SHAAK TI Arena BattleThe Legacy Collection Target Exclusive Geonosis Arena Packs 2010
Item No.: Asst. 97645 No. 97649
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #4 of 6
Includes: Lightasber blade, hilt, Geonosian figure
Action Feature: Lightsaber hilt plugs into belt
Retail: $12.99
Availability: Ocotber 2010
Appearances: Attack of the Clones
Bio: The Jedi Knights rush to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme from execution. The Jedi brandish their lightsabers against the Geonosian warriors and the massive army of battle droids, super battle droids, and droidekas. All hope seems lost that any Jedi will survive this battle, then Yoda arrives with an army of clone troopers. Although many Jedi are lost that day, others survive this climactic battle that ushers in the Clone Wars. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)
Image: Adam Pawlus' Geonosis backdrop, which will be thrown away by the time you read this.
Commentary: A retooled version of the 2005 Shaak Ti, this Attack of the Clones version makes two significant changes. One, new arms with ball-jointed elbows. Two, new deco. That's pretty much it, if you have the 2005 figure on a shelf and never play with it there's no real reason to upgrade to this version. Due to the lighting of all the pictures I'm seeing of the Geonosis Arena battle, I'm not entirely certain these colors are any more or less authentic than previous releases, but she does look a little more bright in places. It seems the lower part of her dress is usually represented as being much darker, and part of the fun of "movie magic" is finding out that the color of something you see on the screen isn't necessarily the color of the actual prop for one reason or another. But for the sake of keeping it brief, let's assume this is an acceptable color.
This will probably be your go-to figure for any Jedi Council or Arena scenes, as she can sit well and her arms are capable of being posed, which means she's slightly better than the previous versions. The added arm articulation is a nice improvement, but the cynic in me thinks that Hasbro could have released this with the new deco and no changes and most fans would be exactly as excited as they are for this release. (Which is to say, not particularly from my findings.) If you don't have any Shaak Ti figures, this is the one to get because she is, to date, the best in terms of sculpt and articulation. Unless you buy animated stuff, in which case The Clone Wars release is easily better than any of the movie ones so far.
Collector's Notes: Shaak Ti is packaged with a Geonosian Warrior who, it seems, is merely a repaint of the 2009 Target version of the figure. This set is expected to stick around for a bit but you never know with Target exclusives. This is the first movie version of Shaak Ti since 2005.
--Adam Pawlus
Day 1,398: October 22, 2010
All black, dead-inside eyes turn me off, reminds me of the cult people from THE DEVIL's RAIN.
ReplyDeleteBut I might the set for the Geonosian. However, I have the previous Geonosian, and it feels like he's too big compared to the movie. It's hard to tell, since they have those insectile legs.