MAKE THE MAINS:  The Phantom Menace

Finally, the Make the Mains series comes to the prequels. There are a challenge when tackling this subject of the PT, however. First, some of the Jedi appear largely unchanged throughout the trilogy. What movie do they go with? If I did them all for their first appearance, Episode I would be overloaded, and Episodes II and III would be very thin. So I will opt for the movie with which those Jedi are most closely associated. Next up, you will notice that Episode I Anakin is missing from the list. I need to stress that retail viability is key to this series. While I very much want an update to the Episode I "backpack" Anakin, we have to be honest. It would pegwarm. Little kid figures don't sell. Lastly, this is Make the Mains. I know we need an update to Captain Panaka (secondary), and Depa Billaba (tertiary), but they are not main characters.

---

Last 100% new tooling: 2012
Exists in Vintage Collection: Yes
Original 96: No
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: N/A
Requires 100% new tooling: Yes
Notes: This is the only Tier A character for Episode I. The 2012 VC86 - Darth Maul was never very good. In the original review I wrote that it felt like elements of the figure were developed prior to 2012 (i.e. it was already dated). If Hasbro could bring the VC241 - Darth Vader (Dark Times) magic to a Darth Maul figure, it would sell like crazy. It would generate the same buzz within the community as that Vader and the VC186 - Boba Fett.

---

Last 100% new tooling: 2012
Exists in Vintage Collection: No
Original 96: No
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: N/A
Requires 100% new tooling: Yes
Notes: This Padmé gets relegated to Tier B for two reasons. First, Padmé suffers from the problem of not having a single costume that is instantly identifiable as "the" Episode I costume. She undergoes 1500 wardrobe changes over the course of the movie. The most prevalent costume is probably the peasant disguise, but that's unfortunately not action-oriented. The Theed Battle costume is the most action-oriented, but the second problem is that some fans are satisfied with 2012's 7POA MH17 - Queen Amidala. This would look stunning on a Vintage Collection card, though.


Last 100% new tooling: 2008
Exists in Vintage Collection: Yes
Original 96: No
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: N/A
Requires 100% new tooling: Yes
Notes: Qui-Gon is absolutely a Tier A character, but we have to acknowledge that the 2012 release contributed to the glut of figures that lead to TVC 1.0's cancelation. Of course, Hasbro had a big hand in that by repacking Qui-Gon in the first six waves of the year (only mild exaggeration). That 2012 release was actually a repack of the 2008 "Jedi Legacy" Evolutions Qui-Gon. 2008 tooling is far too old for a core character in a living line.


Last 100% new tooling: 2009
Exists in Vintage Collection: Yes
Original 96: No
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: N/A
Requires 100% new tooling: Yes
Notes: As with Qui-Gon, the Episode I Obi-Wan is Tier B because of its role in the 2012 figure glut (with the same caveat about Hasbro's culpability). That 2012 release was a repack of 2009's BD06 - Obi-Wan Kenobi. That 2009 release was originally developed for a planned 2008 Obi-Wan Evolutions set that was cancelled, and the individual figures were slotted into the main line. (No, I don't know what the third figure was supposed to be.) 2008 tooling is far too old for any Obi-Wan Kenobi figure.

---

comments powered by Disqus