Figure of the Day: Day 1,304: K'Kruhk

K'KRUHK Jedi Master
The Legacy Collection Shared Exclusive Expanded Universe Wave
Item No.: Asst. 87535 No. 93304
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #BD57
Includes: Lightsaber, Jedi robes
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: May 2010
Appearances: Various Expanded Universe

Bio: K'Kruhk is a Jedi Knight during the last days of the Republic. Although he has the fierce nature of all Whiphids, he also holds strong pacifist ideals and struggles with the military role that the Jedi perform during the Clone Wars. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' tackle box.

Commentary: What, no hat? Not cool Hasbro. K'Kruhk has been a staple of the Star Wars Expanded Universe since his first comic appearance in the year 2000. He's appeared in prequel-era fiction, "Dark Times"-era stories, and even in the distant future of Legacy. He even "died" in the original Clone Wars series... and came back! The big hairy dude gets around, and was a pretty memorable character to boot. Very few Whiphids get any real spotlight in the saga, so seeing one get so much to do means that it only makes sense that he would get a figure. Heck, Hasbro even said-- for years-- that they were planning on getting to him, and if memory serves they flat-out said he would include his hat if and when they got to him. They didn't. Dammit.

The figure itself is slightly better than the bulk of the Legacy Collection figures. The sculpting is quite good, the articulation is the typical 14 points, and it seems to me that the lightsaber is a new sculpt-- something Hasbro has been hestiant to do when they can just reissue an existing one. (It's worth noting, though, that this is not the lightsaber most fans associate with him based on his appearances.) He has no difficulty holding his lightsaber with both hands, and he can stand without assistance due to his big feet. However, he does have problems sitting due to the plastic part of his robes, which are a mix of plastic and cloth. The hair sculpting on this figure is some of Hasbro's better work, and I like his little teeth jutting out from his mouth. It's a great overall figure, but a hat and a different lightsaber would have made it great. I'd suggest this figure to all fans of the character, unless one with a hat got made in the distant future. I have to figure that had crossed Hasbro's mind, because, seriously, why leave it out? That hat is more important than ankle joints.

Collector's Notes: Initially, the figure was available at Toys "R" Us with a roughly 30-day window before being shared at other stores. "Other stores" means "not Target, not Kmart, and not Wal-Mart" and, so far, has been only online toy sellers. As such, if you missed it at Toys "R" Us, you can probably buy it by the case online-- which is generally cheaper than buying them individually. I've never seen this set in the wild at press time, so yeah, you can guess what I did. The future is still in motion for this one, so keep your eyes peeled and maybe, just maybe, you'll be able to find one.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,304: June 14, 2010