GRIEVOUS'S BODYGUARD Battle Attack! (First Release, Grey)Revenge of the Sith Collection 1
Item No.: Asst. 85174 No. 85202
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #III-08
Includes: Cape, staff
Action Feature: Squeeze legs for battle attack, removable cloak (and head)
Retail: $5.24-$6.99
Availability: March 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith
Bio: General Grievous is surrounded by droid bodyguards. They protect the commander of the droid armies with impenatrable electrostaffs as the Republic forces attempt to stop this dangerous and deadly enemy. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)
Commentary: When the General Grievous' Bodyguard figure first hit, fans were already expecting a revision. That should tell you something. An actual honest-to-goodness update of the movie figure never happened, although a "battle arena" version was released which was a step backward. This first release is as good as the movie mold ever got, although a repaint of it in a creamy color would hit before the end of 2005.
Considering what Hasbro was trying to do, the figure is pretty decent. Squeeze-legs-for-action for Star Wars were normal-ish at this stage, plus they crammed in a decent amount of arm articulation-- the wrists, elbows, and shoulders have a good range of movement. Aside from that, you've got the head and hips, there's no leg movement in the knees or ankles plus there's no waist. Given the movie wasn't even done yet, the sculpting and design is excellent here. It'd be nice to be grittier or meaner, but it's a pretty great plastic replica of the movie design. You could do worse. We've since seen updates to his weapon, but the figure itself hasn't ever been released with a cloth cape or leg articulation like a few of us wanted. I suppose there's no real demand for it these days, but it's something you can probably expect the next time Hasbro does a couple of Revenge of the Sith-themed assortments.
Collector's Notes: This figure has been released with different accessory configurations and in different colors, but those are different enough that we're treating them as such. If you want one Grievous Bodyguard, this is as good as any as of now.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 1,054: June 29, 2009
4 comments:
Discounting TCW Magnaguard, Grievous' Bodyguard has been released in the original gray and then white, both from 2005. According to the "Star Wars Visual Dictionary," there should also be blue and black versions, which would be simple repaints of the original and, certainly, nice to have.
I agree with you about the articulation and sculpting, but since these guys mostly existed as easy lightsaber fodder, I can't see many people clamoring for repaints. A superior version of this character does exist -- the Clone Wars version, which has a great deal more articulation and a cooler appearance. I suppose some nitpickers would complain about his enormous clown feet, but I'm grateful to have another Clone Wars figure who can stand unaided.
The Clone Wars release has pretty much the same articulation, save for the added waist. It's the superior figure, but the differences aren't hugely significant outside aesthetics.
The one included in the Battle Arena set was blue.
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