Figure of the Day: Day 262: Tarfful

TARFFUL Firing Bowcaster!
Revenge of the Sith Collection 1
Item No.: Asst. 85173 No. 85343
Number: III-25
Includes: Bowcaster, projectile, club
Action Feature: Twist for Wookiee-punch, bowcaster really shoots
Retail: $5.24-$6.99
Availability: April 2005

Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: The heroic Wookiee tarfful helps the Republic forces when the Separatist droid armies invade his home world of Kashyyyk. Serving under the command of Yoda, Tarfful fights valiantly to keep his planet free. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' Playmobil Tree House. (Hey, it was on clearance and $7 well spent.)

Commentary: When the first rumblings of Revenge of the Sith's trip to Kashyyyk came up, fans heard there would be two Wookiees of note-- Chewbacca, and newcomer Tarfful. This bigger, beefier Wookiee has unique hair, more armor, and some of the worst paint on a hairy action figure I've ever seen. Just what are those white streaks for, anyway? (Never mind, I don't want to know.) From far away, it looks good, but up close you'll find yourself wishing they picked a better color. The figure is good, but not great-- rather than including ball-jointed knees like the Wookiee Warrior, we get a weird swivel-knee that really doesn't do anything to enhance the figure. It's a sign of articulation that doesn't work, sure the knee rotates, but why? For what possible reason might this be useful? The figure has a hard time holding his club (even when you use the finger indentations on it, which I didn't in the picture) and has a fairly... vintage-esque pose. Even with swivel elbows and knees, he's pretty much only going to stand straight up and down. The sculpt is very good, and if Hasbro ever decided to do a resculpt with either more (or less) articulation, that might be a good thing-- if they drop or change some of the paint ops.

Collector's Notes: Available in 2005, this figure was made in good numbers and was an all-around good seller in a year packed with Wookiees. He can be bought on eBay for a couple of bucks.

Day 262: January 23, 2007