Many fans feel that Attack of the Clones was a terrible film, but served a great purpose as a 2 hour toy commercial.  The Geonosian bug people weren’t a particularly toyetic design, however.  Hasbro really struggled with Geonosian figures during the Saga line in 2002.  They were poorly articulated, not very posable, and often struggled to stand upright unassisted.  This deluxe version was no exception, however, it included something that could assist you in that endeavor.  Wings!  And not just any wings, but articulated wings!  For whatever reason, Hasbro made Geonosians both with and without wings.  According to Wookieepedia/Legends, some Geonosian worker drones had vestigal wings, as they had lost the ability to fly.  But vestigial wings does not equal no wings, so I’m not sure what they were going for there.

The wings are actually part of an action feature, which isn’t the worst such feature executed in the Saga line, but still unsightly and damaging to the aesthetic.  There is a button on the figure’s back that engages “gear-like” joints and activate a flapping action when repeatedly pushed.  Again, it works quite well, and isn’t awful, but standing alone, the giant button is an eyesore.  But one benefit of the wings is that they can be positioned to act as a sort of hidden figure stand to help the Geonosian stay upright.

This Geonosian includes an energy blaster. He can hold it in both hands in much the same way that Jesse Ventura wielded his gatling gun in Predator. Not too bad.  But despite all this, the figure can’t achieve too many different poses.

The “deluxe” aspect here is the included accessory, which is a “pod”, or basically a little sleeping nook for this guy.  This didn’t seem to appear in Attack of the Clones.  The closest we get is when Anakin, Padmé, and the droids first enter the hive, and begin disturbing the sleeping Geonosians who are crammed into nooks in the wall.  The toy fits the one included Geonosian, and keeps the figure completely enclosed until you choose to have it emerge like a creep.  For added play value, the pod has a giant suction cup in the back, allowing you to affix it temporarily to a flat surface.  It doesn’t exactly “interact” with the Geonosis Arena Playset, but the included environmental piece does seem at home sitting on the backside of the playset.

Nothing particularly amazing here.  The figure is bad, but is saved by the wings, which in turn are ruined by the huge button.  The pod is okay, and functions as an additional piece to flesh out the playset, but the lack of direct interaction is too bad.  As far as Geonosian figures go, it’s been surpassed by more modern takes on the species.  Still, it’s not something that should be completely overlooked.  4/10.