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

Original Review:  Chris - 12/19/2011 11:56 PM

If you think you hate this car now, just wait until you drive it.  There is a reason this miserable figure has so few images in the archive.  It doesn’t stand.  I wasn’t about to spend hours arguing the laws of physics just to flesh out the archive entry.  LFL birthed this lame design with a bulbous upper torso on top of spindly legs terminating in geisha feet.  When Hasbro translated it to plastic, it resulted in a figure that is more difficult to stand than balancing a screwdriver on its head.  Between toppling forward and toppling backward is a nanometer sweet spot where this figure will stay standing.  That is until it’s bothered by the equivalent air pressure generated from blinking your eyes.  This issue could have been mitigated by placing the figure on a stand, but the lack of peg holes in the feet eliminates this possibility. 

Of course the Otoga-222 pit droid is even harder to stand up, but you most likely already knew this as it’s the same one that came packed with Ody Mandrell from the Episode 1 line.

I was tempted to give this figure a zero as it find it completely useless.  I can’t include it in my pod race display since I’m guessing the longest period of uninterrupted standing will measure in seconds. But, the sculpt is nicely done and there was an effort made with the articulation.  5 out of 10.

Updated Review:  Bret - 10/07/2018 07:05 AM

I know how Chris feels.  I’ve given figures a zero before because the won’t stand.  I insist my action figures stand.  It’s the minimum requirement. 

That said, I didn’t really have too much trouble with my sample of Ben Quadinaros.  No, he wasn’t the easiest figure to stand or pose, but it wasn’t as much of a nightmare for me as I would have expected.  Maybe it varies widely by sample and I just got lucky, but I don’t share this gripe.  It would have been nice if the figure had foot holes, but the feet are so small, and the volume is taken up almost completely by the ball joint, that it probably was impossible to engineer it with the holes.  The rest of the figure has super-articulated arms and legs all around, but the sculpt prevents any waist or neck articulation. 

I’m no fan of The Phantom Menace, and while I didn’t either love or hate the podrace scene, I did get a kick out of the ridiculous podracer aliens.  I get that in general, they’re supposed to be diminutive and have physical traits that lend themselves to better podracing,  But many of the designs test the patience of most fans.  I don’t really fault Hasbro (nor does Chris, as he indicated in his original review), because they did a really great job of translating the nonsense that is Ben Quadinaros into plastic form.  The sculpt is great, the paint applications are well done, and the face has a lot of personality.  In fact, the character is basically a giant face.  He really can’t do a meaningful facepalm, but that’s really something he can’t be blamed for.  He was just born with a huge noggin and tiny hands.  He’s got 3 antennae, which are vaguely reminiscent of Shrek’s ears.  He comes with a blaster, because every person in Star Wars carries a weapon.

Ben is packed with an Otogo-222 pit droid; same as the one from 1999. I also didn’t have too much of a problem standing my droid sample, but, like Quadinaros, he has tiny feet and you might have some difficulty with balance.  Again, I was lucky here, I guess.  The pit droid doesn’t do much, but it does work as some great background fodder in a podrace diorama, or in Watto’s shop.  Has anyone seen Randy’s coffee table diorama of Watto’s shop?  It’s amazing.  I wish he would post pictures.

So I really did enjoy that Hasbro gave us a bunch of podracer pilots around this time, including 3 carded TVC figures.  We have 11 of the 18 pilots from this running of the Boonta Eve Classic, and frankly, I would have wanted Hasbro to finish the set.  I know that’s probably a pretty unpopular wish, but I also realize the chances are less than zero given the state of the line today or in the foreseeable future. I also would like it if Hasbro made a few more podracers vehicles, but that’s an even bigger pipedream than getting all the pilots.

Because my sample doesn’t fall down, nor does the pit droid, I’ll bump up this score to a 6.  It’s a good, but not great figure.  If it was sturdier, it would rate a 7. 

The figure is the definitive version of this character.  Carded TVC samples are plentiful on eBay, and barely go for more than MSRP.  If you missed this figure, and enjoy the podracing scene or are just looking for unique characters for background fodder, pick one up.  Otherwise, it’s probably an easy pass for a lot of collectors.