Originally Kit was gonna be a Sith for Episode II. Or at least, he was one of the concept designs along with Asajj Ventress. Then Lucas musta said turn his frown upside down cause now he's known as the Smiling Jedi. Yes, with capitals. He's not really smiling as a figure but you can see the background Kit asmiling away. Maybe figure Fisto is mad at me for trading away his astromech.
I actually had to pull out the little card that comes with figures to remember if this was Stass Allie or Adi Gallia. It's Stass all full of sass! Reading through an old Star Wars Insider I came across an interesting tidbit- the actress brought in to play Adi Gallia fro Sith was not the same as the Episode II actress so they just made her into a new character, Stass Allie, Adi's cousin and former padawan. And they retroactively killed off Adi! According to the card I just pulled out Grievous killed her. And Stass met her end on Saleucami while riding a speeder bike. I wonder if you had a Stass figure next to an Adi figure if you could tell them apart?
One of the concepts Lucas rejected for RotS was a sort of Predatorish wrist duo lightsaber thing. I was just looking at the concept art last week thinking it would have been cool to see even if Lucas' instincts were right, at least as far as the movie. But anything goes for the Clone Wars series, and lots of artwork originally made for Sith concepts is being used. Another example I can think of is the Twilight. Anyways, all that is to say it was really cool to see the double wristsaber (it needs a better name!) incorporated in the Clone Wars Plo Koon. I don't recall if he used it in that one episode where he was floating in space with some clones- I don't think so. So doubly cool the doublyblade is realized here. Because it is doubly cool. Just look at it:
So Aayla pretty much kicks ass. Too bad about getting shot in the back. Blast that Order 66! Somewhere I have the original Dark Horse comic where she appears. It's cool that Lucas saw that too and decided to put her in the movie. But it would have been even more cooler if she had been given some fight scenes. At least she is more prominent in the Clone Wars CG series. Too bad her voice is the exact same accent every bad actor uses when they have to affect some sort of undefined accent. Oh well. So many regrets! As far as the figure goes, the sculpt loks great but because her legs are so eensy, she has a hard time standing up on her own. I gave her an extra lightsaber just to increase her coolness factor even that much more. Here's the Fanart Friday feature I did on here a while ago. And a bonus pic just because I have it:
I fall squarely in the camp of people who think Snips is a great character. The other camp lumps her in with Jarjar. The other camp are full of people who hate everything about Star Wars except the idea of Star Wars (See that classic essay on the subject). But not me, I just love Star Wars and I love Star Wars figures. The overgrown manchild that I am. Anwyays lets talk about the Tortugachild here in question. Anakin's padawan. Some people think this is a ridiculous idea since he plainly had no padawan in RotS. Obviously, she met an untimely and undoubtedly tragic demise which I hope the Clone Wars series will address with appropriate gravity. Because as we get to know her we admire her spunk, her courage and her ability with a lightsaber, and it will be wrenching to watch her die. BUt before that happens we can enjoy her action figure from the Clone Wars line, which is pretty decent. Already tiny, some complain that she is too big to be truly to scale, and a Snowtrooper did a nice job of customizing her. As for me I am happy as she is. She has a hard time standing unassisted but oh well. At least she came with a little Huttling, truly the accessory that never stops giving.
Another great figure from my favorite wave, Saesee Tiin all done up in space trooper armour. Remember when he led a bunch of clones out into space and they boarded that Droid ship and kicked ass? That's the general idea here and they did a fine job. Removable helmet so you can get his horned head in full effect if you want. But his helmet looks great. I convinced a small child that he had to buy this figure once and his mom bought it for him. Just doing the good deeds.
I was surprised to find out that Shaak Ti hardly even appears in the prequel trilogy at all. Shaaking! A few background scenes, like two, in AotC and then not even in Sith at all. Yeah there was the deleted scene where Grievous stabs her in the back but that hardly counts. She makes more of an appearance in Force Unleashed but also not much better since she meets her doom. Which is a shame because she is a striking-looking Jedi. Ahsoka carries the togruta torch for her now. This is the only figure I have of her, thus far. Galactic Heroes yo! Glad they made her, even if she only got maybe 6 seconds of screen time.
Another of the stylized figures from the microseries line. Not too much going on here, just the ultimate Jedi Master brandishing his lightsaber at you like he means it. Poke you, I will, if outta my way you do not get. I think this is my favorite Yoda that I have- the actual 3.75 inchers are a little too small really. And this one has that look I love. Like the rest in this line, more of a statue than action figure. Though I do miss my original vintage figure with that orange snake that went around his neck.
I think I have almost as many Kenobis as Grievouses. Fitting, actually. All the versions can fight each other! This one here may be the best. There is a Legacy Wave 2 with the armor that is pretty great based on the microseries but this one is just a fine sculpt- almost dead on to the CG Clone Wars Obi. I wonder what a Darth Maul in the CG style would look like? Maybe a flashback episode or something and Hasbro will have an excuse to crank one out!
In Nelson, New Zealand there's this crazy little institute called World of Wearable Art and Classic Cars Museum. All the guidebooks said it was a must but I was skeptical- cars and clothes?? Seemed a bizarre combo. But the place was amazing, and it was the clothes, or wearable art, that stood out more even than the beautiful cars they had. Anyways this figure always reminds me of that. Surely it has the nicest outfit of any action figure ever! She's quite stunning in that sense, and still nicely articulated. She was part of an Order 66 two-pack that came out just as I got serious about collecting. I forget which clone came with her, oh here it is- the AT-RT driver. Pawlus' entry
