Merrin VC Review

 

Okay, for REAL this time! If you recall in my Cantina unboxing post, I teased that it was really a review of Merrin. Fortunately I had everything shot in case the Cantina didn't arrive as planned, so I had this review planned as a backup. How does she rate as a figure, and what feature about her disappointed me? Read on to fund out! 

First impressions: she's well sculpted, and easy to pose. Thankfully I didn't have to submerge her in just boiled water to loosen any tight joints. She's got the modern articulation standards (17 POA, barbell hips, ball jointed shoulders, elbows, knees, waist and swivel wrists since she's a lady), and is remarkably well balanced. Some of her poses I didn't have her leaning against the back wall. But, if displaying her loose you might want to invest in a stand anyway, in case she does tip over. Her card is good for showing her in "action" but without seeing her in the game, I can't really judge the image. 

She's very well sculpted, and the paint apps are clean, no smudges or smears, especially on her face. Merrin, like Cal Kestis, appears to be sculpted based on the actor (in this case actress) who provided the voice of the character. I'm not a modern gamer, or a gaming expert, so as fast as the character goes I don't know a lot about her. Except that she and Cal hook up at the end of the Jedi: Survivor game. She's dressed in a non Dathomir Witch (I know she is a Dathomir Witch, that's about it) and more like a smuggler, or dare I say....a Cantina patron! The jacket vest might be removable, but if you do that, she won't match as her arms have the jacket sleeves. Merrin does have rocker ankles, which you'll see in action very shortly. Overall, she's well sculpted and painted. 

Merrin has some unusual accessories for a Star Wars figure. Not many characters come with bladed weapons, and Merrin has 2: a knife which conveniently fits in a holster located on the small of her back, and a spear. If you didn't get The Rescue Pack, you can use her spear for Din Djarin's beskar spear, although it isn't exactly accurate to Mandalorian S2. She has no trouble holding it, but it will fall out of her hand unless she holds it like a staff, so you will need a small bag to store those accessories. She also comes with an extra right hand that easily swaps out so she can be posed with her flame effect. On the effect is a hand print that it fits in. You can see them in the 2 photos below. 

I'm really proud of these 2 photos, because I wanted to get a great action pose with her flame effect, plus show off her posability. Strangely enough, she isn't leaning against the wall, thanks to having great rocker ankles. 

A sign of a good figure is being able to hold accessories in both hands, although her knife is a best fit for her right hand, getting the knife in her left hand to stay was an issue while taking photos, but I snapped a good one. The knife should stay easily in her back holster. But she can hold the spear well in either hand, so you have display and usage options. Like I said, I haven't played the game so I can't speak to onscreen accuracy there. But how does she look with Cal?

Getting figures in this scale to hold hands is hard, and before someone says "That's not a problem for the Black Series!", well you're full of crap! The second picture was the most difficult to set up, mainly because Cal kept falling over. I mean, he's had to wait a long time for Merrin! But the slowdance pose in the top photo above, was so easy to set up! The weight of both figures leaned into each other and their hands clasping, I'm not the romantic type, but this is definitely my favorite photo from this set. But they do interact quite well together, and that's the point. Up until now, Cal has only had enemy Troopers to fight in the VC, now he has an ally. And his girlfriend. 

Now the disappointment: Merrin's head can't fit onto Morgan Elsbeth's buck. So, recreating her look from Jedi Fallen Order isn't possible. Bummer. I haven't attempted to see which female heads can fit on Merrin, so there may be some custom potential there. Since Hasbro likes to use bucks to be kitbashed to make different figures, there's a good chance this could happen with Merrin. I haven't posed her next to Jedi Academy Luke, but I could see parts of Merrin going into a Mara Jade figure easily. 

Now, is she essential to your collection? No. If I hadn't bought Cal, I probably wouldn't have bought this figure. But, like many, I am a fan of the possibilities that the characters could become, should they survive their 3rd game. Which I hope they do, for what that's worth. I'm not familiar with this character as I am like Mara Jade, but by all accounts Merrin is a great Star Wars character. But as an action figure, Merrin is excellent. Well sculpted, painted and easy to pose. I would only recommend if you like video games, and already have the Cal figure buy her. But she's an opener. 

Thanks for reading! A special thanks to Chris and Nomad at BanthaSkull for allowing me to post this link in the comments section! Please share this link on your social media accounts so I can get more readers! 

And before I sign off, I had one mission this week. No, not LSU winning last night (that was a given, despite the flat performance), but it was acquiring this figure: 

And with the trouble I have seen of some figures sitting in the Cantina, I finally have one that shouldn't have that problem. Now my Commtech Han Solo has someone to shoot first because Han ALWAYS shot first!