The Good: Decent balance, Fair investment value, Good articulation
The Bad: Very clean outfit, Inaction figure is pretty lame
The Basics: In Revenge Of The Sith, there were a few frames of the Firespeeder Pilot and the action figure of it reflects how minor a role it was!
Sometimes, it is very easy for me to define myself as an Alpha Geek. Sure, others might define me that way pretty easily based upon the collection of Star Wars toys and super hero action figures, as well as my encyclopedic knowledge of Star Trek, but the truth is lately I've felt a lot less like an Alpha Geek. But it doesn't take much to get me feeling like one again when I can instantly recognize the action figure of the Firespeeder Pilot from the Star Wars Saga for exactly what it is!
For those unfamiliar with the Firespeeder pilot, these Republic public servants were seen exceptionally briefly in Revenge Of The Sith (reviewed here!). As the rescue of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine comes to an end, the ship he, Anakin and Obi-Wan are on is forced to make a crash landing on Coruscant. As the ship prepares to crash, support ships - firespeeders - approach and douse the outer hull with water. The Firespeeder Pilots are seen through the window of the descending craft for about three seconds.
And yet, an Alpha Geek like me can easily identify them! The 4" Firespeeder Pilot was released as part of the Star Wars 30th Anniversary celebration and remains one of the most obscure, but intriguing support toys for Star Wars enthusiasts.
Basics
The Firespeeder Pilot figure stands 3 3/4" tall to the top of his helmeted head. He basically looks like a daredevil motorcyclist in a jumpsuit. The character is obscured from having to be defined as human, alien or droid by a heavy helmet, though its shape is generally that of a biped male.
This toy is a good sculpt, based mostly on the picture on the front of the package that shows a standing Firespeeder Pilot. The figure is enhanced by soft plastic tubes which connect the helmet to the body, providing the realism of a suit designed to allow the person to go in and fight fires. Given how simple the costume is, it is a hard figure to mess up, so fortunately Hasbro did not screw it up.
The Firespeeder Pilot is outfitted in heavy boots, a cream colored jumpsuit and thick black gloves that make it look like the character could rush into a burning . . . anything. The only real drawback of it is that the Firespeeder Pilot's outfit is entirely clean. From the copper-accented helmet to the knees, the figure is very clean. This Firespeeder Pilot has not yet been in any fires!
Accessories
The Firespeeder Pilot is a guy who fights fires and as such only requires the backpack and extinguisher gun of the Firespeeder Pilot. The backpack is a bulky 1" tall block which presses into the hole in the Firespeeder Pilot's back and looks like it might hold a compressed liquid or other extinguishing fluid. The backpack is connected to the simple extinguisher gun by a 2 1/2" hose. The backpack is colored silver and brass which makes it look a little worn, which is a good detail. The extinguisher gun fits in either hand of the Firespeeder Pilot, though when it is in the left hand, it frequently forces the backpack off the figure's back. There are hooks on the right side of the backpack, but because they are made of the same soft plastic as the hose, they are utterly ineffectual at holding the extinguisher gun or hose in place.
As well, the Firespeeder Pilot comes with the stand which was emblematic of the 2006 Saga Collection series. The stand is a 2 1/2" wide by 1 1/2" deep by 1/8" tall stand that is gunmetal colored with the name Firespeeder Pilot on the front.
Like all of the 2006 Saga Collection figures, Firespeeder Pilot features a hologram figure. Firespeeder Pilot comes with a 2" tall blue Luke Skywalker hologram inaction figure. The game piece-like figure is solid blue and features Luke Skywalker with his lightsaber raised at the ready!
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and the Firespeeder Pilot is surprisingly good for it. First, the figure has great balance on or off his stand. The holes in the bottom of his feet allow him to stand tall on his stand or fit onto any number of playsets in outlandish poses.
The Firespeeder Pilot also holds up exceptionally well in the articulation department, which might be why this figure was never (yet) recast. The pilot has hinged ball and socket joints at the knees and shoulders, as well as a ball and socket joint which allows a great range of motion for the helmet. The wrists, elbows, groin socket and waist all have simple swivel joints that provide the figure with a (mostly) realistic range of motion!
Collectibility
The Firespeeder Pilot is part of the Saga line that was released in 2006. The Firespeeder Pilot is 2006 Saga Collection figure #022. Firespeeder Pilot was somewhat shortpacked, though demand for it was met by the fans. Even so, because there is only the one sculpt of the figure, one suspects this might hold up well as an investment because it is so obscure and so many fans passed it by the when it was in the primary market. So long as it doesn't discolor with age, this might turn out to be a decent investment figure for those who found it cheap.
Overview
The Firespeeder Pilot is clean, efficient-looking and so obscure only an Alpha Geek will truly want one for their collection. But for those who are fans of Revenge Of The Sith, this toy does a good job of fleshing out the whole of the Star Wars Universe.
For other figures from the 2006 Saga Collection, please check out my reviews of:
001 Princess Leia as Boushh
003 Bib Fortuna
005 X-Wing Pilot Luke Skywalker
007 General Veers
031 Momaw Nadon
071 Kitik Keed'Kak
7.5/10
For other Star Wars toy reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!
© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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