The Good: Good concept, Decent detailing, Fine balance, Good articulation, Rarity
The Bad: Could be a little more detailed/Cloth element could be better fitted.
The Basics: The Hermie Odle figure takes another exceptionally obscure Star Wars background alien and makes it into an awesome action figure!
While on my recent vacation with my wife, I discovered a pretty awesome local comic book shop in Minnesota. The shop was a little treasure trove of goodies for my business . . . and for me as a collector. As a fan of toys from the DC Comics Universe and the Star Wars films, I was excited when I discovered a number of toys in the store that I never even knew existed. Being that we were on our vacation, my wife encouraged me to spend a little money on myself and she encouraged me to buy some figures for myself. One of the ones that was available at an amazingly low price that I never knew about was the Hermie Odle Star Wars 30th Anniversary action figure. In addition to being an almost-perfect figure, Hermie Odle is just a cool name to say in enthusiastic tones when shopping!
For those unfamiliar with the Hermie Odle, it was one of the background aliens that appeared in Jabba’s Palace near the beginning of Return Of The Jedi (reviewed here!). Never given lines or a clear presence, Hermie Odle might be distinctive only in its lolling tongue and rags that cover the muppet-like head of the creature. In fact, he is only seen when Han Solo is first shown on the wall of Jabba's Palace!
The 4" Hermie Odle figure from the 30th Anniversary Collection is, to date, the only version of this figure to hit the market.
Basics
The Hermie Odle figure stands 4 1/4" tall to the top of its hunched back. The Hermie Odle is dressed in an earthtone pair of leggings, wraps for its feet and forearms and then covered in a cloth cloak. The cloak covers most of Hermie Odle, but the moment it is removed from the package, that cloak puffs up in an awkward fashion; it is virtually impossible to get the cloak to fit close to the figure again after it is out of the package. Hermie Odle is molded with a realistic level of detail, from knuckles and fingernails to the texturing on the character’s tongue!
As for the coloring, Hermie Odle is cast in a pink/purple plastic that is very close to the color of the light brown cloth cloak. While the skin tones could be just a little more detailed, Hasbro got Hermie Odle almost completely right on the coloring front, including his tiny yellow eyes!
Accessories
Hermie Odle is a pretty simple alien life form and it comes only with a standard Tatooine Force Pike. The force pike is 4 7/8” long and is realistically colored a metallic silver-gray color. The grip is appropriately brown and the force pike, on its own, looks good (if quite a bit cleaner than Hermie Odle himself).
Like most of the 2007 30th Anniversary Collection figures, the Hermie Odle features a collectible coin. The coin is a silver-colored, metal and plastic coin of the Hermie Odle. The 1 1/2" in diameter collectible coin features the Hermie Odle embossed on one side and the Star Wars 30th Anniversary notation and symbol on the obverse.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and the Hermie Odle is exceptional in that regard. The Hermie Odle figure has great balance, though the natural stance for the figure is hunched over, as if Hermie Odle is bearing a great weight on its back. The character is unable to stand fully erect. Regardless, Hermie Odle has an incredibly solid stance, making it hard to tip over. That makes the figure ideal for any Jabba’s Palace setting one puts the toy in.
Hermie Odle is articulated at the ankles, groin socket, waist, shoulders, wrists, mouth and neck. The head is on a simple swivel joint, but the fact that it has a hinged lower jaw so the mouth may be opened is pretty cool. While the waist, wrists, groin socket and head are simple swivel joints, the figure feels like it has a great range of motion because the ankles and shoulders are all hinge joints on ball-and-socket joints, which allows them to have incredible range of motion! With that level of articulation, it is easy for Hermie Odle to hold its force pike in a two-handed grip!
Collectibility
The Hermie Odle is part of the 30th Anniversary line that was released in 2007. Hermie Odle is 30th Anniversary Collection figure #29. The Hermie Odle figure was fairly uncommon and this whole set was not widely released, so it is still sought after today. Given that there has only been the one casting of Hermie Odle, despite the fact that it is an obscure character, it was a decent investment figure.
Overview
Hermie Odle is a pretty cool alien which will flesh out the Star Wars alien toy collection exceedingly well, making it a must-buy when one can find it – whether or not they are on vacation!
For other figures and toys from the Star Wars 30th Anniversary Collection, please check out my reviews of:
Battle Of Hoth Ultimate Battle Pack
AT-AP
#03 Mustafar Lava Miner
2005 #06 2-1B
#08 Mustafar Panning Droid
9.5/10
For other Star Wars toy reviews, please check out my Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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