Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,735: Geonosian Warrior

GEONOSIAN WARRIOR Arena Battle
The Legacy Collection Target Exclusive Geonosis Arena Packs 2010
Item No.: Asst. 97645 No. 97649
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #4 of 6
Includes: Staff, Shaak Ti figure
Action Feature: Lightsaber hilt plugs into belt
Retail: $12.99
Availability: October 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 was tossed out months ago.

Commentary: Figures like the Geonosian Warrior are sort of the ideal multi-pack fodder-- it's a decent enough mold and a trooper, so you won't feel like a chump if you get stuck with two or three more of them. It's an upgrade of the 2006 Sun Fac mold, with new deco and all-new knee joints in the legs. This is good because, as a rule, more joints are better than fewer joints. This is bad because heat and gravity are not kind to figures with bizarre leg configurations, so you may need additional support (read: doll stand) to hold this little guy up. With all the articulation you could want and gritty green detailing, he looks super-cool but does not match his fellow Geonosian figures. Actually, Hasbro's been pretty bad about making them similarly colored since their debut in 2002, and the figures have a history of being difficult to stand and display. Having said that, this is one of the better-looking ones and if life allows you would be well-served selecting it as the one you troop-build. Even for a Sun Fac redeco with new legs, it's pretty awesome and would have made a great "vintage" figure were it packaged that way.

Collector's Notes: The set came out during a pretty big dump of exclusives-- over a dozen hit Target over the course of days, as opposed to 2011 when the chain had something like 4 total exclusives for Q4 representing quite a slowdown. The set was marked down quickly and for some reason Target continued to get more of the 2009 arena sets in 2010 after this wave shipped, meaning these ones are, relatively speaking, in shorter supply. This means that it is entirely likely that there could be some out there in the woodworks waiting to hit a closeout store near you. Also notable, these sets were slashed in price nearly immediately after they came out-- I believe they were about $8.99 for several weeks.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,735: February 7, 2012