Voolvif Monn - TAC - Basic (30 58)

The aloof and solitary Voolvif Monn is one of the few Jedi to survive the Battle of Geonosis. During the Clone Wars, Monn confronts waves of battle droids on Muunilinst in an all-out fight to stop the wealthy InterGalactic Banking Clan’s support to the Confederacy. With a sweep of his lightsaber, Monn cuts down several droids at a time.

Who’s afraid of the big, bad Shistavanen Wolfman? Apparently not lovers of all things “Tartakovsky” and certainly not collectors of the Hasbro 3.75” action figure line. Voolvif Monn was the proud winner of a small Cartoon Network poll to determine which three Jedi based on characters from the original Cantina scene in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope would be featured in the final battle of the last chapter of Volume 1 of the Clone Wars micro-series. Although Voolvif Monn won the poll fair and square, ironically, both Foul Moudama and Roron Corobb had significantly larger roles in Volume 2 of the same series. But that didn’t affect fan and collector interest in the action figure because he was one "hot potato" and was grabbed up in record time. He became one of the fastest selling figure in the Attack Of The Clones themed wave of the 30 (77-07) line and when he was reissued with an action figure stand instead of a coin, that version of him also sold very briskly. Voolvif Monn is an action figure that seems to have universal appeal, probably because his species has roots dating back to the original Star Wars film. But the action figure of him is splendidly created and he is a figure that scores high marks for brilliant sculpting, having an excellent paint job and maintaining a rather simple pose which works extremely well in this case.

Voolvif Monn has 12 points of articulation. He is missing knee joints but believe it or not, he doesn’t need them. Due to the nature of his species’ physiology the legs are bent at almost 90 degrees at the knees and then another 90 degrees at the “ankles”. We use “ankles” in quotes because it functions more like a second pair of knee joints. But then there are two points of articulation on the feet which allow you to balance the figure as you desire. We are assuming that this species may not have an actual joint here, but it was the only place Hasbro could put it on the action figure. Either way it works well and it is nice to get more articulation in the legs, otherwise we just would have received hip joints. It is actually a complex sculpt and the balance is perfect. Hasbro ensured that the center of gravity wasn’t compromised by the unique leg structure. In fact, Voolviff Monn stands so much better than most other “human” action figures. We are impressed to say the least. The figure has a nice amount of ball-joint articulation in the arms and the joints blend in flawlessly with the rest of the figure. Every part of him is in great proportion and the figure has a confident stature and a powerful expression in the face. Voolvif Monn comes with a bright green lightsaber (bright in the blade and the silver hilt) and it fits into his clawed hands like a glove.

Voolvif Monn is stunningly painted from head to toe. There are multiple layers of color throughout his Jedi attire and his fur has great texture and contrasting washes which brings the sculptor’s work to life. The metal plating on the outfit (gauntlets and chest plate) has been painted in a subtle metallic paint and even from a distance those plates pick up light and “glow” with an illuminating effect. The portrait is just an amazing work of art. He has a snarl in the mouth and is showing his teeth which have unbelievably been painted so well. His nose is shiny giving the illusion that it is “wet” and this helps to make the character that much more authentic since wet noses are a canine trademark. His head hair is brush back very reminiscent to Chewbacca and Voolvif Monn has a thick and slightly angry brow that gives this action figure a wealth of personality. Voolvif Monn is awesome all the way around and he is absolutely one of our most favorite Star Wars action figures. If you’re a fan of the various cantina aliens, this figure should strike a chord with you, but even if you’re not a huge fan of the Tartakovsky Clone Wars series, we bet that you’ll just adore this realistic version of Voolvif Monn. This is a figure that most should be able to appreciate for the excellence put forth into the sculpting, painting and overall execution. And he just looks phenomenal next to Foul Moudama and Roron Corobb. Alien Jedi are just so awesome. It is great that they are finally being realized in the new Star Wars media events like the Clone Wars.