PIT DROID (COLLAPSED) with Jar Jar Binks
Power of the Jedi Collection 2
Item No.: Asst. 84455 No. 84257
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Jar Jar Binks figure, Force File
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: Summer 2001
Appearances: The Phantom Menace

Bio: Rescued by Qui-Gon Jinn from the Trade Federation forces, Jar Jar leaves Naboo and joins the Jedi on a mission to deliver Queen Amidala to Coruscant. An emergency detour to Tatooine leads them to Watto's junk shop. There, Jar Jar's insatiable curiosity gets him into trouble when he actually activates an excitable pit droid! (Taken from the figure's Force File.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: One of the items I've been torn over including in Figure of the Day was this Pit Droid. Generally, there's a clear distinction between "figure" and "accessory," and while this one leans slightly more toward "accessory" it is a unique character in the movie so it does seem to merit including here. The figure has no articulation to speak of, but it does represent a "collapsed" version of a very popular little droid. The top section of the figure is a removable piece, but that's about all he can do other than sit around and look cool. Hasbro sculpted the figure with a nice dent in its head, which is great because a head injury is probably one of the best visual representations you can come up with for the little guys' eccentric personalities. Other than a dash of black paint on the eye, there isn't much to its paint deco. If you dig brown, this is a great release for you.

Collector's Notes: Droid fans, take note: this collapsed droid is only available with a Jar Jar Bunks figure. The good news is that it's arguably one of Hasbro's best Jar Jar Binks figures, and I'm not sorry I got it even though it came after a long line of dull, uninspired Jar Jars. Here's hoping Hasbro repaints this collapsed droid in the future as an accessory for fully-upright Pit Droids or Pod Racer figures. It's a neat little sculpt and it deserves more than its one-- and so far only-- release. (MORE IMAGES)

Day 648: February 13, 2008