Ewok Village Action Playset (ROTJ)

Meet the biggest accessory of Ewok ingenuity, the Ewok Village playset! Relive every exciting Ewok-filled moment from Return of the Jedi! Throw a net on our Rebel friends! Swing a big rock into an AT-ST! Other things to do on here include:
- A branch and twig elevator for figures
- Roast a figure over the firepit on a spit
- Levitate C-3PO on his “throne”
- Hide a figure in an alcove!
- Drop a figure into the hole in one part of a tree and it comes out the other below! much like your old Fisher Price Sesame Street set!
- Drum!

While we never got to see a tree village playset from the Star Wars Christmas Special, we got the Ewok Village. Maybe they’ll finally make a tree village set from what little we got to see of Chewbacca’s home planet in Revenge of the Sith. This playset was later given some plastic green foliage and used as the Sherwood Forest playset in Kenner’s line of action figures from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. See how it was re-used at the site Recycling of the Force.

Why should you own this set? Five reasons:
1. Where else to store your many, many Ewok figures?

2. Relive the almost fatal BBQing of Han Solo and the bunch.

3. Well, if you get enough Lukes in Stormtrooper disguise, you can make the stormtrooper helmet drums on the railing.

4. Marvel at how the Ewoks can build an elevator! And a drum!

5. Know in your heart, that this is the closest you’ll come to getting a Chewbacca-home playset.

Backstory:

Simply a recreation – on a smaller scale – of the Ewok’s home village. To make it more interesting, Kenner has put all the Ewok moments here as well. From the Ewoks cartoon we learn that this particular village is called “Bright Tree Village.”

Want more? Wookieepedia article

58th in alphabetical order

Walrusman (SW 1978-79)

Walrus Man is another poorly (many would say humorously) translated Cantina character into figure as far as clothing goes. This garish presentation wouldn’t be corrected until the updated figure in the 1990’s line. Sometimes it hurts my eyes just to look at it, like the tint on my TV is way out of whack. The figure has an, um, orange turtleneck, with blue arms and legs. It came with the same blaster that many of the Star Wars aliens came with, a Stormtrooper-issue model. Walrus Man came on the original Star Wars card, as well as ESB and ROTJ.

What always bothered me about this figure, other than the eye-straining colors, was that the card back wasn’t a photo but a photo-like picture. This character had real screen time and they couldn’t put a real photo on there? Really, I joke (Hasbro give me free stuff). Not only that, but the picture shows – glaringly – that the figure has the wrong clothing.

Why should you own this figure? Five reasons:

1. Common weaponry. Lose the figure and you’ve still got a gun that goes with a dozen other figures.

2. It is so damn funny. Orange turtleneck. Orange turtleneck!!!???

3. Again, no Cantina scene you make should be without him. After all, he gets his arm cut off.

4. Get enough of these and put them around a sleeping friend. When he wakes up convince him he’s having some kind of acid trip.

5. Finally, you have an excuse for ripping the arm off a figure – it happened in the film!

Backstory:

Like many of the aliens names from the original films, Walrus Man was more of nickname than anything else. In the mythos, his name is Ponda Baba and his race is Aqualish. Because of the mix-up in the original movie, where the standing Walrus Man has webbed hands and the severed arms has hairy fingers, the Star Wars universe says that there are two species of Aqualish, each having one of these traits. So, in actuality, Ponda is kind of a hybrid. It is also never explained why his is the only lightsaber wound that isn’t instantly cauterized.

Ponda Baba rescued Doctor Evazan (the other bad guy in the Cantina) from a bounty hunter and the two became partners. Eventually they ran into Luke and Obi-Wan, who cut off Ponda’s arm. Evazan made him a prosthetic arm which didn’t work, but he kept trying to make Ponda whole, even trying a mind transference device to another body. To this day they are probably both still alive.

Want more? His Wookieepedia entry

171st in alphabetical order
 

Rancor Monster Figure (ROTJ 1983-84)

Yes, the Rancor is big (10 inches tall) but it’s always slightly disappointing when something this big doesn’t come with at least one accessory. When this was released in the 1990’s line, they at least included that bone that Luke stuck in its mouth.

The Rancor Monster came in an ROTJ box large enough to fit in, and the arms, wrists, and legs all moved. One of the rises on its spine was a lever that could open and close the mouth. Its hands were just the right size to hold the regular size figures, especially uppity Gamorrean Guards.

Why should you own this figure? Five reasons:

1. You finally have the perfect companion to your headless Gamorrean Guard.

2. That face? Those claws? This thing absolutely freaked out your little sister.

3. Not a regular figure, not a vehicle. It was a unique niche figure – at least that’s what you can tell your artsy friends.

4. No other figure has so simulated the gentle hues of feces.

5. Well, now I use it as a puppet to talk to my 2-year-old. She likes talking to it, even if she won’t touch it.

Backstory:

Rancors' original planet was Dathomir, a planet later colonized by humans. Some of the colonists included Jedi descendants, who formed bonds to the Rancor herds , helping them hunt during the day (when Rancor’s couldn’t see as well) and giving the human transportation, not unlike horses. Rancors on Dathomir are generally smarter and larger than those taken off-planet. The one in Jabba’s palace crashlanded on Tatooine during its transport, and was trained by animal tamer Malakili, who formed a close bond with it. When he learned that Jabba had plans to make the Rancor fight a krayt dragon (a rare and large Tatooine carnivore) he planned to escape with it. However, plans changed when Luke had to kill it.

Interesting facts:

- This toy can be seen on top of a TV in a Metallica video (sorry, don’t remember which one).
- The one in ROTJ was a puppet slowed down several times for a more realistic effect. They tried going with a guy in a suit at first (like the Wampa), but no one really liked it.
- There is a photo circulating on the web of the Rancor battling the dragon from Dragonslayer. The guys from Industrial Light and Magic (that worked on both films) thought this would be funny.

Want more? It's Wookieepedia article

129th in alphabetical order
 

Imperial Commander (ESB 1980-82)

It's hard to pin down exactly who this figure is supposed to be. The picture on the package shows General Veers (the guy who led the AT-AT assualt on Hoth), but he has the brownish-grey uniform of a higher rank. The black uniform is of a lesser rank, a commander, and could also be the dress uniform for a stormtrooper. Well, what are ya gonna do? It's the old line - little things like this didn't get in the way of some kid saying, "I don't want him, I want a stormtrooper!"

The Imperial Commander comes with a standard issue stormtrooper type-rifle, like many, many, many of the other old Star Wars figures. It also came on an ESB and ROTJ card.

Why should you own this figure? Five reasons:

1. Another man in black. You can't go wrong in black, Jack.

2. The Empire needs bureacracy.

3. Your Vader figure can't be around to command every Imperial.

4. You can have this figure reenact a number of Imperial officer/Vader choking scenes. Great fun!

5. That cap is damn stylish.

Backstory:

I kind of already said part of it - the picture is General Veers, who is a higher rank than Commander. Captain is the next step up from Commander in the Imperial Navy. However, Imperial Commanders have made appearances in all of the original movies.

Want more? The Wookieepedia article on Veers.

73rd in alphabetical order

Tatooine Skiff Vehicle (POTF 1985)

If you have one of these, congratulations! If you have one unopened in the box, in pristine condition, congratulations – you can now buy a small used car with it! As I’ve said before on this blog, anything in the POTF line was naturally rarer, since the line was petering out at that point. A larger vehicle from this line is definitely rarer, and the Tatooine Skiff (not to be confused with the mini Desert Sail Skiff or the even smaller Sand Skimmer) is arguably the rarest vehicle in the original Kenner line.

This thing has everything you could want from the movie. It’s got the steering “wheel.” Movable steering vanes. Retractable landing gear. Levers you can move. And, of course, the gangplank to send the prisoners into the Sarlacc! There are also some cupholders. Okay, maybe they aren’t cupholders, but those six little holes in the middle look like it damnit!

Why should you get this vehicle? Five reasons:

1. What looks cooler in a sandbox: this or a Tonka truck? You be the judge.

2. C’mon – you’ve got to make your figures walk the plank!

3. A nice piece to display your Klaatu, Barada, and Nikto on.

4. And your Weequay.

5. And your Klaatu in Skiff Guard outfit.

Backstory:

The Bantha-II cargo skiff repulsorcraft was built by Ubrikkian Industries as a standard cargo transporter (up to 100 tons), but could be adapted to carry passengers as well. It had the ability to hover up to 50 meters off the ground, and travel up to 250 km/hr. They were very cheap and affordable to even the most backward planets.

Want more? Its Wookieepedia article

155th in alphabetical order

Hammerhead (SW 1978-79)

Yet another to complete your cantina diorama, Hammerhead was an interesting figure. It was the only one who had to be turned sideways (well, just his head) to fit into his package. Although this was another character that was in the original movie for all of 5 seconds, it was still one of the more interesting aliens. Like many of the alien figures in the original Kenner line, his clothes weren't quite right, but his head and feet were nicely done. The blaster was fairly generic (the same one that came with the Stormtroopers), but, you know, Kenner had to include something. hammerhead came on SW, ESB, and ROTJ cards.

Why should you get this figure? Five reasons:

1. Hammerhead - that name is enough there. Any character named after a shark has an instant cool factor.

2. That head. Wow. What other figure has such an interesting and off-center head?

3. As mentioned before, he is a cantina alien, and it thus can't be completed without him. Of course, the original line didn't include a band member, totally ruining the experience.

4. The card picture with that giant twisty head? Oh yeah, that's worth the price of admission right there.

5. The Boba Fett offer on the back is great. Later, all instances of the "shooting" backpack were covered up with a black sticker, since the shooting feature was deemed a safety hazard.

Backstory:

The "hammerhead" from the movie was named Momaw Nadon, an Ithorian. The Ithorians are a peace-loving naturalist race. This backstory was made all the more funny since this original figure came with a blaster. When the figure was reissued in the 1990's line, it came with a huge double blaster. Get your stories straight people! Momaw and his race worked with the Rebellion against the Empire. Ithorians also live in giant floating cities above their planet so as not to disturb the ecosystem.

Want more? His Wookieepedia article

64th in alphabetical order
 

Mattel: Movie Masters Faora

Who would have thought Faora would be the rarest figure for this entire line. I was thinking that the armored General Zod would be holding that title, but I was wrong. I've only seen Faora here in the Philippines once, and that one time I saw her, I immediately bought her. The Man of Steel Movie Masters are kinda pricey here at SRP (around $40 plus) but I believe she'll go higher than that on the secondary market. Anyway, on to the review

Faora and General Zod

Faora was played by German actress Antje Traue in the movie. She is General Zod's Sub-Commander and spent most of the time in the movie either following Zod's orders or beating the hell out of Superman. I personally think Faora stole the show from her co-stars as she might have been silent for most of the time, but her fighting skills were the best among them. Faora shone best during her fight scenes with Superman, displaying her mastery of the Martial Arts as she rescued General Zod from Superman's beating in their first encounter. Though I could have wanted to see more of her fighting Superman, she spends the remaining of her time assaulting the humans and personally dealt with Earth's would be saviors Lois Lane, Prof. Emil Hamilton, and Colonel Nathan Hardy (a.k.a The Guardian). Towards the end of the movie, Faora along with the other Kryptonian invaders were lucky enough to have remained alive but trapped in the Phantom Zone after unsuccessfully foiling the attack of the aforementioned saviors. If this is any indication that she would be brought back in future sequels, I would certainly welcome that development as I believe Faora deserves another chance at beating Superman, all in the name of General Zod.

Front Packaging

Back Packaging

Faora's card back shows a different Zod than the Armored Zod's card back. Though both of them belonged to Wave 2 of this toy line, Faora's card back shows the Armored General Zod while the Armored General Zod's card back showed the armor less Zod. Maybe the Armored General Zod (or the armor less Zod) is a Zod variant in this wave. Superman again is still featured prominently in Faora's card back.

Faora's base stand

Faora like the other figures in this toy line also comes with a base stand that features her family crest. The material of the base stand is also similar with that of the others. It also shares the same black and gray colors with that of General Zod.

Faora borrowing General Zod's helmet

Faora unmasked

Don't get me wrong, Faora's an awesome action figure but sometimes I feel that her head is bigger for her body. There are some photos that shows a good proportion while there are others that makes her head look bigger. But whatever the case, Faora is still a great looking action figure. Again Mattel gives us intricate sculpt details for Faora's armor and the good thing about this is that she has better mobility compared to Zod and Jor El. One explanation for this is that her armor is not as bulky as the others. The other reason for this is that she is given a new set of articulation. Will be explaining it later.

Faora

Faora's Cape

I also like the dusty look of Faora's cape as Mattel went the extra mile to give us a very close rendition of the character in action figure form. The dusty look gives this figure an even more realistic look. Something that can help us remember how Faora and Superman duke it out in the dusty streets of Smallville.

Antje Traue

I got to say, of all the females that appeared in Man of Steel, Antje personally for me is the most gorgeous among them all. I'm quite annoyed by Lois Lane/Amy Adams' pointy nose. Lara Lor Van/Ayelet Zurer is not my taste, and Martha Kent/Diane Lane (while still hot despite her age) is too old for my taste. But Antje is a beauty. And this figure does her justice as it almost perfectly replicates Antje's look. There are just a few misses here that I can't quite point out, but the face for me is just perfect for a six inch action figure.

Faora super kicks Superman

 On the articulation department, this is what sets Faora apart from the other action figures in this toy line. Faora from the upper body and lower body shares the sames articulation as the others (ball jointed neck, ball hinged shoulders, swivel biceps, wrists, waist, and thighs, pivot torso, hinged elbows and knees, double pivot hips and ankles), but what separates her from the others is her hip joints. Instead of the more traditional DCUC hips, here she is given the G.I. Joe like ball hip joints. This allows her to have better hip mobility, which can come very much in handy as she is an expert martial artist.

DC Direct Ursa and Mattel Movie Masters Faora

Another thing that bothers me with this Faora action figure is her height. When placed beside the other figures in this wave, she seems to be in good scale. But when placed beside other DCUC and DC Direct female figures, she ends up being short. In the photo above, I placed her beside a DC Direct Ursa. She looks shorter than she should be. Ursa by the way is an original creation of 1978 Superman the movie Director Richard Donner for his Superman movies. Faora was Donner's inspiration for his Ursa character, even writing her to inherit most of Faora's characteristics. Ursa's existence in the comic books was legitimized when Donner co-wrote a Superman story entitled Last Son.

In closing, Faora is a great catch. I never had second thoughts getting her because I never had any Faora action figure before this (not unlike with Zod). It is also a great joy to me that she literally fell on my lap, and despite the price point that I got her at SRP, I'm not regretting purchasing this action figure. I don't know what I would have done if I somehow let her pass by me and in the future come to realize that she would be the hardest to find in this toy line. I think here in the Philippines, only a few of us managed to acquire Faora. I heard in other countries like the U.S., Faora is rarely seen on the pegs. Her price point also shot up in the secondary market. Forcing collectors who are looking for her to bite the higher price. So if you manage to find her, do grab her and not let go. Now I better start looking for that Superman figure with the Kryptonian Key. He's getting harder to find too here in the Philippines.  

Rancor Keeper (ROTJ 1983-84)

His name says it all – he kept the Rancor, well, he was a Rancor handler. Not much to say about this guy – his big scene was a crying jag at Jabba’s Palace. He came with a “vibroblade,” which actually resembled a modified gaffi stick from the Sand People, and a pliable head cover, like many of the Ewoks had. He also had what looked like the world's first penny pants (as opposed to penny loafers). His last endearing quality was that he was another figure, like the Gamorrean Guard, who couldn’t seem to fit in any of your figure cases because he was so fat.

Why should you own this figure? Five reasons:

1. Goes great with your rancor.

2. Always cries at weddings.

3. Shows your sensitive side.

4. Accessorize your Jabba diorama.

5. Luke can kill a rancor, but this guy shoves him out of the way? Give him props!

Backstory:

Malakili (his real name), a human from Corellia, was sold to Jabba by the show Circus Horrificus. When the rancor came into Jabba’s possession, Malakili trained it and became quite attached. When Jabba planned to pit the rancor against a krayt dragon (a huge Tatooine beast), Malakili began plotting against him. However, Luke killed the rancor, and Malakili left to found the Crystal Moon Restaurant with his friend and fellow detainee Porcellus. Apparently he was given a gaffi stick after helping kill a giant womp rat for some Sand People.

Want the full story? His Wookieepedia article

128th in alphabetical order
 

King Gorneesh (Ewoks 1985)

Gorneesh comes with a big club, and a little more detail than the other Duloks. This is still not saying much, since they all come from a cartoon series. The figures are thus...cartoony.

Why should you get this figure? Five reasons:
1. With only six figures, it’s pretty easy to collect this whole line (yes, I reused this one - again).

2. He’s the king, baby!

3. Big club – smack those Ewoks. Smack ‘em, smack ‘em!

4. If you were the kind of person that got Gargamel instead of the Smurfs, than you probably got this figure.

5. It’s not easy being green.

Backstory:

Gorneesh was king of his Dulok tribe in the Ewoks TV series. Like dozens of other TV series (e.g. the Smurfs) he was always looking for a way to defeat his good guy enemies – the Ewoks. He had a “crown” of some kind of animal backbone (no idea how that balanced on his head), an eye patch (not explained), a large club, an animal skull necklace, and what appear to be turtle-shell shoulder pads. I'm sorry, Endor-turtle shoulder pads.

Want more? His Wookieepedia article

90th in alphabetical orderStar Wars Science Rc Lightsaber Room Light By Uncle Milton (Google Affiliate Ad)Star Wars Science The Force Glove By Uncle Milton (Google Affiliate Ad)

Leia (Hoth Outfit) (ESB 1980-82)

This is the first of Leia’s three wardrobe changes in ESB, and probably the warmest. Except you’d think she might wear a hat like most of the other personnel on the base. The figure comes in two variations, one with light brown hair and one with dark. She comes with the same gun that her original figure did – the one she shot a Stormtrooper with right before she was captured. She doesn’t actually fire a shot in ESB (except at the end in Cloud City), but it would have been boring to package her without a gun.

Hoth Leia came in both ESB and ROTJ packaging, but her nameplate was changed to the full “Princess Leia Organa (Hoth Outfit)” with the ROTJ release.

Why should you own this figure? Five reasons:

1. You need someone to run away screaming from mynocks.

2. Re-enact some of the character’s wimpiest moments!

3. You can play smoochy face with Bespin Han…if you like that sort of thing.

4. Goes great with your bowl-full-of-vanilla-ice-cream recreation of Hoth. I’m sorry I used all the ice cream, Ma!

5. Collect all of Leia’s many hairdos!

Backstory:

Leia changes her hairstyle.

Want more? Her full Wookieepedia article.

99th in alphabetical order