Figure of the Day: Day 202: Imperial Sentinel

IMPERIAL SENTINEL from Dark Empire Comics
Power of the Force Collection 2
Item No.: Asst. 69605 No. 69887
Number: n/a
Includes: Axe
Action Feature: Light-up eyeport
Retail: $5.99
Availability: Fall 1998
Appearances: Dark Empire

Bio: At the doors of the evil Emperor's palace, giant Imperial Sentinels, twice the size and power of other Imperial guards, await their prisoner - the Jedi Master, Luke Skywalker. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's toy shelves.

Commentary: Back in 1991, I could only dream that some toy company would make characters from Dark Empire like the nifty Imperial Sentinel, even if they did come out as being a little short. With only 4 points of articulation, this is a figure for hardcore fans only. There's not a lot of action here. The deco is very simple with red and gold, but hey, how many other Imperial Sentinels has Hasbro given us? None, that's how many. As such, for fans of the Expanded Universe, this is a figure worth tracking down because of what he came from more than what he is, as what you see is largely what you get.

Collector's Notes: Many fans have noted that this figure is heavily inspired by abandoned concepts. It looks a little like some of the concept art for the Emperor's Royal Guards from Return of the Jedi. A design very similar to this one was proposed for a character named "Atha Prime" for the 1986 line of Kenner Star Wars toys. While not dirt cheap, the figure can be had for a fair price on the secondary market and it's cool enough that fans of good non-movie designs would be well-served to track it down.

Day 202: November 24, 2006