Figure of the Day: Day 1,209: Bultar Swan (Purge)

BULTAR SWAN Purge
30th Anniversary Collection Comic Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87504 No. 87530
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #13
Includes: Lightsaber, removable chest armor
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: Fall 2007
Appearances: Purge

Bio: The Jedi are on the run or in hiding after Order 66 wiped out most of the venerable order. Bultar Swan has a plan to crush the new Empire: destroy Darth Vader and thus weaken the Emperor and his fledgling rule. She brings together a handful of Jedi on the planet Kessel and leaks a false rumor that Obi-Wan Kenobi will be there, knowing Vader will take the bait... and the Jedi will be waiting for him. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.

Commentary: Since 2002, fans have asked Hasbro for some form of Bultar Swan as a toy, as she was somewhat recognizable in the melee near the end of Attack of the Clones. While not super-articulated, if you consider the quality of the figure and the price, this set was quite a stunner. From the waist up, she's a modern figure in every sense of the word, but her legs are decidedly old-school. Aside from hip articulation, there are no leg joints, however Hasbro managed to give her legs a good range of motion and also posed them in a remarkable action-oriented way which gives them a little bend and lets her stand and sit without too much trouble. They did a good job here, as good as one can hope for without knees and ankles.

The head sculpt is good, and the face is painted rather than molded in her flesh color. This is mostly good-- I've seen a bunch of her and it looks like her face is better in its appearance than most figures, like she has a little make-up on and seems a little more lively than other human sculpts. However, since she has a painted face, that means you need to watch for dings on her nose and such-- odds are most will be in good shape due to how so many fans keep their toys in perfect shape, but be sure to get a look at her mug if you pick one up.

Collector's Notes: With the relative rarity of Purge as a single comic book, this set is arguably worth picking up just to have it-- it's been in numerous collections but the single original Dark Horse comic was a little tough to get. The figures are both excellent and exclusive to this set, so really, why not get this? It's a great story and the set is totally worth shelling out for. It's "worth" about $9-$12, but due to the quality of the products in here I'd say that I personally would go as high as $20 and not feel like I got taken. But be cheap if you can, because that is the way of our people. It's another great comic pack.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,209: February 1, 2010

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 671: Bultar Swan (30th Anniversary Collection)

BULTAR SWAN Jedi Legacy
30th Anniversary Collection Evolutions Figures
Item No.: Asst. 87480 No. 87562
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, additional figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99-$25.99
Availability: February 2008
Appearances: Attack of the Clones

Bio: Bultar Swan was a female Human Jedi Knight from Kuat who lived during the final years of the Galactic Republic. She was apprenticed to Jedi Council member Micah Giiett until his death at the hands of the Yinchorri. She wielded a green lightsaber. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo area.

Availability: Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Hasbro's reaching. When you think about the "Jedi Legacy" (the name of the set this Bultar Swan appears in) you probably think of characters that, you know, had screen time or did things. And the set manages to mostly put out important characters from the saga (and beyond) in it-- Qui-Gon Jinn was a Jedi Master of some significance, so it stands to reason that his legacy might be of some significance. After all, he's the one that picked up the crazy kid from the desert planet who would go on to kill everybody, right? Luke Skywalker's legacy is obvious-- he had a whole trilogy of films devoted to his actions, plus novels and comics, and oh yeah-- there's a comic series called "Legacy" that follows around his descendants. So this one's a no-brainer. But Bultar Swan? Other than appearing in a couple of Expanded Universe materials, she really didn't do a whole heck of a lot. Another Obi-Wan would've made a little more sense thematically here, but screw theme-- the important thing is we finally got our super-articulated Bultar Swan on Hasbro's first attempt. (First attempt at movie-style, that is.)

While not perfect, she's pretty good. The two most recognizable things about her-- her haircut and her unique leather Jedi costume-- are represented here fairly well. The colors are right, and while I personally would've liked to have seen more done to represent the leather texture beyond just color, it works just fine. Ms. Swan's robes are textured nicely, all sorts of patterns, folds, creases, and other minute details bring her garments to life. Or to life in plastic, at least. Her lightsaber is green-- just like in the movie-- and pretty much everything a figure would have needed to have to be considered "super articulated" is here too. She doesn't have that newfangled lateral hip movement yet (so far only on a handful of figures), so she's a great figure for her time-- the time, of course, being now because she's brand new. The face could be a little more lively through the better application of paint (odds are something got lost in translation at the factory), and overall she's a great figure. She will fit in nicely with the best of the best post-2004 Jedi figures you already own, and hey, the kids like the Jedi. She's also part of a pretty wonderful set, so you should consider snapping this one up.

Collector's Notes: Of the four new Evolutions sets, this one seems to be sitting around the most. There's a Target I go to that has had the same unit sitting there for about a week now, Entertainment Earth has some in stock, heck, you're going to be able to find this one without much of a challenge. Unless you're British or Canadian, in which case good friggin' luck. The set also includes Luke Skywalker and Qui-Gon Jinn.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 671: March 7, 2008