Figure of the Day: Day 372: Red Leader Garven Dreis

RED LEADER GARVEN DREIS Red Leader's X-Wing Fighter
Saga Toys "R" Us Exclusive
Item No.: No. 32152
Number: n/a
Includes: X-Wing Vehicle
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $29.99
Availability: Fall 2003
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: During the Battle of Yavin, the Empire discovered what a threat the Alliance could be. Armed with stolen technical schematics pinpointing the Death Star's weakness, the Rebellion hurled what little resources they had to stop the Imperial menace. A scant collection of battle-weary starfighters darted into the Death Star's shadow, in a desperate effort to spear the battle station's vulnerable exhaust port. One of these starfighters was piloted by the capable and well-repected Red Leader, Garven Dreis. Flying his X-Wing Fighter, Dreis launched his own heroic attempt at destroying the Death Star -- an attempt that resulted in a deadly confrontation with the evil Darth Vader. (Taken from the toy's box.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' TV tray.

Commentary: A few years ago, Hasbro and Toys "R" Us decided it would be a good idea to repaint this one X-Wing mold a few times, starting in 2002 at $25, in 2003 at $30, and in 2006 at $45. This is the 2003 version with Red Leader, whose name is hidden in the fine print on the back of the box-- so I'm gonna call him Red Leader. With six points of articulation, this figure takes the 1999 Y-Wing Fighter Pilot head and sticks it on a slightly repainted 2001 Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot body. That's pretty much all there is to it. The figure looks pretty generic, and could stand to have a resculpt some day. He fits in the ship just fine, but so what? If he's boring outside of the ship, odds are fans will ignore the fact that he exists and ask for a new one. This wasn't one of the better overall pilot bodies (what's with the arms?) but at least it fits in the vehicle without a hitch. If you're buying the Red Leader X-Wing anyway-- and odds are you should-- this is a nice bonus. For the money, this whole set for $30 was a killer deal, but you won't find it in stores for that price today.

Collector's Notes: Fans immediately hated this release, not so much for the figure, but because the ship was the same mold we were just sold in 2002 with an exclusive R2-D2 repaint and some gear for $5 more. Still, I bought it, and it's a little difficult to find one for sale these days. So let that be a lesson to you: always buy your ships before they hit the secondary market exclusively.

Day 372: May 13, 2007