The Takodana Encounter set is serving as a gateway for a particular Star Wars figure class; one that I haven't collected since I was a kid. This set is a great entry into 3.75" figures (the 5 points of articulation kind), and it gives you two sought after figures without looking endlessly for them. It's priced at $25, which is about the current price for Resistance Outfit Rey by itself in the secondary market. So why not get this?
Included it this set is --
Maz Kanata with wood chest, blaster, and hilt
Rey with lightsaber, staff, and backpack
Finn with blaster
BB-8
In my video review below I talk about my love for the Maz Kanata figure. It's an awesome figure on it's own. I'm surprised I raved about as much as I did, but that can always happen if you make videos without solid lists of points to cover. Maz isn't a figure you'll find being sold on it's own. It's too small for any of Hasbro's 3.75" Star Wars figure pricing. It would need to be in a multi-figure pack like Takodana Encounter. The paint apps and sculpting of Maz is top-notch. I love the glasses/goggles on Maz, and it translates from movie to toy very well here. I give maximum props to Hasbro on this figure.
Rey is a nice figure to include in this set. It gives us the version of Rey that actually used the lightsaber. I always thought the Resistance Outfit Rey with lightsaber was weird. She never ignited it at the end of the movie. She still had her Jakku outfit during the lightsaber duel with Kylo Ren. That's why I love this particular Rey & accessories in this set. You get the option of lightsaber or staff for weapon. The optional backpack is nice to have, but I'm not attaching that to her.
Finn & BB-8 are the easier to find figures outside of this set. I see Finn everywhere. BB-8 with Unkar Platt thugs is seen here and there. They're both really great figures as they are. I like Finn for his simplistic outfit and face sculpt. BB-8 has a neat head articulation that makes posing a bit more fun. It amazes me, and I explain it in the video how it works. Hasbro really went out of their way to make sure BB-8 wasn't just a ball with a basic spinning head.
So is this set worth getting? It is for me. I get 4 figures I don't already have. I've been considering the jump into 5POA 3.75" figures ever since Force Friday last year. There isn't another set out there that could get me off to a better start. But what about people that aren't in my situation? I can say this is great if you just want Maz and Rey. It's also nice to get Finn in a pack with the lightsaber, though I'm sure that weapon is more associated with Rey these days. The Maz figure is such a display stealer though. Check out my pictures and video below for more on the Takodana Encounter action figure set. Enjoy! :)
