Figure of the Day: Day 774
6/18/2008 9:22:33 PM - Adam

SITH LORD Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
30th Anniversary Collection Evolutions
Item No.:
Asst. 87480 No. 87533
Number: n/a
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Includes: Lightsaber, hilt
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $19.99
Availability: Early 2008
Appearances: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Image: Adam Pawlus' TV Tray.

Bio: Set in the dark times between the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Rebellion, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game explores the aftermath of Order 66 and the continued evolution of Darth Vader. The son of a fallen Jedi is abducted by Vader to be his secret apprentice. As a young adult, the apprentice must choose his destiny: Join Lord Vader and wipe out the remaining Jedi, or become a noble Jedi and bring hope to the galaxy! (Taken from the figure's box.)

Commentary: So what's the deal with this otherwise nameless Sith Lord? As part of a "Secret Apprentice" boxed set, his companions include a Sith trainee Secret Apprentice and a full-fledged Jedi Knight-- so it's actually a set where you have a figure and alternative future incarnations of this character. That's pretty neat, but the problem is Hasbro decided to do this for a game fans haven't even had a shot at yet. Maybe it's smart, if the game sucks, the figures will be considerably less desirable.

Our friend the Sith here is a decent figure. He has a cloth lower robe which allows him to move reasonably freely. He has significant articulation allowing a great deal of movement. He even has a wacky helmet which seems very much inspired by the Mandalorian warriors we've all come to know and love, plus his flesh is disfigured by shards of some horrible wreckage and his skin is pale and partially tattooed. In short, he looks evil, plus he has a big red lightsaber to drive home the point. The detail in the costume is great, the figure holds together fairly well for this era, and there's more than enough articulation to make it a worthwhile purchase. The problems start to come in from identity-- who is he? What's his name? What does he want? We may never know. If you're OK with waiting to play the game, or if you have a decent imagination, this figure kicks off a great set. If story is king for you, well, you've got some waiting to do.

Collector's Notes: Vader's Secret Apprentice still has no official name at this time, and this Sith Lord was sold in early 2008 as part of the marketing of the Force Unleashed game. After numerous delays, Hasbro just decided to release the set and while Lucasarts has made some rumblings indicating the character had a name, the toy does not. I guess it's a safe bet it'll get a name in the game, but right now it's just a nameless figure from a game nobody has played yet, which is a truly bizarre thing-- Hasbro and Lucas, in their attempt to keep this figure mysterious and the game relatively spoiler-free, sold us a toy with absolutely no back story. The figure's personality will likely go unrevealed until the toy has been off the shelves for months, proving that it's really easy for Hasbro to continue selling this toy line based on the brand name alone. Fans ate this figure up, despite not really having any emotional connection.

--Adam Pawlus



Day 774: June 18, 2008


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