Figure of the Day: Day 271: Grievous' Bodyguard

GRIEVOUS' BODYGUARD White version
Revenge of the Sith Collection 1
Item No.: Asst. 85173 No. 86680
Number: III-60
Includes: Energy pike
Action Feature: Squeeze legs for attack
Retail: $5.24-$6.99
Availability: Fall 2005

Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: General Grievous is surrounded by droid bodyguards. They protect the commander of the droid armies with impenetrable electrostaffs as the Republic forces attempt to stop this dangerous and deadly enemy. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: First appearing in the Clone Wars cartoons, the Grievous' Bodyguard action figures were something fans were looking forward to-- that is, in theory. The figures turned out fairly well, but the action feature combined with the accessories really didn't quite work out. You see, you squeeze the legs to get an "attack strike" out of the figure, but the plastic cape tends to get in the way. As such, many fans view this figure-- while good-- as being one that needs some work.

The sculpting and detail work is fairly simple, and this redeco of the first bodyguard is quite striking in its appearance. With a little more dirt and some nifty patterns on his cape, it'll liven up any Trade Federation or Separatists diorama, but, sadly, those dioramas tend to be a little small. This figure is well worth snagging if you have the chance, just keep in mind that a lot of its mystique comes from it being slightly harder to get than a lot of other figures.

Collector's Notes: As a tail-end Revenge of the Sith figure, this one turned out to be harder to get. It was a last-minute addition to the line, and Hasbro was in a hurry to transition away from Episode III as, I'm told, they felt the first two prequels' presence remained on the shelves too long. So in a move for a more timeless line, a few figures-- like this poor fellow-- got yanked from assortments quite quickly, leaving many fans hoping for a reissue. Also, this is the second release of this figure-- the first release had different coloring and is much more common. The easiest way to tell them apart is the capes, release #1 is dark grey, and #2 is white. It shouldn't be too hard to get either version for less than $10, with a little work.

Day 271: February 1, 2007