Originally published April 13, 2017. This article preserves One Sixth Society’s original reporting and images; product availability, pricing, and opinions reflect the original publication period.
Hot Toys announced its Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Star-Lord in April 2017, with Standard and Deluxe versions. The new Chris Pratt portrait, jacket options and shoulder-sitting Baby Groot gave owners of the first film’s figure several details to compare.
The most obvious point of discussion for this figure is the comparison to the release of Star Lord from the first film, and this figure does have some key differences from its predecessor. For one, a new head sculpt was made for this figure. While the paintwork does look more impressive on the newer head sculpt, it is interesting to note that the new head sculpt is lacking any real type of emotion, where the previous sculpt had a smirk that would be characteristic of Chris Pratt’s Star Lord.
Baby Groot Comes as an Accessory!
Another interesting thing to note is that this version of Star Lord is being released in both deluxe and regular versions. The regular version includes the aforementioned sculpt of Star Lord, as well as a short jacket outfit instead of the long coat in the original release. In addition to the head sculpt with Chris Pratt’s likeness, a helmeted sculpt is also included. He has a patterned t-shirt under the jacket, a set of armor that appears over the jacket when it is zipped, his two blasters, a Walkman and cassette, as well as a variety of gloved and bare hands and a figure display stand. One of the most exciting aspects of this release may be the inclusion of a Baby Groot, sculpted to sit on Star-Lord’s shoulder.
The Deluxe Version includes everything in the Standard Version, plus a long coat, a fitted long-sleeved T-shirt and a two-piece helmet accessory shown forming around the face.
Owners of the first Star-Lord had a real choice: keep the earlier smirking portrait and costume, or add the sequel’s different head and clothing options. A second Rocket Raccoon had also been announced by the time of this article.
Choosing a Star-Lord Appearance
The original film’s smirking portrait and the sequel’s calmer expression give Peter Quill different moods before any accessory is added. If the face is your main reason for buying, compare them without the helmet first. If you normally display Star-Lord masked, the clothing and equipment may matter more than that portrait change.
The Standard Version’s short jacket and the Deluxe Version’s long coat should be treated as alternative outfits, rather than layers that all belong on the figure together. The separate two-piece helmet accessory also depicts a different moment from simply using the complete helmeted head. That distinction makes the Deluxe extras easier to judge without confusing them with another complete figure.
The shoulder-sitting Baby Groot is sized for this sixth-scale Star-Lord. It is not the separate life-size Groot release. Keeping those two products distinct helps when comparing a loose Groot accessory with photographs of the much larger standalone collectible.
