Malakili is a fat, half-naked, old white guy.  He just screams action figure.  Even Kenner saw the potential of this guy to be a massive hit, including him in the vintage line.  Later, Hasbro revived Star Wars action figures with the Power of the Force 2 line.  Within just a couple of years of the line’s launch, Hasbro knew a cash cow when it saw one, and Malakili was introduced to a new generation of collectors, while older fans were treated to a return of one of the greatest characters in cinema history.

Only some of that is definitely true.  Maybe most of it is true.  There’s a VERY small chance all of it is true.  In any case, we got an update to this figure about 12 years later, and it’s quite good.  You can see from the comparison pic that this version of Malakili looks like he didn’t eat enough vegetables as a kid, while the other one is a man of tremendous stature.  I never realized how much smaller the Legacy Collection version is when compared to POTF2.  I don’t really know which is more accurate, but I have no issue with the size of this one at all.  As Yoda once asked, “Judge me by my weird feet, do you?”  That guy was a legend.

I am also struck by how little of a difference there is between the general appearances of the two figures, size aside.  I think it’s just such a simple figure, that Hasbro had basically nailed the likeness back in 1997.  While that figure is certainly simple by today’s standards, it’s hard to argue that Malakili is anything other than simple. Obviously, this is a better figure by any measurement.  Taken in totally, the improved sculpt, articulation, and removable cowl make it a much better action figure.  But you have to look closely at the details of the pants, boots, and gauntlets in order to see the improvements.  Oh, they’re there, but they’re more subtle than with other resculpts.  The face on the 1997 figure is actually really well done, so there wasn’t much to improve upon here.  There’s also a nice paint application to the chest to give the impression of hair, dirt, or grease.  It’s a nice touch, absent from the POTF2 figure. 

The biggest difference is in the articulation.  Here you might say that 5POA is sufficient for a character that lacks any kind of dynamism.  But I say that the super-articulation makes this a real action figure, and allows you to alter Malakili’s stance, and even put him into a fighting pose.  I mean, wrangling a rancor isn’t easy, and I don’t think Jabba would hire a keeper that had no knees or ankles.  I’d say such a guy would be more rancor food than rancor keeper.  The hips and knees aren’t as rangey as most other SA figures, but it does the job.  One slight complaint is that the removable cowl will easily bump off if you try to articulate the shoulders to far above the horizontal.  It’s not terrible, and I guess preferable to a non-removable piece, which is what the POTF2 version sports.

I could be in the minority here, but I have to say that the POTF2 version held up pretty well.  Lack of articulation would be the only real complaint.  I almost think Hasbro could have resculpted the arms and legs to add the articulation and then just left the rest of the figure as is.  But instead, they dug into the details to give us a superior looking and feeling figure, and I am thankful for that.  This has to be the definitive version of the Rancor Keeper.  While not the most exciting figure, it does the job, is a nice modernization of an old figure, and a welcome addition to Jabba’s palace.  I’ll give it a standard 7 for a collector grade figure.

Build-A-Droid 

Malakili contained the left leg for the astromech R5-C7, which could be seen (with freeze frame) wandering the depths of Coruscant, passing in the background of the alley in which Obi-Wan and Anakin attempted to question the Zam Wessel, the galaxy’s newest amputee.  Source:  Attack of the Clones.

Verdict: No Action 

This is the definitive Malakili Rancor Keeper.  He can be had for about $30 shipped on eBay.  There should be no reason for Hasbro to give us another bald, sweaty, half-naked fat guy.  If you want one, go get one on eBay and pretend he was on the Sail Barge.

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.