Figure of the Day: Day 28: Nabrun Leids

NABRUN LEIDS Cantina Aliens
Power of the Force Cinema Scene Collection
Item No.: Asst. 84305 No. 84059
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster (not shown)
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: Fall 1998

Bio: Their remote location makes the spaceports of Tatooine havens for many suspicious travelers from across the galaxy. At the Mos Eisley spaceport, Chalmun's Cantina is a popular hangout for the rough crowd and deadly violence breaks out on a daily basis. Takeel, a Snivvian, is known to dabble in bounty hunting and smuggling. The horned Devaronian Labria calls himself an "information broker", though his information is questionable at best. No one knows for sure what the Morseerian known as Nabrun Leids looks like underneath his breath mask, which he must wear in all non-methane environments. The former fighter pilot will fly anyone or anything anywhere, if the price is suitable. These kinds of patrons have helped make Tatooine's spaceports famous as a wretched hive of scum and villainy. In the days before the Galactic Empire, the spaceport of Mos Espa hosted many similar characters. From the outdoor markets to the junk shops--overseen by the gambling crimelords, the Hutts--Mos Espa was a place where a nine-year old boy like Anakin Skywalker could learn the ways of the universe. (Taken from the Cantina Aliens box.)

Bio notes: This novella appeared on the back of the box. Here's some quick definitions:
Chalmun's Cantina: Chalmun is a Wookiee who, according to Expanded Universe lore, owns the Cantina in Mos Eisley where Luke, Obi-Wan, and Han all meet up.
Mos Eisley: the Tatooine town seen in the original Star Wars.
Mos Espa: another town, seen in The Phantom Menace and mentioned here as a way to transition to the (at the time) unreleased prequel line.

Image: Toy shelves, again. Whoopee!

Commentary: With this pack, Hasbro made two figures fans were somewhat shocked to see. While we had a Snaggletooth from the old days, Nabrun Leids was a first, as was the devilish Labria. (Be careful not to spell that wrong.) With a simple suit, four arms, and an Earthy gasmask for a face, this guy was probably cobbled together for filming over a couple of days, and as scenery, probably never thought of as a design to have an action figure. With his double-gripped gun, this figure looks pretty formidable but also a little goofy. Few Cantina aliens received the level of design detail that later aliens would, but still, it's hard to deny this unique figure's place in the toy line as-- you guessed it-- someone to shove in your Cantina diormas. As the only 3 3/4-inch version of this design, if you like it, pick one up. It's not like you've got other options for this one as of yet.

Collector's Notes: As an extra with a limited level of detail, there's not a lot to note about this alien other than he could be found in the Legendary Clearances of 2000, where Hasbro decided to blow out lots of old inventory to Toys "R" Us, Kay-Bee Toys, and other chains for pennies on the dollar. This resulted in a collector feeding frenzy, with $3 figure, $20 AT-ATs, and $2 Action Fleet vehicles. As such, this once hard-to-find alien isn't exactly hard to find, or expensive, which will make it easy to add him to your collection. And if you collect Cantina aliens, they're pretty much all no-brainers when it comes to snagging them for your ever-growing hive of scum and villainy.

Day 28: June 3, 2006