In 2004, we were in between the product blitzes of Episodes II and III.  Hasbro seized upon this opportunity for an Original Trilogy celebration with the aptly named Original Trilogy Collection (OTC).  For that line, the figures were entirely from the OT.  2005 would eventually be dominated by Revenge of the Sith product, but that would not begin until April.  To keep a Star Wars action figure presence on the pegs between the “OTC” and “ROTS” products during that roughly three month gap, Hasbro turned to this essentially nameless line which is a slight refresh of the OTC styling.  The line presumably had an internal name within Hasbro, which was likely still the “Original Trilogy Collection”, but there is no name on the packaging.  As such, this left fans to their own devices, and it was dubbed the “Post OTC” line or “POTC” for short, which is unfortunately also the acronym for Pirates of the Caribbean product making Ebay searches a bit challenging at times.  This POTC line was not restricted to the Original Trilogy, and also had wildly varying tooling sources.  While a lot of the figures were all new, some figures, such as Rabé, were actually tooled for older lines.  In the case of Rabé, it was an unreleased figure intended for 1999’s Episode I line, and as such, it’s dated for 2005.  Meanwhile, figures such as this Feltipern Trevagg were newly tooled, and are verging on Vintage Collection quality.  For the time, getting a figure of this quality in the basic action figure line-up was cause for celebration.  The higher quality figures had been isolated to the “Vintage” subset which carried a premium price point.  It also made this POTC line a bit of a “back to the future” situation, as the subsequent ROTS line would return to a heavier kid-focus with action features.  We wouldn’t see some figures of this quality again until 2006’s The Saga Collection line.

Now, this isn’t to say that this figure is up to modern Vintage Collection standards.  It’s not.  First, it entirely lacks ankle joints, but does have ball jointed knees.  I typically complain about this combination because the omitted ankles make engaging the knee articulation less effective.  The only pass I will give for this is for figures that need to be able to sit realistically, such as cantina patrons.  So this figure would get a pass, but the hard plastic lower tunic makes seated positions all but impossible.  The knees do allow for a little dynamism in the standing poses, so that’s a plus.  The arms are a collection of the less-than-optimal swivel joints.  Typically, collectors dread swivel elbows, but that is part due to the notorious ease with which they pop apart.  At least in the case of Feltipern Trevagg, the elbow joints are quite secure.  You don’t have to worry about the arms falling to pieces every time you try to pose them.  On the downside, the angle of the cut on the figure’s right elbow doesn’t achieve a significant bend until the arm is sticking straight out to the side, which limits its utility.  The swivel on the left elbow is even more problematic.  The lower arm attaches at a sculpted ninety degree angle.  This is actually good for holding the included drinking glass, but all the swivel elbow joint will allow is to hold the glass straight out or to the side.  This is demonstrated in images 13 and 14 above.  Finally, the figure doesn’t interact very well with the included blaster.  The sculpted angle of the claw makes it impossible to aim the blaster straight ahead when holding the accessory naturally.  You have to twist the grip in the figure’s hand to achieve a straight aim.  Additionally, the blaster sits above the hand and not in it.  The poor interaction with the blaster doesn’t bother me that much because the character never engages in any gunplay on screen.  The figure interacts well with the drinking glass, and that’s the more important aspect.

Okay, enough with the negatives.  There are certain figures in the history of the line that put an extra bounce in my step.  My spirits get a little boost every time I see them no matter how often that is.  If I see them in a collectible or comic book store I get a jolt of excitement even though I already own them.  I just know that I’m looking at something special.  This is one of those figures.  Cantina aliens are, first and foremost, set dressing.  They need to “look good” as their primary job.  While this figure doesn’t fare well when compared to the articulation and posing capabilities of modern figures, the styling and detail are on par with or better than what we get today.  This is a hall of fame head sculpt which is further accentuated by premium paint applications.  The detail of the mouth and teeth are amazing, even to this day.  The intricate and detailed sculpting of the Gotal fur is a masterpiece.  The tunic is sculpted with folds and seam lines.  Just a few years prior, the upper torso would have been a solid smooth hunk of white plastic.  Even if you don’t have a standing cantina display, you should own this figure simply as a testament to artisanship.  I would really like to give Feltipern an 8 out of 10, but I feel like it would be too disruptive to the relative scoring we try to maintain with modern figures.  I’m giving it a 7 out of 10 which is the base score for a fully super articulated figure even though this figure is not super articulated.  The lost points for the swivel arms and lack of ankles, are earned back by being one of the best sculpts in the history of the line.  While I would gladly take an update to this figure, I feel it’s close enough to definitive, when keeping the “set dressing” concept in mind.  This figure fetches a hefty premium on the secondary market.  I personally feel it’s borderline “money allergy” that Hasbro doesn’t get figures like this re-released in the Vintage Collection. 

One last bit of bookkeeping, the carded sample in this gallery comes from the Ebay seller res17cue.  Bantha Skull has purchased several carded samples from res17cue to include most of our packaged figures from The Saga Collection.  He has some of the best preserved carded samples of older figures I’ve personally come across on Ebay.  Getting carded figures that are more than a few years old on Ebay is always a bit if a dice roll, but res17cue has curated his packaged samples wonderfully.  I am now feathering my personal carded collection with the figures he has for sale (and I’m obsessive about condition).  If you’re looking for high quality carded samples, I suggest you take a look at res17cue’s items for sale (sponsored).