Plodding along at 3862 as I sit to do this review at 10:30PM MST (1:30AM ET).  That’s just about 100 more than 48 hours ago, which isn’t bad.  If things go somewhat smoothly, it will pass 4000 (50%) this weekend, which could be a significant psychological barrier for some of those fence-sitters out there.  It remains my hope that we’ll be at 4200+ by next Friday as we head into the final weekend.  I believe that would position the campaign to get funded by the deadline, and maybe take a tier along with it.

So you know what’s amazing?  Our reader engagement and response over the past week.  The previous 5 entries on Banthaskull have gotten a minimum of 400 comments each.  That can mean only one thing:  Invasion That everyone loves Commtech figures!  It’s astonishing how much buzz these reviews have generated.  Even yesterday’s editorial by Chris that was about the Haslab was utterly dominated by hundreds and hundreds of comments about the POTF2 Commtech line.  It’s amazing.  Barely anyone cares about the Haslab discussion at this point - it’s all about Commtech!  It has brought us together in a way that nothing else has been able to duplicate.  There has been no animosity, and we are united as if we were of one mind.  It’s a beautiful thing.  So thanks to this in-depth market research, I’ve determined that the best course of action is to bring you…another Commtech review!

This next figure is the last one we’ll review from the line that is related to the Cantina, following Greedo and Han Solo.  And while most of the Jawas seen in ANH are either with the Sandcrawler (not Fakecrawler) or in the streets of Mos Eisley, there is one that can be seen (allegedly) inside Chalmun’s Cantina, and he goes by the name of Het Nkik.  This particular Jawa figure is not necessarily Het Nkik, but it could be him if you wanted it that way. 

This is a two pack released as a mainline offering.  A few other POTF2 figures had done the same, like the Jawas, Ugnaughts, and Ewoks, just as a few examples.  This had continued for a while into subsequent line looks, but eventually faded away because things are expensive now.  This release includes a Jawa and a “Gonk” Droid.

The Jawa is a nice improvement over earlier POTF2 releases, continuing this trend that was occurring with other Commtech figures.  While previous Jawas were basically of the salt shaker variety, with a sculpted “uni-leg”, this guy has individually sculpted feet, and a separate lower robe.  The sculpt is far superior to its predecessors, and was a huge leap forward.  Interestingly, it maintains the “light pipe” feature, so the eyes will glow with proper lighting.  For accessories, he comes with one ion blaster, which fits nicely in his tiny hand.

The partner figure is a “Gonk” droid.  Hasbro/LFL decided to give it this nickname rather than its official droid designation, which I believe is an EG-6 model.  This one is likely based on the one that can be seen on board the Sandcrawler.  It was the first such droid in the modern line.  It has articulated legs, and a “walking action” is activated by a small button on the right side of the droid.  I’m rarely a fan of action features, but this one is subtle enough that it’s okay from an aesthetic standpoint.  The execution is a bit gonky wonky because when at rest, the feet are spread apart in such a way that balancing the figure is a bit of a challenge, and looks like he’s about to fall forward onto his face.  It would have been better if the resting position of the feature was with the feet together.  Making that happen is extremely difficult, and usually requires some kind of assistance from a piece of tape, blue tack, or a rubber band.  For whatever reason, my sample seems willing to cooperate for the most part, but I think that’s because the legs have gotten somewhat sticky with age.

The Jawa was a huge leap forward, and the Gonk is a delightful debut figure.  Both have been surpassed by more modern iterations, but it’s still a decent set, and includes a bunch of silly noises on the commtech chip.

6/10.