Hey look!  It’s another Jar Jar Binks figure!  The overwhelming response we received this on this morning’s Gungan Assault Cannon with Jar Jar Binks can mean only one thing:  invasion you love Jar Jar.  So, here’s one more!

This is our third Jar Jar Binks figure review, following the Gungan Cannon pack in figure, as well as the first release in the basic carded line.  In addition, there was one packed with the Kaadu beast, as well as in a three pack Cinema scene.  Some have more or less articulation, come with different accessories, or have different facial expressions.  Essentially, they are all basic Jar Jar Binks figures, and can be used interchangeably as standard Jar Jar figures from Episode I.  All of them were eventually rendered obsolete by VC108 in the Vintage Collection, but even that one fell far short of “definitive.”  This figure, while very much outclassed, still has some merit.

Of the aforementioned 5 Jar Jar Binks figures that were available in the Episdoe I line, this is probably the best one. It has the most articulation, including a ball jointed neck and ball jointed feet.  These advanced-for-the-time articulation points allow the figure to assume a convincing swimming pose.  I have no idea if it floats in water (my experimenting with / torturing of my figures ended with my Kenner toys when I was a wee boy).  But you can pose him on a flat surface in such a way that he can look like he’s swimming.  The ball jointed feet can flex to allow for the “flipper” motion, while the ball jointed neck allows the head to look straight forward.  This is a very cool feature which was overlooked in “swimming” figures that came much later, such as Kit Fisto, Clone Scuba Trooper, Mon Calamari Warrior, and the Quarren Soldier.  All of those figures have ball jointed heads, but the limited range of motion doesn’t allow most of them to look up/forward while in a horizontal swimming pose.  Also, there were two other “swimming” figures in the Episode I line.  Qui-Gon (with Opee) and Obi-Wan (With Gungan mini-sub) were both pretty terrible figures, but fail in their inability to look like their swimming.  In the one shot in which all figures would be particularly useful (image 17 above), you can see that Jar Jar is far and away the winner here.  Obi-Wan doesn’t even have his cloak, for cryin’ out loud. 

Besides the swimming articulation, the figure can be posed “at rest” like the other Jar Jar offerings.  His hands and arms aren’t really that distracting, so they can function as a basic standing figure if you want.  Jar Jar comes with no weapons, but he does come with a fish accessory.  It’s actually kind of neat.  It looks like one of those deep ocean fishes that are relics from the age of dinosaurs.  Sadly, it cannot rest on a flat surface.  It’s got only one ventral fin, so there’s no way to balance it without assistance, so it’s a bit of a bummer.  But you can set up a really crappy imitation of the underwater Naboo scenes with the available toys.  You can use a trio of swimming characters, the min-rig sub, the Opee Sea Killer, and some fish (that silly red one came with a Naboo accessory pack).  This Jar Jar is the best of that bunch.  Don’t worry, we’re not planning on making a “Scene It” feature on this. 

The figure gets a 5.  It’s able to do double duty as a scene specific swimming Jar Jar, but can also do a reasonable job of performing as a basic Jar Jar.  It also comes with a unique fish accessory.