Yaddle & Evan Piell - TLC - Basic (BD 19)

Jedi Master Yaddle is a member of the Jedi Council and is the same unknown species as Yoda. In contrast to the quiet and thoughtful Yaddle, Jedi Council member Evan Piell is known for his humorless and fierce demeanor.

Yaddle & Evan Piell have the unique distinction of being the only two (but single-carded) figures from the blue phase of The Legacy Collection with a source from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. This is definitely a bizarre occurrence as Hasbro is good at balancing out the line across all films and other expanded universe sources. But since they are part of a repack/repaint wave, the candidates are a lot less focused than the theme specific waves. And while there is not too much different you can expect from their original releases, Hasbro has made some definite changes. Let's first discuss the white elephant in the room: yes, Evan's name is misspelled and should be "Even". This happens once in a big blue moon, so we will lovingly forgive Hasbro's error here. Undoubtedly, we know who he is and this is not the reason to get hung up on the figure. (And though some may feel this was a left-field choice of a repack, savvy collectors will notice the original Jedi Council slowly but surely making their way into the basic figure line over time.) It was a good time to get more Jedi High Council members back into the basic figure line and both Yaddle & Even Piell are great choices! What is worth commenting on more than them being picked for a wave is the beautiful paint job Hasbro gave to both of these 'old molds'. Sometimes it's the little things in collecting that make such a big impact. And the new paint operations make these two simply articulated figures very special indeed. As background characters, they don't need a heaping amount of articulation. They just need to look great. Thankfully, The Legacy Collection versions of these figures elevates this to unprecedented levels.

Yaddle & Even Piell have been beautifully redecorated and it still dumbfounds us how the right paint application can make a simply sculpted figure that much better. The robes, faces, hands, and all other details look so much better. Hasbro went above and beyond what was expected and these can be entered into our collections as definitive. We likely won't see these two characters with more articulation [ever] so this is it folks. And they are worthy of this status. They didn't do much but sit around in the films and they are just perfect as it. (It truly is amazing to witness how a paint job can make or break a figure. Examples that readily come to mind are 2004's OTC Gamorrean Guard (OTC #30) and Jawas (OTC #24). These figures certainly have inferior sculpts, but Hasbro's paint ops revisit on them was nothing short of impressive.) Yaddle & Even Piell are two more examples of the benefits of modern painting technology. Both are both repaints of the figures we received in the 2003 Star Wars "Saga" [Phase III] Scene Packs sets, a line that unfortunately didn't last too long as a mainline product. (Toys R Us picked up the rest of them as store exclusives almost two years later). The figures have more than acceptable articulation and fit in the line in a very cool manner. Yaddle has six points of articulation (but the head joint barely moves and is inhibited by the body) while Even Piell only has five. Like we have already mentioned, this is certainly enough for them. As independent figures for a display background, there is not much more we could ask for to make these more articulated. The function fine as is. And they come with just the right accessories too. Even Piell comes with a removable cloak and a blue lightsaber while Yaddle only comes with a lightsaber that she can hold very well. Unfortunately, Even Piell has more difficulty with holding his.

As a great choice to round out the repack and repaint wave of 2008, we are grateful that Hasbro opted to put some extra elbow grease and innovative thought processes into these figures by giving them their refreshment. The treatment given to these old sculpts visually makes them relevant and current. But it's obvious that a significant and more accurate paint job will make any figure new enough and better to warrant a second purchase. And we love our Jedi and love completing the Council too. We could just get the same old figures, but Hasbro's effort exceeded our own expectations. Take for example the Saleucami Trooper (BD 20) in this same wave, Hasbro just took away the battle-damage markings. With Yaddle & Even Piell, significant strides of improvement were taken to make these figures the best they could be. This two figure set came with a 5D6-RA7 (Build A Droid) part so if you're looking to build this droid, then this may warrant your purchase of it. Once Yaddle & Even Piell sells through their initial shipments, they likely won't ever return to retail. And they were never released in high numbers, nor have they been repackaged with new droid parts. We won't say that this set is rare, but it will certainly be a bit more difficult to find then say, oh, a Clone Trooper (327th Star Corps) (BD 29) which has been repacked more times than we can count. Give this set of figures a chance because they have really been upgraded a great deal! And you know you want to complete your Death Star Droid too! These will be a big surprise to your collection, perhaps more than you think and we believe you will be quite impressed.