This is an otherwise near-perfect figure that is utterly undermined by the massive plastic tarp it wears in the name of outer garments.  It’s as if Namco Pool & Patio Supply had overstock of pool covers, and Hasbro bought the lot fo outfit Greef Karga.  This figure is not the Season 1 “Action Jackson” Greef Karga.  It’s the Season 2 Magistrate Greef Karga complete with magisterial robes, but instead of the free flowing vestments the character wears on screen, Hasbro has encased him in a plastic molded coffin.  It completely enshrouds the figure, and it’s a sin against artistry because the underlying design is an outstandingly posable sculpt.

The plastic robes are a trifecta of annoyances.  Since they are full length, unless the figure is standing straight up and down, they impact the ground and do not yield the way cloth would.  In any crouched shooting pose, the figure ends up balancing on the robes instead of the feet unless the robes are bowed out unnaturally.  Second, because the robes completely encase the shoulders, whenever the arms are in a raised position, it pushes the robes up.  The figure takes on a neckless appearance like Gru from Despicable Me.  Finally, plastic doesn’t drape the way cloth does, so when the figure is leaning, the plastic juts out in a straight line at the angle of the lean.  The collar portion of the robe is ornate, and could not be replicated in soft goods. Hasbro should have opted for the hybrid approach here, and made the collar out of plastic with the rest of the robes as soft goods.  The two sided printing, seen on the recently revealed Lando Calrissian figure, could be used to replicate the gold inner lining.

Minus the robe, the figure shines, for the most part.  In terms of poseability, it’s one of my favorites of all time. The range of motion of the articulation is outstanding, as we have seen on many recent Vintage Collection releases.  Moreover, it is a breeze to balance, even in exaggerated shooting crouches. This is thanks in part to rocker ankles with some of the best lateral motion we’ve seen to date.  The elbows bend to beyond ninety degrees to allow the figure to strike Carl Weather’s hands on hips pose.  Well, it could if the dank farrik plastic robes didn’t impede the shoulders.  The figure has a floating trigger finger, but it’s a tad too short to easily fit in the trigger guard.  I don’t think the head sculpt bears terrific likeness to Weathers.  From some angles, it appears dead on, but from others it misses the mark.  I feel Weather’s head is both fuller and squatter than the figure’s.  You can also see that my sample has the beginnings of a spit curl thanks to some overspray of the hair. I would easily consider a nine or ten score for the figure, but the damning plastic robes force me to lower that to 8 out of 10.

None of this to say this is a bad Greef Karga figure.  It’s just not a great Greef Karga.  I guess we’ll have to say it’s…wait for it…good Greef.