The Set

On your mark, get set, terrible.

This set was already pretty ho-hum at the time of release, when it was a Toys R Us exclusive in 2004.  The price wasn’t so bad, as it matched that of 4 basic figures, while also giving you a large accessory and four clear figure stands. At that time, the rehashed figures were nothing to write home about.  Three of the figures were from 2002, while the fourth was from 2001.  Unless you were looking for a quick catchup of Jedi that you missed the first time, that accessory and the stands were really the only reason to give this set a second look.  Sixteen years later, it’s still worth a look today for those same reasons.  As Chris likes to do, we’ll save the headliner for the end.  We’re just two jerks, trying to make our way in the universe.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Garbage figure.  This was originally the figure that came out in 2002 as the Coruscant Chase version.  It even comes with the assassin droid, which serves no purpose in this (presumably) Geonosis-themed set.  Obi-Wan has a magnet in his right palm, which attracts the metal lightsaber hilt (with separate blade).  Magnets were all the rage in 2002 for Hasbro, and that’s not always a bad thing.  The execution was sometimes outstanding, other times superfluous.  Such is the case here.  The intent would be for the figure to “Force grab” the hilt, but the strength of the magnet basically “forces” you (see what I did there?) to just put the hilt right in his hand.  The metal lightsabers were also a neat biproduct of this effort, but the removable blades are nothing short of a menace.  A MENACE! 

The figure has an awkward pose, but it works best when the magnet is used for its other purpose, to attract and connect to the side of the assassin droid.  This also wasn’t executed perfectly.  It’s hard to get Obi-Wan to hold on with both hands, as he did during the Coruscant Chase.  But the droid (which itself is also a repack) is a decent inclusion in the line, while a perplexing part of this particular set.  The stand helps keep Obi-Wan upright, especially when trying to display him mid-flight with the assassin droid.

The figure is obsolete.  It gets a 4/10.  The odd pre-pose loses a point from the standard 4/10 for an underarticulated figure, but it gets that point back for the magnet, metal hilt, and assassin droid.

Saesee Tiin

Saesee Tiin is a repaint of the figure released in the POTJ line in 2001.  It’s not a bad looking statue.  The hard plastic robes enveloping the figure essentially turn this into a salt-shaker, negating the waist and leg articulation.  It’s effectively a 3POA figure, which is a far cry from acceptable for a Jedi.  The only real difference between the releases is the repainted head, which shows more detail this time around.  Technically, this is a very slight improvement.  Nevertheless, the figure is utterly obsolete, and serves no real purpose other than to “collect them all.”  2/10 for being a Jedi salt shaker. 

Plo Koon

Plo Koon is a repack (maybe with the slightest of paint differences) of the 2002 basic Saga figure.  With many of the Jedi released in the main Saga line, Hasbro included large colorful “Force blast” effects.  This would clip on to the Jedi figures’ hands, and were an attempt to capture the spirit of the characters using their full powers during the Battle of Geonosis.  Other than Kit Fisto famously Force pushing Threepio’s-Head-on-a-Battle-Droid to the ground and then grinning about it, I don’t recall too much usage of the Jedi Arts during the battle.  Nevertheless, the blue Force effect that came with the original 2002 release of Pro Koon was omitted here.  What’s left is a decent looking, but fairly pedestrian Jedi figure, albeit preposed, that benefits from one of the included clear plastic stands.  This figure was rendered obsolete by later releases.  It’s a 4/10.

Nikto Jedi

The Nikto Jedi is a re-painted version of the Saga basic figure , minus the robe and force blast effect.  The original release was generically named “Nikto (Jedi Knight).”  Something that I had completely forgotten until photographing the package for this set is that although it is generically titled as “Nikto Jedi”, the additional biographical text on the package identifies him as Fi-Ek Sirch.  Hasbro, of course, released a far superior version of Fi-Ek Sirch in The Vintage Collection (#FightForTVC) as VC49.

While there are some behind the scenes set photos of the character with his light colored robe, I do not believe he actually made the final cut of Attack of the Clones.  However, after recently viewing the arena scene multiple times, I did notice a Jedi character that can be seen leaping over a fallen column, and then slashing an unfortunate battle droid.  The Jedi is wearing a dark tunic, and no robe.  If you freeze the scene at the right moment(s), it appears that this may be a Nikto.  I can’t for sure say if this is the case, and even if it is, I’m not sure if it’s Fi-Ek Sirch.  Again, the set photos show him with his tan robe, so this is either Sirch without his robe, or it’s another Nikto Jedi. 

Either way, it doesn’t do much for the figure itself.  VC49 renders this one obsolete, because you could either leave the glorious shmata-like robe on the figure to replicate the set photos, or you could remove it to replicate the character in the screenshot below.  So the figure serves no real purpose in your display, unless you want it as a deep backgrounder for your massive arena battle diorama, like Randy used to have.

Maybe that’s not Fi-Ek SIrch?

Containment Field

As promised, here’s the star of the set.  The containment field accessory was originally meant to be included with the Geonosis Arena Playset, but was cancelled for some reason.  Thankfully, it was saved, although the only place it was available was this sad sack of a set.  Collecting is such a double-edged sword sometimes.

The base is true to the on-screen prop. That is, if the base is even an actual prop.  For all I know, it could have been CGI.  It fits in well with the “decor” of the arena playset, even if it doesn’t directly attach to it.  There are holes in the small dome at the center of the base to accommodate the two energy binders that are included.  While those aren’t quite the same as seen on screen, they do the job in holding up the included Obi-Wan Kenobi figure.  Better yet, scrap that garbage, and use VC31.  The base rotates, so that you could also reproduce that slow, turning action as Obi-Wan learns about Darth Sidious for the first time from Count Dooku.  Riveting stuff!

This piece earns the “Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli” award in the set.  Take this, and you can leave everything else behind.  It is definitely of some value to your collection, and it saves the set from being labeled “obsolete” today.  I’ll give this a 5/10.