Figure of the Day: Day 182: Pit Droid

PIT DROID Bonus Figure
Episode I Collection 1
Item No.: Asst. 84085
Number: n/a
Includes: Storage Box
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: ???
Availability: 2000
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: Small in stature and mechanically adept, pit droids scurry to service Podracers in the height of competition. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelf. Specifically, in front of Energon Ultra Magnus for reasons I'm not sure of. I guess because he was there and the only flat surface I had handy.

Commentary: These little buggers were the bane of my existence for about four years. Due to ridiculous prices on eBay, the bonus Pit Droid figures are famous as being on a short list of items most collectors dare not touch. A lot of tail-end Episode I stuff proved impossible to get in the US market, and these six droids were on the short list. This particular one was released as a "bonus figure" with Darth Maul, Anakin Skywalker, or Obi-Wan Kenobi in 2000, instead of a CommTech Chip. This figure comes in a pretty basic pose and redecoes of it were also sold with the figures-- so each of the aforementioned Force-sensitive characters could be packaged with this figure in any of three styles, for 9 combinations. This figure has Anakin Skywalker-style markings and, at this time, is exclusive to these bonus packs. The figure has typical joints at the shoulders and hips as well as a ball-jointed neck.

Collector's Notes: I owe my set of these to a fluke mispriced item at a Comic Con a few years back and the rest to a benefactor who got out of the hobby. While these weren't too expensive upon release, they came and went quickly and will cost you, at the very least, an Andrew Jackson (or a couple of Alexander Hamiltons.) And keep in mind, that this figure is part of the more common series of bonus Pit Droids. Depending on the market's whims, a set of all six in any configuration with other figures can cost several hundred dollars, making these-- until a reissue, of course-- the most expensive non-variant, non-prototype, production action figures of the modern line.

Day 182: November 4, 2006