The Good: Good balance, Good sculpt, Generally decent posability
The Bad: Some flexibility issues.
The Basics: An impressive, but not flawless, action figure, Saesee Tiin is a worthy addition to anyone's Jedi collection of Star Wars figures.
I hope, very much for the sake of Star Wars fans and those who subscribe to the Jedi religion in places where such things may actually be filled out on the census forms, that the Jedi have no concept of the afterdeath. Sure, there's the undead voice thing like Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn master, but for the rest of the Jedi, one hopes they have the ability to simply rest in peace. After all, if they do not, there have to be some pretty red-faced Jedi in the post-mortem waiting room after Revenge Of The Sith. The Jedi with the most egg on their faces would have to be the four who went to arrest Palpatine and were slaughtered by the galaxy's most cunning geezer. One of the ones who has a lot to be ashamed of is Saesee Tiin, the venerable Jedi Knight first seen in the council in The Phantom Menace. Now a figure from Hasbro, Saesee Tiin was one of the Jedi relatively shortpacked in the Attack Of The Clones toy line and became one of the more sought-after Power Of The Jedi toys.
For those unfamiliar with Saesee Tiin, he appears looking pretty young in The Phantom Menace, then more wrinkly in Attack Of The Clones (reviewed here!) before he is mortally wounded in the final prequel film. Saesee Tiin is the horned, robed Jedi master who . . . says nothing in any of the Star Wars prequel movies. Essentially lavish set dressing, he participated in the Battle on Geonosis in Attack Of The Clones, but otherwise is fairly unmemorable save his demise (he was run through by Darth Sideous's lightsaber and killed.
The 4" Saesee Tiin figure is fairly cool and to my knowledge has not been improved upon since. There was a Saesee Tiin figure in the Jedi Council three-packs, but that was molded mostly to sit. This is more of an action figure!
Basics
Saesee Tiin is an alien Jedi that looks like the younger half-brother of the villain from "Legend." The figure stands 3 7/8" tall to the top of his head. This Saesee Tiin figure is coifed in his brown Jedi robes. He is posed so he can hold his lightsaber with his right hand and is virtually untippable thanks to his robes! The figure is made of a surprisingly soft plastic, though his robes are made of an even softer plastic that is more rubbery, and he had a decent amount of painted and molded details for an action figure!
This toy is a wonderful sculpt, looking precisely like Saesee Tiin did in the films, up to and including a tattoo painted onto the back of Tiin's head! Saesee Tiin is wonderful in his coloring detail and facial paint job includes his faint eyebrows. The skin tones are not monolithic and they include such details as his pink face looking more orange along the jawbone. Even Saesee Tiin's hands are well-detailed with the veins sticking out of his right hand. The horns on his head even have decent shading to make them look textured. This is one of the better detailed figures Hasbro ever produced.
Accessories
Saesee Tiin, Jedi Master that he is, is endowed with only one accessory, plus his Jedi Force File. The main accessory he comes with is his purple-bladed lightsaber. The lightsaber is a three-inch long plastic sword (not pointed) with a black handle and a translucent purple blade molded into it. The handle has surface details molded in, but not coloring details to distinguish the buttons or such. Unlike some figures from this era in Hasbro's manufacture of Star Wars figures, the blade does not detach from the handle on this figure's lightsaber.
As part of the Power Of The Jedi toy line, Saesee Tiin comes with a Jedi Force File. This is a tiny fold-out magazine which describes Saesee Tiin, his species, natural enemies and allies and offers ideas for play with the figure. This is a pretty cool idea and appeals to trading card collectors as well.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and Saesee Tiin is decent in that regard. The figure is well-articulated, but has a peculiar bias for the right side forcing serious play enthusiasts to keep him armed with his right hand, not his left. He comes with seven points of articulation and he is even able to stand when his feet are moved well out of flatfooted position, because of how the robes support the figure. He has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, right elbow, neck, and waist. All of the joints are simple swivel joints, including the shoulders. Saesee Tiin is able to do more than simply knight villains with his lightsaber thanks to the elbow swiveling action on his right arm, which allows him to block and do slightly fancier moves.
As well, the legs can be spread quite a bit apart because Saesee Tiin does not tip over very easily. As well, he has holes in either heel to make him stand on the pegs that adorn some of the Star Wars playsets. With such possibility, this is a very easy Saesee Tiin to recommend! Still, it is hard not to wish he had a little more articulation.
Collectibility
Saesee Tiin is part of the expanded saga Power Of The Jedi four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was fairly common. Still, the Saesee Tiin was part of the earlier line of the Power Of The Jedi figures and remains one of the harder ones to find. In other words, Saesee Tiin is a good investment as it may often be found selling higher than its original issue price.
Overview
For those looking to flesh out their collection of Jedi action figures, Saesee Tiin is a great addition to the line, though there are still a few things that rob the figure of perfection.
For other Jedi action figures, please check out my reviews of:
Vintage Collection VC49 Fi-Ek Sirch (Jedi Knight)
Legacy Collection BD43 Agen Kolar
Attack Of The Clones Shaak Ti
Attack Of The Clones Deluxe Yoda
7/10
For other toy reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!
© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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