When we began this Saga Collection retrospective way back in 2020, Mr. Nomadscout and I had an arrangement.  I would photograph the cards, a hateful task given that the bubbles are replicas of an AMC Pacer rear window.  He would photograph the figures since he had them all as a completist.  Well, like Din Djarin, his moral code is flexible.  If a figure doesn’t warrant a big enough change from a previous release, he skips it. We call this “dirty completism” in the completist community. Count this Yarael Poof among those “not different enough” figures.  I’m sure he was grinning like Bill Haverchuck when he texted me that he didn’t have this figure, and I would have to photograph it.  I would like to formally announce a $1,000 wedgie-bounty on Nomads’s tighty-whities.

The second I saw the figure had fawn-like feet similar to a Kaminoan, I knew I was in for a miserable chore.  Getting this figure to stand is more challenging than balancing a quarter on its edge.  I spent more time trying to get the figure to stay upright than I did photographing it.  My mother called in the middle of the process, and I snapped at her.  THANKS A LOT, NOMAD! You’re reward for achieving this momentous feat of gravity defying balance is a figure that has a pronounced lean to its left. If you look at image 11, you will notice an angled shadow.  This is because I had to tilt the camera in order to give the impression that the figure was standing straight up and down. While I’m in the process of airing all my grievances, the interaction with included lightsaber is unsatisfying.  It uses the saber from the Concept Stormtrooper. Hasbro presumably made this decision in hopes that the figure’s somewhat open grip would have a better chance of holding the girthier hilt of that saber.  It doesn’t. The saber more rests in the figure’s hand, and the flare at the top prevents it from sliding through the grip.

There’s good reason that the figure neither stands well nor grips the saber securely.  It wasn’t designed to.  This figure is a repack, as are all figures at the end of The Saga Collection run. It was originally released in 2003’s Jedi High Council Cinema Scene. In that release, Yarael came with a chair because that’s what this figure is designed to do. It’s purpose built to sit and pass judgement on 7 year old little boys for being afraid.  And I don’t blame Anakin for being afraid.  Look at this guy.  He’s creepy.  To that end, this figure sits quit well, especially considering its age.  That is facilitated by a single hinge at the waist and two hinged knees which bend to a full ninety degrees.  Given that its primary job is to simply sit there while looking exotically strange, it’s not a terrible figure despite the inability to stand assuredly.  Even today, I feel this is a 5 out of 10 figure.

One last note, I want CommTech chips or Force Link to return, but not to replay lines of movie dialog.  If these livestreams are going to be the norm in the community going forward, I want the chips to pronounce the character’s name.  I’m tired of making myself look like a fool trying to say these unpronounceable names.  Ya-ry-eel?  Ya-real?  Yar-ay-el? Aw, skip it.  I’m just going to take a page out of Gronk’s book and call him Grover.  Speaking of Gronk, he would get a kick out of this figure’s number.