DARTH TYRANUS Unleashed
Unleashed 7-Inch Figures
Item No.: Asst. 84915 No. 84894
Number: n/a
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Includes: Base, Lightning hand, Lightsaber hand, Lightsaber blade
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $14.99
Availability: 2002
Appearances: Attack of the Clones

Bio: Darth Tyranus is the Sith name that this former Jedi took after he abandoned the Jedi order a decade ago. An uncompromising idealist, he grew disillusioned with the Jedi when they began serving the politicians in the Republic. Every fiber of his being demands purity of belief, and he found such unswerving commitment in a strange and frightening place: in the evil order of the Sith. For ten long years, Darth Tyranus lived in hiding, honing his Jedi skills and crafting his vision of the galaxy's future. He has emerged from his self-imposed exile to turn his vision into reality. His commanding figure scintillates with power and inspiration, enthralling all those who find themselves in the Dark Lord's presence. Every move he makes is executed with grace and refinement, revealing the existence of the once-great Jedi who has now been absorbed into the dark side. He fights with consummate skill in the old-world style of a vanished era, evoking the glory of the past while casting an ominous cloud over the future. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam's shelves.

Commentary: When the Unleashed figures started to hit, one of the big complaints was that their faces didn't much resemble the actors. Thankfully, Darth Tyranus managed to capture the personality of his on-screen counterpart nicely, resulting in a fierce, determined Sith to fight your other larger figures. Specifically, Yoda. This figure manages to look good standing around as one hand is ready for battle while the other cluches the fabric of his cape, holding it out of the way so he can show you his oh-so-fancy brown clothing. The costume seems to be a great replica of the one seen in the movies, and the hair, face, weapons, and pretty much everything else work nicely. Unfortunately, all he can do is stand there-- one of the downers of the Unleashed line was that there's no real play value, after assembling the figure there isn't much to do than let him live out his days on a shelf. Some minor accessories-- in this case, a swappable hand-- let you have some sort of interaction with the piece, but basically what you're getting here is a really good and really cheap statue. As I've pointed out in the past, what Hasbro basically did here was to take the concept of the anime hottie statue and adapt it to a low-cost Star Wars collectible. It's an admirable move, and the quality of the figure is fairly high. This wasn't enough to keep the line going, though, plus the fact that a few figures poisoned the pegs helped to bring it to an unceremonious end at normal retail with a few exclusives trickling out before the final figure saw release in 2007.

Collector's Notes: This figure was rereleased around 2004 in new packaging due to demand for more figures. Because of the reissue and the overall lack of interest in the line (which is what normally happens to a popular toy line after its life force has left), it's worth about $15 tops. ( MORE IMAGES )

--Adam Pawlus

Day 746: May 21, 2008