Figure of the Day: Day 698
4/3/2008 8:44:10 PM - Adam

PLO KOON'S JEDI STARFIGHTER Firing Blaster Cannons!
Revenge of the Sith Target Exclusive
Item No.:
Asst. 85196 No. 85778
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Rockets, wings
Action Feature: Blast-off wings, firing rockets, spring-open panels
Retail: $19.99
Availability: Fall 2005
Appearances: Revenge of the Sith

Bio: Jedi Master Plo Koon leads a battalion of clone troopers against Separatist forces during the Clone Wars. He pilots his Jedi starfighter into battle with skill and courage. Accompanied by clone fighter pilots, Plo Koon targets deadly droid tri-fighters that are attacking Republic forces. (Taken from the ship's box.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy room.

Commentary: Before Hasbro started making up minor character-specific designs for vehicles, they scored a modest hit with the exclusive Plo Koon's Jedi Starfighter in late 2005. The Attack of the Clones-style Starfighter had been off the market since late 2003 at this point, and the green redeco was going for a bunch of money-- so naturally, fans jumped on this new version... which just happened to have a paint job similar to that of Anakin's Starfighter from the Clone Wars line. As a vehicle that looked very similar to two previously released and valuable toys, why wouldn't fans snatch this one up? It looks cool, it's a sturdy design, and it had the added benefit of being an exclusive. (Which, as you may note, often drives up desirability even if the product is trash.) The vehicle holds up well, and it seems the mold used is still in good shape even today. The ship seats one figure-- Plo Koon was a good choice-- and that's about it. You can blast off the wings to expose firing cannons (that weren't in the movie), and the astromech droid's head spins. There is one piece of retractable landing gear, and, uh, I guess you can make "zoooom!" noises if you fly it around the room. A lot of vehicles, while cool, don't have a lot to them. This is probably what prompted Hasbro to incorporate some of their own features like the spring-open wings and blast-off panels, otherwise this would be a pretty dull toy. If you don't have any of this style of Jedi Starfighter, I suggest you get one-- and this one is as good as any, really, maybe even better due to the design.

Collector's Notes: This vehicle wasn't going to be an exclusive at first-- it was solicited to the general Hasbro client list and even offered for pre-order at a few places. Ultimately, piles of them would wind up at Target stores were it sold fairly well. Today, it's a difficult to find ship and goes for a decent chunk of change, no doubt due to the fact that it actually appeared in the movies. (You know, unlike Aayla's, Saesee Tiin's, Kit Fisto's, and several of the other ones.) The same mold has been used to create a red Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi Starfighter (which has been released in no less than three configurations), a greenish blue Clone Wars Jedi Starfighter, this version, Saesee Tiin's Jedi Starfighter, and Kit Fisto's Jedi Starfighter. More redecoes are expected over time. Oh yeah-- and the droid co-pilot will be made as a full figure for a Wal-Mart exclusive set later this year. The droid's name is R4-F5.

To date, roughly a dozen unique Jedi Starfighters have been produced based on three different molds. That's a lot of scratch for a lot of repaints.

--Adam Pawlus



Day 698: April 3, 2008


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