OPEE with Qui-Gon Jinn
Episode I Beast Assortment
Item No.: Asst. 84125 No. 84096
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Qui-Gon figure with spear
Action Feature: Push button for jaw biting attack
Retail: $14.99
Availability: May 1999
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: In an attempt to recruit the amphibious Gungans in their fight against the greedy Trade Federation, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jar Jar Binks swim to the vast underwater city of Otoh Gunga. On their return, the trio is attacked by a gigantic, ravenous Opee sea creature whose voracious jaws threaten to spell the end for the Jedi, and crush all hopes for the planet of Naboo! (Taken from the toy's box.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy room.

Commentary: While a large toy, the Opee creature is far too small to be an accurate representation of the creature from the movie. On the big screen, this fishy critter could snap up an entire submarine with three grown beings inside, while this toy is just large enough to maybe eat a figure. He's a hefty piece of plastic with moving fins and a big chomping jaw, which is activated by a big button on its head just behind the antenna. It's a great mechanism that works well and is really fun to mess with. The decoration is great, the coloring is good, and it has a great toy-like feel to it. Even though it's hard plastic, it doesn't feel like it would break easily and it seems that kids could have a lot of fun with this if they cared about owning the equivalent of a red "rancor fish" type toy. It's scaley, colorful, and fun-- yet it didn't make a splash with kids. Then again, neither did Skeletor's Attack Squid, or the few sea creatures made for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Perhaps it's just that kids don't want fantastical aquatic creatures when the real thing tends to be so otherworldly as it is. I really like it, but as far as scale/authenticity goes, it needs work. However it's scaled just about right to Micro-scaled vehicles or Titanium ships, so if you ever want to set up a diorama with those, this is just about perfect. I totally love it because with the action figure line, it essentially works as a young Opee.

Collector's Notes: The Opee was never reissued and was one of many toys on the clearance walk of shame in 1999-2000. These could be picked up for a fraction of the price after the fact, most likely a result of the glut of product on the market combined with its ubiquitous availability. If you pay more than $5 for this toy before shipping, you're probably paying too much as far as comparison shopping goes, but the toy is easily $15 worth of fun. The set includes a uniquely sculpted Qui-Gon Jinn figure with a giant spear, but it's not really a selling point of this set-- the creature is cool, the figure is not.

Day 614: January 10, 2008