Figure of the Day: Day 114: Gasgano

GASGANO with Pit Droid
Episode I Collection 3
Item No.: Asst. 84105 No. 84116
Number: n/a
Includes: Pit Droid, CommTech Chip
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: May, 1999
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: With his multiple arms, thrill seeker Gasgano is uniquely suited for the extreme sport of pod racing. Piloting a cockpit pulled by two dangerously powerful engines, he relies on a crew of pit droids to keep him in the race when the action heats up. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: With the advent of Pod Racers, it seems Hasbro and Lucasfilm aimed to combine the appeal of NASCAR, the cantina scene, and racing video games into one big happy melting pot. Characters like Gasgano made for great action figures, but the glut of Pod Racer-based toys in a variety of scales quickly dashed the appeal of such a line, making it so we're still waiting to finish our set of Boonta Eve Race drivers over 7 years after we first met them.

The figure itself is pretty good. His unique ball-jointed arms (some of the first in Star Wars figures) pop right off, so be careful you don't lose them. The figure can't really sit, so he's basically a statue with a few moving parts-- 4 arms, his waist, and his head. The figure is a nicely designed one but there's not a lot of detail, and his shape is very much like old-fashioned Colorforms aliens in a lot of respects. If you like what you see, and need another Pit Droid, this is a fantastic figure to buy. The only problem is, he has no vehicle to pilot and no scenes that he really belongs in outside the races, so your uses for such an action figure might be a little low. (I still love it, though.)

Collector's Notes: This figure has never been remade. If you want a Gasgano, this is your one and only option. The good news for you is that Episode I figures are so undesirable, they rarely get any bids on eBay, so you should have no problem tracking him down for his original retail price or even cheaper. And for less than $7, he's a lot of fun.

Day 114: August 28, 2006