Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,782: General Grievous

GENERAL GRIEVOUS Wal-Mart Exclusive Droid Factory Packs
The Legacy Collection Droid Factory
Item No.: Asst. 14860 No. 91928
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: 1 of 5
Includes: 4 lightsabers, cloth cape, blaster, CB-3D figure, Dark Trooper head and rifle
Action Feature: Push down head, arms move
Retail: $17.00
Availability: July 2009
Appearances: Star Wars: General Grievous novel

Bio: In the comic Star Wars: General Grievous, the cyborg general has dark plans for a group of innocent young Padawans. At the same time, the astromech droid CB-3D assists a rogue team, including the droid's master Flynn Kybo, on a mission to hunt down and eliminate Grievous. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' desk.

Commentary: The hit-to-miss ratio for General Grievous isn't especially good. Most of his figures are, at best, OK with a few being genuine flops. And by flops, I mean floppy and hard to play with. This one is pretty solid-- he's a little short, but it takes the 2005 Revenge of the Sith mold which has been reissued time and again, plus holds up pretty well. All four arms are on display, he has jointed hips and knees, and the deco is pretty good. A slightly redder, bonier color looks nice, plus it's surrounded by the (and correct me if I'm wrong) first cloth cape for a movie version of this character. The back of his cape lacks any unique markings and it's a little thick, but I applaud Hasbro for adding a new accessory to make the figure more than just another repack we choked down to get a new astromech droid and a piece of a Dark Trooper.

This Grievous holds together well, plays well, and can stand better than most other Grievous toys. Given his age he is unlikely to impress, but considering what he comes with I would say he is ultimately worthwhile. You might even want to steal his cape for use with another Grievous! But, unless you're new or a big fan of the Expanded Universe, you won't necessarily want this one. (But I love droid toys, so this set was a must-buy for me.)

Collector's Notes: By this point this mold had been released several times, and the price was considered awful for its time. Today, the 2-pack will set you back closer to $20 with the complete set running you between $80 (not bad) and $100 (not great).

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,782: April 12, 2012