Friday, September 14, 2007

Figure of the Day: Day 496: Tusken Raider (Female)

TUSKEN RAIDER Female with Tusken Child
Saga Collection 2
Item No.:
Asst. 84861 No. 84864
Number: 0208
Includes: Gaffi stick, Tusken Toddler
Action Feature: Toddler fits into pouch on back
Retail: $4.99
Availability: April 2002
Appearances: Attack of the Clones

Bio: Also known as Sand People, these dangerous savages live in the rocky Jundland Wastes on the planet Tatooine. The Tusken Raiders engage in an inevitable confrontation with Anakin Skywalker after he tries to rescue his mother from their camp. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: By 2002, some fans were getting pretty cynical-- as a toy line, Episode I failed to impress a lot of long-time collectors, so we had good reason to be apprehensive when we heard new figures would include Boba Fett and new versions of a Tusken Raider. Never before seen, the Tusken female had a fantastic design and even included a tiny kid-- that's the good news. The bad news is that the articulation may be some of the worst for that year. She has a waist joint, shoulder joints, and swively elbows-- that's it. So she can hold her weapon, but not do things like sit, or just stand around. This is unfortunate but the deco on the figure is striking, with weathered metal coloring, a good cloth texture, and some sort of faux-leather coloring. If you don't open your action figures, this is one of the better looking ones, and if you do open them, well, can anyone have a clan of Tusken Raiders that's too large? Answer: no. Hasbro has made so many different variations on the Tusken Raider that if you only bought one of every repaint and new release, you'd have a sizable clan of your very own-- and this figure should be welcome in such a grouping.

Collector's Notes: This one has been released twice-- in 2002 as an individually carded figure, and in 2007 as part of a Toys "R" Us Bantha & Tusken Raiders Battle Pack. Also, we'll be looking at the Tusken Child in a future column. Both were repainted in Spring 2007 as a "red clan" variant of the aforementioned battle pack.


Day 496: September 14, 2007

Happy Birthday To Me...

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