Figure of the Day: Day 1,037: Weequay

WEEQUAY Battle at the Sarlacc Pit
The Legacy Collection Target Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. 87931 No. 87798
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Pike, Sarlacc Pit, Skiff, 4 more figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $62.99-$72.99
Availability: November 2008
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: Jabba's skiff guard is surprised when Luke launches an attack and a fellow guard turns out to be an imposter. (Taken from the figure's box.)

Commentary: When we all saw this Battle Pack, pretty much everyone assumed that this Weequay and the four other figures were just inferior reissues. Wrong! It turns out they're actually repaints, many of which falling under the "just different enough to make you mad" banner. This particular figure takes the 1997 Weequay-- at the time, an example of Kenner's best sculpting-- and repaints the 2006 repaint, if you follow me. It's similar to the previous Battle Pack release, but is missing all the dust and dirt, sports seemingly more vibrant colors, and sports a black belt rather than a brown one. The skin is redder, the shirt is bluer, all in all you might not even notice the changes because he looks like you probably want to remember the last release looking.

The figure itself has all the trappings of a 1997 release. That means jointed arms, legs, waist, neck, and that's it. The staff weapon is the same mold as the rubbery and thin Battle Pack release from a couple of years back. It's still a nice figure, but it's a shame that after three distinct releases, Hasbro hasn't come up with an all-new mold for this guy yet. It wouldn't surprise me if we saw one in the next two years, though.

Collector's Notes: Depending on where you shop there's a slim chance you might stumble on these over on the clearance aisle. Most likely, though, you've seen the last of this release at retail, and odds are it'll slowly become a hot item on the secondary market as fans who were too cheap to drop $60 on the pit decide that they want it.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,037: June 4, 2009