Thanks to an update from Jedi Defender, the news seems to be official that the MSRP for the Vintage Collection will once again rise a dollar to $9.99. The source is none other than the official Hasbro web site.
If you’ve been paying attention to the per case pre-order prices on e-tail sites, you’ve probably seen this handwriting on the wall.
Reference
Wookieepedia article on Qui-Gon Jinn
Major Variants
*None Reported
Notes
* Life sized Darth Maul give away sticker on card
Roundtable Reviews!
Chances are you already own this figure. In fact, you may own it several times over. It was first released in 2008 in the Legacy of the Jedi Evolutions set from the Thirtieth Anniversary Collection. The figure returned in 2009 as part of the Qui-Gon Jinn and Eopie set which was the mail away redemption for the Legacy Collection. This time, the Jedi robe was replaced by a soft goods poncho. That same accessory and figure combination was available again in 2010 as part of the Legacy Collection Tatooine Desert Ambush Battle Pack. Each time there are subtle differences in the paint applications particularly in the salt and pepper wash on the hair.
The figure itself is decent but it’s showing its age in a few areas. We’ve become spoiled with Jedi figures the past few years. I’ve come to expect an unlit saber hilt which can be attached to the belt. This figure includes neither the hilt nor the peg hole on the belt to which one could be attached. The decade old lit saber accessory is very dated. It lacks the flare at the hilt modern sabers have and the hilt portion if noticeably oversized. Adding ball jointed hips really would have upped the appeal of this figure and would have made it easy to justify repurchasing. Sadly, that retool was not in the cards for this release. The head seems too small and does not bare a terrific likeness to the actor who is famed for his improvisational comedy. All of these minor negatives warrant a one point deduction to an otherwise decent figure. It’s the best Qui-Gon Jinn figure to date, but you probably already own it. 7 out of 10.
7/10 Bantha Skulls
Reference
Wookieepedia article on Padmé Amidala
Major Variants
*None Reported
Notes
* Life sized Darth Maul give away sticker on card
Roundtable Reviews!
Chapter 31. If you’re wondering where you can spot this particular costume, set your Blu-ray to chapter 31. That is it. It begins and ends there. This particular costume has been nicknamed the “post-senate” costume by fans. It’s part of a flurry of wardrobe changes by Ms. Portman as she appears in different dress for three consecutive scenes. As with many of the ornate Queen Amidala costumes, there’s not much that Hasbro can do in terms of an action figure. The design simply does not lend itself to a fourteen point of articulation figure. Figures like this are sometimes referred to as “salt shakers” for a number a reasons such as the similar shapes, the lack of articulation, and the fact that the figure will largely just sit on your shelf.
In order for a figure of this type to earn top marks with me, it wold have to blow me away in terms of design and detail. This figure is very nice and has nicely detailed multicolored paint applications. But I wouldn’t say I’m absolutely blown away. By comparison, the wave 4 Padmé Amidala (Peasant Disguise) figure has a more ornate feel to it. One gripe is that the elongated sleeves have a unidirectional observance of gravity, This means that rotated too far the sleeves start to look like flipper wings and the figure turns into a koala-fish mutant bird. Hopefully it will save us at the zero hour. I collect all Padmé figures, so I’m happy to have any new additions. This one is nice, but if you pick and choose which figures to buy, I wouldn’t say it’s a must own. It’s a respectable 6 out of 10.
6/10 Bantha Skulls
Reference
Wookieepedia article on the B1 battle droid
Major Variants
*None Reported
Notes
* Life sized Darth Maul give away sticker on card
Roundtable Reviews!
Pfffffffffffffffffffffff. Where to begin? The battle droid mold was just updated recently in the 2009 and 2010 Geonosis Arena sets. Since then, it’s been in frequent rotation in the Saga Legends line as a two-pack no less. So there should be some compelling reason to go back to the well so soon. The new mold got smaller. I’m not sure if that is more or less screen accurate, but it feels like the previous mold was a tad too large. So perhaps this is for the better. The eyes are now sculpted into the head and not just a tampo application like the previous version. This is a welcome addition. Unfortunately, one of my favorite features of the old mold is now gone. The blaster rifle no longer plugs into the backpack. This is as big a disappointment as the missing holster on the Rebel Fleet Trooper. Like its predecessor, this mold neatly folds up for MTT transportation, but with no where to store the blaster in transport. Hmmm, I wonder if the occasionally rumored MTT has anything to do with the sudden need for a smaller scaled battle droid.
This battle droid still can’t achieve a two handed grip on the blaster. Now THAT would have been a hugely compelling reason to upgrade this figure so soon, and would have finally urged me to call “army build!” on a battle droid figure. So far no mold has compelled me to get more than a few. That pattern holds. I don’t hold Hasbro accountable for this particular limitation of the figure. It’s LFL’s fault. The character’s limbs are simply too thin to achieve the necessary points of articulation. Additionally, I swear the on screen two handed blaster grip in the movie is a CGI cheat. The wrist or forearm on the character seems to rotate despite no articulation point to achieve this. Back to the articulation on the actual figure, the previous mold was able to achieve better abduction at both the hips and shoulders. Despite what I sense is inferior scaling, I like the old mold better in many ways. Given that an Episode 1 battle droid will be released in the more economically priced Movie Heroes line this figure becomes almost a total head scratcher. Overall, I give this figure a 6 out of 10.
6/10 Bantha Skulls
