The TAC line was filled with wonderful figures based on the classic concept artwork by Ralph McQuarrie.  But towards the end of the 2007 line, Hasbro offered a bit of a curveball, by passing the torch a bit.  They created a General Grievous figure based on concept art by Warren J. Wu.  The figure was offered as an online exclusive through the now defunct StarWarsShop.com.  It’s certainly not going to tug at the nostalgia strings like a McQuarrie figure, but it wasn’t a bad idea from Hasbro to offer this alternatively sourced concept figure in the TAC line.

Earlier in the basic line, we were given a pre-cyborg Grievous, also known as Qymaen jai Sheelal.  That figure lacked some articulation, but was nonetheless popular among collectors.  On its heels comes another version of the character, this time a fully armored and cyborg.  Frankly, it’s not nearly as different from the final product as most of the McQuarrie characters turned out.  With some variations to the armor and being all white (perhaps slightly pearlescent), it’s otherwise pretty similar to the Grievous we know. 

The figure has a nice sculpt that is true to the drawings by Wu.  He’s got a lot of nice detailing carved into the armor.  The helmet is pretty similar to the on screen one.  Articulation is decent enough to get a bunch of solid action poses out of it.  It’s better than the pre-cyborg figure in this respect.

Included are two accessories, which are also true to the drawings.  There’s a strange double-barreled blaster, or at least I think that’s what it is.  He grips it nicely, and can wield it menacingly.  Grievous can also grip the shield, although it’s not as solid a grip as it could be.  The lack of wrist articulation limits the ability of the figure to hold it convincingly in anything other than a basic defensive pose, although it seems like the angular design indicates it could also be used as a rather effective weapon. 

It’s a decent figure, and other than being pretty monotone, it’s impressive looking.  It’s large and framed menacingly by the silvery soft goods cape.  A nice effort by Hasbro, and a cool figure to display.  It’s no McQuarrie, but it earns a solid 7.

(click for the full sized image)

General Grievous concept art by Warren J. Wu