Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,456: Plo Koon

PLO KOON Arena Battle
Saga Collection 2 Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 84861 No. 84868
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #0212
Includes: Lightsaber, blade, force blast
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $4.99
Availability: April 2002
Appearances: Attack of the Clones

Bio: Plo Koon is a member of the Jedi Council. Special equipment protects his sensitive eyes and nostrils from Coruscant's oxygen-rich atmosphere. With his extensive grasp and control of the Force, Plo Koon leads the Jedi into battle on Geonosis. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.

Commentary: One of the more desired figures from the first prequel was Plo Koon, who got few outfit changes but several toys despite having no dialog in the three films. (He's since made up for it in the cartoons.) This figure was the first "uncloaked" version, which sported eight points of articulation and an action-oriented pose which was common in most of the 2002-2004 figures. He's clearly posed for battle and not for sitting in his council chair or a space ship, which makes sense because when this figure was designed Hasbro was moving away from vehicles. Actually, in this era Hasbro produced very few vehicles every year with Attack of the Clones launching with only five ships-- pretty weak stuff, particularly if you saw how bad the figure/vehicle compatibility was in that first wave.

This figure did manage to improve on the look and feel, with a wonderful looking poseable release which today is more of a statue than a toy. His lightsaber had a removable hilt, plus he had a weird blaster deflection thing you can have him put in his hand which really isn't particularly useful. Supposedly it was to add value to the figure, but it doesn't seem to hold up well after nearly 10 years. Plo had some difficulty standing due to his battle-oriented pose, which could result in him falling over, which in turn could cause the lightsaber to snap-- the blade is held in with a very thin peg, prone to breakage. If you display your figures out of the box, I suggest using a display base or buying a second backup figure for when this one inevitably breaks.

While not essential, the figure's detail is really good for the time and it's a great evolutionary step that eventually brought us to where we are today-- with nearly everything being super poseable all the time. If you have a character focus on Plo Koon, get him, but don't expect to be blown away by this particular release.

Collector's Notes: This figure seemed to be in somewhat short supply in 2002, but you could get one if you tried. Future, better figures rendered it obsolete, so get one if you're so inclined-- it's a neat curiosity. Two or three bucks ought to do it.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,456: January 12, 2011