Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,086: Luminara Unduli

LUMINARA UNDULI Jedi Master
Revenge of the Sith Collection 2
Item No.:
Asst. 85174 No. 85359
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: III-31
Includes: Lightsaber, display base
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.24-$6.99
Availability: March 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Image: Adam Pawlus' back yard.

Bio: Luminara Unduli is a trusted advisor to the Jedi Council and a formidable opponent with a lightsaber. An extraordinary Jedi warrior, Luminara leads a battallion of clone troopers through the dense jungles of Kashyyyk. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Commentary: Behold, the best Luminara Unduli ever... so far. Which means this is as good as she'll likely get, unless an even better animated version comes out. In 2002, the first release was a marvel-- a statue, sure, but a marvelous one. Her flowing dress really stood out like no other, and in 2005 Hasbro managed to translate this garment into cloth so you can decide how she sits, stands, or fights. Really, it's no small feat-- the quality of cloth used here is some of the best we've ever seen out of Hasbro in this scale. She has no problems standing, and her two-piece lightsaber seems to be less fragile than other releases over the years. (The blade is removable, but the peg is so thin that many of these snap.) With 12 points of articulation, she's close to perfect-- good enough, certainly, but some fans may be upset at the lack of ankle joints, or ball-jointed elbows. She has swivels, but you may wish you had more.

Anyway, to make a long review shortish, this is the best Luminara you can buy today. As such, get one if you can, even if you have to pay a slight premium. She's great!

Collector's Notes: The figure hasn't been reissued, but was repainted as a Target exclusive in 2008. Unless you compare them side-by-side, it's pretty easy to mistake them for being the same release.

--Adam Pawlus


Day 1,086: August 12, 2009

2 comments:

Ben Carthage said...

Though articulation trumps almost everything these days, and this is a very good figure, I still think the ultra-dynamic pose of the 'statue' release edges this one out. But really, you can't go wrong.

Anonymous said...

Excellent paintjob and really interesting fabric used here. GREAT figure.