Thursday, May 7, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,017: Greedo

GREEDO Cantina
Power of the Force CommTech Figures
Item No.:
Asst. 84185 No. 84201
Number: n/a
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Includes: Blaster, CommTech chip
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: September 1999
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: A Rodian bounty hunter, Greedo accepted Jabba the Hutt's contract to dispose of renegade Han Solo. Confronting Solo inside the Mos Eisley cantina, Greedo earned only a blaster shot to the chest. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's router.

Commentary: The 1979 and 1996 Greedo figures were a little funky, but still basically good. This 1999 release had a resized head and a wonderful sculpt which, at the time, was an incredibly well-detailed release. Standards have changed and Hasbro opted out of the pastel vest, but this figure was designed well for your cardboard Cantina dioramas. This was the first-ever Greedo with jointed knees, a properly sized head, and removable vest. There's even a blaster mark under the garment. If you want a figure to sit across from Han Solo in a bar setting, this is probably it. Or it would have been, had Hasbro not repainted and reissued it in 2002 and 2004. Or made a "Vintage" version in 2006. It hasn't aged too well just because there are better alternatives, but if this was the last Greedo Hasbro ever made I think it'd have been an acceptable one. It only has eight points of articulation, but again, do you really need a lot more? I don't think so. It's nice, but not necessary for the character, who holds up Han Solo at gunpoint, sits down, and gets shot.

...actually, a Greedo who can flop down dead on the booth would be pretty cool. Hasbro, get on it.

Collector's Notes: A great seller at first, fans moved on quickly because Hasbro introduced very few classic figures in 1999 and 2000-- and this was one of them. It has since been repainted and improved, and a totally new sculpt has also been made. As such, you don't need this one, but it's pretty swell.



Day 1,017: May 7, 2009

1 comment:

JGS said...

A blaster mark under the vest? Man, I never noticed that!! Reason 310 to read FOTD.