Gungan Scout Sub (With Obi-Wan Kenobi) - EI - Invasion Force

A compact, one being transport, the scout sub's organic design is typical of Gungan artisans. Though its design is often mistaken for a tasty morsel by the sea monsters of Naboo, it's high speed capabilities and powerful defensive claw succeed in keeping it out of danger.

With the sensory overload that was Episode I, did Hasbro honestly run out of ideas when it came to the toy line? That’s what immediately comes to mind when we consider the ridiculousness of the Gungan Scout Sub (With Obi-Wan Kenobi) “figure and vehicle” set from the Episode I line. By the end of 1999, the Episode I line was backing up something terrible. New waves of figures were hitting clearance outlets before major retail chains and many of the “new” sub-lines had extreme difficulty finding their way to pegs. Products that were meant for 1999 didn’t leak out until 2000 and one sub-line that suffered this fate was the short-lived Invasion Force lineup. Much like a Deluxe type of item, these sets contained a single action figure and a corresponding and interactive “Mini Rig” vehicle. Some worked while others were complete flops. Perhaps the worst of the bunch was the Gungan Scout Sub (With Obi-Wan Kenobi) which was some sort of peculiar amalgam which blended two key scenes from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace: the one where Obi-Wan travels underwater to Jar Jar Binks’ home world city and the one where Obi-Wan was traveling in an space submarine along with Qui-Gon Jinn and Jar Jar Binks.

OK, so this toy is a hybrid of multiple scenes in Episode I. But ultimately this means that it is from the Expanded Universe, specifically Hasbro’s universe. The toy itself is rather boring. The Gungan Scout Sub isn’t large enough to hold an action figure. In fact, there isn’t even an opening cockpit to house anything. Sure, the vehicle has an action feature of two, but aside from attaching Obi-Wan Kenobi like this is some fun water sport device, there isn’t much at all this thing can do. It looks pretty cool, but its small size and lack of features makes it a dull plaything. We honestly don’t know what else to say about it other than it is a complete waste. It’s not worth the $10 you’ll have to plop down for it. The Invasion Force line was meant to be the Episode I version of a Mini Rig line. But Kenner’s original Mini Rigs were a whole lot more interesting and many had believe “off screen” accuracy. Gungan Scout Sub (With Obi-Wan Kenobi) just doesn’t have that same authenticity. We’re not sure why Hasbro just didn’t develop an accurately scaled submarine vehicle that was seen in the film. This feels like a huge misstep in every way possible. But the vehicle isn’t the only issue here.

We’re not crazy about the included action figure either. And in all honesty, Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn’t be more screen inaccurate. When Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn entered the Gungan City below the water, most of the water was “strained” out of their clothing and bodies thanks to the large and thick bubble walls that allowed entryway into the city. Yes, they were still damp/wet, but they weren’t sopping wet. Yet this action figure interpretation of Obi-Wan Kenobi looks as if he was just completely submerged in water. His matted hair, his sad face and the thin frame of the figure just don’t work. And while we imagine there will be a couple of kids out there that may find this toy to be fun in a bathtub, we just don’t see how it will remain a kid or collector favorite throughout the years. Obi-Wan doesn’t come with any accessories either, so we imagine this toy will get pretty old fast. Obi-Wan Kenobi does come with six points of articulation however. Hasbro could have certainly made shortcuts here but they didn’t. We just hope that they expend their time and energy making more interesting vehicles and not these second rate “excuses” for vehicles instead.