Jar Jar was everywhere for Episode I.  Turned out he wasn’t that popular of a character.  Perhaps he’s enjoying a bit of a renaissance, which is nice.  And there’s that wacko Darth Jar Jar theory, of course. 

There were two versions of him released in the main line (this being the first), along with 3 other figures included in various formats (creature pack-in, cinema scene, deluxe accessory pack-in.). All of them are essentially the same, since he never changed outfits.  The only differences are slight variations of the sculpt to provide some more scene specific moments (swimming, running, etc.). But this figure was the OG Jar Jar Binks, and at the time of launch, people scooped him up eagerly.

The figure admittedly is a nice sculpt, although it doesn’t necessarily have the same deep detail that other figures in the line have.  But it looks just like the on screen character.  His outfit isn’t textured, but it does include a removable vest and a separately sculpted kama/skirt.  Jar Jar is not exactly in a neutral pose.  His legs are slightly flexed as if about to take a step forward.  His right arm is fairly straight, but his left arm is bent at almost a 90 degree angle.  His right hand is sculpted into the familiar “c-grip” to hold the included accessory, while the left hand is flexed downward, also probably to replicate the position while engaged in Jar Jar’s comical gait.  The face is fairly well done.  It’s not overly comical, so this is about as “not ridiculous” as Jar Jar gets.

The only accessory is a large staff, which never made it on screen (unless some other Gungan carried it that I never noticed).  I always assumed it was from some concept art, but I could never find it.  Maybe it’s just a Hasbro creation because there was no other accessory that could be reasonably included.  As for paint, the figure has a fairly washed out look in my opinion, but there are some nice details on the arms.

This was a decent Jar Jar figure, and one of many, especially before Phantom Menace toys went out of fashion.  But it was crushed into obsolescence by the VC108 Jar Jar Binks, which itself is heavily flawed.  This figure gets an unenthusiastic 3.  It’s not terrible, but it’s rather dull and outmoded at this point.