Pax Bonkik - TAC - Basic (30 54)

Pax and his younger brother, Trax, are the slaves of Podracer Mars Guo and work for him as mechanics. The brothers are very close but are separated through a series of misfortunes, until freed from slavery by Podracer Teemto Pagalies.

On film, why does Greedo look like a real alien from another world and Pax Bonkik looks like one of George Lucas’ stage hands in a rubber mask? A lot has to be said of the magic of the Original Trilogy. And while it was more than thrilling to get three modern prequel films, they just didn’t match the same nostalgic caliber of the original films. It was certainly inevitable that we would be bumping into many of the same species that had been established in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi. But we wonder why specifically the Rodians in The Phantom Menace look so “fake” in comparison to their descendants. On top of that, one of the biggest issues we had in The Phantom Menace was the topic of slaves. And it’s not because we don’t like the topic. We find it hard to believe that two Rodians (Pax and Trax Bonkik) are slaves to Mars Guo. It just doesn’t make sense to us. And to make things a bit sillier, Teemto Pagalies (apparently with a stronger moral compass than Guo) saved Pax Bonkik from slavery. Sadly his brother was bought by Sebulba. How do these little Podracers barter and trade characters that seem they could overtake them in a second? (Their history is even more comical. Their parents were spice addicts. Really? Sometimes the Expanded Universe goes out of control.) Now that this review is completely off course, we will try our best to pull it back.

When Hasbro made the phenomenal 2006 VTSC Greedo action figure, it was evident that they wanted to advantage of this great sculpt and make a few more Rodians. While our first choice would have been Beedo, we think that it was Hasbro’s intention to attack a Rodian that looked strikingly different to the famous Greedo. Yes, Beedo does look quite similar to Greedo, but we think that there could have been enough differences added to make them unique. Plus, we need a Beedo for our Jabba’s Palace dioramas. But Hasbro decided to go with Pax Bonkik and all criticisms about his character aside, the action figure came out quite well. We don’t think the action figure looks all that much like the onscreen character (in the face), but hey, it’s a great and clever repaint. And instead of resurrecting the “awful” soft-goods vest, Hasbro turned to the much older 2002 SW Han Solo (Endor Raid) ('02 #37) figure and cast in in a shiny navy blue for Pax Bonkik. We have to admit that Pax Bonkik has one of the best paint jobs in the face. We wish this technique would be utilized with more popular characters. It starts off in the palest yellow (nearly white) on the mouth and slowly progresses to dark green by the time you reach his antennas on the top of his head. It is a spectacular paint job and Hasbro spared no expense getting his costume expertly decorated too. The outfits between Greedo and Pax Bonkik are quite different, so you’ll just have to look the other way here if you want authenticity.

If it weren’t for the repaint and repaint wave in the 30 (77-07) line, we wouldn’t have received any figures based from The Phantom Menace (not counting figures in the Saga Legends line). The Phantom Menace didn’t get much love the last few years. We hope Hasbro is not abandoning (or at best keeping it on the backburner) this source as many characters need severe updates and many more need to be made for the very first time. And at the same rate we have to hand it to Hasbro for selecting a figure in the extreme background for a chance to be made in the basic figure line. Even if you aren’t a fan of the Prequel Trilogy, Pax Bonkik could serve well as a background alien in many dioramas including Jabbas’ Palace and Chalmun’s Cantina as well as the streets of Mos Eisley. But he looks best next to the podracer pilots and the two Podracers we already have. Likely to be a figure that collectors may forget about as time moves on, Pax Bonkik did deliver a great action figure in a quick and painless way for Hasbro. We should all be used to the repaints by now. And we still want them to come. There are many more ideas that can be culled from already made action figures. It is our desire to see more and more come to fruition. So while there is nothing earth-shattering about Pax Bonkik, we do think he is a pretty awesome action figure that probably would have never been made otherwise. We can thank the 2006 VTSC Greedo for his “birth” in the basic figure line.