The Good: Good sculpt, Decent accessories
The Bad: Light on poseability, Poor balance
The Basics: A wonderful background figure, the balance issues based on making an action-oriented look to the Mon Calamari rob it of perfection..
For those who flesh out a full Rebellion in Star Wars action figures, it is hard to go wrong with a few extra Mon Calamari figures. Seen as support aliens in the climax of Return Of The Jedi, there were plenty of them in the background, though the main one – Admiral Ackbar – has been the only one with a significant focus from the action figure producers. But, in 2000, the Power Of The Jedi set tried to rectify that with their Mon Calamari figure and it’s a good figure, but hardly a flawless one.
For those unfamiliar with Mon Calamari, this fishlike alien was seen during the attack on the second Death Star in Return Of The Jedi (reviewed here!). The officers on Admiral Ackbar’s giant command ship, they were support aliens who helped to coordinate the attack.
The 4" Mon Calamari figure is pretty cool and it fleshes out the full Star Wars universe wonderfully.
Basics
The Mon Calamari is an alien seen in the Rebel fleet in Return Of The Jedi. The figure stands 4 1/8" tall to the top of its helmeted, fish-like head. The Mon Calamari officer is a uniformed creature that looks like it has a fish for a head and comes from a watery planet. The figure is made entirely of hard plastic, though the removable helmet is a bit softer.
This toy is a wonderful sculpt, looking precisely like the extraterrestrial officer. The Mon Calamari includes such impressive sculpted details as the eye stalks and the fine fins on the creature’s forearms. Hasbro also made an effort to make the objects on the officer’s belt appear removable or functional.
The Mon Calamari is amazing in his coloring detail and facial paint job includes realistic coloring on the eyes (which are glossy instead of flat, unlike the creature’s skin and uniform). As well, his forearms have fine spots that make him appear more realistically fishlike.
Accessories
The Mon Calamari, alien that he is in the Rebellion, requires few accessories. In fact, the main accessory he comes with is a small blaster. The blaster is a 15/16” long gray choking hazard which fits perfectly into the Mon Calamari's right hand. Unique to this figure, this rounded style blaster only fits in the right hand as the left is molded open (flat). Despite its monotonal color, it has incredible surface detailing, even compared to figures produced now!
As part of the Power Of The Jedi toy line, the Mon Calamari comes with a Jedi Force File. This is a tiny fold-out magazine which describes the Mon Calamari, 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 the Mon Calamari is fair in that regard. The figure has incredibly simple articulation, giving him very limited poseability. 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. The head joint is inhibited by the back of the Mon Calamari’s head, making it impossible to turn the head more than ten degrees either way.
This Mon Calamari figure was produced at a time when Hasbro was still obsessed with making action figures appear action-oriented. As a result, the Mon Calamari figure has a very wide stance and that leads to all sorts of balance issues. Fortunately, he has the holes in his feet that allow him to plug into any Star Wars playset or vehicle with the complimentary pegs. That may negate the poor inherent balance of this figure.
Collectibility
The Mon Calamari is part of the expanded saga Power Of The Jedi four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that was fairly common. Given there are a few Mon Calamari options on the market, this figure has never truly appreciated and is unlikely to in the foreseeable future. On the plus side, its deflated price may allow one to flesh out their Rebellion for a minimal investment!
Overview
The Mon Calamari is a very cool looking alien figure, but is hardly an essential one, even for die-hard Star Wars fans and collectors.
For other Power Of The Jedi figures, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Ellorrs Madak
Coruscant Guard
Aurra Sing
Bespin Escape Princess Leia
Amanaman with Salacious Crumb
IG-88
Tessek
Deluxe Princess Leia with Sail Barge Cannon
Dagobah Darth Vader
Bespin Escape Lando Calrissian
Bespin Capture Han Solo
Tatooine Patrol Sandtrooper
Saesee Tiin
Ketwol
FX-7
Bespin Guard
5/10
For other toy reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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