The Good: Amazing sculpt, Good articulation, Decent playability, Good balance.
The Bad: I'm not wild about the flag, Minor articulation issue.
The Basics: The first Mahownic action figure makes for a decent Discover The Force action figure that pleasantly surprised this reviewer, who does not especially like podrace pilot figures!
Happy Phantom Menace in 3-D release weekend! I was pleasantly surprised yesterday while my wife and I were out to discover that for the weekend, Hasbro released a whole new series of Star Wars action figures! The Discover The Force set of twelve figures was released to coincide with the theatric release of the 3-D version of Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace. I was initially unimpressed with the ones I saw, but I checked the back of the toys and saw the picture for the Mawhonic figure and I actually got excited.
Mawhonic is the same race as Ree-Yees, a figure I loved in my childhood. I have not managed to get another version of Ree-Yees since (there is a Power Of The Force version I still covet, but have not gotten) and so when I saw the Mawhonic figure on the back of a boring new Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon Jinn figure, I started rummaging through the pegs until I found one and I picked it up. My very first reaction to uncarding the figure was, "Hmmm . . . this is annoyingly small." Then, of course, it hit me; Mawhonic is a podrace pilot, so like a jockey on a horse, he should, of course, be smaller and lighter. And, for the most part, Mawhonic is a pretty neat figure (though I wish, like most podrace pilot figures, he came with a pit droid!).
For those unfamiliar with Mawhonic, Mawhonic is one of several computer generated podrace pilots seen in The Phantom Menace (click here for my review of the film). The three-eyed, bovine podrace pilot is one of many knocked out of the race.
The Discover The Force Mawhonic is the character's debut in the 4" toy line and it is an impressive sculpt with amazing coloring details.
Basics
The Mawhonic figure is amazingly well-detailed, which is saying something because the figure is so small. The diminutive pilot stands 2 7/8" tall to the top of the feelers on his head! Mawhonic was released in 2012 as part of Hasbro's Discover The Force Collection and it is the first casting of the character. The alien pilot is cast in a mix of hard and soft plastics.
This toy is an immaculate sculpt; for a character that was seen ridiculously briefly, this looks just like every picture that exists of it. It's pretty neat that the virtual character was translated into such a precisely sculpted three-dimensional figure. Mawhonic is cast in his slightly armored gray and purple flight suit with his hands, head and feet exposed. The gray portions of the flight suit - which do look more substantial and almost armored, like the character's bracers and the pouches hanging from his belt - are very clean looking. The purple parts are mottled, though, which makes the outfit look worn or dirty. The absolutely amazing coloring, though, comes on the character's skin tones. Mawhonic is pink and red, with spots, veining and all manner of realistic depth and shading. The tiny gray nails on the feet and white teeth are immaculately colored and the character looks as realistic as an alien could!
What truly sets this Mawhonic apart from other podrace pilot figures are the even more elaborate molded elements. Mawhonic is molded with incredible precision. The flightsuit looks good, the armor looks good, but the body is exceptional. The hands have six fingers (I didn't notice that about the character until I saw it on the figure!) and the veining on the eyes is realistic and incredible. Even the tiny cow-like ears are molded to look realistic and the fact that one has a hole in it (as if it had been pierced) is pretty incredible when one considers that the ear is only 1/4" wide!
Accessories
Mawhonic is a podracing pilot who comes with his flag and a blaster rifle. As part of the Discover The Force Collection, though, Mawhonic also comes with a stand. The stand has two pegs for the holes in Mawhonic's feet. The stand is 2 11/16" wide, 1 7/16" deep and 1/4" tall. It simply tells fans that this figure is from Star Wars and has a slot for the Galactic Battle Game card. This is not a stand customized for Mawhonic, so the pegs are far too far apart to actually allow Mawhonic to use both at the same time. Also, because the stand is designed for taller figures, the peg does not fit all the way into the hole on the figure's foot! As a result, trying to use the foot peg suspends the figure slightly above the base!
As for the flag, the unimpressive plastic/cellophane flag has the green and yellow standard that Mawhonic had in The Phantom Menace. The pole for the flag is 5 3/16" long and Mawhonic can actually hold the flag in his right hand or in a two-handed grip. I actually was happy to discover that the bottom of the pole fit into the slot on the stand pretty well! The 2" by 2 1/2" flag is flexible, but looks a little doofy. Still, it is a decent concept accessory that is accurate for the character in the movie.
Mawhonic's blaster rifle is a 2 1/4" long silver/gray and brown blaster which has a scope and power pack molded right into the blaster stock. It features a purple/brown strap that descends from the barrel and the butt of the gun and allows Mawhonic to sling the weapon over his shoulder. It fits perfectly in Mawhonic's right hand, and it seems like it might be a recolored version of the Saga Legends Bossk gun (reviewed here!). The gun may be held in a two-handed grip, but it does not look very good there.
Playability
The four inch toy line was designed for play and Mawhonic is perfect in that regard. This Discover The Force figure has impressive balance! Flatfooted, this is a very balanced toy and because of the articulation of this figure, it is very easy to keep him flatfooted, even in outlandish poses. Mawhonic is amazingly articulated and it is hard to imagine how he could be made better in that regard. Mawhonic comes with an astonishing fourteen points of articulation! Mawhonic has joints at the ankles, knees, groin socket, waist, shoulders, wrists, elbows, and neck. Many of the joints are hinged ball joints, allowing exceptional articulation. As a result, there are freakish amounts of articulation from the ankles, knees, shoulders and elbows!. This Mawhonic is exceptional for its poseability as a result of all of these joints!
For whatever improbable poses one might find where he will not remain standing, the base is solid. I suspect that even with the soft plastic pockets on the figure's belt and Mawhonic would even fit in a podracer toy.
Collectibility
Mawhonic is part of the 2012 Discover The Force four-inch series, a series of Star Wars action figures that is a strange mix of dull characters and neat new sculpts. Mawhonic is one of the few truly unique figures cast in the Discover The Force series, leading me to suspect that it will increase in value, even though podracer pilots have not traditionally appreciated in value.
Mawhonic is number 6 of 12 in the Discover The Force collection.
Overview
Mawhonic is an impressive sculpt with amazing coloring of a character few people are likely to actually care about. But because of the quality of the figure, it becomes a strangely compelling new Star Wars figure worth picking up.
For other figures of characters from The Phantom Menace, please check out my reviews of:
VC85 Quinlan Vos
Power Of The Jedi Saesee Tiin
Ody Mandrell
9/10
For more Star Wars toy reviews, please check out my index page!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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