June 1, 2006
Story and Photos by Chris Rhoads (dustrho)
 
TWO NEW FIGURES FROM HASBRO?
Anyone here who has purchased something from Entertainment Earth in the past is automatically added to their catalog mailing list, and in the most recent Summer 2006 issue you will see something that’s very interesting on page 53. On that page is a brand new figure from Hasbro, taking up an entire page, and the character that Hasbro chose to design and manufacture is Kir Kanos.


NOTE: Image has been borrowed
from Entertainment Earth's website.

Kir Kanos has never been made into plastic form before, so it is exciting to hear of a new figure and not some stupid rehash that we’ve all seen recently. What’s really exciting is that a special “mystery” figure will be packaged with Kir Kanos, and as you would guess neither Entertainment Earth nor Hasbro has divulged who this character will be. The catalog states that it’s not going to be another Han Solo figure, even though the silhouette shows Han Solo. However, it does state that it will be another figure that has never been produced before. So who could this character be?

One big guess is that it could be Carnor Jax, another Royal Imperial Guard who worked with Kir Kanos but later became a traitor to the Empire. How different would these two figures look from one another? Seeing as they’re both Royal Guards there really can’t be a whole lot of difference between the two, unless you simply swap out a different head to show some difference. In either case, if Hasbro does reveal that this new mystery figure will be Carnor Jax, there will surely be a lot of happy Star Wars collectors out there, especially those who have been yearning to get some new Expanded Universe figures.

IS IT ACCURATE?
I have been looking online for pictures of Kir Kanos, and from the ones that I have found it seems that there are some discrepancies that should be addressed. Granted that this could only be a prototype image in the Entertainment Earth catalog, but it doesn’t specify that so you have to assume that this is a final product image.

One thing that does seem to be a problem is how the blades are attached to his staff. The blades should be going in opposite directions, but instead the ones included with the figure are facing the same direction. Another problem involves some of the coloring that was used, as the holster and belt should be red instead of the dark maroon colors that were used. One other color that seems to be a problem is the red shield on his helmet, because most of the photos I’ve seen have him wearing the typical black shield that is standard issue for Royal Guards.

CONCLUSION
Whatever this mystery figure ends up being, you have to admit that it will be a nice addition to any Star Wars fan’s collection. You’re going to get two brand new figures that have never been produced before, so should we really have room to complain here? If you’re looking for accuracy, you should know by now that you’re not always going to get accurate results from Hasbro. If you want to strive for accuracy, then you’re going to have to do a little bit of customizing on it to achieve the look that will end up satisfying you.

The exclusive Kir Kanos & Mystery Figure 2-pack is now available for pre-order at Entertainment Earth and now StarWarsShop.com for $19.99. Be sure to order yours today!

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