Mace Windu [Version 1] - SW [S - P1] - Deluxe

Ten years after the fight to save Naboo from invasion, the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of a renegade Jedi, thousands of solar systems threaten to secede from the Galactic Republic. A courageous Jedi Knight, his impulsive and headstrong apprentice, and a queen-turned-senator are drawn into the heart of the conflict... and the beginning of war.

A senior member of the Jedi Council, Mace Windu is a highly revered Jedi Master. He personally leads a battalion of Jedi to the red rock planet of Geonosis in an attempt to rescue Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé.

You have to really wonder how much advanced information Hasbro gets when it comes to planning a toy line that is based on the latest Star Wars movie. When it came to Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, Hasbro opted for a more cohesive line look that would welcome in all episodes of the Star Wars saga. To make this work the 2002 line look wasn’t labeled with the “Attack Of The Clones� name. If a figure/character was from Episode II, then the package would be reflected to show its source. But the same was true for the Original Trilogy action figures too. But back to our original question. You really have to wonder how much access Hasbro had to the details of Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones. We ask this because in the Mace Windu Deluxe figure set a “blast-apart� Battel Droid is included for Mace to combat. The Battle Droid originally included was tan, like the ones we saw in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. (A running change was later added to the Deluxe line to include the maroon colored Battle Droid.) Had Hasbro had the inside information that the Battle Droids on Geonosis were actually red in color to match the terrain of the planet, they might have been more prepared for the toys in the line. (The same thing happened with 2002’s SW [S - P1] Battle Droid (Arena Battle) (’02 #11) figures.)

So how does the Mace Windu Deluxe figure fair? Well, like so many others in the line is ultimately disappoints. You should know it’s not a total waste either. Mace Windu has been posed in an aggressive and very action-oriented pose. He also has a goofy smile on his face. His arms are widespread and although Hasbro did their best to give him a little extra articulation, there isn’t much you can do to make him look different thanks to how most of his has been pre-posed. The sculpt isn’t terrible. Mace Windu does look good in many ways. We just have a hard time getting past his smiling face. The rest of the figure looks nice. The robes are fluid and the he’s able to maintain a stance unassisted (which is always a blessing). The paint job is rather clean and the coloring, generally speaking, isn’t too bad either. We will however take exception with this skin color. He is too orangey in tone as far as we’re concerned. Mace Windu has darker skin and we would have liked to have seen Hasbro better match the actual color a little more accurately. Hasbro did load him up with accessories. These include a metal lightsaber hilt, a colorful purple blade, a Force effect, and a Force blast. A spring has been worked into his right arm and the Force pieces are fancy projectiles. You pull on the stem and then launch them at whatever target you choose.

That target will likely be the included Battle Droid figure. This is a nicely designed Battle Droid. In a few ways it is even nicer than the basic figure in the same line. The Battle Droid has been given many paint operations including some, (gasp!), red dirt and black carbon-scoring. It comes apart in multiple pieces including a removable ball-socket head, backpack, and two body halves (upper and lower parts). The Battle Droid also comes with a droid blaster (which contains a magnet). The figure is a bit difficult to pose upright without assistance. The feet are small and the center of gravity is wonky. But it is possible to stand the figure unassisted with a little bit of patience. The upper body gently balances on top of the legs and the littlest bump or movement will have the Battle Droid collapsing. Still, once you pose Mace Windu and the Battle Droid together you are able to attain some pretty amazing one-on-one scenarios. Yes, this is a novelty figure two-pack. It’s gimmicky as well but provides a decent amount of play value. Kids are likely to love it, we just wonder if they’ll have patience with the Battle Droid because it is quite a troublesome action figure if you’re not patient. For $9.99 you essentially get two different action figures her. This set certainly feels like a lot more value than say the Jango Fett Deluxe set for example. You just have to realize that you’re getting very static figures.