Grievous’s Bodyguard - ROTS - Basic (III 8)

General Grievous is surrounded by droid bodyguards. They protect the commander of the droid armies with impenetrable electrostaffs as the Republic forces attempt to stop this dangerous and deadly enemy.

Every Prequel Trilogy Star Wars film has brought us one new and exciting droid after another. And by new we really mean unique to that film because the Battle Droids from Episode I were carried forward to Episode II and both the Battle Droids and Super Battle Droids were carried forward to Episode III. Episode For Episode III, perhaps the neatest and most interesting droid was designed for this film. The Star Wars fan base was introduced to the stealthy IG-100 MagnaGuard, the first Separatist member of the droid army that were actually a threat to the Jedi (and other opponents) because of the high technology electrostaffs they used as weapons could block the blade of any lightsaber. (it was definitely very important to the plot because we just assumed that lightsabers could cut through anything. Once a Jedi was able to disengage the electrostaff from the MagnaGuard however, there was really no contest and these droids could be easily defeated. But the MagnaGuard is easily the most exciting of all three for a few the reasons.

While they were first introduced in Boba Fett: A New Threat, exactly a dozen of them made a much bigger splash in Volume 2 of Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars micro-series trying to defeat Shaak Ti and prevent her access from the “kidnapped” Chancellor Palpatine. What’s really cool about them is that they have a fascinating backstory. The IG-series 100 MagnaGuard (also called Prototype Self-Motivating Heuristically Programmed Combat Droids) were manufactured by Holowan Mechanicals specifically for General Grievous. Grievous became frustrated with the Separatist Droid army because they were controlled in one centralized location and were incapable of “learning” from their mistakes. So a more “intelligent” droid was designed for him for direct protection wherever he went. That is why these droids have the Kaleesh insignias on their capes. The Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith: The Visual Dictionary identifies IG-101 as the blue/gray MagnaGuard, so it’s quite plausible that Grievous’s Bodyguard (the name Hasbro have given this figure) is meant to be this character, but also a generic army builder as well. To help clarify things a little bit more for you in case you’re not aware, there are many, many IG-100 MagnaGuards. So if you see a droid with a designation with anything besides 100, that means that it’s the actual droid’s name/identifier.

Hasbro got right into introducing these droids to collectors very early on in the Revenge Of The Sith line. In fact, they were part of the April 2005 launch of the line and included in the very first case assortment of Collection 1 figures. This figure comes with an action feature as you’ve probably already guessed (since it’s from Collection 1). In all honesty, we typically despise action features in our figures, but this one ended up being more than palatable even for our tastes. Hasbro has clearly attempted to kill two birds with one stone by making this figure appealing to both kids an collectors. And it really is. Some of the joints in the arms are too loose, and the plastic molded cape inhibits movement, but overall it’s a satisfying figure for what it is. There isn’t a ton of articulation beyond the upper body, but the points of movement it does have are great for attaining some great action stances. Where the figure lacks sadly is its legs. The action feature is built into the left hip and while it really isn’t obtrusive, it does affect just how flush you can get both of this figure’s feet on a flat surface. Grievous’s Body Guard comes with a removable cape and a very pliable electrostaff. This figure isn’t a masterpiece, but we do have to credit it with being a fun toy.