Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Figure of the Day: Day 347: Max Rebo

MAX REBO Max Rebo Band Pairs
Power of the Force Wal-Mart Exclusive
Item No.:
Asst. 69670 No. 84021
Number: 3 of 3
Includes: Red Ball Organ, Doda Bodonawieedo
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $11.99
Availability: Fall 1998
Appearances: Return of the Jedi and one episode of Droids

Bio: Max Rebo was a popular musician and head member of the Max Rebo Band. He was a skinny Ortolan, the youngest of five children. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: Perfect, he is not-- but he's darned good. Max Rebo sparks a lot of debate because how he's depicted as a toy and elsewhere-- some people say that the original plan was for the character, in Return of the Jedi to not have legs, what you see in the organ is the whole alien. Others don't like the diaper. I like him just the way he is. Max can be easily removed from the keyboard, and if the keyboard itself were a little better, we might never need to ask for a reissue of this little guy. It turns out it's missing the big "gramophone" speaker on the side, just like the 1983 version, so what you have here is a very good-- but incomplete-- representation of Max Rebo. The figure is pretty much as good as you're likely to get him, but if Hasbro ever reissues this figure, it'd be nice to see the keyboard painted up a little with a new sculpted speaker on the side. (And give us a new old Sy Snootles while you're at it, too.)

Collector's Notes: Apparently Max Rebo's "Expanded Universe" name is "Siiruulian Phantele", or, oh ho ho, "blue elephant." I like the fact that everybody has a backstory but can we keep the cheap jokes out, please? This nifty figure hasn't been reissued and isn't exactly worth a small fortune because online seller Entertainment Earth bought up a large number of these and was selling them through some point in 2006. He's totally worth buying, though.


Day 347: April 18, 2007

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