Watto’s Box - EI - Cinema Scenes

Sitting in their exclusive box-seats high above the thunder of the speeding Podracers are three of Mos Espa's favorite locals: the shrewd Toydarian junk dealer Watto, and his guests Graxol Kelvyyn and the Twi'lek, Shakka. They are among thousands of fans gathered from worlds near and far to watch and wager on the thrilling Boonta Eve Podrace. Enjoying a spectacular view, the three watch anxiously to see if Watto's young slave, Anakin Skywalker, will emerge victoriously from the storm of dust in the winner's circle.

Collectors began feeling what poor distribution was like in The Power Of The Force “2” range of products from 1995 through 1998 (and beyond), but everyone felt it with the Episode I line. Many products made it out on time, but as the line moved forward to the end of 1999 to the beginnings of 2000, some of the most highly-anticipated toys never arrived at retail. The poor distribution especially affected the creature sets and Cinema Scenes. One Cinema Scene in particular, Watto’s Box, gave collectors agitation and anxiety. One of the smartest looking three-packs in years, Hasbro made Watto’s Box part of a second case assortment of Cinema Scenes sets, allowing the first wave to pile up on store shelves blocking the arrival of any future case assortments. It took months before the case assortment with Watto’s Box in it arrived on shelves and most of the hit KB Toys with a clearance sticker already on them. The set is very nice, colorful, and contains a high degree of newness that not all Cinema Scenes sets receive. And Watto’s Box also includes the tallest action figure in the entire Star Wars line, likely now and forever, Graxol Kelvynn which wows thanks to his size, smart use of soft-goods and stunning paint operations. But we’ll get to him more in a minute. Watto’s Box is based on the scene we saw during the Boonta Eve Classic, a podrace where Anakin Skywalker wins and is freed from Watto to pursue his role as a Jedi. We’re introduced to his friends, Graxol Kelvynn and Shakka, in this scene, and Hasbro chose very wisely the two characters that should accompany Watto in this brief moment of the film. Although Watto’s Box should have been included in a one and only case assortment of Cinema Scenes, we’re glad the supply got out there for collectors, but it still commands more than the other two thanks to its initial scarcity.

All three figures in the Watto's Box Cinema Scenes set are all-new figures. Watto is lighter than 1999’ EI Watto CommTech figure from the basic figure line. Hasbro also posed him differently to keep things as fresh and new as possible. He sits atop the chair included on the display stand to gain a little height since he’s a little too short to see everything. Hasbro gave the figure a beautiful paint job, although, he doesn’t come with any accessories and that’s a little bit disappointing to us. Shakka is perhaps the brightest figure in the set. She’s an all-new figure as well, and Hasbro cast the figure in a neon orange color. A Lethan Twi’lek from Ryloth, she “belonged” to Graxol Kelvyyn, so her inclusion is especially relevant here. Graxol Kelvyyn treated Shakka very well, but that didn’t negate the fact that she was still his slave. Hasbro accented the figure by giving her a silver bikini, armbands, and articulated legs. The hinge-jointed knees allow her to site well in the chair provided for her, but the articulation isn’t ideal for posing her in a running position or something similar. She doesn’t come with any accessories either. The woman who played Shakka in the film is lovely. Sadly, we don’t think the action figure meets the same attractiveness as the onscreen actress. We feel Hasbro could have made Shakka look a little more feminine. She looks to be in perfect scale with the rest of the figures in this set. We’re happy to see her released, but we wish that she looked a little more screen-accurate is all. When compared to other Twi’leks in the line like Oola, she looks comparable. But slightly thinner arms and legs would have done wonders for Shakka. Still, she complements the Watto’s Box Cinema Scenes set beautifully. Still, we think her master is the winner of this set overall.

Graxol Kelvyyn is an impressive action figure. Easily the tallest Star Wars action figure in 3.75” scale we’ve ever seen or ever will see, Hasbro took a unique approach making him, adding as much articulation as possible to make him functional as well as aesthetically pleasing for this Cinema Scenes set. Once you look at this set packaged, you’re immediately drawn to Graxol Kelvyyn. His inclusion here almost overwhelms you. He’s that large and impressively detailed that your brain won’t be able to take it all in at once. Hasbro gave Graxol Kelvyyn only seven points of articulation, but they’re all “smart” points of movement for this action figure. He comes with a swivel head (with inhibited movement), two swivel shoulders, two swivel bicep and then two hinge-jointed body sections which allow him to looks natural in a seated position. Whether stand upright towering over all of your other action figures, or gallantly seated in his chair on the display stand, Graxol Kelvyyn is a marvel, and we’re extremely thankful that Hasbro decided to make this random character for us in the Star Wars toy line. The goodness doesn’t stop there. Hasbro gave Graxol Kelvyyn one of the most beautiful paint jobs we’ve seen in the line today. His massive head is decorated in oranges and purples and various other colors that provide depth and shading. His eyes also received a great deal of attention and allowed his face to look so much like the onscreen character. He also comes with a luxurious purple soft-goods outer robe. It’s removable, but you have to be careful removing it from his body because it stretches in places. He’s the star of the set. He’s our favorite by far. Watto’s Box is a great set. You’ll want it just for Graxol Kelvyyn, but the other figures are great too.