The Good: Great coloring, Decent rarity, Good accessories
The Bad: Low articulation, Hands do not hold staff well.
The Basics: A good, but not exceptional action figure, Momaw Nadon in the Saga Collection falls short of expectations for this otherwise awesome collection.
Sometimes, it behooves me to preface one of my reviews with a mild disclaimer. Today's disclaimer is quite simple: I LIKE the Saga Collection Momaw Nadon action figure. I think anyone who is still saddled with the Power Of The Force Momaw Nadon ought to avail themselves of the opportunity afforded by Hasbro to sell off their old one and purchase the new sculpt with the vastly improved coloring and the new accessories. That said, for a figure that now has a more realistic, cool sculpt (and this is at least the second sculpt done of the old "Hammerhead" figure), Hasbro still has not managed to get the figure perfect and if a more articulated version that could actually hold all of its accessories well hit the market tomorrow, I would probably recommend it over this one.
For those unfamiliar with Momaw Nadon, this creature is one of the many aliens seen in the Mos Eisley Cantina in A New Hope (click here for that review!). This creature was originally called "Hammerhead" in Kenner's old toy line. The part is one of many background aliens and this one had nothing remotely close to a speaking role. In fact, this character never even had a shot where he was in full frame.
The 4" Momaw Nadon figure is pretty impressive and because it is so well-detailed, it easily supersedes the earlier Momaw Nadon figure Kenner had made.
Basics
The Momaw Nadon action figure is a great sculpting of the alien monk seen in the background of the Cantina in A New Hope. Larger than most, the alien gardener (according to the back of the card) stands 4 1/8" tall to the top of the upturned hammerhead. This creature looks like a lizard and does not have a defined mouth, though it has gills on the side of its elongated neck.
This toy is an impressive sculpt, looking very much like the alien seen so briefly in the Cantina. Unlike every other, earlier version, this Momaw Nadon has great coloring details, looking brown and gray like the photographs of the alien. The realistic skin tones highlight the almost elephant-like feet of the creature and the recessed eyeballs of the figure are finally rendered right! What is arguably the most impressive new detail with this sculpt are the gills on the side of Momaw Nadon's neck. This creature has deep gills on both sides of its neck and they look functional on this sculpt! With the highlights from the coloring details, this looks like a surprisingly realistic alien life form which adds a great realism to anyone's display of the Cantina that this is included in! The hands of Momaw Nadon include wonderfully elongated fingers that add an otherworldly quality to the character.
The figure is perfectly recognizable as Momaw Nadon and includes such details as the short monk's cloak that the creature was seen wearing in the Cantina. Momaw Nadon also has leggings that come down to the middle of its thighs and that is a new detail that adds a greater realism to the figure, making it look weathered and realistic. The sculpting and coloring details are so well done that Momaw Nadon has a brass belt buckle and even ties at the waist of his cloak! The improvised belt has hanging purses and that level of sculpted detail, with the added painted details looks incredible!
Accessories
Momaw Nadon is rendered properly as the almost inaction figure he appears as in the Cantina scene as it includes a drink and "table" in addition to its more action-oriented staff. Like most figures in the 2006 series of Star Wars figures, this Momaw Nadon includes a stand, so this figure may be appropriately used for display as well as play.
Momaw Nadon comes with a drinking glass and this is a 1/2" tall by 1/8" in diameter hollow cylinder which is white and blue, the blue presumably representing a beverage inside the glass. The glass fits in either of Momaw Nadon's hands and it is clear the hands were designed for this to be the primary accessory, though the left hand is angled away from where one presumes Momaw Nadon's mouth would be, so it cannot drink with the glass in that hand.
The Cantina denizen also includes a table for the drink to rest on. The table is little more than a 3/4" in diameter cylinder which is 1 7/8" tall and has a white sticker on top as if to represent a lighted surface. The table is a nice addition to the figure and it helps one to build a more full Cantina environment.
Unfortunately, the staff is not an incredible accessory. As tall as Momaw Nadon, the staff is a copper-colored plastic stick which has molded surface details like a tassel at the top of it and a ball at the base which might help it not fracture if Momaw Nadon used it for walking. Unfortunately, it lacks any coloring details and it does not fit properly in either of the alien's hands.
As part of the Saga Collection, there is also a non-posable hologram figurine. My Momaw Nadon came with an inaction figure of the holographic Queen Amidala, but that's thrown in as a bonus and did not impress me at all.
The Saga Collection figures come with stands, including the Momaw Nadon. The stand is a two inch long by one and a half inch wide by one-eighth inch tall gunmetal colored plastic stand. It features the name of the film and the name of the figure on it, which is a nice touch for those displaying the figure. There is also a peg which fits the hole in either of the Momaw Nadon's feet. On the stand, the figure is completely stable and posable. The stands make these figures into display pieces and this Momaw Nadon is a worthy one!
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and Momaw Nadon is average-at-best in that regard. The figure is only mildly articulated, though it has excellent balance when off his stand, largely because of its giant feet. This Momaw Nadon figure comes with only six points of articulation and one is left feeling there ought to have been more! Momaw Nadon has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, waist and neck. These are all just simple swivel joints, so the arms turn, but only up and down. This results in Momaw Nadon looking ridiculous with bent arm poses for some of his range of motion and given how articulated newer figures are, many fans are likely to be disappointed with the articulation on this figure.
This is a good figure for posing or for play, though it does have exceptional balance on or off his stand.
Collectibility
Momaw Nadon is part of the 2006 Saga Collection four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was not very common at all, but largely recast figures that had been previously released by Kenner. Hasbro sought to improve the old figures by having a greater attention to detail, coloring and accessory detail and proportion. As such, this Momaw Nadon is a distinct improvement as far as balance, detailing and accessories from the earlier Momaw Nadon. Released as Saga Collection (2006) figure #031, this figure is a good idea for those creating an ultimate collection of each major character. Still, one wishes there were more articulation and that it could hold its accessories better.
Overview
The Saga Momaw Nadon is an great sculpt of a figure that had been done in mediocre ways in the past. This newer sculpt is the way to go, but it is not the absolute best the figure could be.
For other Star Wars figures, please check out my reviews of:
Jawa with Security Droid
Pons Limbic
7/10
For other toy reviews, please check out the index page!
© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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