Figure of the Day: Day 1,099: TC-70

TC-70 with Jabba the Hutt
The Clone Wars Jabba's Palace Battle Pack
Item No.: Asst. 87752 No. 87782
Number: n/a
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Includes: Jabba figure, railing
Action Feature: Light-up eyeport
Retail: $23.99
Availability: Spring 2009
Appearances: The Clone Wars Movie
Image: Adam Pawlus' shelves.

Bio: The Hutt speaks in his native language of Huttese, so the calm and professional protocol droid TC-70 trtanslates for her master. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Commentary: Figures like TC-70 are proof positive that Hasbro ain't stupid. Within about 6 months of making C-3PO, the same mold was trotted out for another protocol droid, which is one fans were asking for anyway. Hooray!

The figure is almost exactly the same as C-3PO, except for the coloring. The same 14 or so joints are present so he can sit, stand, gesture, tilt his head, and otherwise emote through the use of his plastic parts. While the coloring seems a little brighter than the movie, you still get the feeling it's a droid that has seen some abuse, as seen by the various replacement parts on his chassis. The sculpt feels like a protocol droid, it looks like one, really, there's not too much to say here beyond that Hasbro did an admirable job replicating a fairly minor character from a movie that, by most box office standards, flopped. I'm quite glad to have it because the mold is a good one, I love cartoony things, and it's also from Jabba's palace. If you think you might appreciate this one, let me assure you, you will.

Collector's Notes: This is a new-ish release, packaged a little heavier than other Battle Packs and also apparently not being as popular. As such, you should be able to find one without considerable difficulty. Due to the quality of the Jabba figure, I'd suggest you do so if you're a toy fan. Hasbro finally made a top-notch hutt, which we'll look at in the future.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,099: August 31, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,098: Quinlan Vos

QUINLAN VOS with Vilmarh Grahrk
30th Anniversary Collection Comic Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87504 No. 87517
Number: 05
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Includes: Villie figure, blaster, lightsaber, reprint of a comic book
Action Feature: Blaster fits in holster, lightsaber has removable blade
Retail: $9.99
Availability: April 2007
Appearances: Comics: Too Many To List
Image: Adam Pawlus' place.

Bio: Quinlan Vos awakens with no memory of who or what he is, and immediately finds himself in peril, in the midst of a fierce blaze and attacked by bounty hunters. He is saved by Vilmarh Grahrk, who helps him escape and explains that bets are being placed on Quinlan's chances of survival. Villie reveals that he has a personal stake in the outcome, but changes his outlook when he sees Quinlan's Jedi skills in action. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Commentary: This was a winner of a fan's choice contest, but Hasbro already had it slated for production. Good thing it was in the comic pack, because the wave that the runner-up appeared in turned out to be somewhat rare. This Quinlan Vos figure, on the other hand, was pretty easy to come by due to it being shipped widely and for a long time, showing the value of the comic pack assortment. (Please don't ever take it from me, Hasbro.) While I can't say I'm the world's biggest fan of the character, he does look significantly more distinctive than most of the human Jedi from the films by virtue of his yellow paint stripe on his head and the unique body armor. His head is a little small-- or maybe the hair is too big-- but it's basically a good figure, with excellent arm articulation and virtually no leg articulation. The hips are jointed, but the holster when combined with his lower robes tends to prevent some level of movement, making this an-- as Hasbro's marketing once put it-- a "stand there and look good" figure rather than an "action" figure.

In and of itself, the figure is nothing special. The comic won't convince you to like it. If you stuck with Vos' storylines in the comic books you probably already own two of these. If you're not already a fan, this figure won't do much to make you one. The sculpting is good, the articulation is OK, but it's basically just some dude with funny hair and a lightsaber unless you have the personality to associate with it in your memory banks.

Collector's Notes: As values go, this was one of the better ones in the past few years. If for some reason you stumble on it-- and some stores are suddenly getting old inventory from the back, like what I'm seeing-- don't hesitate and BUY. This is a great figure if you're a fan of the comic character, which is to say, if you're someone that read comics between roughly 2000 and 2005. Since then, the character has been effectively dropped despite starring in several stories.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,098: August 28, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,097: 501st BARC Speeder Clone Trooper

CLONE TROOPER and BARC Speeder Bike
The Clone Wars Figure & Vehicle Assortment
Item No.: Asst. 91349 No. 91361
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Figure, bike, rifle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $16.99
Availability: June 2009
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith, The Clone Wars


Image: Adam Pawlus' place.

Bio: Clone troopers ride Biker Advanced Recon Commando (BARC) speeder bikes on scouting and escort missions. BAC speeders give the troopers greater range, speed, mobility, and firepower than foot patrols. They prove so useful to elite units like the 501st Legion that they are soon made available to the entire clone trooper army. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Commentary: While the first animated 501st Clone Trooper was a Wal-Mart exclusive in 2008, this one better matches Captain Rex. The same basic clone body type is recycled here to the same great success, and it sports the the 2009-style helmet with the notch in the chin and what seems to be a bigger forehead. All the same great articulation is here, no lateral leg movement or anything, so if for some reason you stumble on a cache of these and want to do some army building, if it's cheap, this is a good item to pick up en masse. With a basic black rifle, it's a pretty great overall release. Assuming you want the bike, of course, otherwise it's a pretty expensive set. If I had the means to get several of this figure for my army and vehicle-packing purposes, I would do so. Unfortunately, I'm too cheap.

Collector's Notes: In 2005, the same bike was sold with the first decent Stass Allie figure for $10. Wal-Mart had an exclusive of it with a pair of Saleucami troopers in 2007 for about $23. So at $17, you might not be smiling so much to buy it again with another repaint. This item is scheduled to ship for a short while, possibly extending into a long while.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,097: August 27, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,096: R2-C4

R2-C4 Astromech Droids Series #1
Saga Collection Entertainment Earth Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. 87055 No. 87056
Number: n/a
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Twist dome for retractable third leg
Retail: $39.99
Availability: January 2006
Appearances: The Phantom Menace


Image: Adam Pawlus' place.

Bio: Serves Queen Amidala and her retinue. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Commentary: This one did not turn out as I had hoped-- of the entire set, R2-C4 doesn't quite fit with the deco on the others. For starters, he is the only one in these 5-packs with a light-up eyeport. He has dirt, and the others don't. Based on the familiar and beloved R4-G9 mold, this figure is basically the proportions you'd want on the most fantastic droid in the entire saga. This isn't that droid, but hey, it's a quality product! Called R2-D3 before the figure came out, this is the yellow astromech that looks just like R2-D2 on Amidala's ship from the first chunk of the movie. It's a good replica of that robot, and for those of you like me-- and there are many of you-- you're probably going to be glad it exists just so you have another astromech for your droid pool. It doesn't bring much new to the table other than being a good design in yellow, which is a plush.

The figure moves at the dome-- which raises and lowers the middle leg-- and has jointed "feet" and "shoulders." So in short, it does everything a droid should short of fixing your broken machinery.

Collector's Notes: These aren't too uncommon, and you can get the boxed sets on eBay these days now that they've sold out from Entertainment Earth. The individual droid, out of the box, is probably going to set you back $15-$20, and the set tends to go for much cheaper. My advice: get the boxed set.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,096: August 26, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,095: McQuarrie Concept Obi-Wan Kenobi

OBI-WAN KENOBI McQuarrie Concept
30th Anniversary Collection Comic-Con Exclusive
Item No.: No. 87417
Number: n/a
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Includes: Lightsaber, hilt, Yoda figure, coin (stand is not included)
Action Feature: Clip holds lightsaber hilt
Retail: $14.99
Availability: July 2007
Appearances: n/a

Image: Adam Pawlus' yard.

Bio: In his sketches, concept artist Ralph McQuarrie evokes the graceful power of a ninja master or samurai warrior in his drawing of Obi-Wan.

Commentary: An odd pairing-- a concept from Star Wars packaged with a concept from its sequel-- but Obi-Wan Kenobi is a strange look at what might have been. Loaded with articulation, the figure has 12 points of movement-- meaning that in this case, the knees are missing. He can basically sit or stand without too much fuss, but when it comes to the McQuarrie figures it seems we buy them less for the "toy" appeal than the "shelf" appeal. This is a sub-collection you get to display to show off how enlightened you are to alternate versions of your favorite characters.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is notable in that he really does look a fair amount different from what we saw on the big screen. No facial hair, no toupee, and lots and lots of purple. Overall, the McQuarrie Concept figures might have made the line more toyetic, with bright colors all over the place to make them pop a little more on the shelves. I mean, when you compare this purple and white figure, complete with red trim, against the earthtoney subtlety of the standard release it's quite striking. As collectors I daresay the regular version is a little more attractive and less goofy, but the toy junkie in me sees this as a particularly worthwhile edition of a character that's probably on version #47 by now. As to if you should get it or not, I'd say if you like how it looks, go for it. Otherwise save your cash.

Collector's Notes: That white cloth robe piece? Gets dirty. Be careful. On the bright side, this set isn't too expensive if you're patient. But do expect to pay a slight premium over the issue price.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,095: August 25, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,094: Obi-Wan Kenobi

OBI-WAN KENOBI Sith Lord Attack
30th Anniversary Collection Battle Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87503 No. 87195
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, cloak, 4 more figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: November 2006
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Image: Adam Pawlus' grill.

Bio: Though Obi-Wan sometimes found himself at odds with his teacher Qui-Gon Jinn, the two Jedi fought as one against the terrifying onslaught of a deadly Sith lord. (Not taken from the figure's packaging.)

Commentary: I was struggling on including Obi-Wan Kenobi in this column because it's tricky to determine just what constitutes a "new" figure, and this one is just different enough. He's one accessory shy of being pretty great as it is. Kenobi's body is largely the Power of the Jedi cloaked release, only now it has a little tab on his belt to hang a communicator-- which is not included. (Qui-Gon has one, though.) The cloth robes are nothing special, but if you leave the rubber band on which came in the packaging it actually looks pretty good-- the hood being held back does add a little bit to the figure's look and feel.

If you want a boxed set to re-enact a battle, this is it. Obi-Wan can't sit particularly well, but these figures were meant to fight. With that in mind, you could do far worse.

Collector's Notes: This figure is very similar to the 2006 basic carded Obi-Wan Kenobi, but there are key differences like rooted hair. This set of figures didn't last forever, but it's a pretty wonderful representation of the final battle of the first prequel. There are better versions of many of these figures, but this set was a great deal overall.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,094: August 24, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,093: Boba Fett (Deluxe)

BOBA FETT with Wing-Blast Rocketpack and Overhead Cannon
Power of the Force Deluxe Figures
Item No.: Asst. 69610 No. 69638
Manufacturer: Kenner
Number: n/a
Includes: Rocket, backpack
Action Feature: Flip-out wings, poseable cannons, firing rocket
Retail: $9.99
Availability: Early 1997
Appearances: n/a

Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.

Bio: Hey kids, it's Boba Fett! (Not taken from the figure's packaging.)

Commentary: This deluxe Boba Fett seems like some sort of sick joke. For years, fans have wanted a rocket-firing Boba Fett because thousands of children were denied one in the 1970s, so this twisted wish fulfillment seems like more of Kenner being cute than anything else, but it was made out of the 1990s and that was a pretty good era for toys as toys. Kenner would often expand its own concepts and build figures to have large accessories with moving parts because-- shock!-- kids enjoyed playing with them. For a few more bucks, you could get what amounted to a retooled basic Boba Fett figure and a much larger jetpack. This one had flip-out wings, a big skull on the side, and yes, a firing rocket. But look at this thing, it's just hideous. I admire it as one of the final entries in Kenner's proud action figure accessory tradition (see also: The Real Ghostbusters, Batman: The Dark Knight Collection) before realism and authenticity became job #1. This toy actually worked well as a toy, it slid right on the T-bar on Boba Fett's back and stayed on without the figure falling out. It looks like something out of a 1980s sketchbook, like it might have been a release during the original Return of the Jedi line.

The figure itself is basically a mishmash of the 1995 basic figure and the 1996 Shadows of the Empire version, only slightly taller. Had Kenner included the rifle, a basic backpack, and a cape, this would probably have been the best Boba Fett you could buy until the 300th Figure release in 2000. There are only 6 points of articulation, but hey, it's pretty good for what it aspired to be. I can't think of many reasons for your average collector to want this unless you're a big fan of Kenner's own creative designs, of which this is one of the better ones. Sure, it's goofy and unrealistic, but it does seem to fit the vocabulary of the look and feel of Star Wars somehow. In some respects I'm almost disappointed we didn't get to see more stuff like this, but hey, maybe some day those designers will open their sketchbooks to us so we can see what else was on tap.

Collector's Notes: This figure actually seemed to sell OK in its time, which is notable because I can't tell you anyone that was particularly happy to see it. But Boba Fett sells, and so did this one.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,093: August 21, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,092: R2-D2 (Droid Factory Battle Pack)

R2-D2 Droid Factory Capture
30th Anniversary Collection Battle Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87503 No. 87598
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Rocket effects, other figures
Action Feature: Press down on third leg to retract, extend boosters
Retail: $24.99
Availability: Fall 2007
Appearances: Attack of the Clones

Image: Adam Pawlus' dish.

Bio: The spunky droid cannot sit idly by as events take place around him. He ventures into the droid foundries after Anakin and Padmé, followed by the protesting C-3PO. He uses his anti-grav boosters to stay clear of the dangerous machinery below. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Commentary: I first reviewed the original release of this R2-D2 2 years ago, just after this one was announced, assuming there would be no changes. Well, I was wrong-- arguably the worst R2-D2 of all time has now been made worse. It retains the body of the original release, but drops the bulk of the action features that would have made it interesting. By dropping the various string and magnet pieces, the figure goes from below par to downright crappy. You can't move his legs, but his feet have limited articulation. The dome spins, but has the most hideous deco of any R2-D2 action figure since the original line ended in the 1980s. It's just ugly-- if you put it in a lineup with other releases, you might even assume it was a knock-off. Why is his eye silver? Why don't the blast effects fit on the rockets as tightly as the original release? WHY, HASBRO?

To make this figure look even worse, it was packaged in a Battle Pack with some of Hasbro's finer efforts, including the best-available Anakin Skywalker, a really fun C-3PO with swappable limbs, a really slick Destroyer Droid, and a pretty good Jango Fett made of parts from previous figures. If you're an R2-D2 junkie, this figure absolutely qualifies for the "just different enough to make you mad" award. It just sucks. If you can avoid it, you might as well.

Collector's Notes: The set is worth the asking price-- this figure, is not. You can have a lot of fun with this set, but unfortunately everything that made this R2-D2 barely neat as it was didn't see the light of day here. The gift set is still available online, and can be had for $20 without too much fuss.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,092: August 20, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,091: C-3PO (Coin Edition)

C-3PO Toys "R" Us Exclusive
Power of the Force Millennium Minted Coins
Item No.: Asst. 87504 No. 87792
Manufacturer: Kenner
Number: n/a
Includes: Display stand, coin
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: Summer 1998
Appearances: Star Wars

Image: Adam Pawlus' couch.

Bio: The Star Wars Mint is officially re-instituted with this limited edition series! New gold-colored coins feature character images from the classic silver-colored coin release-all with brand new reverse-side stampings specially designed for this exclusive commemorative offering. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Commentary: Sometimes Kenner really did a great job, like with this C-3PO. It's so good, that when Hasbro made a "Vintage" figure in 2004 and also reissued this figure on a basic card, it was pretty obvious that this was the better of the two. Aside from some more paint to bring out the eyes, this is really about as good as C-3PO figures got until the 2005 Revenge of the Sith release, and by today's standards this one is still pretty great. The design is based on parts of the Purchase of the Droids C-3PO (1998) and Removable Limbs C-3PO (1998), minus any action features or unique dirt deco. At first it looked like it was just the 1995 figure with new paint, but a ton of tiny sculpting refinements show that Hasbro did a bang-up job in making sure that this was one of the finest and most authentic movie-based C-3POs of its day. Little details, like incorporating the silver shin, definitely helped make this figure stand out against what we saw in the first couple of decades of C-3PO toys.

The coin and premium deco were this figure's selling points, because in its day basic figures were $6 and Hasbro had to do something to justify them. The coin itself was the front of the 1985-era coin with a new reverse side, which unfortunately didn't include any of the biographical information but rather incorporated a fairly generic design with lightsabers and a few words that looks like it could have been cribbed from any crappy fan web site circa 1997. Unlike some of the other figures in this line, the figure was genuinely the reason to make this purchase.

Collector's Notes: The MMC figures were pretty haphazard in their distribution-- some cities had tons of one, but none of another. C-3PO and the Emperor were kinda tough to come by in my neck of the woods. The same C-3PO figure was later reissued on the basic packaging of the Original Trilogy Collection line in 2004, without the coin. It was also used in the Saga-era "Hall of Fame" assortments. My advice to you regarding the purchase of this figure depends entirely on how many C-3PO figures you need. If you can get a cheap OTC one, I'd say that's the way to go.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,091: August 19, 2009