Momaw Nadon - SW [S - P1] - Cantina Bar Section (2 of 3)

On the planet Tatooine, the Mos Eisley Cantina, also known as Chalmun's Cantina, is the hot spot for entertainment and intrigue. Many species intermingle there, spying and conducting shady business. Bounty hunters frequent the seedy joint, hoping to catch their prey in an unguarded moment. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker went to the cantina to find transportation off the planet, which led to their first meeting with Han Solo.

Momaw Nadon is an Ithorian, which are called "Hammerheads" throughout the galaxy. A peaceful gardener, he was exiled to Tatooine after he was forced to give agricultural secrets to the Empire. In the cantina, he learned Lt. Alima, his Imperial enemy, was seeking escaped droids. Using the information, Nadon finally got revenge against Alima for ruining his life.

Although certain products were specially created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Star Wars in 2002, it was the “non-Silver Anniversary” products that really interested the hardcore collectors. It’s just a shame that they didn’t follow through buying them. We’re of course talking about the Cantina Bar Section sets which were released as Walmart exclusives in August of 2002. Hasbro released three unique Chalmun’s Cantina aliens alongside three Cantina Bar Sections along with drinking glasses and a cardboard backdrop. This should have been a collector’s dream come true, but the shockingly fair $9.99 MSRP must have been too much for the collecting community to bear because the sets didn’t sell and were ultimately clearance out for as low as $2 in some locations. We personally never understood this line’s failure. Did not enough people know these were exclusive to Walmart (Unlikely). Did they really not want these to begin with? (Doubtful). Did a repack/repaint of a very old figure halt the sales of this? (Probably.) But whatever the reason for their retail failure, there is no denying how wonderful their additions are to the Star Wars basic figure line. They’ve been a long time coming.

As mentioned earlier, for only $9.99 collectors were treated to a basic figure (with either new tooling or an all-new paint or job (or both), a Cantina Bar Section (with screen inaccurate barstools – it’s OK, let it go) and a cardboard backdrop of a section of the cantina for visual effect. Collectors truly couldn’t have spent their hard-earned money more wisely in the Star Wars line, but for reasons unknown this retailer exclusive failed miserably. Sure it would have been nice to get a never-before-released cantina alien, but the updates made to the rehashed figures are noteworthy. Let’s take a look at Momaw Nadon, which is a huge improvement over 1996’s POTF2 [R] Momaw Nadon “Hammerhead” figure. Hasbro abandoned the removable “vest” this time around. They retooled the torso and redid his shell which strongly mirrors the vintage Kenner Hammerhead figure. They even managed to sculpt a “hood” (for lack of a better term) that nicely covers the rounded based of his neck/head. What’s more, Hasbro also tooled a “skirt” to seamlessly blend in with the torso while preventing the interruption of the waist joint. And, it doesn’t hang too long to encumber his hip movement. Momaw Nadon has never looked better, honestly.

How about that Cantina Bar Section? Well, it’s beautiful. Hasbro was sure to include every last detail of the simple design. And the deco seems to be perfect as well. The whole idea behind these exclusive sets is to build a complete bar. Three more will create the other side of the bar and then we just have to wait for the curved Cantina Bar Sections to be released at some point as well. (Editor’s Note: The curves bar section were released with both 2007’s TAC M’iiyoom Onith (30 22) and Elis Helrot (30 23) figures.) All three Cantina Bar Sections snap together. We did notice that the connection isn’t perfect, but we’re sure over time with a little more wear and tear that they will connect a little more smoothly. A cardboard cutout, which is part of the packaging, with dotted lines is visible on the reverse side of the packaging. You’ll have to use a pair of scissors to utilize this part of the set. Overall, we’re thrilled that Hasbro has released these. But we’re equally disappointed that they didn’t make a bigger splash at retail. The second wave of figures which include Dr. Evazan, Kitik Keed’kak, and Wuher were planned, produced (limitedly), canceled and ultimately released and were picked up by online shops.