Saesee Tiin first appeared in The Phantom Menace as a member of the Jedi Council.  He served at Geonisis, the opening salvo of The Clone Wars, where he survived the Separatist encirclement at Petranaki Arena.  He was also in Revenge of The Sith where he was killed in the attempt to arrest Chancellor Palpatine.  In all of the film appearances, he never said a word.  However, he was featured a bit more prevalently in the Clone Wars animated series, where he made several appearances. In the old EU, Tiin had his own starship, even though such personal belongings were generally frowned upon.  However, that ship, the Sharp Spiral, was never seen on film.  Hasbro made a standard Jedi Starfighter for Tiin.  Perhaps his most memorable and visually striking appearances was in the Tartakovsky Clone Wars micro series.  He wore specialized clone armor, that looked pretty awesome.

Saesee Tiin seems to be a popular “go to” action figure for Hasbro.  This particular version has been released approximately 136 times.  Well, we decided to go with The Legacy Collection (Blue) Legends #26, mostly because I was able to find the accessories for this one.  The original release of this sculpt with in the ROTS line in 2005.  It was released several more times, including in TSC (Jedi vs. Darth Sidious Battle Pack), TAC (as a single carded figure in the Legends sub line), and then again twice in The Legacy Collection (blue and Red legends sub line).  There are probably others, but that’s 5 times in less than five years.  The original ROTS figure did not come with a robe, where most (if not all) of the subsequent repacks did come with a Jedi robe.

This figure is most definitely dated and well past is prime.  It was pretty decent for the time.  The head sculpt and paint applications are outstanding.  The body sculpt is pretty basic, but the articulation is substandard.  Swivel elbows and no ankles kill this figure.  The soft goods skirt is a plus, as not only does it look good, but it allows for a decent range of motion of the swivel hips.  Sadly, the legs are pretty useless without ankles.  The swivel elbows are almost Stone Age in nature at this point.  Tiin’s gnarled hands are oddly sculpted, and the whole deal makes posing him with a lightsaber rather uninspiring.  He can grip the saber with both hands, but it is a bit awkward.  The figure came with the now-outdated lightsaber hilt and removable blade.  Those tiny blade pins were a nightmare, and it’s good that Hasbro has moved on.  The robe, as is typical, is overly large, but I guess it’s better that he comes with one in these repacks, because the original ROTS figure was robeless.

As a member of the Jedi Council throughout the entire Prequel Trilogy, a respected veteran of the Clone Wars, and having been handpicked by Mace Windu to arrest Chancellor Palpatine, Saesee Tiin is certainly a very visible member of the Jedi Order, even though he never uttered a line in the films.  Like the recently reviewed Ki-Adi Mundi, which was also originally from the ROTS line, Tiin is long overdue for an update.  For now, this figure barely succeeds in earning a 6.  It’s the best available version of Saesee Tiin, but it needs to be scrapped. 

Verdict: Re-Sculpt (medium priority) 

As this figure has been released many times, it is not hard to come by.  Coupled with the fact that the sculpt is in dire need of an update, this can be found fairly cheaply on eBay.  Saesee Tiin needs to be resculpted from the bottom up, with full Jedi-Level articulation, and he should include a separate hilt that can hitch to his belt, an ignited blade, and a well-fitting robe.  He’s a good candidate for eventual release in TVC at some point down the line.  This figure is very far from definitive, but it is the best you can do right now. 

Verdict Guide:
Re-sculpt = The figure is not definitive, and a new version should be developed.
Re-issue = This version is definitive (or close enough), and shows sufficient secondary market demand to warrant a straight repack.
No Action = This release does not require new attention.