Well, this figure has certainly got folks riled up. Watched several of the reviews and went back and took look at the original release that I picked up back in the day.
Here's a new shot of the original release:
Time hasn't been kind to this figure. having said that, it has fared better than some of the other older SSC figures I have. Yes, like the new release, many of the joints are fairly loose, but I could get it to stand in various poses back then. Now, it won't stand unassisted and the stand that was included does not function well as a support. I do think the finish is still looking good. The paint job is fine (except for the area around the eyes - very cartoony effect). I haven't heard any reviews indicate if the eyes look any better on the "new" version (but not all of the reviewers utilize captions so it may have been mentioned and I just didn't hear it).
I remember being initially impressed with many of the ideas put into the rendering of this character in sixth-scale that really only existed as a CGI creation. The CGI could cheat certain things like providing support and some functionality that had to be addressed with creating the figure. The folks at Sideshow came up with some good solutions that simply didn't carry through completely in the final production of the figure. It is sounding like those issues are even more pronounced in this new release and that's too bad.
I'm okay with this figure on display. With some careful futzing and a few cheats to achieve support, it does manage to make a decent addition to the SW shelf.
Sure, it would be fun (and probably insanely expensive) to see what HT could come up with here. The recently released IG-11 figure is a triumph of figure engineering and execution. It's mixed-media of plastic and diecast assure stability and the finish is simply staggering. It's not hard to imagine HT exhibiting the same amount of effort and care into producing this epic droid General if they ever choose to.
I won't be picking up this latest re-release from Sideshow. I was hoping it would be a big improved version that the advance word from them on it was indicating. I'm hoping that the folks who missed out it the first time can get one of these that isn't too awful.
I certainly will NOT order the CW Anakin and Obi-Wan figures until the production figures hit and get thoroughly reviewed by all of the usual suspects who do a great job of keeping us informed.