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Review |
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| Sculpt: |
| Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated moment of CLONE WARS: Season Two was the introduction in Chapter 20 of the Separatist commander, General Grievous. A major villain in the CLONE WARS EU adventures that will also have an integral role in REVENGE OF THE SITH, Grievous is a nightmarish apparition of metal: an alien intellect transplanted into a skeletal droid body! While fans were lapping up every tidbit about him they could glean from the Net, they were finally introduced to him via the Cartoon Network micro-series. While Durge was a juggernaut and Asajj Ventress was a sleek assassin, Grievous was a coldly calculating monstrousity that actually prided himself in his Jedi-killing abilities. One of his most chilling traits is his collection of lightsabers hanging from his waist, taken from Jedi he's slaughtered in battle. Confident and highly skilled, he actually prefers one-on-one lightsaber combat, although he's not above sending in Battle Droids for an all-out attack. The figure is sculpted in a battle-ready stance, reminiscent of his battle with the Jedi on Hypori in Chapter 20. He holds a lightsaber in each hand, with two more at his waist: each one is of a different design. This unsettling creation has been severely streamlined for animation, but he's still quite a chilling sight: 9 out of 10. |
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| Paint: |
| Grievous is molded in the light blue used to replicate his metallic look in CLONE WARS. His head has blue-gray, dark gray, green, and yellow paint apps, as well as a light dusting of a pearlescent silver to indicate wear to his metallic finish. His upper arms are blue-gray, with shoulder pads that are light blue. The lower arms are also light blue, with a subtle hint of that shimmery silver. Grievous' neck is molded in ivory, with his cape flowing off of his back and sweeping to the right. His torso is mostly light blue and silver, with some medium blue below his "ribs." His pelvis and legs are mostly light blue, with some medium blue along the inner edges and on the shin guards. The two lightsabers, one at each hip. are metallic silver. There are greenish accents at the "joints" of his shoulders, hips, and knees. He holds two lightsabers, one molded in green, the other blue, and both have silver handles. Overall, there are six colors of paint used on this figure, to very good effect: 8.5/10. |
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| Articulation: |
| Grievous actually has a decent amount of articulation, compared to the rest of the figures in the CLONE WARS line. His head is ball-jointed, and there are standard planer-cuts at his shoulders, forearms, and waist, for six total points of poseability. The major problem is that the head tends to pop off the end of the neck far too easily--I think a well-placed sneeze would actually send the head flying! 6.5/10. |
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| Accessories: |
| Included are two lightsabers, one green-bladed and one blue-bladed, for Grievous to battle Jedi, and a STAR WARS: CLONES WARS-logo figure stand. Both fit well into either of the droid general's hands. Grievous pegs securely to the black-molded figure stand, but his feet are so large that he stands up quite well without it. 8.5/10. |
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| Packaging: |
| The blistercard sports the same cartoon-inspired logo as the rest of the figures in this line, with a pretty decent image of Grievous on the die-cut insert. A clear decal has been added to the inside blisters of all the figures in this line, proclaiming them "On TV NEW! Season III": 8.5/10. |
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| Availability: |
| These started showing up just AFTER Christmas 2004 -- too bad, they would have made great holiday gifts. At the beginning of January, they are just starting to show up in decent quantities at most retail outlets: 8/10. |
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| Conclusion: |
| Considering how well-hyped this character's introduction in Chapter 20 was, and that he will also be seen in the upcoming Season Three this March, it was pretty much a given that a figure of him would debut in this figure line. While many collectors clammored for a Clone Armor Obi-Wan or Snow-suited Padme (or even an R2-D2 and C-3PO two-pack), I always like to see the villains in toy lines. Grievous is a decent figure, and earns an 8.2/10. |
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