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Review |
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| Sculpt: |
| Tiny Jedi master Yoda, as first seen in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, with softgoods robe and cloak, cane, and snake. Hasbro actually seemed to make an attempt here to combine elements from the classic Kenner version from 1980, while also adding all the goodies the modern lines have to offer. The sculpt on the head is loaded with detail, but it's not as good as likeness to the complex handpuppet utilized in TESB and RETURN OF THE JEDI as it could have been. The eyes aren't big enough, the nose is too big, and the use of a ball-jointed head loses the thickness of the character's neck. The arms and torso are very nicely done, but what really will impress everyone are the figure's legs! There hasn't been a version of Yoda with fully sculpted and articulated legs since the Vintage Kenner one -- which was probably the point of doing it now. Under the softgoods lower robe, the figure's legs are fully exposed. Granted, the legs of a 900-year-old froglike alien aren't all that attractive -- just ask Rodney Dangerfield's wife -- but this level of detail has never been given to a Yoda figure before. 8.5 out of 10. |
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| Paint: |
| Other than his head, hands, and legs, the figure is molded in the medium brown of his inner Jedi robes. The head has received a wash of dark green over the light green plastic, adding depth to the wrinkles of his 900-year-old face, plus a dry-brushing of white on the sculted hair at the back of his head and sides of his ears; the eyes are green with black pupils. The hands have a green wash too, as do the legs. The feet and hands have yellow claws. The upper legs and pelvis are painted a medium brown, to match the brown plastic of the arms and torso, as well as the color of the softgoods skirt. The torso has a band of green at the neck, where the ball-jointed head attaches (something the OTC #02 Dagobah version sorely lacks). The belt is a slightly darker brown than the torso, and the panflute around his neck has been given a dark brown wash. That's four paint app colors on the figure: 9/10. |
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| Articulation: |
| Definitely the most articulated Yoda ever in the 3 3/4-inch lines! Both shoulders are ball-jointed, the head is ball-jointed, the waist, hips, elbows, and wrists are the standard planer-cut joints. The angled cuts at the elbows allow Yoda to grasp his cane in both hands. 9/10. |
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| Accessories: |
| Yoda comes with a tan softgoods Jedi cloak, panflute, cane (the exact same one that comes with the OTC #02 figure), a removable belt, and a yellow snake with brown stripes. Hasbro almost had this one perfect, but then they had to go and make the belt so that it can only be worn under the outer robe. Yoda clearly wore the belt over his robe. And speaking of that outer robe ... it's a mess! It fits poorly, it restricts articulation, and it actually makes Yoda look fat! 7/10. |
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| Packaging: |
| The same Vintage OTC clamshell outer case as the rest of line, with an inner blistercard that reproduces most of the elements from the original Kenner THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK card. The clamshell insert depicts the OTC logo with silver-foil highlights, with the UPC code on the bottom of the insert. The blistercard reverse explains the significance of the OTC, showing a photo of an original, carded 1980 Yoda figure. Oddly enough, the Yoda figure is the only one that reproduces a bi-lingual age warning: just below the "Ages 4 and up" warning is the French "Pour 4 ans et plus." While collectors have various theories as to why this is on the card, the answer is pretty obvious -- it's on the Vintage Kenner card shown on the cardback! It also shows small pictures of all four figures in TESB wave, with a list of all 12 VOTC figures below that: 8.5/10. |
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| Availability: |
| As of this writing, the figure first appeared at retail over six months ago. While most stores clearanced them out by now, you can still find him at most e-tailers. Because the ANH wave was over-ordered and peg-warmed in many areas, his availability wasn't consistent throughout the USA. Early cases packed with Yoda, Darth Vader (TESB), Luke Skywalker (ANH), and Han Solo (ANH): 7/10. |
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| Conclusion: |
| While I like the idea of a line that pays tribute to the original films from 1977-83, this collector-geared packaging just doesn't make me scream and shout. The figures are mostly decent, but not really knocking my socks off yet. Yoda had the potential to be the true standout in this line, but a few mediocre accessories really dampened my enthusiasm: 8/10. |
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