Figure of the Day: Day 1,256: Ulic Qel-Droma

ULIC QEL-DROMA & Exar Kun
The Legacy Collection Comic Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87504 No. 87971
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #11
Includes: Lightsaber, Dark Lords of the Sith #6
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: March 2010
Appearances: Tales of the Jedi comic books

Bio: Ulic Qel-Droma is battling the dark side of the Force; he believes that if he can conquer it, he will avenge the death of his master. He is attacked by Exar Kun, who feels the Jedi is a threat to his goals. As the two battle, they are unaware that Sith Lords from the past have other plans for their destiny. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's yard.

Commentary: While not exactly (at all) authentic to the comic book, Ulic Qel-Droma brings a character to life who has existed in the Star Wars universe since the original Dark Empire series. (He was a big part of the backstory.) His story takes place around the same time as the Knights of the Old Republic game and comics, give or take a few years, and the series starring this Jedi spanned roughly 5 years and about 23 issues. Much like Luke (and later, Anakin) this Jedi hero had some awesome adventures and decided he could use the dark side of the Force to bring down an enemy. Well, we all know how that usually turns out. Fans of the series-- myself included-- will probably talk your ear off about how they would make a pretty good cartoon or movie or some such. So how is his figure?

Ulic looks a lot more like he does on the cover of his first comic appearance, nothing at all like the comic he comes with. (Where he bangs some chick and is shirtless.) With slightly tattered rags and some armor, he has 14 points of articulation and a great range of movement. Unless it's my imagination, he also sports a marker on his forehead which wouldn't appear until the very comic he comes with, several years later. He has a good range of movement and decent detail, although his clothes seem remarkably clean for being so tattered-- a little dirt would have been nice, but it's nice that we got Ulic in the first place. His lightsaber doesn't quite match the comics, and the color of his blade seems to change throughout the tale. It's OK, I guess, because Exar Kun (his companion in the set) looks nothing like his appearance in this particular comic, either. So it's a pretty decent interpretation of the Beast Wars of Onderon Ulic, and that's nothing to sneeze at. Well, it'd be nice if his shirt were colored properly but the figure certainly hits the mark for "good enough."

Collector's Notes: Part of the final wave of comic packs (and a recent release), odds are you can still have a shot at getting this one cheaply. For fans of the Tom Veitch/Kevin J. Anderson series, it's a must-buy. For everyone else? Well, odds are you don't even know who this is. Sadly, this is one of very few figures from this era, along with the Mandalore from this comic series. Too bad we won't be seeing more any time soon.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,256: April 7, 2010