In 2002, as Hasbro was inclined to do at the time, there was a massive push in support of the upcoming release of new Star Wars media.  In this case, the ‘Midnight Madness” that preceded the premiere Attack of the Clones included something like 30-ish basic action figures, and, if memory serves (it probably doesn’t), about a half dozen vehicles of varying sizes, a couple of beasts, a few deluxe figures, and even a large playset.

The Geonosis Battle Arena provides a great backdrop to so many figures and toys that Hasbro created for the film.  It has a lot going for it, even it is is lacking in a few key features, and probably overdoes it on the “kid-friendly” toy aspect.  But back in 2002, the line hadn’t quite matured to the point where most collectors insisted on movie accuracy, and Hasbro wasn’t yet in the game of making hyper-realistic figures and toys that have given us such amazing details and paint apps.

Most importantly, the set functions as an excellent (if not perfect) diorama environment.  It serves as the glue for any number of key scenes.  We have tons of figures and toys from the Execution, the Jedi Strike Force, and the Clone attack, as well as for the smaller set pieces inside the Geonosian hive, such as Obi-Wan’s capture, the Droid Factory chase, and the Hangar duel…er…truel. 

It’s a large set that has two sides, something fans complained was lacking from the recent Jabba’s Palace Adventure Set, but was then corrected in time for the Tantive IV set.  The front gives you an arc that serves as part of the arena.  In order to increase the size and create a complete circle, the set includes long cardboard backdrops and a connecting “mountain”.  You can also just stretch out the cardboard pieces to make a larger backdrop (although not closed).  The base of the set is a bit of a bummer, as it’s a bumpy mess, that includes a lot of molded debris, as well as several spinning and launching pads.  All of these work as nice things for the kids, but tend to render the base somewhat difficult to use for posing (although there are a few footpads scattered about).

There is a huge double-doored gate, which allows you to have your beasts enter the arena for the big execution,  It’s not quite film accurate, as the on-screen door was more of an arch and had a vertically opening gate, vaguely reminiscent of the rancor’s gate in ROTJ.  The door functions well enough, and dominates the piece.

Another key element of the arena is the balcony.  Here’s where the set really falls short.  The balcony is tiny, and barely holds 4 or 5 figures when it should have enough room to hold at least 7.  There should be space for 6 Separatists, plus Mace Windu.  You could kinda jam most of them in there, but it looks ridiculous, especially in today’s era of social distancing.  The balcony essentially serves as a super-spreader event.

One other drawback is the inclusion of only 2 prisoner pillars (in 3 pieces each).  There were four in the film, so unless you were a maniac and purchased more than one of these, you’ll have to use the pint-sized pillars that came as accessories with a few of the basic figures that were available at the time.

The back side represents the inner hallways of the hive, as well as the droid factory and even Dooku’s hanger.  There’s a retractable bridge, so you can recreate Anakin and Padmé‘s fall into the factory.  Included in the set is a piece of the factory - basically a bunch of chopping knives and stuff.  It attaches to the back of the set, and can further be enhanced with additional modular factory pieces that were sold separately, which is always fun and something Hasbro needs to do more of.

Also, the aforementioned cardboard cutouts were double sided, so besides showing the interior of the arena, they also gave you a panoramic view of the follow-on battle between the clones and the Separatists on the nearby plains.

This is a cool set to have.  It were made today, it would be a lot more detailed, and it would skip the action features in favor of more film-accurate sculpting.  Most importantly, the balcony itself would be large enough to hold more figures - and we would get a proper AOTC Nute Gunray to hang out there.  That guy got screwed, but he was a jerk anyway.