Editor’s Note:  This review has been updated with our second look at TVC…

Original Review:  Chris - 05/07/2012 02:26 AM

I was fully prepared to hate this figure, but I don’t.  I said terrible things about it when it was first shown six years ago at Toy Fair 2011.  I, like everyone unfamiliar with the source, referred to him as Skeletor.  It feels derivative of the MOTU villain and is part of a reason a new adjective, unstarwarsy, has started to circulate in the fan community.  Merriam Webster will undoubtedly be adding “starwarsy” next year.

But I have to say, the figure itself is pretty decent.  The cape has an elastic strip around the neck to hold it in place.  It also has a hole in the back that allows the spikes (surge-coral??) to be attached whether or not the figure is wearing the cape.  I’m a little disappointed in the range of motion in the arms.  The elbows can barely rotate to ninety degrees.  The detailing is rich and there is substantial mass to the figure.  I sold my carded sample to a Bengals fan and regret it.  Fortunately it should be relatively easy to track down a Bengals fan.  8 out of 10.

Updated Review:  Bret - 7/20/2018 07:05 AM

For full transparency, I know nothing about this character other than what I managed to skim from Wookieepedia (Legends).  I know that not everyone who was into the funny papers back in the EU days enjoyed the Yuuzhan Vong storyline, and there seemed to be some debate about the physical appearance of the species.  Prior to this release, there was an unnamed Yuuzhan Vong warrior in a comic two-pack with Kyle Katarn.  That figure was hulk-like in it’s size and muscular appearance.  Nom Anor, I believe, is meant to be more the sneaky, diplomatic, clever, Rasputin-ish type, but I could be wrong.  In any case, he’s a lot less massive than the warrior figure.  As Chris mentioned, he can grow on you.  He’s got a solid amount of articulation, but quite a bit of it is rendered almost useless (elbows, ankles) by the sculpt itself.  I suspect Nom Anor wasn’t much of an action oriented character, so the lack of ball-jointed hips, in addition to the aforementioned limitations, probably doesn’t hurt this figure too much overall.  I’m not a fan of the cape, overall.  While the elastic band is pretty cool, the hood just doesn’t seem to work in any meaningful way, and the aesthetic of the draped cape doesn’t work well.

The giant staff seems to be the same sculpt as the earlier Vong weapon, but was split into two parts to accommodate the rather small TVC bubble.  It’s not a problem for the toy at all.  Nom can grip the staff in one or two hands fairly well.  The spike ornament that plugs into the hole in the figure’s back is pretty loose, either with or without the cape.  It’s a little annoying, but not the worst thing ever.  The figure’s face is fairly expressive, and unless you really have a problem with the Yuuzhan Vong from a design standpoint, the figure should be pretty appealing to most people.

Not knowing much about the source material, I reached out to our resident EU expert, James, and he advised on some of the diorama shots.  The first one depicts the older warrior figure, Nom, and Darth Krayt, who wears some kind of Vong armor.  I don’t believe that Nom and Krayt ever interacted in the EU, so it’s just a shelf display, or lineup suggestion, if you will.  The second photo is also not exactly from a real source.  Jacen Solo and Nom Anor apparently had tons of interactions, but the specific scene that had Jacen swarmed by the “aphistaffs” had nothing to do with Anor, so it’s really just a made up scene between two somewhat related figures.  The last image, however, is completely real.  Jimmy mentioned to me that in Star Wars 187:  Luke’s Treehouse of Horrors,  Luke and Mara Jade are married, with Nom Anor as the officiant.  Han, Leia, Jacen, and Jaina were present.  Artoo was the ring-bearer, and C-3PO was the Best Droid.  Happy Happy Joy Joy Darth Vader also stood by proudly, to support his family.  Artoo is the only one even remotely confused by this, so he keeps a watchful eye on the guy.  It was a great comic.  Jimmy will be reviewing it soon.

Verdict: No Action 

Both loose and carded, the figure is pretty inexpensive to grab on the secondary market.  I guess folks just weren’t really enamored with the character or the source material.  It’s an interesting figure.  Improvements could be made to the figure (articulation, aesthetics, accessory design), but overall there’s just about nothing that would indicate there’s any reason to revisit or re-release this figure.  If you want one, check our Ebay link.  Otherwise, everyone should just move along, move along.

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.