Editor’s Note:  This review has been updated with a second look…

Original Review:  Bret - 4/30/2010 02:53 PM

This is flat out, one of the best figures Hasbro has made.  The sculpt is tremendous, with an incredible amount of detail to the body, hands, clothing, boots, and face.  Tthe paint job is also top notch, with a nice bit of weathering, and some silver buckles to highlight all his equipment.  His face has a lot of personality, which is great.  He’s got a removeable helmet, which also sports nice details and paint.  It sits nicely on his head, although mine could have benefited from a tighter fit. He comes with a pistol , which he can hold, although not as tightly as I’d prefer, but he can stow it away in the holster.  Finally, he comes with a large cannon, which has a ball jointed swivel “arm”.  This arm has a clip-like claw on it, which looks like it could fit onto a railing of a future Sail Barge which Hasbro insists is not being developed.  In ROTJ, this Nikto is seen carrying his pistol (see the first reference photo), but it is actually a different Nikto that employs the portable cannon (see the second reference photo).  At least Hasbro didn’t confuse the Niktos with Klatuus, which would be racist.

Seriously, this figure is a marvel to look at, and I especially appreciate that he can hold the cannon, and actually remain standing!  Great job, Hasbro. 10/10.

Updated Review:  Bret - 11/30/2018 07:05 PM

He’s a person, and his name is Nysad!  Hasbro has a strange habit of releasing figures with generic species titles instead of their actual given name.  Why is that?  I don’t know.  Captain Fordo, Brock Starsher…that’s all I can think of right now, but man, in my imagination the list is endless.

As you can see by the review above, I was very enthusiastic about this “Not Nysad” Nikto Gunner figure.  The Legacy Collection (red) was one of, if not the, best lines in the history of Star Wars collecting, and we were in the middle of it.  Everything was great.  I seemed to be falling over myself with joy that I owned this guy.  Well, while perhaps the 8 and half years that passed since I reviewed this figure has tempered my enthusiasm a bit, the fact is that this is still a great figure, and another pre-2010 offering that would be TVC worthy.

This is a full blown Sail Barge figure.  Nysad was the Nikto that popped out of the deck hatch with his blaster drawn, having delusions of grandeur that he was going to fell the maniac Jedi and elevate himself to the top of the rankings among Jabba’s goons.  He had dreams of becoming an instructor at the Top Goon school at Mustafar.  Wait, no, that’s…that’s not right.  Anyway, he burst upon the scene got a couple of shots off at Luke, and was then slashed by the Jedi’s green blade, falling back down the same hatch from where he first emerged.  His entire effort lasted about 4 seconds.  At least he got a shot off.  And it is because of him that Hasbro was sure to include a hatch in the deck of the upcoming Sail Barge.  In just a few short months, Not Nysad will have his very own display space.  RIP, Not Nysad.

As for the figure, I’ve already said it’s great.  It has a terrific sculpt all around, with lots of folds, textures, and details throughout the uniform.  In particular, the cross-body straps and hip straps are separately sculpted.  I didn’t try to remove them, but the do look like they could come off if you were careful.  The outfit is covered in convincing dirt and grime.  As for the face, Hasbro has again nailed the Nikto species, no matter the particular race.  The eyes are perhaps a little less awesome than they could be, but overall, the face is well done.  The helmet, as I mentioned in the original review, is a bit loose.  I actually found it annoying that while photographing the figure, the helmet repeatedly fell off at only the slightest provocation.  The figure comes with a blaster that was made out of a too soft plastic, and my sample seems to have wilted a bit over time.  He grips the pistol fairly well, and it fits snugly into the holster.

Of note, Nikto Gunner comes with, you guessed it, a gun.  It is till quite amazing that the figure can hold the gun, unsupported, and remain in an upright position.  Interestingly, Nysad never wielded this deck cannon on screen, but nevertheless it was a fascinating and tantalizing choice by Hasbro to include the accessory with this figure.  The clip at the base of the arm seemed to clearly indicated that Hasbro had future compatibility in mind, and we at Bantha Skull knew this to be the case.  As we covered in our recent revisiting of Vizam (the real Nikto Gunner), Bantha Skull is essentially responsible for ensuring that Hasbro made the Khetanna a reality.  Again, you’re welcome. 

This figure is the definitive Not Nysad.  While it may lack some modern elements of super-articulation (ball jointed hips, wrists, or waist; rocker ankles, etc.) this is still an outstanding figure by today’s standards.  There’s really nothing worth improving here.  I will nitpick and drop the score a bit to account for the loose helmet, rubbery blaster, and unnecessary inclusion of the cannon (even though it’s still cool).  Also, Hasbro failed to name it “Nysad.”  9 out of 10.

Build-A-Droid 

Nikto Gunner contained the right 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.

It’s definitive.  It’s awesome.  It goes for moderate to high values on eBay.  It’s a barge-specific character (although he was supposedly in set photos of the palace.  This figure has been screaming for a Sail Barge since it was first announced.  If you ordered a Sail Barge, you need this figure.  Click the damn eBay link below, already, and stop screwing around.