COMMANDER BACARA Battle on Mygeeto 30th Anniversary Collection Battle Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87503 No. 87815
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, 4 other figures
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99-$24.99
Availability: Summer 2008
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith
Bio: As a stronghold of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, the crystalline world of Mygeeto is caught in the maelstrom of the Clone Wars. It is where much of the Separatist movement’s wealth is kept, and so it is targeted by the Republic: gain control of Mygeeto, and the Separatists lose crucial funding. Ki-Adi-Mundi is stationed on the icy planet with the mission of wresting it from the Separatists. Together with Clone Commander Bacara, Ki-Adi-Mundi and the Galactic Marines battle the droid army in fierce urban fighting, pushing forward against a grim onslaught of super battle droids and enormous tri-droids. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)
Image: Adam's photo hole.
Commentary: This was the very first super-poseable Commander Bacara figure, and the one with the best deco as of me writing this. While there is always room for improvement, and unfortunately they did reuse the 2003 super-poseable chunky trooper's armor, the paint job is so good that all is forgiven. The scrapes, mud, dirt, and gosh knows what else on this figure's armor reveal some of Hasbro's finer paint work, and it happened in an era where Battle Packs had 5 figures, too. The difference between the dark brown mud on the boots and the scrapes on the purple armor combined with the runny smearing on the armor all combine to create a diverse-looking figure with only one real visual flaw: a belt, painted white, that's totally clean. The white paint itself is part of the problem, the thickness makes it feel chunky and while generally things look better when painted white, dark plastic isn't one of them. Paint a white plastic figure white, and it looks wonderful. Paint a maroon plastic object white, and it looks cheap. But aside from that? Exquisite.
My sample, which I actually intentionally left box until the day I wrote this review this very year, is good but not perfect. My sample has joints that are a little loose, although your mileage may vary. 14 points of articulation await you, and depending on the lighting the paint job is going to look great. Under bright lights with a freakish yellow backdrop, it could look better. In a dimmer room, it's pretty much perfect. Aside from the belt, this is one of Hasbro's best paint jobs and the sad thing is that as one of the final 87503 assortment Battle Packs, distribution was weak and interest was low. If you didn't get this one-- and I say this to you, even if you hate the prequels-- you missed out on one of Hasbro's better gift sets.
Collector's Notes: The first Bacara in 2005 had limited articulation and a quick-draw attack. This one is the 2003 Clone Trooper (super-poseable) body with the 2005 Bacara figure's gear and a new paint job. This figure was also redecorated in 2009 and sold individually, but without the dirt and grime which make the Battle on Mygeeto version such a gem. This Mygeeto set was, from where I sat, screamingly scarce. I saw it in stores once, and was taken aback by it. A limited availability window existed. I'm beginning to wonder if you people don't realize it exists and why it's significant. Samples on eBay are few and range from as low as $5 to as high as $40, which says to me that nobody knows what's going on with this one, it hasn't shaken out yet. The Mygeeto Battle Pack is absolutely worth buying. Let me repeat that: absolutely worth buying. Ki-Adi-Mundi is mud-splattered, and the remaining 4 figures have unique or significantly different deco, the Tri-Droid and Super Battle Droid alone are more than worth the price of admission. (They're on deck for between now and... well, let's say later.)
--Adam Pawlus
Day 1,879: August 27, 2012
One of my fav clones
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