Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 514: Mace Windu

MACE WINDU General of the Republic Army
Clone Wars Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 84851 No. 84848
Number: #0348
Includes: Lightsaber, removable gauntlets
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $4.99
Availability: Fall 2003
Appearances: Clone Wars

Bio: Forced by the sweeping tide of events to put aside the art of diplomacythat he favors over art of war, Mace Windu reluctantly wields his lightsaber to repel the dark forces that are undermining peace. A man of great wisdom and experience, Mace in nonetheless a skilled and formidable opponent as he is one of the best lightsaber fighters in the Jedi Order. As a General, Mace leads Clone Troopers in ground battles across the galaxy. Also an accomplished pilot, Mace takes part in space battles during the Clone Wars, piloting a Jedi Starfighter in skirmishes against the Separatist forces. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy room.

Commentary: Seemingly having "got it," Hasbro expanded the universe in 2003 by designing its own costumes for several figures during the Clone Wars, or at least enhancing other designs. Mace Windu was part of the second wave, and was quite popular at retail. And of course, why wouldn't he be? With added armor, some of the best (at the time) articulation, added armor, and appearances (more or less) in part of the biggest multimedia project of the year, he was a hit. Sure, his face didn't really look like Sam Jackson. Yeah, the leg articulation sucked and the robes prevented him from sitting down easily. The figure has ball-jointed shoulders and elbows, plus one of the first-ever ball-jointed necks. Sure, it kinda sucked-- but it was significant, dadgummit. If you take off the figure's removable gauntlets, you're left with an above-average sculpt with decent articulation that almost looks like he could have come straight out of the movies, plus he comes with the first-ever purple Windu lightsaber with a plastic grip. (Look it up.) This is feeling like a very schizo entry, but since this figure is both awesome and awful all at once, that seems to be fitting. For fans of the films, you can skip this, but for lovers of unique toys, you can't miss this.

Collector's Notes: Like many Clone Wars figures, this one never saw a second release-- after 2003, he was gone forever. There's no good reason to reissue him given the unusual armor on his outfit, but I wouldn't be shocked to see him-- or parts of him-- again somewhere.

Day 514: October 2, 2007