Sculpt--4/5
I didn't have the original B-wing fighter so I can't make a good comparison between the new and the old version, but from what I can tell, they are practically the same. It does appear that Hasbro has moved the landing gear switch from the front of the ship more toward the back, but I can't be certain. Detailing is good and looks pretty accurate. I wouldn't say that the scale of the ship is totally accurate, but it is close enough. The ship is pretty long, measuring about 22 inches. It's a nice looking ship, and an impressive-looking toy.

Features--3/5
The B-wing has a couple of features and is missing the electronic aspect of the original release. The best feature is the retractable s-foils. They are deployed by rotating one of the exhaust nacelles. The second best feature is probably the gyroscopic stabilized cockpit which will stay "right side up" no matter how the ship is turned. A third feature is the retractable landing gear. The last feature is that the canopy opens and closes. These features aren't bad, but they're not particularly exciting either. It would have been nice to have some electronics ala Electronic FX X-wing, but oh well, I still like it.

Accessories--2/5
Besides the B-wing, you get...drumroll please...a Sullustan pilot! Waitaminute...we already have a Sullustan pilot! As I'm sure you probably know by now, this figure is almost identical to Ten Numb from the Rebel Pilots Cinema Scene. The only difference is that this one has black gloves and some of the details on his control box are a different color. Oh, and the light blue paint ops on his face are more apparent. Personally, I think this was a lame move on Hasbro to include a pilot they've already churned out. They could have at least put some generic head on this body instead of giving us Ten Numb again.

Paint--3.5/5
The paint ops on the ship are good and really do a great job at bringing out all the detail in the mold. Hasbro has also added some scorch marks where the B-wing has been shot. Good job on the paint!

Packaging--4.5/5
The packaging! Wow...what can I say...I love the packaging for this thing! Hasbro started packaging their vehicles in almost diorama-like conditions ever since the exclusive Tatooine Skiff, and the B-wing has continued that tradition. The B-wing is packaged so it looks like its sitting on the floor of a docking bay of some rebel ship. Behind the B-wing, you can see the opening to the bay, looking out into space with the Millenium Falcon flying away. The large window gives you a great view of the B-wing and the Ten Numb look-a-like. The thing I found most interesting about the B-wing package is that it is sort of collector friendly. By that I mean that you can open it up, take out the toy and then proceed to put it all back in without any indication you opened it. Well, it's not as easy as it sounds, as there are a lot of twisty ties and it takes a bit of work to free the B-wing from its cardboard prison. The graphics on the box are also another reason why I like this box so much. The composition is well-balanced and the colors are eye-catching, making the box just nice to look at.

Overall--3.5/5
This is my favorite rebel ship right after the Electronic FX X-wing and I think Hasbro did an overall good job. However, it is a bit of a downer knowing that this is just a better painted version of the original toy, and even more of a downer that it came with a figure we've already got. For the forty bucks it cost at retail, you'd think Hasbro would have given us something new.

--Photos and review by Garett Yoshimura
garett@carrotnetwork.com