PONDA BABA Walrus Man
Saga Collection Wal-Mart Exclusive; Original Trilogy Collection Kmart Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. 32539 No. 32543; No. 34527
Number: 1 of 3; n/a
Includes: 3 glasses, bar section; blaster pistol
Action Feature: removable "slashed off" arm
Retail: $9.96, $19.99
Availability: Summer 2002, Summer 2004
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Ponda Baba was the Aqualish partner of Doctor Evazan. He fulfilled the Aqualish stereotype of being an ill-tempered thug. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: The toy shelves of Adam Pawlus.

Commentary: For years, fans asked Hasbro (then Kenner) "Why don't you add a removable arm feature to Ponda Baba?" When Hasbro first responded to this question, the answer was that they were afraid that it would get loose and fly around in the box before you open it. They seem to have gotten over this fear and released this figure, which is based on the 1997 version of the figure except with new legs and a new arm. The figure has the traditional six points of articulation plus knees and a bonus swivel joint where the arm can be hacked off. While it took a few years to do it, Hasbro did a great job by having an easy-to-remove limb that stays in place on a figure with excellent paint. This is about as good as Ponda Baba figures look, and since you have at least five different ways to buy him, it might be worth doing your homework to pick "the best one" if you're one of the people that hates having more than one Greedo. He stands, he sits, he does it all.

You might want to keep an eye out for paint-- as you can see, the, um, "butt" of his face is painted awkwardly in this sample.

Collector's Notes: This figure is not especially hard to find. The "hacked-off arm" version always comes in a larger box with a bar section, which is a nice display extra even if it isn't 100% accurate to the movie. It's cool, though, and it's a figure worthy of your dollars. (MORE IMAGES)

Day 136: September 19, 2006