Figure of the Day: Day 55: Yoda

YODA with Jedi Council Chair
Episode I Collection 2
Item No.: Asst. 84095 No. 84086
Number: n/a
Includes: Jedi High Council Seat, CommTech Chip
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: May 1999
Appearances: Primarily Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Bio: An esteemed Jedi Master, Yoda faithfully served the Galactic Republic as one of the 12 members of the Jedi Council. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Luke takes a moment away from being a hero for a photo shoot on Adam Pawlus' stairs.

Commentary: Back in 1999, the hobby saw a huge influx of new, uninformed blood that jumped on the likes of Yoda for several reasons. One, he was someone they knew, and two, he had an "error." The first release of this figure was missing the words "Episode I" from under the big Star Wars logo, and this was eventually corrected. (There were more variants-- but this is one that was focused on the most.) The figure itself isn't half bad. He has a big blue chair, ball jointed shoulders, and a jointed neck and "unileg." The sculpt was fantastic, but the paint job for this figure doesn't do it any favors. Remember the vegetable gremlin from Gremlins 2: The New Batch? Yoda's unique bright cheeks and face look a lot like that, which reduces the desirability for this figure a little. Still, it's the only Yoda from the first prequel, and was also the first Yoda figure to come without a cane. If you love CommTech chips or want every Yoda, this is a figure you just have to own. If not, keep reading.

Collector's Notes: Due to demand during Attack of the Clones, Hasbro retooled this figure to have a magnet in his hand, repainted him, and gave him a lightsaber. As the figure still has a throne, you may wish to seek out another version of Yoda, and not the Episode I version featured in this column as his skin coloring is, to say the least, bizarre. Kudos to the sculptors and designers, though-- the figure is overall quite wonderful, but it's hard to get past the facial coloring. (The bushy white hair is also somewhat distracting.) As such, for the Yoda devotees, this is an easy buy.

Day 55: June 30, 2006