Figure of the Day: Day 283: Shmi Skywalker

SHMI SKYWALKER Target Exclusive
Power of the Jedi Collection 2
Item No.: Asst. 84455 No. 84271
Number: n/a
Includes: Diagnostic screen, Force File
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: Fall 2001
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: As a girl, Shmi was captured by space pirates, seperated from her family, and sold into slavery. Shmi currently serves Watto, a junk dealer on Tatooine, and also earns a small income cleaning computer memory devices. Shmi is devoted to her son, Anakin, who possesses special powers. She can always sense when he is nearby. (Taken from the figure's Force File.)

Image: The toy shelves of Adam Pawlus.

Commentary: A lot of work went in to making Shmi Skywalker, as you can see in a great face sculpt and her costume, which has amazing texture. Her paint operations weren't quite as sharp and/or amazing, and the plastic used to make her head wasn't as good as it could have been-- but still! While she's essentially a statue from the waist down, her articulated neck, shoulders, and elbows allow her to emote, to hold things, and to stand with quiet dignity. It's not exactly an "action" figure so much as a "stand there and don't fall over" figure. While we see a greater level of detail on our figures today, this was a good release for its day and made a lot of hardcore fans very happy. The ones that bought her, anyway. Nearly 6 years after her release, she doesn't have any features that stand out as being particularly remarkable, but as the only figure the character has ever seen (and likely ever will see), she should be a worthy purchase for a collector with a few bucks burning a hole in his or her pocket.

Collector's Notes: In many stores, Shmi was a poor seller. Fans demanded her, Hasbro made her, and the clearance aisles-- in some markets-- choked on her. Obscure characters are a tricky proposition in Star Wars, and just because a character was an important relation or had a notable rank doesn't mean anybody wants to buy it. She sells for her original price, or less, on the secondary market. It shouldn't be too hard to get her figure for under $10 shipped.

Day 283: February 13, 2007