Sighting of Nahdar Vebb

Rebel Scum just released a few photos of this action figure carded in the UK! StarWarsILike released an entry of this before here, a postal order special apparently. It looks like its making its way to retail now.

This is one photo of the card:

Check the link here on rebelscum.com for some better photos:

http://www.rebelscum.com/story/front/Carded_Photos_Of_Nahdar_Vebb_129237.asp

Commander TX-20 (CW 46 : Clone Wars)

Commander TX-20, not a fighter but a tactic specialist, assists his Separatist superiors in planning for aggressive or defensive measures against Republic forces. This character featured in season 1 of Star Wars the Clone Wars, but an identical one also features in season 2 when the Jedi launch a second campaign against Geonosis Separatists forces.

The TX-20 is quite a unique droid by design, with long legs and a bulky body and flat-ish head. Certainly, Hasbro would have to make a totally new mold for this action figure.

Commander TX-20 comes with a number of accesories. Besides the usual Separatists blaster, TX-2o is also packaged with a rocket launcher and a hologram communicator as you will see below.

The illustration on the top right of the back of the card is take from the scene of one of the Clone Wars episodes I referred to earlier.

By right, this is what the action figure should look like. Does it? You'll find out soon.

Moving on, the description on the card back indicates TX-20 doesn't see much live action, but his character's been featured well enough to be made into an action figure.

Here are a few other characters that will or have already come out with this one. As far as Malaysia is concrened, I don't think I've seen Hondo Ohnaka in stores just yet. The rest you see on the card are around though, as you'll know from a previous post of mine you can refer to here.

Before taking a look at the goodies the TX-2o comes with, I thought I should highlight some mistakes with the paint job done on the action figure.

Take a look at the spot just below the arrow-like logo on TX-20, there's a smudge of blue paint, and I saw this consistently among all the TX-20 carded figures I saw at Isetan, KLCC previously.

This is another one I saw at the bottom of TX-20's legs. It seems there are what appear to be markings similar to scratch marks. I'm not certain if those are there on purpose to make TX-20 look a bit weathered but I honestly doubt so. I'm not sure if other TX-2o action figures have these same markings but for sure the blue paint smudge on the upper half of the TX-20 body I've seen around.

Next, we take a look at the hologram that comes with this TX-20 action figure.

Front view

Side view

Back view

If you'd been paying attention to the description on the back of the card, you'd already have discovered the hint that the hologram displays the character Wat Tambor.

That's the usual blaster attached to Separatist droids produced in the Clone Wars lines. I have to say, it'd be so much better, if the manufacturer would just paint it black instead of grey.

This is the rocket launcher loaded with the missile projectile. It's actually similar to the rocket launcher that comes with Captain Rex figures. To fire it, just give a gentle push downwards on the part of the missile sticking out at the back of the rocket launcher and the missile will spring forward instantaneously.

Next, the 360 degree view of Commander TX-20:

Front view

Right arm side view

Left arm side view

Back view

I believe the first impression you will get is Commander TX-20 is a pretty tall figure. That's just an optical allusion due to the fact that his legs are longer than the ordinary Star Wars action figures. Rest assured, he is only as tall as the next clone trooper.

Looking down at Commander TX-20, it is rather difficult to see its face. It is absolutely impossible to see its eyes unless you look at the face from eye level. As it is, I took this photo from below the body and that's as far as I got.

Articulation is another matter of concern that I'm sure most collectors would like to hear about. First things first, the knees of this action figure are not in any way articulated which I'm sure is a disappointment to many people. Don't judge it by that though, there are good plus points on the pose ability of TX-20.

As you'd see in the photo, its legs can stretch wider than the average clone trooper figure. As far as extending arms go, 45 degrees is about the maximum. However, if you want to lift the arms higher, just twist the hand like you would with a clock hand.

Everything else about the hand has the articulation you would like, except maybe for the palms, which are only twist able. Take note that the hands are made of a more rubbery material. This is actually what makes the action figure better articulated on the hands compared to its battle droid compatriots.

The next part I will discuss about articulation is a plus point to the TX-20 and is something that I know cannot be achieved by any other Star Wars action figures with the exception of one that is also from the Clone Wars lines, the Commando Droid.

Do you see that? Ladies and gentlemen, the TX-20 can stand on a single foot and is able to carry the weight of this fat-like droid. If you think I'm lying to you, just check out the last few photos I've put on this post. I didn't use any blue tack or anything, all natural.

My so called 'technical' review is over, now just take your time to enjoy these showcase photos:

He can fight...

... or boogie the night away, lawl.

Or maybe both.

I hope the last few photos prove to you that Commander TX-20 is really quite versatile in its ability to be posed compared to many Star Wars action figures. Again, I assure you, no blue tack or sticky stuff was involved in making those poses as they were, so if you're looking for something like that, the TX-20 shouldn't fail you. Cheers. =)

Oh, and check out two wallpaper options below if you like. Click on the image to enlarge it in a new window and save it.

Wallpaper option 1

Wallpaper option 2

New Vehicles

Jedi News has got some exclusive news from the UK Toy Fair 2010! They've seen some of the new products on display and have a few pictures of them:

Go here for more pictures and more details. Also, you may find an interesting Bobba Fett feature there too, so check it out!

I have to say, these vehicles look pretty neat, certainly worth getting if you can save up for it, haha!

The Future

Now, for those who are unaware, every now and then, Hasbro takes in questions from the collector community, especially about the 3.75 inch action figure lines that I've been collecting.

These questions are answered by Hasbro and posted on their website under the Q&A section. Somehow, when I visit the Q&A section, the link for the latest questions answered don't appear but rebelscum.com has it.

Read Hasbro's answers to the collector community here!

Something you'll note is that there are going to be some important changes to the Legacy Collection/Saga Legends and there's some news about celebrating "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" with some new products! We're all wondering what they'll be.

Ewoks (BD 18 : Legacy Collection)

While a lot of people in KL were busy scrambling to scrape Darth Maul, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo in Stormtrooper disguise from retail outlets, I was scouting for figures that I felt were more unique to me.

I was pretty fortunate then, when I found this, and I didn't hesitate to get it. To note, this is the first time I've bought Ewoks, also an important part of the Star Wars franchise. For those who watched "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi", they would've seen these furry little creatures. Sometimes, those who watch Star Wars but don't like it so much will still acknowledge the Ewoks that they feel are pretty cute.

Let's move on to see what the carded pack looks like:

From the front of the card, you won't be able to tell the names of the two Ewoks. However, whoever was in charge spared collectors the agony of guessing by putting their names in the back description, take a look:

Many times the images on the back of the card don't quite match the actual outcome of the mass produced action figures. There was some discussion about that here and here. This was when Dennis of starwarsilike.blogspot.com was reviewing the 2009 release of Commander Bacara and Commander Cody.

Would the same happen with these? Unlikely. Why? These figures are too simple for production lines to make a mistake. That's my take on it.

Again, like that last action figure I showcased, the Stormtrooper, Ewoks also come with a droid part for the YVH-1. This time, its for the right arm.

The right arm of YVH-1.

Other action figures to look out for. Incidentally, I do have the Luke Skywalker pictured. That will come in another showcase in the future. I managed to get that roughly around the same time I got the Ewoks.

Please meet Nho' Apakk and his fellow Ewok, .................

Paploo. He looks an Ewok warrior doesn't he?

First of all, I'll start with the hand and arm articulation for these creatures. If you look at the hand, it can be twisted in a circular motion like any other action figure. However, the palm itself is not articulated, so you can't move it up and down.

One thing I am pleased about is the arm articulation. With that, the arm can be lifted to the side, which is a welcome feature. However, the elbow is not articulated. Hence, whatever position the elbow is in, its stuck that way. Let me show you how far you can pose the arms of these Ewoks with the articulation given to them:

Now, the arms can be lifted higher, but their rubber hoods prevent that from happening. I tried to remove the hoods, and I think its possible, but its very hard to do that. I stopped trying to open the hood because I was afraid that I might spoil or ruin the figure.

How about the head? Can it be lifted up or down? Can it be twisted 360 degrees or at least left to right? Sadly, the answer is no. If you want your Ewok to face another direction, you'll have to twist the body, as its articulated there as seen in the photo below:

You can spin the hips a full 360 degrees very easily.

The legs themselves are quite all right. Looking at the second last photo, I got Paploo to sit down. It's not easy to do though, I had to push the feet all the way up and try to angle the body up as much as possible.

Back ankle articulation.

Front ankle articulation (very minimal for right foot on both Ewoks)

The ankles of the Ewoks are articulated, both in the front and back. However, I'm guessing that the nature of the leg design made the right foot much less pose able than the left foot as seen in the photos above.

Another feature on the Ewok is that they are painted peach pink on the ends of their toes and fingers. Its been neatly done, and there doesn't seem to be a bad paint job in terms of accuracy. The reason I'm bringing this up is because I've seen some inaccurate paint jobs on some of the Star Wars the Clone Wars action figures like Denal before.

Hasbro have attached these two Ewoks with their staffs. Both are unique from each other and are easily differentiated by the staff heads.

Nho' Apakk's staff head

Paploo's staff head

Something interesting here is that Paploo seems to have a holster for a knife or a dagger. Unfortunately, its more of just a decorative element, as its only a fixture and the knife can't be taken out. Hasbro should consider making an actual knife for Paploo as an accessory in the future. It'd be pretty neat, don't you think?

Now, we take a 360 degree view of Paploo (left) and Nho' Apakk (right):

Front view

Right side arm view

Left side arm view

Back view

With all that, I'm sure you'll know if you like these action figures enough to get them. I admit ever since I bought them, I haven't seen them on retail shelf spaces at all! Well, if you're still looking, maybe the last few photos will keep you inspired to get them eventually. =)