Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,800: Exar Kun

EXAR KUN & Ulic Qel-Droma
The Legacy Collection Comic Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87504 No. 87971 
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #11
Includes: Double-bladed lightsaber, Cape, 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 Pawlus' old back yard.

Commentary:  We're at 1,800?  Good lord.   I was hoping to have some sort of book, or at least calendar, deal at this point but since I don't let's look at Exar Kun, one of the last comic pack figures to hit mass retail.  While Darth Maul was the first double-bladed lightsaber to be rendered in plastic, Exar Kun's was one of the first seen in the entire saga when he debuted in the Tales of the Jedi comics, which took place a few thousand years prior to the movies.  Back then, a story on the pre-history of the Jedi was refreshing and new, but now it seems every few years we're treated to a new period of time in the continuity full of characters we don't know nor do we care about.  But I digress.

Exar Kun here is modeled after a much older-looking character, as in the comics he had black hair for the most part and looked pretty young.  He has a marking scratched into his forehead from the ancient Sith, plus scars from one of the duels with his former Jedi friends.  The character is modeled after art from the Jedi Academy novels, where his spirit annoys and corrupts Luke's students in "modern times."  The figure is nicely articulated and has a great sculpt, but why is his hair grey?  Other than wrinkles, there's only so much you can do to make a figure look old and hair is right there at the top of the list.  I would just say this is a poor decision (or factory mistake) on Hasbro's part, because the figure is decorated well otherwise.  He has lots of armor, and the cloth-meets-plastic cape hangs nicely and most important of all, actually looks good.  Hasbro seems to have some difficulty getting capes right, so it's worth pointing out when they come up with a design that basically works.  I'm particularly pleased with his belt and gauntlets, which feature more extensive coloring and some nifty detail.  Oh, and his lightsabers are totally cool too.  The super-articulated figure doesn't really have meaningful hip movement thanks to the design of his outfit, but what a design!  It's not like it would have looked better had they rendered it in cloth, and there's little to no chance of most people buying Exar wanting to crack him open and sit him in a ship.  So as he is, he looks pretty good, but I get the feeling customizers will enjoy him the most after they fix his hair.

Collector's Notes: When I reviewed Ulic two years ago, I wrote this: "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."  I think the set was around $30 or less back then.  Today?  $100 as a start.  Wow.  See Hasbro, people are interested in new character figures!  I saw this wave in stores a few times, so it's interesting to see something really shoot up in price this steeply.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,800: May 8, 2012