Figure of the Day: Day 1,129: Kit Fisto

KIT FISTO vs. Geonosis Warrior
30th Anniversary Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 91751 No. 91752
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #2 of 6
Includes: Lightsaber, Geonosian Warrior, Sonic Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: October 2009
Appearances: Attack of the Clones

Image: Adam's Geonosis Arena playset.

Bio: The Jedi Knights rush to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme from execution. The Jedi brandish their lightsabers against the Geonosian warriors and the massive army of battle droids, super battle droids, and droidekas. All hope seems lost that any Jedi will survive this battle, then Yoda arrives with an army of clone troopers. Although many Jedi are lost that day, others survive this climactic battle that ushers in the Clone Wars. (Taken from the figure's box-- that's right, it's the same generic copy on every box.)

Commentary: Now that's what I call an upgrade! This Kit Fisto fixes almost all the flaws of previous models save for one-- the ability to sit in his own Jedi Starfighter. But aside from that? Awesome. Based on the 2005 Kit Fisto body, this figure is redecorated with a new head sculpt (and a new separate neck sculpt), new hand sculpts, and resculpted legs with ankles. Basically, it's pretty much perfect now and almost a crying shame to waste on an exclusive when Hasbro could probably sell thousands more of these at every store all over the world. It's just that good-- it's worth the $13 just for this one figure. The fact that it comes with a really slick Geonosian Warrior is an added bonus.

Almost everything you could want in a Kit Fisto is here. While he doesn't have his trademark smile, he does have a really great resculpted head with hugely improved eye decoration-- the 2005 version was genuinely hideous compared to other Kit Fistos, and this figure manages to paint him just right, without an excess of reddish pink on his head. He's also a much better shade of green, which is a huge plus. Not content to carry over the old hands, Hasbro resculpted his right hand in a "Force push" pose, while his left was totally redesigned to hold a lightsaber. His ball-jointed head-- which is a little loose-- sits on top of a new neck peg, which in theory gives his head two points of articulation but his "hair" gets in the way of a lot of movement. He can still turn slightly, which is certainly good enough with a character that sports such an unusual head design.

While there are other Kit Fisto figures which each have unique functions-- like I wouldn't throw out my "swimming" versions for anything-- this is clearly the best overall movie-based Kit Fisto figure. Hasbro did a magnificent job, and while it does still have some of the weirdness of the 2005 release's right knee-- check it out if you get one-- it's still the best Kit Fisto you can buy. So get it while you can!

Collector's Notes: The body mold was previously used for Kit Fisto (2005-2008) and Master Sev (2008). The 2-pack is currently exclusive to Target, but I have to assume that Hasbro will reuse this figure again in the future if the opportunity presents itself It's too good to leave a one-time release given the popularity of the character.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,129: October 12, 2009