Monday, March 26, 2012

Ironically, The Geonosian Warrior Is One Of The Few Figures That Stands Only When It Looks Active!


The Good: Decent detailing, Cool accessory.
The Bad: Low collectibility, Poor balance
The Basics: The Attack Of The Clones Geonosian Warrior action figure looks good when it is in a single, dynamic pose, but tips over the rest of the time.


I imagine there is a pretty decent contingent of workers at Hasbro who hate George Lucas. For sure, Lucas and his vision keep them employed by giving them the subjects for which they create awesome action figures. But as Lucas spread his creative wings into the digital effects realm with the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, he made increasingly more creative characters who became harder to render in the real world. The Geonosian Warrior is one such creature.

For those unfamiliar with the Geonosian Warriors, they are the flying insectoid creatures seen in the latter half of Attack Of The Clones (reviewed here!). Flying around, in the earthen catacombs of Geonosis, they menace C-3PO, R2-D2, Anakin Skywalker and Padme as they work for Count Dooku by creating the droid army to menace the Republic forced.

The 4" the Geonosian Warrior figure from the Attack Of The Clones Collection is the flying insect creature, wings and all, ready to take on the heroes of the Republic (or flee when a whole load of Jedi arrive!).

Basics

This Geonosian Warrior figure stands barely over 3" tall when its clawed feet are flatfooted. The Geonosian Warrior does not have any costuming, as it is essentially a giant bipedal bug. It does, however, feature two translucent wings on the back of its back that are flexible. The sculpt of the Geonosian Warrior is precise, featuring the gnarly-looking back spines and claws on both the hands and feet. The joints look somewhat armored, like the Geonosian Warrior has a thin exoskeleton.

The coloring of the Geonosian Warrior is simple, but exceptionally well-detailed. The figure is not simply a monotonal green or brown. Instead, the olive-colored creature has brown accents in the abdomen and highlights throughout. More than any of the Attack Of The Clones figures, the Geonosian Warrior looks like it was airbrushed for accuracy. Even the eyes are colored precisely so they do not stand out excessively. Hasbro even added a slight pink tint to the wings that finishes the color accents exceptionally well.

Accessories

The Geonosian Warrior, violent little bug that it is, comes with one accessory and an attachment to the same. It has its Force Pike. The Force Pike is a 4 1/4" long plastic stick with a claw at one end and a tapered end at the other. The device is a monotonal silver-gray that does not differentiate between the blade and what is supposed to be a wooden handle (at least according to the reference picture on the front of the package). The Attack Of The Clones toy line was obsessed with action ideas for the figures (lightsabers having blaster deflection bolts that could be attached to them, for example). In that theme, the Geonosian Warrior's Force Pike comes with a 2 3/4" soft plastic energy bolt that wraps around the upper part of the staff. This makes it look like there is a deadly discharge coming from the Force Pike and that is a pretty neat idea. The Force Pike may be held in either hand, but with the energy bolt attached, the figure pretty much requires a two-handed grip to keep the Force Pike in place and the figure standing.

Playability

The four inch toy line was designed for play and this Geonosian Warrior is fair in that regard. The Geonosian Warrior has depressingly poor balance. He is molded to stand in a single action pose with his force pike ready. As such, as flatfooted as the figure may be made, with its wings out, there is only one way to pose the Geonosian Warrior and get it to stand. This figure is would benefit from the pegs on the playsets, if only it had the requisite holes in the feet needed to take advantage of those pegs!

This Geonosian Warrior figure is articulated at the groin socket, shoulders, waist and neck, as well as at the base of the wings. All of the joints are simple swivel joints, save the wings which are hinged ball and socket joints for maximum articulation.

Collectibility

The Geonosian Warrior figure is part of the Attack Of The Clones line that was released in 2002. It is 2002 Attack Of The Clones Collection figure #15. The Geonosian Warrior was fairly common and demand was easily met. In addition to having been recast since and Attack Of The Clones not being the most popular film in the Star Wars Saga, the value of the Geonosian Warrior has plummeted. This makes it a figure that may frequently be found dirt cheap.

Overview

The Attack Of The Clones Geonosian Warrior might have balance problems, it looks good when standing, even if it has no real collectible value!

For other 2002 Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones action figure line figures, please check out my reviews of:
#01 Acklay Battle Obi-Wan Kenobi
#02 Arena Escape Padme Amidala
#04 C-3PO
#10 Shaak Ti
#13 Kamino Escape Jango Fett
#18 Zam Wesell Bounty Hunter
#19 Royal Guard Corusant Security
#23 Yoda
#26 Luminara Unduli
#27 Count Dooku
#29 Luke Skywalker Bespin
#35 Orn Free Taa
#36 Cloud City Capture Chewbacca
#38 Obi-Wan Kenobi Jedi Starfighter Pilot
#39 Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
#40 Djas Puhr Bounty Hunter
#41 Coruscant Attack Padme Amidala
#45 Ephant Mon

7.5/10

For other Star Wars toy reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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