Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,732: Saesee Tiin

SAESEE TIIN Jedi High Council
Original Trilogy Collection Screen Scenes
Item No.: No. 32162
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: Scene 3
Includes: Base, extra base, 2 chairs, Anakin Skywalker, Adi Gallia
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: 2004
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: The Jedi High Council is the main interface between the Jedi and the government of the Republic. The twelve High Council members are chosen from the ranks of the Jedi Masters and represent a gathering of great minds who have proven themselves and their abilities in the service of peace and justice. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo hole.

Commentary: I bought Saesee Tiin and the other Toys R Us exclusive Jedi High Council sets in 2004, and they stayed in their boxes until now. Heck, some of them are still sealed. Why? Because they are sort of boring, only good as display pieces, and not particularly good in the figure department. It was nice seeing Hasbro bow to fan demands to complete the scene, which started in 2003, but sometimes it's nice when they wait a few years-- better sculpts, better technology, or less miserly management may yield a better product, and at the time reissued or repainted figures were around $4.99 each. This set at $19.99 each, with no weapons and few newly tooled parts other than an occasional knee joint, felt more like an obligation than a purchase of joy. But I wanted the "playset," so I bought it.

Saesee Tiin makes use of the 2002 sculpt. You get no lightsaber, no weapon. The toy has jointed hips and no knees, so getting him to sit properly is quite difficult-- I took several photos trying to not make him look too awkward, and I don't think I succeeded. As of 2004 this was arguably a better figure due to its swell soft goods allowing for more movement, but with no lightsaber and a really half-assed ability to sit, it was weak. The figure itself has only 7 points of articulation and if it weren't for his accessories, I probably wouldn't have bought this set. I basically paid $20 for some chairs and a tile floor. The chair is nice, molded in a blueish hue with red fading into orange, and it seems like it would be an ideal place for another, better figure to sit. Since the 2005 Saesee Tiin is one of Hasbro's finest figures, perhaps you'll want to buy this set just to use with that figure.

Collector's Notes: The set is worth about $30 on eBay, but sellers in China are selling the base and chairs for a few bucks. I would like to say "go buy it," but there's an added floor panel included with this boxed set which does not seem present in the auctions-- so if you want to complete the council chambers, do not buy the bases without the additional floor panel piece. (It's under the floor in the boxed item.) All six sets will probably set you back $10-$30 a pop, so you should be able to complete the scene for $100 or less... just remember, you'll want to replace (upgrade) the figures included with most of the sets.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,732: February 2, 2012