Ask Aak - ROTS - Basic (III 46)

Added: March 13th 2012
Category: Revenge Of The Sith
Reviewer: Paul Harrison
Score:

Name: Ask Aak
Collection: Revenge Of The Sith
Number: III 46
Source: Revenge Of The Sith
Availability: June 2005
License: Hasbro

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Ask Aak is a Gran, from the outworld of Malastare. Just before the start of the Clone Wars, he suported the Military Creation Act and was part of Chancellor Palpatine's Loyalist Committee.

One thing George Lucas did to make those who grew up with the Original Trilogy happy, whether it was his intention or not, was to include species that were recognizable to us in the Prequel Trilogy. The Chalmun’s Cantina sequence in Episode IV and the whole Jabba sequence in Episode VI brought us a plethora of aliens and absolutely made creature lovers happy beyond immeasurable levels.... if that's possible. And it’s something that’s stayed in our psyche for years. Seeing these species get carried forward into the Prequel Trilogy helped us realize that George Lucas didn’t completely forsake the creativity in the first three films and maybe as a result he realized how much they resonated with fans. No matter how much we were able to follow the dialogue, plot and sequence of events in the newer films, seeing senators like Ask Aak in Attack Of The Clones (and very briefly in Revenge Of The Sith) was truly something specia. It also made us briefly forget what we didn’t like about the newer films. Besides, wasn’t it great to know that the Gran species served important roles in the galaxy instead of going from the bottom of one alcohol filled bar glass to the next? Darn you Ree-Yees for "ethnocentricizing" your species!

The Revenge Of The Sith line from Hasbro finally brings the likes of Ask Aak to the basic figure line, although it may have been more relevant to include him in the basic figure line when Attack Of The Clones was in theaters. We have to admit however that waiting was ideal in this situation because Ask Aak is quite an impressive display. Hasbro worked in ten points of articulation into the sculpt. It’s not the greatest articulated figure we’ve seen in the Revenge Of The Sith line. (That Clone Trooper (III 41) makes it hard to appreciate almost any other figure at this point.) But Ask Aak has one of the most brilliant sculpts we’ve seen in a very long time. Forget about your 1998 POTF2 [FF/TKC] Ree-Yees figure. Hasbro has shown us that their sculptors are capable of some remarkable works of art. Not only does Ask Aak have one of the best portraits in the entire Revenge Of The Sith line, he may just have one of the best body sculpts as well. The detail in his costume and the markings on his flesh are beyond impressive. He has a strong center of gravity and can hold almost any position you desire with no issue at all. (Then again, he can't achieve many action-oriented poses either.) And Ask Aak is also lightly accessorized (which is something we personally prefer with background characters like this) and comes with a blaster rifle that wasn’t even seen in the film (at least something not visible in the final release of the film we saw).

Ask Aak definitely had a much larger role in Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones than he did in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith. You can however see him after Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi rescue Chancellor Palpatine from Grievous from the Invisible Hand and return to Coruscant. You can see Ask Aak amongst the rest of the group of various officials and senators awaiting their return. But don't blink or you'll miss him. In Episode II he was much more visible and we believe he even had speaking lines (but we’re drawing a blank on the specifics of this honestly). As an action figure, well, he may not strike your fancy and the kids may not have too much interest in him which is why it was a smart move for Hasbro to include Ask Aak in the Collection 2 series of figures. Obviously this is the collector-focused section of the line and Ask Aak fits in right at home there. The figure isn’t perfect for collectors. There is an overuse of swivel articulation that we’d love to see converted to ball-socket or ball-jointed points somewhere down the road. (But it’s unlikely that Hasbro will EVER revisit this character again.... but we won’t say never.) Ask Aak is a miniature art sculpture. Seriously, he’s one of the best figures in the Revenge Of The Sith line. Most importantly, he will look great in your collection for years to come!

Collector Notes

Ask Aak

Status: Ask Aak is an all-new figure.

Articulation Count: 10 points (10 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), swivel left shoulder (1), swivel right shoulder (1), ball-socket left elbow (1), ball-socket right elbow (1), swivel waist (1), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), ball-socket left ankle (1), ball-socket right ankle (1)

Accessory Count: 2

Accessory Details: blaster rifle, environmental display stand

Date Stamp: 2005

Collection: 2

Assortment Number: 85497/85174

UPC: 653569037231

Retail: $5.99 USD

Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on Click here to check the market value on eBay! listings.

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