Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,437: BG-J38

BG-J38 Arena Battle
The Legacy Collection Build-A-Droid
Item No.: Asst. 87535 No. n/a
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: n/a
Availability: Summer 2010
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: BG-J38 was used to provide entertainment for the Hutt and soon became one of Tatooine's best gamblers. He was unbeaten in almost every game, but never won a match against his master. After Jabba's death at the pit of Carkoon BG-J38 disappered to unknown parts. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.

Commentary: I had a hard time remembering the name of BG-J38 until I realized that Lucas' camp would be unlikely to name a background character "BJ," despite the giggles we'd all get out of it. I'm also not at all shy saying that this is one of my absolute favorite sequences to see toys from, as Jabba's palace is freaking packed with awesome robots and creatures and armored dudes and hot chicks. As sequences go, the attempt to one-up the cantina was about as good as set pieces get in the entire saga. It's nice Hasbro gave us so many obscure figures from it, but well, "some" is never enough. We want more, dammit! This one certainly fits the bill of giving us more of what we want, although it's a safe bet most fans won't know what he's supposed to be.

At first glance it's just 8D8 with a new head. At second glance, that's still what it is. Sure, the torso's actually different, but it's all about first impressions. BG-J38 isn't a robot you ever get a good look at and I've only seen images of it from the back. As such, if Hasbro fabricated any of the front of the figure, there's no really obvious way to know this. It's pretty screen-accurate by virtue of the fact we have little reference, and the figure has more articulation than it needs to in order to be a good build-a-droid action figure. Articulated knees and elbows are more than this figure likely deserves and there's something more than a little funny about the notion that 8D8, who actually did stuff and was seen, only had 5 points of articulation. Such is the benefit to waiting for the line to continue, new figures being made today are way, way better than they would have been in 2001. Good things really do come to those who wait, and anyone looking to populate Jabba's dungeon should absolutely run out and pick up this figure by any means necessary. It's not mind-blowing, but it's nice and weird, the perfect filler for any diorama involving a Hutt.

Collector's Notes: This figure shipped with the infamous (and long-delayed) Expanded Universe wave of The Legacy Collection which also was yanked from mass market and given to Toys "R" Us and online stores as a shared exclusive... about six months late. This figure is also notable in that Hasbro often tiptoed around confirming it in their own official Q&As to the point where it was obvious they were dodging the question. But we still love you guys. Thanks for the robot!

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,437: December 16, 2010