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Spice: "Master Windu, You have fought well, worthy enough for recognition in the Jedi Archives." However not worthy enough to be waxed in this installment of Sandwatch Action Figure Review. Upon initial inspection, I was appalled at the mere thought of this thing on the shelf. I base this on the fact there are about 125,000 of them still hanging on pegs as we write this. I looked at it for the first time, on the Cartoon Network in a commercial and I simply was in disgust. Why, Hasbro, why? Is this a good way to start off the New Year? The second figure of the year has to be a figure you have created already? The whole creative team and sculpt designers need to catch a pink slip for this outrage. We had Aayla Secura and Lama Su with Clone Boy the last couple weeks but Hasbro has given me another reason to go off half-cocked like I enjoy doing.
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J - For months Hasbro boasted this 'Total Control' gimmick to try to draw attention from the fact that they were installing it in yet another Mace Windu body. Worse yet is that it is a saliently sucky feature that just takes away from the appearance of this otherwise well-sculpted and well-put together basic figure. Couple all of that along with the fact that it looks like he's taking a ride on a broomstick, and Mace has a lot to overcome in this review. |
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Spice - The simple fact that they made his face correctly is a plus. I only wish they could have had it done right the first time. With this big safety pin sticking out of his back it is quite difficult to make him stand on his own. Why have a big piece of metal protrude through his chest? It all goes back to the question: "was this necessary?" I mean the Geonosian Rescue flat out sucked, and now they put this in our laps. I like the Episode I figure the best out of any incarnation of Mace. There is no reason to do him over, and over again. This figure is forever frozen in the batters position and serves a child no real purpose but for use in a lightsaber battle. It doesn't serve any purpose to collectors. This big button on the back of the pin is an eyesore as well. There had to be another way, J why do they keep doing this? |
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J - It was a slap to collectors and, like you, I can't really see what market they were catering to with this feature. Total Control means being able to pivot and rotate the saber in a restricted zone of about one inch around, lot of control there. Beats the old flying lightsaber action of the last Mace I suppose. To reinforce just how annoying the lollipop piercing through the back is, I draped Mace's soft cloak over it on one side to conceal it. Why give us this when all we end up doing is looking for ways to hide it? I can just see into next year Spice, when they give us this same Mace except without the "Total Control" rope and pulley gag. |
| Spice - There are great characters in the works and then they go and drop something like this in your face. They should run a promotion with Charmin or Preparation H with purchase of this one. They could give you a free roll for this crap, or a free tube for those of you able to prove you have all the "other" Mace Windu figures. A lot of hype for, like you alluded to, limited control. Maybe they should just stop here, we all have plenty of Mace Windu figures. I do like the fact that they used real cloth instead of putting a plastic cape that falls out like the Pit of Carkoon Boba Fett. |
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J - Definitely Spice. I did find that this combination of soft outer cloak and plastic tunic and skirt was as cool as the Masters of the Dark Side version of Darth Vader from back in Fall 2000. For all the lack of inspiration and judgement evident on the action feature, they happened to do a perfect sculpt and detailing job on this one. You can play chrenologist and see every lump and dent in Mace's noggin and the wrinkles and folds in the Jedi robes are praise-worthy. The pose is a little non-relevant since Mace only fought once so far in the Prequels, but at least you do have a good Mace figure to stair dive off the Geonosis spectator balcony. Pyromaniacs will want to take a lighter and burn the robe just for a cheap thrill. |
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Spice - I am surprised we just didn't get the original boxed mail-away sculpt from the first time around. It would have been cheaper. I would have been the same thing. You mentioned the good sculpt. I guess three times is a charm because this is about the third time in two years I had to spend hard earned cash in a bad economy on Mace Windu. Is it in Samuel L. Jackson's contract to have a figure out every time 15 get released? What is going on here? If they had to jam a safety pin and a plastic sundial on his back why not make it removable? Again, I'm making too much sense. This thing was an utter disappointment. |
FINAL
THOUGHTS:
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Jason -
I'm know I'm playing devil's advocate by covering up this wacky wand, but I really thought this likeness and detail blew the other Mace's out of the water. You have the crazed Deluxe Mace with blow-pop and the Episode One Mace with the Carson Daly eyebrows. Overall a good improvement here. I do think they should have given the stabbed-through torso to a "Defeated Qui-Gon" figure instead of doing it here. We will be back here after a few segments reviewing a sit-down Mace with chair that will rival Homer on the couch, so maybe your Dale Gribble theory about a Sam Jackson marketing machine is correct. |
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Spice -
What it all comes down to is Bushenomics , did I really have to pay for this? They should give these to us for free. A matching Qui-Gon Jinn doorstop. This is just another blatant attempt to stick collectors for another five to seven bucks. They need to put another Jedi instead of Mace sitting down but again, I'll stop making sense and look to Arsenio's talking head for The Digits AMERICA! |
"As Ed McMahon used to say when he hosted Sandwatch -
' ~ D ~ I ~ G ~ I ~ T ~ I ~ Z ~ E ~ ~ ~ M ~ E ~ ~ ~ ! ~ '
| Grades |
J
|
Spice
|
| Visual Impact / Mental Impact |
9.6 / 9.4
|
2.4 / 9.8
|
| Detail &
Paint |
9.7
|
7.2
|
| Accessories/Weapons |
4.0
|
4.0
|
| Articulation/Function |
0.1
|
6.9
|
| Overall |
7.0
|
4.9
|
| +
|
at least this action feature works well |
| - |
this was no way to kick off the new Saga line for '03 |
| +
|
they spent the money on the cloth robe! |
| +
|
best likeness to date, even though he's still a little dizzy lookin' |
| +
|
you can see his eyes, unlike Geonosian Rescue |
| +
|
the lightsaber won't fly out of his hand when you activate the saber swing |
(Figure '03 | #02, Asst. No. 84851, Item No. 84918, Backing Card P/N 6190300100, Window Insert P/N 6190540100, Date code 30021 (1st shift on 2nd day of 2003; can be unique for different samples of the same figure) )
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