Podracers seem to be one of those character classes from the films that collectors either love or hate. There’s not much middle ground. I love them, because I think they make for interesting and colorful alien action figures. I know a lot of collectors think they’re ridiculous designs, but the whole point of padracers is that they were often small in stature, and usually were from a species with multiple arms, aiding them in piloting the dangerous speeders. Anakin was the rare human who was able to race, and we know that his connection with The Force gave him the reflexes necessary to participate, which made up for the lack of multiple arms or hands.
We got 4 podracer pilots and 2 podracer vehicles in the original Episode I line, along with a few arena backgrounders. Since then, Hasbro has trickled out more of them, most recently Mawhonic, Ratts Tyerell, and Ben Quadinaros in TVC 1.0. We also got many of the racers’ flags, as well as a nice array of supporting backgrounders and pit droids. All that just highlights the missing pod racers from the Boonta Eve Classic, but sadly, it is unlikely this subset of characters will ever be completed.
Nevertheless, we have here Dud Bolt and Mars Guo from The Saga Collection, small figures that ended up being combined into a two-pack for added value. The figure sculpts were brand new. The articulation is basic 5POA. The tiny stature and thin limbs, particularly on Mars Guo, can make it challenging to stand them up without tipping over, but it can be done. Both figures are bright and colorful, and look very close to their onscreen inspirations. They also both have removable headgear, which is a cool feature for these guys. You get to see the full alien visage when the goggles are removed. These accessories are tiny, but they fit on the heads perfectly. Each character also has a weapon (as every being in Star Wars seemingly carries heat in the GFFA). They are both recycled from, of all places, the Genndy Tartakovsky Durge figure. Hasbro seemingly sculpted the hands to grasp these weapons reasonably well, although Mars Guo is a little loose with his grip.
Each figure is probably about a 5 or 6 out of 10. They’re 5POA, but are well sculpted, painted, and accessorized. But together in a 2 pack, they earn a solid 6. Nice figures to own, and their stature renders more modern articulation essentially moot. Now we just need Hasbro to make their podracers…