Qui-Gon Jinn (With Tatooine Poncho) - EI - Action Collection

The first confrontation between Jedi and Sith erupts as Qui-Gon defends himself against Darth Maul's attack.

As the Star Wars toy line progresses, so do the toys that make it up. Although released in the second wave of the Episode I Action Collection line, Hasbro revisited Qui-Gon Jinn because he transitioned into a “different enough” outfit which they felt warranted another release of him in this scale. Based on the scenes on Mos Espa and Tatooine, Qui-Gon Jinn gets a revised name to Qui-Gon Jinn (With Tatooine Poncho) which focuses your attention to the accessory included with him instead of the figure itself. Qui-Gon Jinn (With Tatooine Poncho) not only adds the poncho he utilized to protect himself from the harsh Tatooine suns, but he also comes with an all-new scanner and commlink accessories to help give extra value to a repeated character in a line where there isn’t much room for repetition. Hasbro made the new poncho well, and they weaved a soft cotton-like fabric together, giving it a waffle pattern. It fits the figure beautifully. Interestingly, Hasbro goofed on the color of the poncho with the earliest production samples, and you’ll find this figure available with both brown and gray ponchos. We’re not sure which one is rarer at this point, but if you’re into significant variations, this is one for which to take notice.

You can see the strides of improvement made on this version of Qui-Gon Jinn when compared to the original 1999 release. Hasbro tooled an all-new head sculpt which features Qui-Gon Jinn’s mouth open in some angst, perhaps from his encounter with Darth Maul as the Sith lord attacked him and Anakin Skywalker on their way back to the Naboo Royal Starship. But aside from his animated expression, Hasbro captured the essence of actor Liam Neeson much more accurately with this new head sculpt. Features like his strong nose and broad forehead are captured in time here, and the brand new accessories give the figure an edge over its predecessor. The head sculpt and accessories drive home how much different this release is when compared to the first version. Hasbro followed the same approach as the first version by giving Qui-Gon Jinn (With Tatooine Poncho) rooted hair once again. Some collectors aren’t too crazy about this approach, but we feel strongly that this technique provides robust realism. They added various strands of different colors to give the hair a realistic and natural appearance. Aside from some “flyaway” strands, we love that Hasbro opted to offer this new version of Qui-Gon Jinn (With Tatooine Poncho) as realistic as possible a stunning hairstyle. But that’s not all.

The new accessories are perfectly scaled and beautifully decorated. The scanners and commlink fit into either of his hands effortlessly. The scanners, although not seem too prevalently in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, are perhaps are the most favorite accessory of the bunch. They are colored in a bronze wash and have an excessive amount of detail. Hasbro didn’t need to tool so much detail into this accessory, but they did. And we’re thankful for that. Underneath of the poncho, Qui-Gon Jinn comes with a full Jedi Master outfit. The clothes are close-fitting and accent the figure’s frame nicely. His pants look like they might be a little too tight, but overall we’re pleased with the results. Qui-Gon Jinn (With Tatooine Poncho) also comes with his lightsaber hilt and green lightsaber blade. As you’re aware from the first version of Qui-Gon Jinn, Hasbro added a clip to the lightsaber hilt which isn’t accurate to the prop. But they did this so you can hang the lightsaber hilt from his belt. We wish they would have attempted something else here. Thankfully, Qui-Gon Jinn (With Tatooine Poncho) can wield the lightsaber effortlessly and looks incredible with it in his hands. This version is a significant update to the first Qui-Gon Jinn Action Collection figure. You should consider this one for your collection.