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

Original Review (edited from DTF Mawhonic “pre-pack”):  Chris - 12/31/12 04:14 PM

According to Wookieepedia Mawhonic tops the charts at 1.22 meters tall.  In ‘merican that means “pretty dang short, I tell you what.”  Alternatively, that’s 4 feet tall. In the Star Wars line where 5’7” (Luke’s height) is scaled down to 3.75” that means the figure should stand 2.7” tall.  The Mawhonic figure measures roughly that.  So my initial impression that this figure was tool small, was wrong.  It’s pretty close to being exactly in scale.  It’s the older Episode I line figures you might pose him with that are out of whack. 

This figure itself it fairly impressive.  There are tons of detail in both the sculpt and paint applications.  Hasbro also managed to pack super articulation into this small frame with ball joints at the ankles, knees, elbow, shoulders and neck.  My only gripe is that the figure does not have great range of motion despite all the articulation.  Particularly, the head is forced into a permanent downward tilt.  Aside from that, I’m highly impressed and it’s a figure I’m very happy to own. 9 out of 10.

Updated Review:  Bret - 8/18/2018 07:05 AM

While A New Hope and Return of the Jedi had the Cantina and Jabba’s Palace as great sources for alien designs, The Phantom Menace has The Boonta Eve Classic.  Throughout the scene we see all kinds of aliens.  Most species were brand new to the saga, while there were a couple of familiar ones thrown in.  It’s funny how so many fans went nuts on the ST because there wasn’t enough familiarity with the aliens, as it seems like the ones we had scene during previous films were eschewed in favor of new designs.  While I agree that it would have been comforting to have seen a Rodian or a Nikto thrown into Maz’s castle or the Canto Bight casino, people seem to forget that the prequels brought a tremendous variety of aliens never seen before, and I don’t recall people complaining.  Even in new media when we do get some familiar faces, people complain that they’re not original enough, or that some cosmetic changes to a particular individual in a species is inconsistent, or downright foolish.  Haven’t you heard people complain about Admiral Raddus?  Either it’s stupid that the Rebel Alliance has so many Mon Cals in leadership positions, or it’s stupid that they have a different skin color because it’s a cheap attempt at variety.  But the alternative would seem to be that without a the familiar look of a Mon Cal, then Rogue One would have done fans a disservice by failing to populate the story with aliens that we know.

But for TPM, I don’t recall there being issues with all the new species at the Podrace.  Well, there was someone (who shall remain nameless but whose name rhymes with Shmandy) who hated many of the Podracer designs.  Personally, I loved them.  Yeah, a couple were silly, but they were fun, and they were supposed to be outlandish because only certain species that had specific anatomies that were suited for the rigors of podracing could participate in an event like the Boonta Eve Classic.  So the aliens were bizarre, but they were supposed to be.  They were small, usually particularly dextrous, and often-times had very slight frames with thin limbs - occasionally having more than two hands to assist with the specialized controls and pedals.  That’s what made Anakin one of the most talented drivers/pilots in the galaxy.  Humans rarely competed in pod racing, and Anakin was the first human to ever with the Boonta Eve Classic.

Anyway, Mawhonic is interesting because he is a species that we are familiar with, being a Gran, like Ree Yees from ROTJ.  Yet he is different than expected because he is very small in stature.  He was a favorite of collectors for some time, as there was a push for more podracers, particularly Mawhonic.  So here he is, in his diminutive glory.  Mawhonic is about half the height of Ree Yees, but he is super-articulated, in an impressive feat by Hasbro’s designers.  The only points of articulation that is underserved are the ankles, as the feet are barely able to move, given the sculpt.  The ankles are as good as missing, so it does limit posability a bit, but that’s okay.  Mawhonic didn’t exactly perform acrobatic maneuvers when waving to the crowd prior to the start of the race.  The detail in the sculpt is tremendous, with a lot of layers to the outfit and armor, along with plenty of texture.  The head sculpt is awesome, an incredible rendition of the Gran species.  For accessories, Mawhonic comes with a rifle that he can hold fairly well, even performing a basic THWG!.  He can also sling the weapon over his shoulder or back.

As you can see above, Chris’s original review was ripped from the weird “Discover The Force” Walmart exclusive lineup from 2012.  This figure was one of 4 figures from that 12 figure DTF run, which commemorated the release of TPM in 3D.  This figure is a straight repack of that one, although the DTF version came with a stand, a game die, and most importantly, an awesome Podracer flag.  It’s a shame the flag was not carried forward into this TVC release, which pretty much makes the DTF release a better buying option for collectors who are openers.  The flag is pretty cool, and it was great to see several others released in the TPM “Maul” packaging from 2012.  There are a total of 11 podracer figures made by Hasbro, while we have only 8 flags.  The missing 7 podracrers (and 10 flags) make up a subset of figures that will likely never be completed by Hasbro.  Nor are we likely to ever see any actual Podracer vehicles to join Sebulba’s and Anakin’s rides.  Oh well.

This is a terrific figure, and I’m glad we have so many podracers.  I hope we get more.  This is an outstanding figure, and clearly a definitive version of Mawhonic.  Chris’s rating stands.

Verdict: No Action 

This figure is definitive, yet due to the fact that there were two releases very close together the public got its fill.  Mawhonic can still be had at or near original MSRP on eBay.  As such, there is no reason for Hasbro to do anything here.  But at some point, I’d like to see more podracer figures.

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.