By Julian H. Betancourt
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Made available as a web exclusive first, and later on as in store Target exclusive, Hasbro's third rendition of the A-wing Fighter, sporting an all new deco scheme and weathering effects, surely caught the attention of a wide range of collectors.

Its all new box design made it the perfect treatment for non-openers as one could have a clear open view of the wedge shaped vehicle through the large windows making up the package. The inside detail of the box, even offered a 3-D cut out of a stand and computer top where the pilot's helmet securely rested, while the ship itself was placed on Home One's flooring.

The A-wing fighter mold however, remained the same as the one used in its two previous releases. Other than lacking the electronics of the rare 1986 Droids version, this newer version of the vehicle was exactly the same as the vintage one and the POTF2 versions. There's the usual retractable landing gear, pivoting cannons and the lever to raise and lower the cockpit canopy.

Overall the A-Wing has always been a good mold which allows enough room to place a pilot in the cockpit with ease. But since nothing in life is truly perfect, there are just two minor disappointments worth mentioning.

One is the mechanism of the lever found behind the cockpit and which should allow the canopy to remain opened or tightly closed. Such lever doesn't seem to work properly. It is a strenuous job to keep the canopy raised when the fighter rests on a shelf or closed if mounted on a wall.

Secondly, Hasbro completely forgot to weather the green sections and cannons of the vehicle; it was however, nicely applied to its gray and white areas. The lack of the weathering effect in such areas didn't detract much from its general look but, the missing worn out effect would had added a more complete reality feel and look to the new deco.

Although the pilot's sculpt was already a familiar one, being that of Arvel Crynyd from the 1999 Rebel Pilots Cinema Scene, there were noticeable differences on his paint scheme, making him appear unique and perfectly blending in with the vehicle's newest look. The color of the pilot's hair (when compared to the Cinema Scene's) was changed from black to brown; the uniform was transformed from red/pink to green and the white helmet with pink visor of the previous sculpt was switched to green and gray colors, sporting an all black visor.

On its downside, the pilot seemed to be suffering from a strong case of anemia. His face was painted using very light paint and thus making him look as pale as a ghost. As far as skin color was concerned, this guy surely could had used some pink colorant pumped under his epidermis, bringing him back from the dead.

Green A-wing fighters were never part of the films but were seen in TIE Fighter and X-wing computer games by Lucas Arts as well as the small version made by Galoob for the Action Fleet line a few years ago.

The added weathering effects, the rough looking green and black deco (including Rebel squadron insignias), the addition of a much better pilot sculpt than the one offered with the '97 version and the nicely designed presentation box made the SAGA A-wing distinguishable and desirable enough not to pass on it.

Adding this green version to our collections, was like throwing more wood into the always welcoming Expanded Universe fire. Despite its minor downs, the A-wing was/is a sleek vehicle with actual prop's accurate proportions, and its reasonable price tag of around $20.00 was a definite "Go buy me" flashing green light.