Figure of the Day: Day 501: Labria

LABRIA Mos Eisley Cantina
The Saga Collection Wal-Mart Wave
Item No.: Asst. 85770 No. 87353
Number: 073
Includes: Blaster, Cape, Stand
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.76
Availability: Spring 2007
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Labria, a Devaronian with a dark and violent past is a well-known spy in Mos Eisley. His two passions are music and alcohol, which is why he is frequently found in Chalmun's Cantina. Some suspect that he fakes his intoxicated demeanor to fool informants into letting down their guards and revealing their secrets. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' Cantina.

Commentary: Sure his name may sound a little dirty, but Labria is one awesome figure. After a pale, poorly colored release in 1998 Hasbro decided that this simply would not do and went back to the well to make it better for Wal-Mart, our corporate overlord. The new figure has gritty yellow teeth, lots of shading and veins in his head, highlights on his horns, big eyes, and that's just his head! His cape has added deco, his costume is more appropriately colored, and the end result is one of the best repaints Hasbro has ever made. I often say that while a good sculpt is good, any customizer or fan can make a bad figure look awesome with the right paint-- and Hasbro made a good figure look incredible for this short-run exclusive release. Short of resculpting the figure, this is probably as good as he's ever going to get, so be sure you track this one down for your cantina diorama. And throw out the old one while you're at it. The coloring may not be perfect to the movie, but it's a lot better and probably the best we should expect for the time being.

Collector's Notes: This was one of five exclusive figures offered at Wal-Mart in early 2007, and the wave was hard to get in some areas. Other figures included R4-M6, Aurra Sing, Kitik Keed'kak, and a set of Nabrun Leids & Kabe. Good luck finding them now, as the cases often came and went quickly unless you lived in a pocket which got drenched in these... so it's feast or famine, or, of course, eBay.

Day 501: September 19, 2007