UGNAUGHT 2009 Version #1The Legacy Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 87535 No. 87853
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #43
Includes: Console, apron, storage case thing
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $7.99
Availability: April 2009
Appearances: The Empire Strikes Back
Bio: On Cloud City, the Ugnaughts operate the carbon-freeze chambers that are typically used to freeze Tibanna gas but can also freeze living matter. Ugnaughts work in Bespin's Tibanna gas processing plants or as general laborers in the city. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)
Commentary: This Ugnaught was initially expected to be a 2-pack, not a single figure. In 1998, Kenner put out 2 on a single card for $6, so naturally we all assumed this one would follow suit. It didn't. So what we have here are two separate figures with a lot of shared body parts. The first release sports an apron and is less pig-like (but is still pig-like) than the other one. Always wizards in this arena, Hasbro crammed in a ton of articulation-- 12 points, to be exact. The only thing this little Oompa Loompa can't do is move at the ankles. The amount of detail is pretty great, but the 1998 originals were pretty swell too, despite having pretty much no leg articulation. As we start getting to a point where Hasbro remakes less-than-stellar figures from days passed, figures like this one are a little harder to get excited about. While this is the best sculpted Ugnaught we've ever seen out of Hasbro, it's not significantly better than the much cheaper originals. While the costume represents a different Ugnaught from the previous releases, was anybody really clamoring for more of them? Without a good Freeze Chamber playset, these guys are basically diorama fodder or something for the Secret Apprentice's lightsaber to cut up. It's a decent enough item, but I'd be lying if I said I was particularly enamored with owning it.
Collector's Notes: There are multiple versions of this figure expected, two of which are out now. This exact figure includes U-3PO's left arm, in either silver or a quasi-champagne color. A running change is expected which will include an alternate sculpted figure with a different head, no apron, and possibly different accessories.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 1,040: June 9, 2009
As toys go, I thought the 1998 versions were weak, especialy compared to the 1981 release. This new one is quite good, but a bit big. He's nearly Leia's height, and while Leia is short, scenes with her and ugnaughts show she's still taller than them.
ReplyDeleteKinda odd we get these guys before Admiral Ackbar, though. But I'd say the same about Xizor and a host of others.