Our second podracer figure that we’re reviewing in as many days, this is Ody Mandrell, the less famous male sibling of Barbara.  Mandrell, like most of his fellow podracers in the Boonta Eve Classic of 32 BBY, was an alien species of small stature and slight build.  These traits apparently were advantageous in piloting the racing vehicles.  Mandrell had completed the first lap but the vehicle needed attention so he made a pit stop.  During that time, one of his DUM series Pit Droids (a trio of which were seen at the beginning of the race performing an homage to the Three Stooges) got sucked into an engine.  While the droid was unharmed (and apparently very excited about the incident), the engine itself was damaged, which booted Mandrell from the race.

Ody Mandrell was released in a 2-pack with an Otoga-222 pit droid.  While the droid adds some variety to your podrace set up, Mandrell didn’t actually use any of these types of droids.  One was seen in the employ of Ben Quadinaros.  That figure was released in The Vintage Collection in 2012 as VC81, and included a slight repaint of this same droid.  One could also be spotted in Watto’s shop, as well as others occasionally wandering in the background of various Tatooine shots.  It would have perhaps been more accurate to get a DUM series pit droid with this figure, but as was mentioned in our Gasgano with Pit Droid review, Hasbro did those to death, so it was a nice change of pace.

Ody Mandrell is a thin little figure.  He’s got basic swivel articulation at the neck, shoulders, and hips.  His hands are sculpted in an open position, so are not able to hold any accessories.  Unlike Gasgano, he actually does have an accessory.  The goggle/hat assembly is removable, which is kind of cool. He didn’t remove the goggles in the film, but if you (Randy) ever wondered what an Er’Kit face looks like, now you know.  His long thin legs and tiny round feet make standing him up straight a bit of a challenge, but it can be done.  Fortunately, he does have foot holes if you need the aid of a figure stand.  The paint apps are pretty interesting.  He’s got legs that look like weird barber poles, and let me tell you, in an alternate future, we all live inside barber poles for some reason.  It’s no way to live.  The paint applications on his elongated head are done well.

The Otoga 222 Pit Droid, in similar fashion to the DUM series Pit Droid that came with Gasgano, can stand straight up with a little bit of patience, just don’t breathe near it.  The figure does not have foot holes, so you’re on your own here.  It has swivel articulation at the shoulders and hips, but nothing else.  It’s simple, but does have a nice, dirty paint job.

Hasbro re-released the Pit Droid in the POTJ line with the Anakin mechanic figure, and then again later with the aforementioned TVC Quadrinaros figure.  Ody Mandrell himself was never re-released, so this is your only option for him. He was not included in the Toys R Us multi-pack from 2012, which repacked 5 podracer pilots and came with their racing flags.  Additional releases commemorating TPM3D included a battle pack with Anakin, Sebulba, R2 and Threepio, along with both racers’ flags.  The Walmart TPM3D release of Mawhonic (unlike the TVC version) came with his racing flag, and for whatever reason has the flagpole that is black.  There are 8 total flags, while Ben Quadrinaros, Ody Mandrell, and Ratts Tyrell do not have flags.  I would love it if Hasbro could figure out how to get these 3 flags made, along with the 7 missing podracers from the Boonta Eve Classic of 32 BBY.

Both figures make nice additions to your TPM podrace set up.  I’ll give the set a 5.  Hasbro could probably do a bit better today, but I can’t imagine it being worth the effort.  The figure could sit in a theoretical podracer seat, and the removable goggles/hat is a nice touch.