Ornament Review: Captain Phasma - 2015 Hallmark Ornament

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great sculpt of a new Star Wars character

Cons: Not so thrilled with collecting the villains

The Bottom Line:

This new character

Cashing in on new movie

Delights Star Wars fans

The First Order Leader is Ready for Your Tree

I was going to resist.  Really, I was.  I wanted to see The Force Awakens, the new Star Wars film before I started buying ornaments from it.  And yet, I’ve caved and bought both of Hallmark’s ornaments for 2015 based on the film already.  I was too afraid they’d sell out before I had a chance to buy them if I waited until I had a chance to see the movie.  Captain Phasma was the second of these ornaments released, and it looks like a great ornament.

Disney is keeping these new character descriptions very close to the vest, so very little is known about Captain Phasma.  We know the character is a woman, and the leader of the First Order, who appear to be the villains in the new movie.  (And how interesting is it that both of the ornaments released this year are of villains?)  And, of course, we know how the character looks.

Even before I looked up information on the character, I had a feeling she was a villain.  Why?  Because of her mask.  It looks an awful lot like a Stormtrooper mask, doesn’t it?  Of course, the difference is that it is made of metal.  In fact, almost her entire armor is made from metal.  The only thing not is the black cape in the back.  She is also holding a gun, ready to fire.

Hallmark seems to have actually used metal in making this ornament, or at least metal plating.  The result gives the ornament a little shine (until fingerprints smudge it, or course).  But the result is also a heavier than normal ornament form Hallmark.  You’ll definitely want to make sure this one is far back on a sturdy branch to keep it from sliding off part way through the Christmas season.  On the plus side, the hook is on the top of her helmet, and the ornament is balanced well, so it hangs straight.

Captain Phasma’s stance has her feet apart.  She’s obviously bracing herself for that shot she’s about to fire.  Her feet are just far enough apart that you can set this ornament out on any flat surface.  However, it is uneven, so any time that surface is bumped, she will probably fall over.

The sculpt on this ornament really is quite good.  It looks like just pictures and clips we’ve seen from the trailers so far.  It’s hard to imagine a better ornament of this character.

My only real hesitation is that I tend to stick with heroes for my ornament collection.  I have made a few exceptions for iconic villains.  Hopefully, I’ll feel that Phasma fits into that camp after I see the movie.

The main reason I caved was to have some ornaments from the year that The Force Awakens actually came out.  For that reason, I’m glad I bought Captain Phasma.  Even if I don’t like the character in the film, I will like this ornament for that reason.

Original Price: $17.95