I was looking forward to the Skeleton Crew show and a little lighthearted fun in the Star Wars galaxy, so when I saw Amazon was selling the entire wave of shows at a slight discount, I pre-ordered a bunch. The kids all had similar feelings about the characters, so I decided to do it all in one go. Let’s take a look at Neel, Wim, Fern and KB in “Skeleton Crew”!
The novelty of the slightly changed box packaging has worn off for me. I do like the interconnected side artwork and the characters inside don’t look any different than the people inside, so I’m neutral on that.
All four kids come equipped with backpacks and flashlights, and Neil and Wim each come equipped with a walkie-talkie and an additional accessory. The bags feature unique sculpted and painted details, securely attach to the figure with straps, and feature a slot for a flashlight. These flashlights have unique shapes and finishes. Ironically, this four-kid backpack is functionally better than most Special Forces backpacks. Fern’s backpack straps do make her arms stand out more than others, as the straps are designed not to be flat on the sides of the figure like others.
Wim has an extra space in his backpack for his space wrench (hydraulic wrench?), although there doesn’t appear to be a storage option for the walkie-talkie. Walkie also got some paint hits, which seems really good for the line’s recent growth. There is a strange looking orange thing in Wim’s backpack that is a separate piece but is not removable. It looks a bit like a shovel and spatula combo, with a lot of paint applied to the line as well.
Neil has space to store all his stuff. I’m not quite sure what the silver thing is supposed to be, it looks like binoculars, something a kid with a walkie talkie might carry, so I’ll use that for now. Whatever it was, it was silver, looked techy, and fit on his belt. The walkie-talkie is strapped to his belt and the flashlight is carried in his backpack.
This team’s sculpts look fantastic. I especially love all the different fabric textures applied to the different textiles the children wear. Neel’s overalls look crazy, almost corduroy in texture. All the high-tech gadgetry on his belt and the fact that he’s an adorable little elephant keep the Star Wars design aesthetic firmly in place.
One of Vern’s jackets is reminiscent of Han Solo’s Hoth gear, and there are so many tiny details in all the patches on the garment. I think they conveyed a bit of gruffness in that portrait as well, and I like that she and KB continued the fingerless glove design cues of Rebels members Ezra and Kanan.
KB looks very stoic and probably the most Star Wars-esque person since Nier, wearing a jumpsuit and a Lobot-like headpiece. She does have one of the more unusual sculpting issues in that her thighs look really unnatural hanging over her knees when the legs are bent.
Wim probably has the most down-to-earth outfit, cargo pants, Velcro shoes and a sweater, but the cut of that jacket is very Star Wars-esque. I think there’s something wrong with his portrayal, his hair looks shorter and his features are more innocent and cute than I remember from the trailer.
Articulation is pretty much par for the Black Series, although I noticed that Wim and Fern’s waist ball joints are very limited, and the KB’s neck is very stiff. Wim has very good upward viewing range. At first I thought the crotch molding on Neel and KB’s jumpsuits didn’t allow the legs to move that much, but they seem to be made of a softer plastic so they can move almost 90 degrees, although Neel’s knees don’t Not fully mobile. I do wish all the kids had better swivel/hinge elbows than a 90 degree bend to better grip their backpack straps or bring the walker closer to their mouths, but that’s basically just a 90 degree movement. I also found myself wishing the up/down hinges on the wrists moved a little more so they could be posed better with the flashlight pointed forward. They have:
- Rotate/articulate shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and ankles
- Ball head and waist
- Thigh rotation (except Neil)
- Rotate to the bottom of the pants leg (except KB)
These paints are also very strong. There are a lot more small paint details on the characters and their accessories than you might think at first glance, and they’re all pretty clean. This time around, I don’t feel like the lack of wash or weathering is a negative here, as these are kids from suburban space. Mostly, I’m pleased with the brightness of some of the design choices’ colors. There’s still a lot of brown and gray colors, but Neil’s blue skin and orange and red clothes really pop, as do the yellow accents on KB’s clothes.
Overall, these are four really good characters regardless of whether I end up liking the show or not. I have high hopes for this show, but I’m also looking forward to just being a fun adventure that doesn’t necessarily move the entire (almost) 50-year-old saga forward. For a series designed for kids, adult fans do tend to react poorly to actual kids in the story, so I’m crossing my fingers that these characters land well and that the show is the fun romp it was in previews. Skeleton Crew will premiere on February 12, 2024 at 9pm ET, and the character models can still be found at places like BBTS and Amazon.
