JAWA & LIN Droid
30th Anniversary Collection Basic Figures
Item No.: Asst. 87500 No. 87278
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #3019
Includes: Bandolier, Droid caller, blaster, vest, LIN Droid figure, coin
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: Spring 2007
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: Bands of Jawas scavenge Tatooine for discarded droids and machinery to repair and resell. One of the droids that the Jawas show to Owen Lars during the sale of C-3PO and R2-D2 is a LIN mining and demolition droid created to lay mines and perform demolition operations. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' sandcrawler.

Commentary: There aren't many new ways to totally refresh the Jawa, but Hasbro managed to do a good job in 2007 with this version. This is the first modern Jawa to not sport light-up eyes, plus he has a removable bandolier and a removable vest. The sculpt is completely new, and the deco is nice and filthy. Much like previous releases, the Jawa has a fairly tattered outfit, so that alone makes it worth a look. Hasbro upped the ante by giving him more articulation than any Jawa to date, although most of it is in his arms-- you'll find ball jointed shoulders and elbows, plus normal cut joints on the wrists. He has a waist joint, a ball-jointed neck, and that's about it. Given that most previous Jawas had 3 or 4 points of articulation each, this is an improvement. One of the neater things about this Jawa is his bandolier. Not only is it removable, but you can store a Droid caller and a blaster in pouches on either side of it. Slick!

With the removable vest and bandolier, a single figure can be easily altered and help fill out a Sandcrawler nicely. It's the best Jawa sculpt we've ever seen as an action figure, and while there's still room for improvement (and more variety), it's fantastic. Get one, or more. I've got two so far and odds are I'd take more in a trade if they came up. The figure's coin is also worth noting, as the flip side showcases the aforementioned Sandcrawler. I like this figure a lot, and it's a stellar update of one of Kenner's original 12 figures. You gotsta get one of these, plus the Droid he comes with is worth getting too.

Collector's Notes: This figure came and went fairly quickly in 2007. The prices on eBay range from super cheap to above retail, so happy hunting!

--Adam Pawlus

Day 689: March 25, 2008