Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,819: Darth Nihil

DARTH NIHIL and Deliah Blue
The Legacy Collection Entertainment Earth Exclusive Comic Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87504  No. 91264
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #16
Includes: Lightsaber, comic, second figure
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: November 2010
Appearances: Star Wars: Legacy comic books

Bio:   A powerful Sith warrior and a savvy ship's mechanic are caught up in the attack on Princess Marasiah Fel. Darth Nihl battles Cade Skywalker, the son of a Jedi that Nihl killed in the Massacre at Ossus. Delilah Blue repairs the Mynock so that its crew, the Jedi and the gravely wounded princess can flee the attacking Sith.   (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' backdrops.

Commentary:  As a figure that was rescued as an exclusive, Darth Nihil made a vocal portion of fans very happy.  And with good cause-- the figure is a super-articulated new sculpt with no (as far as I can tell) obviously reused parts.  A member of the Nagai race, his mere production is a nod to fans of the old Marvel comics as one of very few members of this race to see any sort of merchandising.  Covered with some black Sith tattoos and some Yuuzhan Vong-meets-Ren Faire armor, the end result is pretty cool.  I find it odd he doesn't wear pants, but his armored look really isn't that out of line with other toy lines like Masters of the Universe.  It's out of place in the "modern" (read: movie) era of the saga, because on the whole, men of this time wear pants.   Really, it's the least you can do.

The fringe looks great and hangs nicely, and the spikey shoulder pads look good as well.  The gloves are nothing fancy, but the Vong armor with its red highlights sets off his eyes nicely.  The hair sculpt is good, and the lightsaber "cane" is, I assume, a nod to the goth kids.  Oh, you wacky goth kids, making out all the time and not inviting me to your parties with your booze and on a good night, loose women.  Wait, where was I?  Right, the lamentations of a wasted young adulthood.

The figure holds his weapon just fine and has a removable blade.  Quite nice.  With the death of the comic pack line there isn't much hope for more characters from the Legacy comics, but hey, at least we got a few right?  Here's hoping Hasbro makes one or two more  between now and the time the line becomes unprofitable.

Collector's Notes: At press time the figure is still available and while I can't give exact numbers, it looks like it's going to be sold out shortly if it isn't already.  So I hope you got yours! This pairing is actually pretty nice, as you get two characters previously unmade, both of which were nods to Marvel's final comic stories, with great sculpts and excellent paint.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,819: June 4, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,818: G8-R3

G8-R3 Astromech Droid
Discover the Force Walmart Exclusive Wave
Item No.: Asst. 38601 No. 38604
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #4 of 12
Includes: Droid harness, removable third leg, game stuff
Action Feature: Head, limbs are removable build-a-droid pieces
Retail: $8.96
Availability: February 2012
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio:   G8-R3 is an astromech droid on Queen Amidala's starship.  The little droid bravely heads into danger to repair the starship's shield generator, which has been badly damaged by the Trade Federation forces.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' photo area.

Commentary:  This was one of the droids that a lot of us were beginning to suspect we might never see.  Rather than make a new dome mold, Hasbro repainted the build-a-droid R5 sculpt to make G8-R3, a different-and-therefore-worthwhile release.  This is the first (and so far, only) release of the droid, and Hasbro has not included it on a list of figures which are slated to be reissued later this year-- so get it now.

As a unique droid you should just stop reading now and get him.  Why not?  It's not like you have it.  The mustard-yellow markings loog good, and the sculpt is one of Hasbro's better Astromech sculpts.  The arms are totally removable and swappable with other build-a-droid figures, and the deco is pretty great-- check out all the silver markings.  The coloring is largely crisp without too much slop, and it just plain looks good.  The only thing Hasbro could have possibly done better was sculpt the dome a little differently, as some prequel R5 domes are a different shape, but as of late I'm just happy they tried to do it.  You know the drill as articulation goes, so get this one if you're into droids.  Just know it isn't perfect, but to be honest I'd rather have an acceptable repaint than no droid at all-- of course, this means Hasbro will redo it in a few years, but until then this is more than adequate for my needs.

Collector's Notes: At press time (in April) this figure is still abundant but I expect he'll dry up soon enough.  Be sure to get him if you see him, as he's arguably the most exciting robot of 2012 so far.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,818: June 1, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,817: Anakin Skywalker

ANAKIN SKYWALKER  Jedi Padawan, Take 2
The Vintage Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 37499 No.  37500  
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #VC80
Includes: Lightsaber, helmet, hilt, training remote
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: January 2012
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Force be with you!  (Taken from the figure's packaging.  No specific character information.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' Ultarama.

Commentary:  On the short list of figures from Episode I I never expected to see updated, Anakin Skywalker was on the top of the list.  The 1999 release was perfectly fine, while he wasn't impressive there wasn't anything wrong with him and it wasn't like it was a figure I used a heck of a lot.   This one is almost a total upgrade, and I only say "almost" because the 1999 release had a communicator and a cloak, while this version doesn't.  However, this one does have an awesome new training lightsaber as well as the sadly all-too-uncommon Jedi Training remote, which still doesn't exist with a base tall enough for Luke Skywalker to use!  Heck, Hasbro even made it for the 12-inch size, yet this is-- and correct me if I'm wrong-- the first real 3 3/4-inch remote after all these years.  A lightsaber hilt was sized to fit his belt, and he also includes a Jedi training helmet, similar to the ones the 2003 Padawana of Ashla, Jempa, and Chian included.   As gear goes, Hasbro did a nice job.

Since Anakin is a short figure, it wasn't necessarily expected that Hasbro would give him the super-articulation treatment-- but they did, and it's great.  There's a little cloth for his "skirt" piece the detail on the robes is quite impressive, and the boots look great, too.  His hair color seems a little dark-- a common problem this year, Anakin's hair is frequently a little off-- but the face sculpt looks pretty great.

While not necessarily a figure you were asking for, Hasbro did a great job with him.  It's so odd to see that, in 2012, we're seeing "A" and "A+" efforts being made for characters that none of us were really sitting around demanding.  With high prices, it's really important to see Hasbro execute figures in the best possible fashion, and while $10 is pretty expensive for a single figure, at least we're getting a lot of entirely new sculpts and those new sculpts aren't losing detail when they go from prototype to finished product.   If we had figures like this in 1999, I think we'd all have died of shock.   While I wouldn't consider him essential, if you're upgrading your old figures you're going to want him. 

Collector's Notes: You shouldn't have too much trouble finding him, either.  He might dry up as the wave starts to go away as he didn't appear in subsequent assortments, but he's not popular so a tank of gas and an afternoon might help you get him-- failing that, order online or wait until he's cheap on eBay.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,817: May 31, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,816: Queen Amidala

QUEEN AMIDALA  Yet Another Black Dress
The Vintage Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 37499 No.  37504  
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #VC84
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: January 2012
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Force be with you!  (Taken from the figure's packaging.  No specific character information.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' closet.

Commentary:  As we wind down-- I'm assuming we're winding down-- it's kind of interesting to see how some things are just a little less exciting.  Genuinely new and different characters are rarer and rarer, so when we got a wave of 12 Phantom Menace figures it was nice to see that 3 of them were all-new characters and another 3 were significantly different takes on existing characters and troops to the point where it is, without question, a different figure.  Queen Amidala is one of the latter, the obligatory new Natalie Portman figure that's different and new but you may or may not care.   Back in 1999, ornate gowns were a novelty in this line and statistically, they still are.  But what am I supposed to do?  It's like I checked a box on a list.  Yes, this outfit has never been made before and Hasbro was cool enough to add super-articulated arms on what is effectively a pepper shaker of a body, but that doesn't mean that there's fun to be had with this figure beyond her standing and gesturing.  The sculpt is good.  The head sculpt is one of the better Padme heads, and I appreciate the blaster.  Heck, the gown is really nicely done with lots of nice texture and some great silver and gold paint bringing it to life.

There's no question that this is a good figure, but unfortunately it leaves me feeling empty.  "Now what?"  I know there's a small group asking for all of Padme's gowns-- but after 17 years, the fanbase is big enough where there's at least a few dozen people excited to get pretty much everything.  I'm not one of them.  Even though the vast majority of TVC figures feel like new takes on things we already bought, they're still a lot more fun than Queen Amidala as toys go.  Luke is loaded with fun gear, Lando has so much stuff it almost makes you forget he's supposed to be black.   But the Queen?  This is a figure that probably would have been about 20% more exciting as a non-Vintage release.  The higher price point, reduced packaging footprint, and the lack of bonus gear associated with said smaller footprint just makes her a lot less exciting than a brand-new sculpt figure should be.  Get her if you like the outfit-- it's a nice outfit-- but if you're at a point in your collecting career where you just know some figures are going to go on a shelf (or worse, in a box) after purchase you might just want to consider letting this one go and blowing $10 on another line.   (Two words: Bot Shots.)   No offense to the people who worked on this-- you people did and continue to do excellent work-- it's just that it's so hard to pretend to care that yet another salt shaker Natalie Portman figure is remotely interesting.  The Peasant Disguise figure had way more going for it, and that's probably $4 or $5 at T.J. Maxx right now.

Collector's Notes: You shouldn't have too much trouble finding her, and I'd almost suggest waiting for clearance here.  The rest of the wave is pretty fun, this one is the biggest snooze of the batch.  When the rest of the wave is packed with Jedi, Sith, and aliens, it's hard to compete though.   No offense if you're a fan of this figure, either, it's just... eh.  Boredom.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,816: May 30, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,815: Dack Ralter

DACK RALTER (Rebel Pilot)
The Vintage Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 97568  No. 97579
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: VC07
Includes: Helmet, rifle, pistol
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99-$9.99
Availability: June 2010
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back

Bio:  Celebrate the legendary Star Wars saga that changed the universe forever! This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. Iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are captured with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. May the Fore be with you!  (Taken from the figure's packaging.  There is no bio.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' shelves.

Commentary:  A lot of fans got this figure and said "finally, they made Dack Ralter!"  Well, no.  The first Dack came out as a hard-to-find (if you weren't paying attention) exclusive just before the Attack of the Clones line came out.  It was a resculpted 1995 Snowspeeder Luke figure, so this 2010 version was a huge improvement and, to many, "new."  It's certainly a big improvement-- the removable helmet looks great, his head sculpt isn't bad, and I love the fact Hasbro gave him both a rifle and a pistol.  Based on the Super Articulated Snowspeeder Pilot Body which debuted in 2008, it's a great figure and one it's a shame wasn't more common.  Despite being a character with lines, he also would make a generic pilot for your Snowspeeders.  (Which, presumably, you've got like 4 or 5 by now.)

The figure doesn't bring a lot new to the table, but it's good.  It's a fine example of Hasbro exploiting its vast library of figure molds with a new head, giving you something that's worth picking up.  The figure has a thermal cap on under the helmet, so you won't see his hair, and the sculpt is pretty great.  Sure, Hasbro probably could do an entirely new and amazing sculpt today, but I kind of hope they keep reusing the 2008 body to keep them consistent.

Collector's Notes: This was a real "mileage may vary" figure.  Some stores were loaded with him, and he was a pegwarmer.  At other stores, he sold quickly.  Fewer of him were produced than most of the other figures, so there really were more Dengars than there were Dacks.  Despite being kind of a dud when he came out, he's now $20-$25 on eBay, which is, if you ask me, a bit of a surprise.  I would have guessed $13  before I looked it up.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,815: May 29, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,814: R2-T7

R2-T7 Grizz Frix' Astromech Droid
The Legacy Collection Battle Over Endor
Item No.: Asst. 97639 No. 21452 
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #2 of 2
Includes: Removable third leg, 3 additional figures
Action Feature: Sensorcope pops up as you rotate his dome
Retail: $24.99
Availability: January 2011
Appearances: Return of the Jedi

Bio: Bravery.  Skill.  Loyalty.  These are defining characteristics of the starfighter pilots on both sides of the conflict at the Battle of Endor.  Whether they are Rebels or Imperials, these elite pilots are all focused on the same goal: victory.  They are deeply aware that they are deciding the future of the galaxy, and will do everything they can to complete their mission.    (Taken from the figure's packaging.  Note, there's no character-specific copy on the packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' Ultarama.

Commentary:  Part of the problem with Star Wars is that as it goes on, Hasbro proves that they're super-cool about listening to our requests.  "We want any Rebel pilot or astromech droid you can give us!"  Hasbro said "OK!" and delivered R2-T7, a droid so obscure that as far as I know he never really appeared anywhere prior to getting an action figure.   It's obscure, and according to the box this really obscure droid belongs to an equally obscure pilot (also requested by fans) named Grizz Frix.  Based on the 2004 R2-D2 Vintage mold, you basically know what to expect by now-- you get your third leg, a sensorscope which can pop up, and of course there's a removable panel which, once again, Hasbro glued down.  (I wish they didn't.)

The deco is quite good.  The dome has a sort of gunmetal grey paint on it, with black panel markings.  His various "facial" panels are red, as is the light under his bright black eye.  A couple of lights to the side of the dome are blue, and the end result is a striking design which, as always, I'm happy to have.   I don't know that this is an essential purchase-- the "Battle Over Endor" sets are some of the most obscure releases from Hasbro which still have a foot in the films-- but I'm crazy about Return of the Jedi stuff and any new droid I can get is going to make me happy.

Collector's Notes: The sets came in early 2011 and had quite the range of prices-- at first, $24.99, but fans have reported them as much as $10 higher.  Today the sets are about $20-$35, and if you can grab these sets for $20 you should consider yourself fortunate.  I mean, a box of pilots and a robot for $20?  How can you go wrong?

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,814: May 28, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,813: R2-D2

R2-D2 First Modern Release
Power of the Force Collection
Item No.: Asst. 69570 No. 69577
Number: n/a
Manufacturer: Kenner
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: Retractable third leg, light-up central eye
Retail: $4.99
Availability: July/August 1995
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: R2-D2 is a tripodal computer repair and information retrieval robot, or astromech droid. As an R2 unit, he is equipped with navigational starfighter interfaces, plus extensive sensor packages and numerous devices to facilitate in-flight repairs: laser arc welder, circular saw, grasper arm, and fire extinguisher. He communicates through information-dense chips, beeps and whistles and seems to take pleasure in causing anxiety for his neurotic companion, the protocol droid C-3PO.    R2-D2 played several important roles in the rebellion's victory over the Empire at the Battle of Yavin.  (It goes on like this.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.

Commentary:  Happy 35th birthday, Star Wars!  Let's celebrate with a look at the very first modern R2-D2, which set off a lot of confusion in the ranks of fans, being one of the first modern figures to upset our perceptions of the films as shaped by Kenner's toys in the 1980s.   You see, R2-D2 in 1978 was much shorter-- this larger toy is closer to the size in the movies, which was spoken of as some unspeakable sin back in 1995.  How dare they change it!  Well, in many respects, it's a lot better-- remember, the original R2-D2 toy had a sticker for body deco, a bizarre dome which doesn't look at all like the movie, and only two legs.  Kenner incorporated the first-ever retractable R2-D2 central leg in the 3 3/4-inch line with this figure, plus the first-ever "light up" eye.   While a nifty feature at the time, fans were quick to point out that this part of R2-D2 doesn't light up in the movies-- a bit of his face directly under it does, though, but Hasbro rarely designs it to light up.   This R2-D2 also kicked off the modern tradition of R2-D2 figures continuing the trend of the vac-metal silver dome, which Kenner kept around for most release between 1978 to about 2008.

While not quite as accurate as today's best R2-D2 figures, this figure was a huge leap forward in 1995.  I mean, it'd have to be-- the body was sculpted, the stickers were gone, and the head sculpt actually looked a fair amount like R2-D2.  Of course by today's standards, I'm sure you could show this figure to new fans and claim it was a Turkish bootleg and they'd believe you.  But back then, when we hadn't seen a new Star Wars action figure in nearly ten years, this was a delightful, refreshing take on one of our  best friends from childhood.  It is no longer an essential purchase since Hasbro cranked out nearly two dozen versions of the droid and counting.  I still like it, though.

Collector's Notes: The 1995 versions of the Kenner Star Wars action figures are currently about as popular as the clap.  You can get them for pretty much nothing, and you probably don't want them.   Many figures from 1995-1997 are really worth a couple of dollars, and paying $5 may be too high.  R2-D2 has the distinction of being one of the first "pegwarmers" in the line, particularly at Kay-Bee Toy Stores which actually imposed limits of 1 or 2 figures purchased per day per store.  (Which reeks of communism.)  This resulted in R2-D2 being left behind in large numbers, no doubt due to his smaller size and Kay-Bee's $6.99 (which was actually the SRP) price tag.   R2-D2 began sitting at retail more often in 1996, and was usually joined by Chewbacca, Han Solo, and Darth Vader as the token "overproduced" figures.   "Overproduced," of course, being collector slang for "any figure I see, have, and therefore don't want."

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,813: May 25, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,812: R4-F5

R4-F5 Wal-Mart Exclusive Droid Factory Packs
30th Anniversary Collection Droid Factory
Item No.: Asst. 12980 No.  87759
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #1 of 6
Includes: Third leg, Plo Koon figure with lightsaber, C-3PX leg
Action Feature: Rotate dome to raise sensorscope
Retail: $9.96
Availability: May 2008
Appearances: n/a

Bio:   Jedi Master Plo Koon flies his Jedi starfighter into battle against Separatist forces, aided by is astromech droid R4-F5.   (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' boxes.

Commentary:  New figures in this line are increasingly uncommon since 2005, as new character introductions aren't quite as common in plastic.  Thankfully Hasbro gave us an R4-F5 during the second big droid boom-- the first being when some lovable genius got some Astromech droid packs released in early 2006, and the second lasted from 2008-2009 as Hasbro really went hog wild with its build-a-droid line.  As one of the many Walmart 2-packs released for the bargain price of $10, these sets transcended "just different enough to make you mad" even if you already had one of the figures in the set.  At $10, with a new build-a-droid piece and at least one new or significantly different robot, how could you go wrong?

R4-F5 builds on the vintage 2004 R2-D2 body with some glue and paint.  The removable panel is fused in place, but the sensorscope mechanism still works when you rotate his dome around.  All three legs have wheels, and the central one is removable.  His deco is unique, similar to R2-D2 on the body but with paler blue markings, blue legs, and a blue dome.  As his design wasn't really seen in full before the toy came out, it's possible Hasbro got to design some bits and pieces of him, and they did a great job.  I mean, it looks cool.  But I'm easy, I love R2-D2 repaints and this one, as a new robot, is particularly exciting to have.    I love the entire wave, and would suggest you all look into it.

Collector's Notes: On eBay, Star Wars fans are dumb.  I may even be referring to you.  Boxed samples of the figure are about $6-$10, which includes Plo-Koon and C-3PX' leg.  Loose samples are usually $12-$17, minus the second figure and leg.  So yeah, if you can't do simple math and realize more for less is better, you're kind of a dumbass.  But when I say "dumbass" rest assured, it's with love.  (And scorn.)  Plo Koon has another astromech named R7-D4, which came out with the three animated Clone Wars waves which hit around August of 2011.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,812: May 24, 2012

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,811: Shaak Ti

SHAAK TI Jedi Master
The Clone Wars Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 94736 No. 21465
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #CW31
Includes: Lightsaber, cloak, plastic sash, stand, game stuff
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: September 2010
Appearances: The Clone Wars

Bio:   Jedi Master Shaak Ti trains clone troopers on Kamino. The Jedi General observes the squads during training exercises, assessing their individual skills and ability to work as a team. With her colorfully patterned lekku, she is a striking figure who moves with agility and precision when demonstratng battle techniques.   (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' former living room.

Commentary:  I'm somewhat surprised by the figures Hasbro selects for The Clone Wars line, as a Jedi with relatively little action like Shaak Ti gets made, yet the line is lacking in villains.  This isn't meant as a complaint, I'm actually pretty stoked to see Hasbro keep some of the movie Jedi characters in circulation.  Of course, it would be nice to see more of the original TV characters made into toys, but hey, whatevs.  Shaak Ti turned out quite well and is one of few Jedi to be made without armor on her hands and wrists.   Along with the likes of Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee, she's a simplified version of the movie design.   As animated Jedi go, she's actually quite remarkable in that she has a cloth "skirt" in addition to her outer robes, which actually seem to fit her quite well.  Her hands are almost dainty, and her face is even more striking than the movie version.

While not super-articulated, Hasbro did a good job capturing the necessary articulation for a Jedi with pretty much everything you could want except for ankles, and now that we're in 2012 it seems ankles are a luxury reserved for The Vintage Collection as the latest animated Rex didn't even have knees!  So in a way, Shaak Ti is an example of how they made figures in the good old days of about 20 months ago.  Her lightsaber feels more sturdy and has a non-removable blue blade, and I dig that her right hand is in something of a "Force" gesture.   This is one of those figures which should satisfy collector needs and-- if I may be so bold-- it should be just fine for kids, too.  She can stand, she has a great range of movement, and she can hold her weapon... there's not much else you can ask for out of the Jedi tasked to train the clones on Kamino!

Collector's Notes: While not super-common, she could be had in 2010 if you kept your eyes open.   Today, she should be easily had for $6-$15.  If you stumble on her for $10 or less, I'd say she's a worthy addition to any animated collection.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,811: May 23, 2012