Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,262: First Mate Quiggold (The Force Awakens)

FIRST MATE QUIGGOLD and  Sidon Ithano
The Force Awakens 2-Packs
Item No.: Asst. B3955 No.  B5896
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, cape, Sidon Ithano figure, rocket, launcher
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: January 2016
Appearances: The Force Awakens

Bio: The First Mate to the dashing Sidon Thano, Quiggold handles the pirate's business.  Often in need of fresh hands aboard his pirate vessel, Quiggold recruits those looking for work in spaceport cantinas and taverns. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: It's space Smee! First Mate Quiggold comes to us a tiny bit taller than he probably needs to be, but it's still a solid figure with six points of articulation.  For some reason, Hasbro gave him a not-functional neck and a very functional waist joint!  How nice.   The creature's design is solid, effectively taking cues from early Jabba the Hutt concepts and the Vogons of the 2005 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie.   He's the first - also possibly only - Gabdorin we've ever seen, and for some reason he's wearing sandals.   I'm pretty sure this has got to be out of vogue by now.  He's got a peg leg - this means he's a legit pirate!  It's pretty clean and shiny too, with some nifty textures that are supposedly derived from a fuel filter.  The front looks almost padded, while the back looks like some sort of metal mesh with swell silver painted on top of a fantastic textured sheet.

His costume texturing is some of the line's best, with loads of cloth detail they didn't bother to smooth out like on some other figures.  The arms are posed to be about the least combat-ready a figure could be, and he's got a rocket launcher that may as well go straight to the trash can.  It's a nice launcher, sure, but it's too big for him to hold and look reasonable.   Hasbro includes these accessories to give the sets a little added value visually speaking, but the reality is they're crummy.  It's a well-engineered gun, sure, but if a figure can't hold it, what am I supposed to do with it?  There was a lot of this in the G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra line as well.  Gorgeous guns, ideally sized for an action figure twice as tall.  The blaster has silver highlights and a red rocket.  The designers and engineers did a fine job with it, it's just one of those accessories that serve no real purpose.  I may not be crazy about the armor up figures, but at least those fit cleanly over the action figure.

I'd be a bad toy writer person if I didn't point out that Hasbro did a bang-up job on his face.  Not only is the sculpt good, but wipes and special paint applications bring out the dark brown of his head as well as the light pink snout.  On top of all of that, the figure can actually balance very well despite only having one legit foot. Given Hasbro and Kenner's history of keeping figures upright, this is amazing!   Paired with the captain Sidon Ithano, the set is pretty good for $15 or so.  I daresay it's totally worth your money - the 2-packs are basically a good deal, even if you junk the premium accessories in each one.   Besides, two new aliens from a space bar aren't things you're going to see a lot of, so this one is a worthwhile purchase if you ask me.  Quiggold also looks like he could fit right in with your Jabba's Palace dioramas, but right now it's not like our shelves aren't collectively overflowing.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,262: March 17, 2016