Figure of the Day: Day 1,187: R5-K6

R5-K6 Scramble on Yavin
The Legacy Collection Battle Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87752 No. 87781
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Antenna, third leg, additional figures and transport vehicle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99
Availability: Spring 2009
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: This astromech droid belongs to "Red Leader" Garven Dreis. Many R5-series droids are used on starfighters for onboard navigation, diagnostics and repair. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's yard.

Commentary: A truly striking design, R5-K6 repaints the 2006 R5-D4 figure in a very red and black color scheme. Hasbro teased us with a cardboard facade of the droid in an exclusive X-Wing fighter a few years ago, so it's really great to finally have the figure along with an improved version of his owner, Red Leader Garven Dreis. As you can see, the figure boasts a vibrant color scheme with black and silver bringing him to life. The design is unlike anything else in the figure line, so if you're a fan for high-quality repaints and/or astromech droids this one is a must-buy figure.

The droid sports a retractable third leg, and if you twist the dome the "bad motivator" pops up just like on R5-D4. Since this is the only release of this droid, it's worth tracking down. Hasbro did a great job here, and with any luck it might se a reissue in the chance that you missed it.

Collector's Notes: This set has come and gone, and collectors have taken notice. Get one ASAP if you want one, or wait for interest to drop eventually as figures tend to do.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,187: December 31, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,186: ARF Trooper

ARF Trooper Clone Trooper
The Clone Wars Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 87638 No. 89468
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #CW10
Includes: Rocket, gatling gun, blaster
Action Feature: Firing rocket launcher
Retail: $7.99
Availability: August 2009
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: These Advanced Reconaissance Fighters often operate All-Terrain Recon Transport (AT-RT) walkers on scouting or combat operations. Riding atop these armed vehicles, ARF troopers can swiftly sweep through an area and cut down battle droids in their path. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's yard.

Commentary: It wouldn't shock anyone if the ARF Trooper were just another Clone Trooper with a new head, but Hasbro actually redesigned the hips too. The figure has ball-jointed legs, which is unusual in the animated line. This allows the figure to assume more action poses, which is good for being posed with his giant and heavy gun. It's also good for piloting an AT-RT or other vehicles, and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see this body reused to make (or remake) other clones as we go. It has 14 points of articulation, but the added motion in the hips and wrists makes this one of the best figures in Hasbro's entire line to date. The figure is clean and white, with some special markings on the helmet. Clone fans should make sure to get one (or more) of these for their armies, it's really a nicely made product.

Collector's Notes: The figure has been doing very well so far-- it's assumed it will ship for a while, but who knows? It's been a slow Q4. A similar (if not identical) version will be packed with the AT-RT vehicle any day now.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,186: December 30, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,185: Qui-Gon Jinn

QUI-GON JINN Theed Hangar
Episode I Playset Pack-In
Item No.: Asst. 84055 No. 84713
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, Battle Droid, and a whole playset
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $29.99
Availability: May 1999
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: In their attempt to liberate the Naboo people, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi face their deadliest foe...Darth Maul. While the desperate final battle against the Trade Federation rages on outside, Darth Maul corners the two Jedi inside the Theed hangar. Armed with a double bladed lightsaber, Maul leads Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan into a snare of deadly surprises-collapsing catwalks, secret traps and battle droid ambushes! Maneuvering through the hangar, Qui-Gon Jinn takes out a band of battle droids with his lightsaber and his mighty power kicks before coming face to face with Darth Maul! (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's kitchen.

Commentary: Without the playset, this Qui-Gon Jinn isn't particularly exciting. It has loose limbs so you can plug him into his playset, which has a big lightsaber-shaped joystick that allows you to control the figure and have him "fight" things around the hangar. It's a really ornate way to make a deluxe figure with an action feature, using a playset as a disguise for a fairly clever way to bring a single figure to life. Because of this, the figure has very limited articulation. Also, the sculpt is a little less crisp than other figures, and the deco isn't as good as other Qui-Gon Jinn toys. It's a perfectly fine figure, but this is one you get to finish a collection rather than to be your one-and-only Liam Neeson Jedi. The figure is basically OK, but the playset itself is the reason to pick up this figure. It's a nice way to display some of your toys.

Collector's Notes: The figure didn't become a hot commodity, mostly because the entire era was kind of a turkey that way. The packaged playset with both figures can be easily had for less than original retail on eBay. In some cases, for less than the price of an individual figure.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,185: December 29, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,184: Juno Eclipse

JUNO ECLIPSE Space Babe Pilot
30th Anniversary Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 87500 No. 87538
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #0815
Includes: Blaster, stand
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: February 2008
Appearances: The Force Unleashed

Bio: Juno Eclipse is the Imperial captain of the Rogue Shadow. She is appointed by Darth Vader to pilot his Secret Apprentice throughout the galaxy. Haunted by a tragic past, Eclipse continues to serve the Empire loyally while secretly yearning for a new life. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's yard.

Commentary: Reusing tooling is a big part of Hasbro's master plan, and Juno Eclipse was originally created as a 2007 basic figure who, when the game The Force Unleashed got delayed, also got pushed back until February 2008. The game itself saw release in September 2008, meaning that this figure was clearanced out before the game hit stores... and a repaint of this figure hit before the original. How about that?

Juno is based on one of the outfits in the game, but not the one you see the most. It's a fairly standard Imperial uniform, complete with fully removable hat. She is super-articulated with 14 points of movement, but sadly the lower part of her top blocks the movement of her legs slightly. The sculpt is great, although her hair is a little pale-- or maybe it's her skin. Either way, she's just a little pale. It's a great design, and there are so few Imperial figures that it's great that Hasbro made this one. She's a perfectly fine Expanded Universe figure, although her other outfit in the game was slightly cooler and would probably have made for a better figure. Oh well! At least we got this one.

Collector's Notes: A "pre-paint" of this figure was sold as Deena Shan in late 2007. The figure was basically identical except for the grey uniform, and the hair was retooled on later shipments. Juno Eclipse was a rotten seller, some stores had tons of her left over after the line had transitioned to The Legacy Collection. She was a common sight on clearance racks for as little as $1.50. A new version of the figure with a retooled torso and open jacket is coming in 2010 as a Toys "R" Us exclusive, so if you just want a Juno, you may wish to wait for that one.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,184: December 28, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,183: R2-D2 (Jawa Capture)

R2-D2 Jawa Capture
The Legacy Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 87535 No. 91414
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: BD29
Includes: Lightning, removable leg
Action Feature: Sensorscope pops out when dome rotates
Retail: $7.99
Availability: October 2009
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Scavenging Jawas find R2-D2 in the Jundland Wastes. They incapacitate the droid and attach a restraining bolt to keep him from escaping. The plucky astromech droid is then place in the cluttered hold of the Jawas' sandcrawler. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's yard.

Commentary: For years, Hasbro has been asked by fans to make R2-D2 with a brushed silver dome to match the entirety of the line. You see, all the astromech droids have these greyish silver domes, but for some reason almost every R2-D2 had heavy flame or damaage markings and/or a shiny metallic vac-metal dome. As such, he stood out against R2-A6 and his many companions, so it's awesome to not only see Hasbro do the Vintage Original Trilogy Collection (2004) mold in a better shade of silver, but to also block up that annoying light-up eyeport. Truly, this is the best R2-D2 has ever looked based on this mold. Truly, this figure is something of a Christmas Miracle, but it came out in October so it was more of a Columbus Day Miracle.

The figure is, basically, the perfect modern R2-D2 in terms of deco and looks. Are there quibbles? Yes. But it's basically the best-ever individually packaged R2-D2 figure created based on the movies, so far. (The cartoon one from 2008 is arguably the best ever, period.) Since it's the same basic VOTC mold, let's point out the changes. First, the "panel" on the body is glued down, and has been resculpted with a Jawa restraining bolt as seen after R2-D2 is captured. The dome is a brushed silver rather than vac metal. The body has a little bit of dirt on it, but it basically clean. The circle at the top of the dome is black, not blue like it should be. This is because the mold for this piece is also the same as the central eye, which is now opaque black rather than translucent blue. The light-up eye port gimmick lost its charm about 10 years ago, so it's nice to see it going away for this fairly top-notch release.

Oh, and the lightning accessory is an awkward fit. Not totally disposable, but not as good as the R3-T7 one in terms of fitting well. This and the new Battle Pack R2-D2 are both good for different reasons, but this one I think is just a little bit neater-- the bolt and the fact that it was individually packaged helped it out a little. Get it if you can!

Collector's Notes: This figure is newish and shipping in a few cases, but its popularity may render it desirable down the road. However, it's more likely we'll see more figures like this, or ones that are close enough. The recently released Resurgence of the Jedi Battle Pack has an R2-D2 with similar deco but based on the R4-G9 mold, for example. The Resurgence R2-D2 and this R2-D2 are virtually identical in deco, except this one has the top of his dome as black, he has more dirt, and a square on the back of his dome is unpainted/silver instead of blue. Either is great, but the restraining bolt makes this release just a little bit better looking. Get either one, you'll be glad you did.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,183: December 25, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,182: Gha Nachkt

GHA NACHKT Ambush on the Vulture's Claw
The Clone Wars Battle Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87752 No. 87988
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $24.99
Availability: Fall 2009
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: The Trandoshan trader secretly makes a deal with General Grievous to deliver R2-D2. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's desk.

Commentary: This is one of my favorite figures of the year. No joke. Gha Nachkt is a completely new sculpt, and is essentially a shorter, dumpier, fatter, greasier Bossk. How can you not love that? Voiced in the series by the fantastic Ron Perlman, Gha's figure is packed with personality. He's got a bad eye, a droopy face, really nasty overalls, and a lot of articulation-- even ankle joints. Due to the fact he has legs similar to those of Cotton Hill (i.e., no shins), his legs are pretty stumpy and this gives him a unique perspective given his huge arms and his species' penchant for being, well, huge. The scaley skin is really well-represented, he has no problems standing (but sitting isn't really an easy thing for him to do due to how his hips were designed), and he's a bit of a sad sack. There are so few figures from Hasbro that are fat, or too short, or in some way kinda disgusting that this one is a real joy. The perfectly-sculpted heroes and villains of The Clone Wars have fantastic builds and perfect bodies, so Gha Nachkt is a real breath of fresh air in the same way as Whorm Loathsom's different body type. These cartoony figures really set the line apart from most of the figures in the past decade and a half, and this figure is, to me, the single best argument to collect Hasbro's newish cartoon line. If you buy cartoon figures, you owe it to yourself to get this one.

Collector's Notes: This figure is presently exclusive to this gift set, and was the only new sculpt in it. The IG Droid in the pack is slick, because the paint looks more cartoony than the carded release. We'll look at him later. Overall, I really like this set for what it is-- which is to say, mostly rehash with one really cool new figure.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,182: December 24, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,181: Clone Trooper 212th Battalion

CLONE TROOPER 212th Attack Battalion
The Clone Wars Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 87638 No. 87939
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #19
Includes: Rocket, launcher, blaster rifle
Action Feature: Rocket launcher fires
Retail: $7.99
Availability: Early 2009
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio: The clone troopers of the 212th Attack Battalion are distinguished by the orange markings on their white armor. Led by Clone Commander Cody and Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi, this unit includes a number of elite infantrymen trained for special missions. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's desk.

Commentary: This Clone Trooper uses the same mold as pretty much every one since 2008, although this particular one is historically significant in that it's the first with the "new helmet." This redesigned helmet sculpt has a bit if a hole where his "chin" is, plus a slightly broader forehead. At first it looked really weird, but the truth is that it's truer to the animation designs. The figure itself sports the orange markings of Obi-Wan Kenobi's squad, so it's pretty swell-- add it to your army, get a bunch, etc. He has the same articulation as you're used to, so check out the other FOTDs for the specifics.

Collector's Notes: This figure came and went pretty quickly, but it's assumed we will see it again due to the sheet number of them on the series. If not this one specifically, other members of the battalion should see release eventually. Similar troopers were sold as deluxe figures with jet packs, and another 212th Clone with the original helmet sculpt was shipped in a Target-exclusive Battle Pack in November of 2008. So you can probably make a pretty good 212th Squad at this point.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,181: December 23, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,180: Darth Maul (Trophy Assortment)

DARTH MAUL with Sith Infiltrator
Episode I Trophy Assortment
Item No.: Asst. 84275 No. 84409
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Stand, binoculars, small vehicle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $12.99
Availability: 2000
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: Following orders from his Master Darth Sidious, Darth Maul easily tracks his Jedi prey by traveling in his Sith Infiltrator equipped with a stealth cloaking device. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's desk.

Commentary: In 1999, it seemed obvious that Hasbro was going to need to find a way to do a ton of unique Darth Maul toys. He was the most popular character in the movie, despite having few lines and little to do other than fight or snarl, but we all dug him. This particular figure is molded to look like he did in a scene before he sends off some probe droids. Since all he really did was stand around menacingly, it isn't too surprising that this newly sculpted figure doesn't have a ton of articulation. He has a moving neck, plus joints at the shoulders, hips, elbows (swivel), and waist. His arms are the only really meaningful joints, allowing the figure to hold his binoculars and look through them. That's about all the action this figure is going to give you, which shouldn't be surprising as he ships in something called a Trophy Assortment, of which he was the only memeber.

The sculpt is excellent, but the paint could have been better. The robes have a lot of detail, and Hasbro even sculpted the super-long double-lightsaber hilt to his hip, which you can see on the robes under his outer robes, so you almost can't see them. There's a lot of detail under the larger outer cloak, were Hasbro so inclined they could sell the figure with a different head and minus that cloak and it'd be just fine. The head has a hood sculpted on it, and its paint is a little weak-- the red is too dark, and the detail is pretty middling. The figure itself is almost 100% black, without any gloss on the boots or anything special on the gloves. There is a silver droid caller sculpted to his wrist, and the lightsaber hilt was also decorated.

This isn't a figure to play with so much as it is one to admire on a shelf. It looks really cool with the tiny repainted MicroMachines Sith Infiltrator standing next to him, and I wish this continued. A tiny vehicle with a figure was a great idea, and if Hasbro made more of the stands, which can hold any Star Wars MicroMachines vehicle, I'd have bought a bunch to set up figures with their pilots. It was a really clever and creative idea that just came at the worst possible time at a pretty awful price. When this hit for $12.99, a basic figure cost $6.99, and included a stand and accessory. In short, Kay-Bee charged fans an extra $6 for the MicroMachines vehicle, which was about a $2 value at the time.

Collector's Notes: This figure was a weak seller in its day and was supposed to be the first in a series of "trophy figures," which was actually a really swell idea. This one didn't move, and as such the subsequent figures-- Obi-Wan Kenobi and OOM-9, each new sculpts with repainted MicroMachines vehicles-- never hit stores. Interestingly, the figures were tooled and were never actually produced. None seem to be on eBay at the time of this writing, but online stores that have them are charging $10-$15 for them. Factor in 10 years of inflation, and that's a price drop.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,180: December 22, 2009

Figure of the Day: Day 1,179: 5D6-RA7

5D6-RA7 Imperial Droid
The Legacy Collection Build-a-Droid Figure
Item No.: Asst. 87535
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: n/a
Availability: September 2008
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: 5D6-RA-7, nicknamed Fivedesix by those around him, was an RA-7 protocol droid in service to the Galactic Empire during the Galactic Civil War. Five-D served as an aide to Admiral Conan Antonio Motti's staff. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's desk.

Commentary: As a figure that took a while to make, it's surprising that we got two versions of 5D6-RA7 at all, and it's a pretty awesome figure. It's not quite super articulated because of the bizarre elbow joints which result in some pretty funky movement. It's more droid-like, of course, but it may come off as stiff or scarecrow-ish. When fully assembled, he is jointed at the neck, waist, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. In other words, he's basically decent. The only real ball joint is the torso, and the limited movement of the elbows basically qualifies. The sculpt is excellent, and it's nice to have a figure like this that isn't made with the shiny wrap of vac-metal paint. The detail on the helmet is pretty good, although I did expect more detail in the mouth grill. The black paint deco looks a little weathered, but not too much, giving the figure a quasi-metal finish. If you have the means, it's absolutely worth getting.

Collector's Notes: This figure is a remake of 1998's "Death Star Droid." Same dude, new mold. It came with Wave 3 of the Legacy line, which was a series of repacks and repaints. Oh, and it's "5D6-RA-7" everywhere except for the packaging for the figure. The mold was also used to make MB-RA7 in silver.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,179: December 21, 2009