The Good: Good balance, Good sculpt, Generally decent poseability, Good accessory
The Bad: Very unflexible, Low collectibility
The Basics: Continuing a run of very successful Return Of The Jedi action figures, Kenner got the Power Of The Force Gamorrean Guard action figure very right!
There is something nice about hitting a run of good figures to review. It is especially exciting for me when they are older figures that I unearth and discover still hold up against the newer, more articulated action figures. Today, the figure that is impressing me enough to enthusiastically recommend is the Gamorrean Guard.
If you don’t know what the Gamorrean Guards are, what are you doing collecting Star Wars figures?! Looking for a friend . . . okay. Gamorrean Guards are the green, porcine guards at Jabba’s palace in Return Of The Jedi (reviewed here!). They menaced C-3P0, R2-D2 and Han as soon as he was out of Carbonite. They have minimal armor, respond poorly to Force chokes and carry axes.
The 4" Gamorrean Guard figure is fairly cool and while there is a new Vintage Collection Gamorrean Guard, my dislike of blends of cloth (or fur) and plastic on figures makes me steer away from that one!
Basics
The Gamorrean Guards are the thugs who guard Jabba’s palace. They are short, round and pretty dumb. The figure stands 4" tall to the top of its honed head. This Gamorrean Guard figure is coifed in his short one-piece of leather armor and fur. He is posed so he can hold his vibro-ax with his left hand and punch with his right! The Gamorrean Guard is molded entirely in hard plastic.
This toy is a surprisingly wonderful sculpt, looking precisely like the Gamorrean Guard did in the movie! The Gamorrean Guard is wonderful in his coloring detail and facial paint job includes lighter tones around his eyes and vividly painted teeth in its mouth. The skin tones are not monolithic and they are a pretty cool green and brown color. The costume is also colored to look somewhat worn. The molding details on the shoulder armor is surprisingly detailed, which is a nice touch. This is a very clean looking Gamorrean Guard, though.
Accessories
The Gamorrean Guard, thug for Jabba that it is, is endowed with only one accessory, his Vibro-ax. What makes the ax a vibro-ax? Who knows. The 2 1/8” plastic ax is gunmetal colored for the blade and brown for the handle, so it looks very accurate. It only fits in the figure’s left hand.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and Gamorrean Guard is fairin that regard. The figure is poorly-articulated, but has decent balance. This figure features seven points of articulation and he is even able to stand when his feet are moved slightly out of a flatfooted position. The Gamorrean Guard has joints at the groin socket, shoulders, neck, and midriff. All of the joints are simple swivel joints, including the shoulders. The Gamorrean Guard looks somewhat ridiculous when its head is turned, though.
The Gamorrean Guard 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 Gamorrean Guard to recommend! Still, it is hard not to wish he had a little more articulation.
Collectibility
Gamorrean Guard is part of the Power Of The Force four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was exceptionally overproduced. Still, the Gamorrean Guard was part of the earlier line of the Power Of The Force figures and remains one of the more sought after figures in the collection. In other words, the Gamorrean Guard is a mildly 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 alien support action figures, the Gamorrean Guard is a great addition to the line, regardless of how the Vintage Collection version is!
For other Return Of The Jedi Power Of The Force figures, please check out my reviews of:
EV-9D9
Weequay Skiff Guard
Jedi Luke Skywalker
Bib Fortuna
Emperor's Royal Guard
Imperial Speeder Bike
Nien Nunb
7.5/10
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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