It's not bright white, although it will look that way under certain lighting. It is flawless, and I was worried the entire time I was handling him that I'd get something on it.

As I mentioned in the Accessories section, there's also a poncho. I was super pleased at how easy it was to switch from the cape look to the poncho look - that's not something that's always true with Hot Toys figures. But pop off the head and the large insignia from his chest, take off the belt (just a velcro closure in back!), and slip the poncho over the neck. Put the belt back on over the front of the poncho and the head back on the neck post - you're all set for rainy day weather!

Both looks are excellent as well. I'll be hard pressed to pick one for the shelf, although I think I'll end up with the cape. It has magnets to hold it perfectly in place, and the tailoring around the shoulders and arms is impressive.

The belt and holster work great, and fit neatly. The soft leather-like boots allow for the ankles to work, and are a more realistic look overall. With the tunic, the two Code cylinders are designed to fit in tiny pockets on either side of the chest (although I did try out putting both in one to balance out the look of the large insignia, even if it isn't screen accurate). With the poncho, they can both go in a single pocket on his right side.

There also appears to be some padding in the chest and waist under the material. This is not designed to be a 'fat' suit, but rather to create a smooth, clean look, and it works great. They also used a white mesh undershirt to avoid the body beneath from showing through the light fabric of the tunic.

The cape includes a thin wire around the edge, and you can use this to create a flip or sway to the material in more dynamic poses.

Overall, this is an outstanding job with a very distinctive costume, and deserves some serious praise. In the photo below you'll see him in the cape, and in the next photo you'll see him with the poncho.

Fun Factor - ***
Okay, he's not a particularly 'fun' figure. He's not one you'll pose and repose, but rather you'll work to find a great stance and put him with the other Rogue One characters.  Still, having the cape versus the poncho gives you some options, and options are always good.

Value - **
Unfortunately, we are witnessing Hot Toys test the boundaries of their pricing again. We went through this a few years ago, where they raised an average figure up from $220 or $225 up to $230 - $235. At the time the experiment failed, and they dropped the price back down. Now the average price is going back up into that range - Krennic was $235 - and I'm not sure how the market is going to react.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. This is one of those times when you want to have very, VERY, clean hands when you're working with him. Other than that, you should be good to go.

Overall - ****
This figure is a fantastic release, one of their best in recent memory. He'll be on the Poppies ballot for 2020 for sure, I have no doubt about it. With a terrific portrait, excellent costume, and decent accessories, he definitely stands out from the pack.

I am concerned about the rise in price though - I'm hoping we aren't seeing a situation where you can't find any Hot Toys release for less than $235.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Outfit - ****
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
This guy is long sold out, but you can get on the waist list at Sideshow, or search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent Hot Toys Star Wars figures include Bespin Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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