Review by Chris, Photography by Bret. 8/9/2018 7:05 AM

Editor’s Notes:
This figure was not reviewed at the time of its release
This review is a slightly edited version of the one which was written for the TBS figure.

I don’t know any of the movie insider jargon, so I’m just going to spam a bunch of movie phrases I’ve heard over the years, and hope I hit somewhere close to the mark. Between principal photography, pickups, reshoots, ADR, and other reshoots, the cantina scene was shot over the course of 38 months and in 8 different countries.  While I just completely made up those numbers, the production of that iconic scene was a protracted one.  Trying to maintain continuity throughoot that process was nearly impossible, and we’re not just talking about a character with a cup in the wrong hand.  Ponda Baba undergoes changes to his basic anatomy, for crying out loud.  To put it another way:

Number 1:  Continuity error?  I am the continuity error.

In the continuity mishmash, Ponda Baba’s hands change from flippers to humanoid hands.  In addition to that gaff, the character also suffers one of those fashionable Star Wars amputations all the kids go crazy for.  Despite this myriad of configurations, Hasbro managed to capture everything in one figure.  Almost.  There’s just a smidgeon more that needed to be done for this to be the one Baba to rule them all, but we’ll get to that a little later. 

The first appearance of Ponda Baba in the movie.

The ways the figure doesn’t fully capture Ponda Baba are finite.  The head is either much too small or a little too small depending on your perspective.  I’ve looked at dozens of photos and watched the cantina scene several times, and I can’t tell.  I think I lean toward “a little too small”.  The head of the character also appears to be slightly two tone as opposed the solid color on the figure.  As with the size issue, a slick-talking lawyer could probably convince me that I’m seeing things when I say the color is off.  Regardless, these issues with the head are enough to draw your attention when comparing the figure to its onscreen counterpart, and this results in the only thing keeping this figure form a perfect score of 10.

See an example of this figure with the better proportioned and more accurately painted POTF2 head from commenter DarrenHERE.

There are some other minor quibbles.  Ponda Baba wears a white scarf.  You can see the flash of white in the inset to the left.  You can also see the scarf clearly in this shot. It is usually under his jacket, so its omission is hardly a problem.  I said “hardly”, so I’m still mentioning it.  Another matter is that the figure is packed with the SE-14C “Dr. Evazan” blaster.  This is because that is the weapon we clearly see with the dismembered arm on the cantina floor.  This is one of those famous continuity errors, as that shot was completed long after the initial filming of the scene at Elstree Studios. There was confusion over whose arm had been amputated and even if you watch that scene today, it’s confusing.  On the Elstree Studios set, Ponda Baba was actually carrying a DL-21 blaster pistol which is the sidearm carried by the Hoth Rebel Troopers, but the actual prop was missing the finished grip.  Instead Ponda Baba’s blaster had an unfinished red grip seen here in a replica.  Amazingly, Hasbro made that red-gripped DL-21 with 2005’s Saga Collection Hem Dazon figure.  You can see it in the figure’s holster in this image on Jedi Temple Archives. Hasbro could have blown us out of the water if they included both blasters with the figure.

To be perfectly clear, that would have been a nice extra, and not a requirement.  Hasbro certainly didn’t skimp with the extras.  You can interchange the figure’s flipper-like hands from the Elstree footage with the humanoid hands from the later pick-up shots at Hollywood Studios.  Hasbro could have given us a figure with a single arm that had a detachable lower arm.  This would distract from the aesthetic of the figure and perhaps impact the articulation. Instead, Hasbro gives us two sets of arms.  One that is separable to mimic the damage inflicted from Kenobi’s saber slash, and one fully articulated intact arm that can be used for the scenes prior to Ponda Baba getting his what for.  Honestly, it’s amazing Hasbro did this.  It pains me that I have to deduct a point from this figure due to the aforementioned head sculpt issues because this is a hall of fame figure.  9 out of 10.

Other than the minor tweaks mentioned above, this figure is definitive.  Carded samples go for a fairly high price on eBay, but since the figure was already re-released in the Walmart Black Series line, loose samples (as well as boxed TBS samples) go for about the same as it cost to produce the theatrical The Clone Wars film (next to nothing).  That means you should take your chances on carded TVC auctions if that is your bag.  The figure itself, while outstanding, can be had for a song.  If you don’t already own it, get one immediately. Hasbro can leave this figure alone.

Review by Bret. 8/8/2025 7:05 AM

This review is one day short of the 7th anniversary of the previous review of the original 2011 figure.  I should have waited a day to publish it, and everyone would have been floored by the incredible coincidence.  In honor of this, I will write a review that is short.  Yay!

There was much teeth-gnashing when this figure was announced.  Some of it was because the figure lacked an update to the size of the head, which as Chris discusses in his review above, is a little tricky to pin down.  But most collectors agree it’s at least a tad too small.  The other gripe was regarding the issuing of a figure that is well over a decade old, and lacks the proper articulation for today’s discerning TVC collector. 

I’m more in the first camp.  I do think it would have been great if Hasbro gave us a new head for Mr. Baba.  But I am most definitely not losing any sleep over it.  But I agree with Chris that there’s enough of an issue there to have held the figure back from a perfect score.  Back in 2011, the various accessories and swappable limbs made this figure an enormous hit, and it remains excellent today.

I’m not a part of the second camp.  While I’m no fan of under-articulation, I’m fine with repacks of figures that, in today’s paradigm, shouldn’t take up precious tooling slots.  The figure was phenomenal in 2011, and was one of the best figure ever made - and held that distinction for quite a while, at least until the very recent advent of standard ball jointed hips and wrists, as well as rocker ankles.  But the figure is “good enough for now” in my mind, and I’d rather have any of 300 other newly tooled characters than to have those resources poured into this guy.  I do not believe that this figure is some sort of black mark on TVC today, nor do I think it’s a disgrace that Hasbro released it again in 2025.  It’s just a really good figure that was made available again at an appropriate time.  I say, “kudos!”  even though I don’t know what a kudo is. 

As for the changes, they are very minor - almost negligible - to my eyes. The most obvious difference is the lighter paint on the head, which provides more contrast with the beard.  I feel the paint is sharper on the eyes, and at least with my samples, the 2025 “tusks” are more sharply painted.  My 2011 tusks are kind of a blob rather than clearly two separate tusks.  Less apparent (to me) is the slightly lighter shade of the entire outfit.  It’s neither here nor there as far as I’m concerned, just a side effect of the 14 year difference in the manufacturing process.  Not sure how intentional, but the belt buckle is brighter and more sharply applied. 

There are more differences that may interest carded collectors.  “Walrus Man” parenthetical is dropped, the pill color is different, and the photo is different.  And of course, the bubble tray layout of the figure and his accessories is different.  Either way, it all goes in my trash can.

In the end, I’ll knock a point of the score, giving it a very respectable 8/10.  Not bad for a 14 year old figure.  It’s still great, and will look awesome in the almost here Haslab Cantina.  With the imminent release of the Cantina, repacked figures like Ponda Baba and Dr. Evazan make a lot of sense to me, and I’m supportive, even if I’m not doing cartwheels.

Speaking of Haslab, we continue to wallow in the doldrums of the middle phase of the LAAT/i campaign.  Hopefully we can maintain a reasonable pace to put us in position for a successful push at the end.  Click below to back the project.