Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,022: Mars Guo

MARS GUO Podracer Pilots
Discover the Force Toys R Us Exclusive
Item No.: No. 39611
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Packaged with Dud Bolt, Mars Guo, Clegg Holdfast, and Gasgano figures plus display base, flag, gun, removable goggles, Galactic Battle Game card
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $26.99
Availability: January 2012
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: Podracers compete in the Boonta Eve Classic Podrace, a highly competitive and dangerous event held annually on Tatooine.  During the race, Clegg Holdfast and Mars Guo crash their Podracers, victims of sabotage by a fellow Podracer.  Teemto Pagalies falls out of the race when his vehicle is shot  by a Tusken Raider.  Dud Bolt tries to eliminate a Podracer but crashes his own vehicle instead.  Gasgano is one of the lucky ones to reach the finish line, coming in second place after Anakin Skywalker.  (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo dump.

Commentary: While some figures get changed a bit from release to release, this Mars Guo from an exclusive 5-figure gift set is mostly worth getting for his flag.  The figure's tints are slightly different from the 2006 release, with the same gun and goggles.  It's a nice figure to be sure, with pleasant deco, good stripes, and a decent leathery paint job on his costume.  It doesn't quite match the muted green I saw in the movie, although that could be an illusion.  The goggles also don't seem to match the movie.  And the gritted teeth, well, you can't see those.  He could use a little more personality and a little more authenticity, I guess is what I'm saying, but he'll get neither as the existing figure was pretty much a miracle as it was.

Oh, and for the curious his blaster was recycled from Durge.

Collector's Notes: This set got slashed pretty cheap late last year, so I would advise against paying more than $15 for it right now.  At $25 it was a decent deal, until you realize that 4 of the 5 figures were sold as 2-packs for $7 between 1999 and 2006.  So when you get right down to it, the individual figures offer more interesting accessories (like droid figures) so I would suggest this box to completeists only.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,022: March 14, 2013