MOUSE in Disguise
30th Anniversary Collection Comic Packs
Item No.: Asst. 87504 No. 87555
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #15
Includes: Blaster, removable helmet, comic book, Basso figure
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: Early 2008
Appearances: Star Wars: Empire

Bio: Rebels infiltrate an Imperial base on Kalizt IV to free Jorin Sol before he is tortured into revealing the location of the Alliance's fleet. Disguised as stormtroopers, Mouse and Basso enter the facility to carry out their assignments. While Mouse plants explosive charges to destroy the facility, Basso discovers that captured civilians are being used as slaves by the Imperials, and convinces the Rebels to free them. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's Mustafar playset.

Commentary: So what is Mouse? Is he a Neimoidian? Is he a Duro? Depending on who you ask, you might get either as an answer. To make this figure from the Dark Horse comic, Hasbro didn't have to do too much work. Take a 2007 removable helmet Stormtrooper, sculpt new hands and a head, and presto-- new figure. On one hand, it's pretty cool-- it's not every day we get new Rebel figures, let alone alien ones. On another, it's a little dippy-- the big green hands are something of a dead giveaway if the rest of the Imperial forces have, you know, gloves.

The Stormtrooper bits are the same as that of the 2007 Stormtrooper, which were the same as that of the 2004 Vintage Stormtrooper. Hasbro really seems to be getting their money's worth out of this mold, as with minor tweaks they've had Shadow Stormtroopers released twice, at least four flavors of Sandtrooper, comic pack versions of Luke and Han (each with two paint jobs), Basso, the original 2004 Stormtrooper, an Endor-dirtied version, and well, the list goes on. You can have a whole army of Stormtroopers without technically ever buying an exact duplicate. It's a great looking figure in terms of the sculpt, and Hasbro fixed the helmet deco so that the lenses on the eyes don't merge with the band that goes around the forehead. (The 2007 release's helmet did this, most likely because someone was asleep at the wheel and by and large fans didn't gripe very loudly.) The new head is slick-- he has red eyes, wrinkly skin, a frowny face, and a couple of shades of green which allow him to pop out of his armor, visually speaking. The hands... well, they are what they are-- accurate to the Empire #37 comic book cover. No gloves, green, and wrinkly, just like you like them. It's a nifty figure, and a different way to trot out an old mold yet again. I like it because it's weird, from a comic, and most importantly, cheap. You'll like it if you're a fan of the comics, or if you, too, are cheap.

Collector's Notes: As a recent release, it's still getting distribution and is not yet super-widely available. Seeing as with his partner Basso, this is essentially a cheapo Stormtrooper army builder pack, it's likely to be popular for some time. Green hands are easy to overlook.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 687: March 23, 2008