Figure of the Day: Day 314: General Grievous

GENERAL GRIEVOUS Exploding Body!
Revenge of the Sith Collection 1
Item No.: Asst. 85173 No. 85425
Number: III-36
Includes: Lightsaber, cloak, exploding parts
Action Feature: Push button for exploding action
Retail: $5.24-$6.99
Availability: April 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: The supreme commander of the droid armies is tracked to Utapau by Obi-Wan Kenobi. A powerful combination of droid and alien, Grievous is a formidable fighter, and ultimately confronts the Jedi in single combat. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: While he wasn't as popular as some characters prior to his appearance in the movie, General Grievous was redesigned to become several unique action figures. Some just look decent, others have a four arm attack. This one explodes, awkwardly. It doesn't hold together especially well, as the figure tends to split at the waist very easily. It also doesn't like to stand up on a shelf over long periods of a time. In short, the "action" ruins the figure. While the idea was cool-- exploding torso with guts inside-- the end result is a figure that doesn't make for a very good figure with weak legs and surprisingly good paint. Unfortunately, the cloak in this configuration is probably something fans don't want, so if you're looking to skip a Grievous, this is the one to skip.

Collector's Notes: In 2006, the figure was released in the first waves of the "Episode III Heroes & Villains Collection." In later assortments, the figure was replaced with the four-armed version, which was more stable and gobs more fun. The figure is cheap but even so, cheap doesn't necessarily mean you'll want to add it to your collection. For those who leave their figures packaged, though, the Heroes & Villains version is pretty nice. As a toy, though, it's really no fun-- as a collectible, it tends to fall over, as the legs are weak and even a stand can't help it stay upright. This is a figure that, with any luck, will never see retail pegs again.

Day 314: March 16, 2007