The Good: Good concept, Good accessories, Great sculpt, Rarity
The Bad: Minor articulation issues.
The Basics: One of the secret gems of the Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith toy line, the Mustafar Sentry is very close to a perfect figure!
For the last few years, I thought I was done with collecting Star Wars figures. I had a house and in the effort to try to keep it, I sold off some of my Star Wars figures and my basic thought was that I could not afford to keep my collection any longer. As a result, when Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge Of The Sith was released theatrically, I was not involved in any of the merchandising. I did not even look at the figures while they were out in most stores. But as I have unloaded box after box of my Star Wars figures, I have felt some nostalgia for the toys and some desire to return play to my life. Fortunately (I think I think it's fortunate) my wife has been adding to my collection on the idea that if I am keeping SOME Star Wars figures, I might as well grow my collection with neat new ones which are generally cool and enhance the overall collection.
So, with that thought in mind, we went to our local comic book shop where they have been buying collections of Star Wars figures and I looked through their Revenge Of The Sith toy line. For sure, there were many clone troopers to choose from as well as Anakin Skywalkers, Emperor Palpatines and variations on Padme Amidala and Obi-Wan Kenobi that I obviously did not have. And, because I had no figures from Revenge Of The Sith, I clearly never got a General Grievous. So, what was the very first Episode Three figure I invested in? The Mustafar Sentry.
Yes, the Mustafar Sentry. It looked coolest, was unlike anything else in my collection and it was priced inexpensively. The shop also only had the one. That always makes me happy.
For those unfamiliar with the Mustafar Sentry, these were the insectoid guards on the secret Separatist base on Mustafar in Revenge Of The Sith (click here for my review of that film!). When Darth Vader journeys to Mustafar, the guards step out of the shadows just long enough to be slaughtered by him. These are an alien race where if the viewer blinks, they pretty much miss their presence in the movie!
The 4" Mustafar Sentry figure is pretty cool and it fleshes out the full Star Wars universe wonderfully. There is only the one casting of the Mustafar Sentry and because it is a generic, alien, warrior, there is no harm in getting more than one for virtually any collector or play enthusiast!
Basics
The Mustafar Sentry is an armored alien insect that is hunched over and looks dangerous and inscrutable. The alien figure stands 4 1/4" tall, has the armor and breathing tubes of the creature and is wearing a skirtlike outfit which makes it almost look Egyptian. The alien has two legs, two arms with clawed hands and a tiny head with an almost fly-like face which is covered in part by a breathing mask.
This toy is a decent sculpt, including in the proportions and coloring. The Mustafar Sentry's head features the bug eyes and breathing mask which is attached to the back of the neck by flexible tubes. The character is cast in a copper-colored plastic which looks fairly realistic (the picture on the figure's package makes it look darker and more like it is black or gray-skinned). Still, Kenner clearly tried to give the Mustafar Sentry highlights and shading details so its unarmored green skin has a very alien appearance.
The Mustafar Sentry has a very clean outfit which allows it to blend into the shadows and into treescapes, one presumes. The skirt is striped and flexible and the backpack the figure is molded with has a heavy look to it which makes the figure more substantial. In fact, the only detail Hasbro seems to have honestly cheaped out on is that the picture shows tubes going from the backpack to the upper arm of the character, but this toy does not have that.
Even so, this is an amazing sculpt of a ridiculously obscure character!
Accessories
The Mustafar Sentry, agent of the Separatist Forces, requires few accessories. In fact, all it comes with are his action base and its staff-like blaster with the spinning energy bolt. The action base is a small, stable base which features a chunk of Mustafar ground. It is 2 7/8" wide, 2 1/4" deep and 1 1/2" tall. It appears to be a chunk of Mustafar ground with a fire rising up behind it! The stand has a single peg which fits into a hole on either of the figure's feet! The base is stable, the Mustafar Sentry looks good on it and is stable and it looks like it may link to other, similar figure bases!
The staff blaster is 5 3/4" tall and is basically a staff weapon with soft plastic energy bolts at the top. The staff is molded in all black plastic with a top that is supposed to represent energy discharge. The staff looks cool and it features a function which allows one to turn the top to recreate the spinning energy bolt from Revenge Of The Sith! Very cool.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and Mustafar Sentry is great in that regard. The figure is exceptionally articulated and even with its staff, it has great posability. The Mustafar Sentry has wonderful balance, though it works best when it is standing flatfooted or it is on its stand. This obscure alien comes with an astonishing ten points of articulation, many of which are not simple swivel joints! As a result, it has joints at the ankles, groin socket, shoulders, elbows, neck, and waist and it twists at any of those points. The elbows extend on a hinge joint and the shoulders and head are on ball and socket joints! As a result, this is a very posable, very playable figure and the spinning energy bolt on the staff enhances the play value of the toy!
Collectibility
The Mustafar Sentry is part of the Revenge Of The Sith four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was incredibly common. Even so, the Mustafar Sentry appears to have been underproduced and this is the only sculpt of it! As a result, this is a figure that is liable to be an excellent investment figure! The Mustafar Sentry is Episode III Collection figure #56 and it looks like Hasbro saved some of the best figures for last!
Overview
The Mustafar Sentry might be exceptional obscure for non fans of Star Wars, but those who love the toys will enjoy how this enhances the whole Star Wars toy universe and want at least one.
For other "Star Wars" figure reviews, please check out my takes on:
2006 Saga Collection 003 Bib Fortuna
2009 Legacy Collection BD17 Princess Leia In Slave Outfit
2004 Original Trilogy Collection J'Quille
9/10
For other toy reviews, please visit my index page for an organized list!
© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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