Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,297: Walrus Man (Cantina Adventure Set - The Vintage Collection)

WALRUS MAN Kenner Flavor
The Vintage Collection 3 3/4-Inch Cantina Adventure Set Pack-In
Item No.: No. G1301
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #377
Includes: Blaster, alternate flipper fists
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $64.99 $74.99
Availability: September 2025
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: A burly Aqualish thug, Ponda Baba was one of the alien barflies escaping the heat of Tatooine's twin suns when Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi visited the Mos Eisley Cantina. (Taken from packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

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

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: This Walrus Man is not what I would have expected, but I think that it might actually be better overall. As a repaint of an existing mold it's weird, but Hasbro has been surprisingly conservative about non-trooper wacky repaints. This is actually fun. Also, he's got weird flipper hands if you're into that.

As a kid I saw the original Kenner Walrus Man in the toy catalogs and thought it was the coolest thing ever. Wet suit. Swim fins. Bright colors. How could you go wrong? You couldn't, it was great. By 1997 Kenner disagreed, and decided to give us the first Ponda Baba - a much more accurate update with the jacket and screen-accurate colors and boots. Whimsy doesn't tend to click with adult fans, or so I thought. Hasbro decided to do this amazing little set with four super-articulated movie-accurate figures in 1979 colors. Silly? Kinda. But I'd have paid $50 for just the cardboard diorama part, $65 for four figures and a diorama is about as good as this sort of thing gets. The original The Vintage Collection Ponda Baba from 2011 included a bonus alternate arm and a glass - but otherwise was the same mold.

The character stands easily and probably won't be doing much sitting. The legs have enough movement to sit - but he won't be sitting. The old-school swivel hips are present, as are swivel wrists and a twisty waist. The ankles are pre-rocker, well-integrated and surprisingly study. I have no problems getting this guy to stand, and the coat doesn't get in the way of him being able to sit. That's the working blaster holster's job.

Deco is a series of unique choices, far more so than the other figures. The movie mold had a shirt with a jacket, so Hasbro opted to go in another direction. The Kenner figure had blue arms and an orange torso. This figure has a beige shirt, an orange jacket, and blue stripes on the sleeves. Why? I have no idea. It reminds me of some of the Star Tours uniforms from the 1980s, and it doesn't match the original 1979 Walrus Man. But it's weird, and weird is the spirit of those old figures. I'm not complaining, especially since Hasbro released Retro Walrus Man [FOTD #3,253] just a few months ago. That means three forms of Walrus Man are in circulation this year.

If I were in Hasbro's shoes I would have gone with a different color of shirt (orange or blue), and probably made a stink about making the sleeves completely blue. But it's not my department. This figure reminds me of Glyos (in all the best ways) in that the new colors do a great job highlighting the detailed sculpt. You can see the hairy textures around the mouth, subtle strands of fabric in the shirt, and subtle creasing in the pants. The old releases looked great, but for whatever reason these colors highlight just how much work Hasbro and/or Lucasfilm put in to the designs before being converted to plastic man. They even painted the belt buckle and little silver bits too, making this a better-than-expected cheap redeco. They even Kenner-ized the eyes, with some light yellow/green behind the black dot. It's charmingly weird.

I have no doubt some fans are cranky Hasbro didn't do an all-new mold with thigh swivels and rocker ankles, but I still feel this mold is good enough and I don't think that - other than that shirt - there's much they could have done to make it look a heck of a lot better. Hasbro got the gag, priced it right, and made something that is a pretty good item to put out in a year where you make an all-new Cantina with absolutely zero brand new alien figures. This one is old, and it's new. It's interesting. It's not for everybody. I bought two. If it's still available, I'd recommend it.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Hasbro Pulse. Like a lot of items, the price increased throughout the fall going up about $10. Thanks, economy.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,297: November 27, 2025