Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,878: Durge

DURGE Series 2
Clone Wars Cartoon Network / Tartakovsky Animated Series Action Figures
Item No.: Asst. 85003 No. 85221
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lance, display stand
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: Late 2003
Appearances: Clone Wars 2003 series

Bio: Through the creative vision of Lucasfilm Ltd. and the Cartoon Network, the Clone Wars are brought to life in an exciting new series of short animated chapters. A unique animation style captures the drama of this epic period in galactic history along with its outstanding heroes and adversaries. Noble Jedi warriors lead Clone Troopers into battle against the evil Separatist forces and their droid armies. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda and their comrades struggle against the rising power of the dark side and confront personal challenges against a backdrop of war-torn planets.   (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo hole.

Figure of the Day: Day 1,042: Durge

DURGE with Anakin Skywalker
30th Anniversary Collection Comic Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87504 No. 87621
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #02
Includes: Blasters, helmet, Anakin figure
Action Feature: Working holsters, removable helmet
Retail: $12.99
Availability: July 2008
Appearances: Clone Wars comic books

Bio: Anakin accompanies Obi-Wan to the Karthakk system, where they hope to prevent the assassination of a Corellian merchant. They board the merchant's damaged space yacht - and walk right into a trap set by Durge, a centuries-old bounty hunter. Anakin battles the powerful Durge in a grueling contest of strength and cunning. Durge has wired the ship with explosives and escapes before the blast, but the bounty hunter makes a fatal error when he underestimates Anakin's skill with the Force. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' floor.

Commentary: While loosely based on the 2003 Durge molds, this figure manages to improve on them in some ways and in others... not so much. The arms are super-articulated, but there are no knee joints here. This incarnation of the character is meant to be from his final death in the Star Wars: Obsession series, which takes place right before Revenge of the Sith. It's appropriately dirty, and the face under Durge's helmet is really nasty. The scars of war, surgery, and a miserable life as a bounty hunter come through to an extent, but really what you have is just a gnarly monster under a helmet. The clever inclusion of details like his oversized hand and busted armor give the figure an appearance of being on the brink, which is good, because he gets blasted in the sun later. (Oh yeah, spoiler alert.) This isn't the best Durge Hasbro ever made, but it's pretty good for the money. Get it if you can.

Collector's Notes: While a little tougher to get today, you might still be able to get one of these. If all you want is a good Durge, let me suggest the deluxe figure from 2003 with the Swoop-- it's the best. This one is a close second, but that earlier release offered more for the money and had better articulation than this more recent release.

Day 1,042: June 11, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 894: Durge

DURGE with Swoop Bike
Clone Wars Deluxe Figures
Item No.: Asst. 84845 No. 84844
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster pistols, rifle, lance, bike
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: Fall 2003
Appearances: Clone Wars

Bio: A century before the Clone Wars, this 2,000 year old bounty hunter went into hibernation to recuperate after being tortured by Mandalorians. Awakening shortly after the Battle of Geonosis, Durge learns that the only Mandalorians still alive are the Clone Troopers, which were created from Mandalorian Jango Fett. Durge joins the Confederacy to enact his revenge upon Jango Fett's clones. His swoop bike is a high-performance craft with exceptional speed and challenges even the most skilled pilots. Simple vehicles, they achieve their performance through a combination of repulsorlift and turbothrust engines. (Taken from the figure's box.)

Image: Adam's desk drawer.

Commentary: This Durge figure is a sad commentary and how far we've slipped as far as expectations of what your dollar can get you. In 2003, $10 got you a super-articulated figure (minus the ankles), a small vehicle, and more guns than the figure had hands. $5 got you a basic figure. And a nickel would get you two slurgs of petrol and some change on top of that, dadgummit. Of course, this wasn't to say it was a perfect set-- Hasbro dropped numerous paint applications from the basic Durge release for this deluxe version, but I dare say this made the figure better. Basic Durge had some exposed peachy-colored flesh on his arms, but the deluxe version was completely covered in his armor-- which I think provided a far better interpretation of the character as seen in comics and on the teevee. The figure's blaster pistols fit neatly into his holster, he can look around in all directions, and he's easily the best Durge your money can buy. Seriously, Hasbro has yet to do better-- this one has it all.

The bike itself is nice, as it features a few tabs for what seems to be a missing piece, and a place to keep the lance and the rifle. There's some nifty deco on it, some of which may have been sacrificed in order to meet the price point-- this set has a lot of plastic in it. The "damage" is a little weak, but it's a nifty green color and it doesn't look a lot like Durge's vehicles in any other format-- so it's possible this is a Hasbro creation, or something off of the Lucas drawing boards. Either way, it's pretty cool... it just doesn't look like the one in the cartoons. It doesn't blow up or do anything super neat, but as an accessory it really sizzles. It's not like Hasbro generally redoes a figure to add articulation and a freaking vehicle, but here you go-- they did, and it's great. You might still want all three versions of Durge, as each is pretty unique and ultimately brings something new to the table, but this is the best of them all. Skip it at your own peril.

Collector's Notes: This figure has never been rereleased, which is a shame as it's pretty great. Another "realistic" Durge was made for the comic pack line in late Summer 2008, which was a mishmash of this mold, the other mold, and new parts. Today the figure commands a slight premium on the secondary market, and it's probably worth the extra few bucks. It's a nice package.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 894: November 17, 2008

Figure of the Day: Day 170: Durge

DURGE Commander of the Separatist Forces
Clone Wars Collection
Item No.: Asst. 84851 No. 84816
Number: 0445
Includes: Blaster Rifle, Blaster Pistols, Rocket Pack, Bola
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $5.99
Availability: November 2003
Appearances: Clone Wars

Bio: This 2,000-year-old bounty hunter replaces Jango Fett as Count Dooku's right-hand man. A century before the Clone Wars, Durge was captured and tortured by Mandalorian warriors while trying to collect a bounty on their leader. Durge escaped and went into hibernation to recuperate. Shortly after the Battle of Geonosis, Durge awakened seeking revenge, only to find that the Mandalorians were all but extinct. Upon learning that the Republic's Clone Troopers were created from Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett, Durge joined the Confederacy to enact his revenge upon Jango's clones. Along with Commander Asajj Ventress, Durge may be the one of the most formidable adversaries the Jedi have ever faced. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' Clone Wars shelf.

Commentary: When first introduced in 2003, we (the toy press) met Durge in Rhode Island at Hasbro HQ. Hasbro was curious about our reactions, and I still remember mine-- confusion. He's supposed to be this awesome 2,000-year-old man. For starters, he isn't Mel Brooks, but his arms looks like they could be-- I mean, pink human arms? Exposed arms on a heavily armed bounty hunter? Why not just cut a hole in his armor for his genitals and add on a "kick me" sign? I mean, who exposes a weak point? This was altered on future Durge items, but yeesh, why does he need to have his arms exposed? Easy access to needles for injecting death sticks?

Anyway, the figure. It's a neat design. Designed from the get-go to ingratiate himself into fan hearts, he has a design taken from Boba Fett on his chest, a ton of guns, a rocket pack, loads of armor, and when we first met him in the comic books, he was killing Gungans on one of Naboo's lunar colonies. That's pretty damned spiffy. The figure itself is good, but not great, as it has a ball-jointed neck and shoulders to match. The rest of his joints are normal, more or less, and he has spiky boots and some of the best paint seen on a figure, even if some of it is exposed human flesh. The pistols fit nicely into the holsters, although the tubes all over his body do come out if you move him more than their liking. For fans of the Expanded Universe, bounty hunters, or unique looking creations, this is a must-buy. He has his faults, some of which border on ridiculous, but he's still a nice figure.

Collector's Notes: A regular Durge figure isn't dirt cheap, but you can get one for under $20. The Deluxe Durge with Swoop Bike set costs about the same, and has more articulation and arguably superior deco. Durge's rifle and one of his pistols were reused in 2006 as weapons for Dud Bolt and Mars Guo. Introduced alongside Asajj Ventress, it turned out that fans, kids, and collectors were more interested in a pale goth chick with lightsabers than a heavily armored bounty hunter who was designed to be a bigger threat than a Fett. Not that anyone was surprised, really.

Day 170: October 23, 2006