Figure of the Day: Day 106: Boss Nass

BOSS NASS with Gungan Staff
Episode I Collection 3
Item No.: Asst. 841105 No. 84119
Number: n/a
Includes: Staff, cloak, CommTech chip
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: May 1999
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: Boss Nass is the leader of the amphibious Gungans who live in the Naboo underwater city of Otoh Gunga. He initially resists the Jedi's pleas for help against the Trade Federation invasion, but later comes to realize that the fate of the Gungans and Naboo are intertwined. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: In 1999, Hasbro released this figure of Boss Nass based on the various renderings seen in publicity materials and, I assume, little else. The figure really looks just like the publicity images, and as such, upon release, most fans thought this figure was fine-- actually, he was considered by many to be one of the better figures developed by Hasbro for the first prequel. With only three quasi-meaningful points of articulation due to his giant robe, this figure looked good and sometimes needed a little help staying together-- note the rubber band in the image to the left.

Flash forward to 2000, Hasbro lets the world know they're redoing this figure from the ground up. Fans were confused, but as you saw in a previous entry, the upgraded Boss Nass (Gungan Sacred Place) was a heck of a nice figure, and looked much better (and bigger) than this release. But I digress. The Episode I Boss Nass is more or less a good artifact, but not much of a collectible or a toy. Since this figure was rendered obsolete in about a year after its release, fans don't have a lot of nice things to say about it and due to its scale, it really doesn't serve a purpose in a diorama if you have the newer, better figure.

Collector's Notes: Today, this figure is largely worthless-- and we mean that in a variety of ways. It's not that it's bad, it's just that it's been outclassed by its successor to the point where this is practically a figure of the 1970s compared to most modern figures. It's an awesome curiosity, and those who collect them all no doubt already have one. But for everyone else? You can skip this particular version of the Gungan boss.

Day 106: August 20, 2006