Original review by Chris, 10/21/2014

Hasbro allowed the community to vote on which Clone Wars micro series character they would like included in the line.  And the choice of the fans was…Roron Corobb.  The second choice of the fans was the Shistavanen Jedi Master, Voolvif Monn.  Voolvif Monn is the Wally World to Rusty Griswold’s Hawaii.  Unlike the stingy Clark W., Hasbro gave us both the first place winner and the runner up.  Once again I ask, do you remember when Hasbro used to be cool?  Like Corobb, Voolvif Monn is a micro series Jedi Master based on an Episode IV cantina patron. 

Whenever I gripe about figures with knees and no ankles, someone invariably replies that it’s better than a figure with ankles and no knees.  This Voolvif Monn figure has one word to say to those people:  IN YOUR FACE, CHUMPS!  Articulation is only good if it can be practically utilized.  For the most part, hip and knee articulation cannot be engaged without ankle articulation because in doing so, the foot of the action figure is not flat to the surface and the figure cannot balance.  While this figure lacks knee joints, and that is a disappointment, the ankle articulation allows the swivel hips to be engaged and still permit the figure to stand unassisted.  The hard plastic lower tabbard causes a familiar problem to resurface.  It restricts the movement of the legs and prevents you from taking full advantage of the available articulation.

While the lower body is a tad of a disappointment, the arms function freely and with sufficient range of motion.  The important dueling poses for a Jedi can be achieved and the preferable ball joints are used at the elbows and shoulders.  The head is a ball and socket joint, as is the standard, but if you rotate the head only a few degrees to the left or right, it pops loose from the neck.  The real star of this figure is the detailing.  The dark wash over the fur adds plenty of eye catching depth.  The transition from brown fur to gray fur on the hands is done gradually which is hugely commendable at this scale. The work done on the head in terms of sculpt and paint applications is amazing,  The individually painted teeth and an incredible four paint applications on each eye are stunning.  It all combines for a figure that pops to life. 

Once again we have a figure that is a 7 based on the articulation, but the detailing gives this figure an easy bonus point to elevate the score to an 8 out of 10.  Like the other 30th Anniversary Collection micro series Jedi Masters, the secondary market availability of this figure is next to non-existent.  Is the community catching on to how the availability of these figures is slipping away?  Dare I say that the collectibility of this line is flying under the radar right now?

Updated review by Chris, 2/10/2020

Upon further review, the call on the field the original score, is overturned.  It is now a 7 out of 10.  This is not because I like the figure any less, or because its faults shine even harsher compared to modern figures.  The former is decidedly not true.  I still love this figure.  The latter is probably true.  Having a figure with minimally effective lower body articulation compares even more unfavorably to figures today.  But that’s still not the reason for the one point deduction.  The new lower score is simply because we’ve adjusted the base super articulation score.  In 2014, we used 8 as the base score for a super articulated figure leaving two points of subjectivity to play with for the reviewer.  With the advent of what Mr. Nomadscout coined “Jedi Level Articulation (JLA)”, we needed more room between the base super articulation score and perfection, so the base SA score became 7.  With that in mind, this Voolvif Monn figure starts out as a 6 due to the lack of knees, and then gets a point added for the amazing detailing.

This is quite simply one of my favorite figures in the line.  Because of the limitations mentioned in the original review, it’s not a perfect figure by any stretch, but I’m thrilled by its mere existence.  This figure would NEVER happen today.  Not in a million years.  I’m willing to bet that 90% of current LFL employees wouldn’t even recognize the name “Voolvif Monn” (or “Genndy Tartakovsky” for that matter).  One part of my love for this figure stems from the fact that it’s a warm reminder of bygone days when seemingly no character was too obscure to warrant action figure consideration.  The other part is that I am a certified, bonafide, over-the-moon dog lover.  Dogs are better people than people.  So a figure of a kick-butt canine Jedi plants me right in its hip pocket. 

If I ever sell off the bulk of my collection again (I won’t), the carded Voolvif Monn sample from the gallery above is one of the pieces I would keep.  And so long as the bubble doesn’t yellow to the point of becoming opaque, I won’t accidentally include it in the sale.