The Good: Good sculpt, Good accessories
The Bad: Flexibility issues, Balance
The Basics: Despite being a well-cast and colored figure with cool accessories, Djas Puhr arrives in the Star Wars action figure line as a pretty mediocre toy.
As a collector of Star Wars figures, I am always fascinated to look through the collection and see which figures were made when. Given the rich tapestry of George Lucas's cinematic canvas, it is always interesting to see which peripheral characters were made before others. It surprises me, for example, that the first time a figure of Djas Puhr was made was in the 2002 action figure line. Attached to the very end of the Attack Of The Clones figure line, Djas Puhr was made to foreshadow the impending Star Wars Saga line of action figures.
For those unfamiliar with Djas Puhr, he was one of many bounty hunters or smugglers panned to briefly in the Cantina scene in A New Hope (reviewed here!). Djas Puhr was distinct in that he was an alien with a glossy black head and pointed ears (like a Vulcan in Star Trek or, I suppose, the devil). In the film, Djas Puhr cackles briefly and drinks from his glass while the band plays. Fortunately, Hasbro saw fit to make the smuggler more interesting and Djas Puhr comes with weapons and a frighteningly indifferent disposition.
The 4" Djas Puhr figure is pretty cool and it fleshes out the full Star Wars universe well in that one can never have too many Star Wars aliens and this one is a fairly original looking creature.
Basics
The Djas Puhr figure stands 3 3/4" tall - when one is able to get it to stand! - to the top of his domed head. The figure is dressed in the recognizable black flight suit and his head and hands are exposed. The figure is made entirely of hard plastic, which is somewhat surprising considering at this time the figures tended to be made in more of a blend of plastic types. The only place the figure has softer plastic is for the gun holsters that descend from the waist to hold his blasters.
This toy is a decent sculpt, save in the coloring. Djas Puhr is accurate in his coloring detail, though the head has a matte black finish where the alien in the film was sweaty and glossy-looking (probably more a result of the type of make-up being used than actual preference, but the matte finish does make this figure look different). As well, Djas Puhr is monotonal in his coloring detail, much like he was in the film, so there is less a sense of realism to the character and its figure than there would be with a sense of tone. Still, the flight suit has good coloring and this is a very dark figure with only a few patches of white for the figure's pockets and boots. Djas Puhr looks ready to fly, though his eyes are tiny with little detail, arguably because they have tiny black irises and white pupils that look unfortunately unrealistic.
Djas Puhr comes with such realistic coloring details as the holster belt being painted in brown - in addition to it being molded with a ribbing that is an excellent level of detail. As well, the gun holsters have a symbol on them which is a finer painted detail. The figure itself is molded with decent attention to the ear tips and the various pockets and patches on the character's arms and legs.
Accessories
Djas Puhr, careful bounty hunter that he is, requires only two accessories: blasters. The two blasters are identical and are made exclusively for Djas Puhr. They are thin-barrelled guns with scopes that fit into both Djas Puhr's hands and the holsters on his belt! The 1 1/8" guns are monotonally cast in soft black plastic and they bend very easily.
The blasters also come with hard plastic laser bolts so the blasters look like they are active! The bolts slip onto the top of the barrel and make it look like the guns are firing. The translucent red plastic bolts are about 3/4" long and are designed to enhance the sense of play for the figures and these actually look good when attached to the firearms.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and Djas Puhr is poor in that regard, at least on his own. The figure is very poorly articulated and lacks balance. This figure cannot stand unaided, even when in a flatfooted position. In addition to low articulation, Djas Puhr has limited poseability. Unaided, all Djas Puhr does is fall over. He comes with only six points of articulation, all of which are simple swivel joints. As a result, he has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, neck, and waist and he only twists at any of those points. The elbows do not extend, though he may hold the blasters in either hand. As well, the knees are not jointed, so Djas Puhr cannot sit in seats easily in playsets that have them.
Fortunately, there are playsets with foot pegs which fit into the holes in either of Djas Puhr's feet. On those sets, Djas Puhr may stand up and he looks pretty impressive when he does.
Collectibility
Djas Puhr is part of the Saga line that was released at the end of 2002 to foreshadow later releases. Actually, Djas Puhr is figure #40 in the Attack Of The Clones figure line and he and one other in the final cases of those figures did not actually belong to Attack Of The Clones. Djas Puhr was fairly shortpacked, but demand for him was and remains surprisingly low. In other words, Djas Puhr is a poor investment and it may often be found dirt cheap.
Despite it being a fair overall figure, this is a figure better for play than collecting or investing.
Overview
Djas Puhr sat in the Cantina and now he may lurch in displays of Star Wars collectors' toys, but unless one has him on a playset, this scoundrel just falls down. That makes for an underwhelming and very average release.
For other Star Wars Cantina alien figure reviews, please check out my takes on:
Saga Collection 033 Hem Dazon
Legacy Collection BD34 Leesub Sirln
2008 Legacy Collection Bane Malar
5/10
For other toy reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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