If you’re a fan and/or collector of Sideshow Collectibles’ brilliant 12” figure line, you know that you have been treated to some amazing products so far. Since the line made its debut in late Fall 2005 with the first figure released in March of 2006, they’ve given us Jedi, Sith, various military members and our most favorite heroes of the Rebellion. But perhaps one of the most interesting branches (especially for us) in this scale is the Scum & Villainy sub-line. It’s the place we’re going to find the various aliens from the Cantina and Jabba’s palace and other characters that may or may not speak lines in the films (even if they may be good-natured like the peaceful Momaw Nadon). Unfortunately, Sideshow hasn’t delved too deeply in this sub-line to date, but to be fair, they have given us some impressive figures like Jabba The Hutt and his corresponding throne environment and creature packs. They were spectacular. And don’t forget about the fantastic Greedo which is getting rave reviews from all. And now they’ve released their second Chalmun’s Cantina alien, Momaw Nadon (Hammerhead). What makes this extra special is that this is the very first time collectors have the opportunity to add Momaw Nadon to their collections in 12” form. (Editor's Note: A little known fact is that Hasbro was working on one for release in the 2004/2005 era, but it never came to fruition. And the line was put to rest after the Revenge Of The Sith line had ended. Then Hasbro licensed the line to Sideshow Collectibles.) There are a ton more figure coming into the Scum & Villainy collection per Sideshow and these include more creatures and bounty hunters. The heroes are the most popular and it’s especially rewarding to see them “updated” from the old Hasbro 12” figures that were made, but we love it when they attack characters that have never seen 12” release under any license (especially when they're aliens). And because the Sideshow figures are done so well, they’ll likely never need a revisit. By definition, this obviously makes them the definitive versions in this scale.
Momaw Nadon (Hammerhead) is a truly spectacular figure. There are many things to get excited about and the figure radiates a great deal creative genius that Sideshow is known for in this scale. You’ll have to take it all in when admiring the figure because it should make you smile. The figure should fill you with elation. We wouldn’t claim he is 100% perfect, but he is near-flawless representation of a character that was essentially a head and arms in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Sideshow Collectibles took cues from both the original vintage 1979 Kenner figure as well as the more modern interpretations by Hasbro in the neo-classic line, especially the 2006 The Saga Collection iteration. (In fact, just take the 2006 TSC Momaw Nadon (SAGA 031) figure and blow it up to 12” scale, add lots more articulation and call it a day. That's exactly how well Sideshow made this figure.) Momaw Nadon (Hammerhead) is huge. His head is large and surprisingly rubbery. It is soft to the touch and bends and it’s not cast in a hard plastic as we’d suspected. The softness and pliability was slightly alarming, but it makes his head more realistic in some bizarre way, especially to the touch. (Maybe because it closely resembles the latex mask of the original prop, who knows?) The paint job and outfit are flawlessly done. The skin has tons of texture (like bulging veins - a nod to the Kenner figure) and color (in various browns, blacks and tans all accented with tons of shading - a nod to the 2006 TSC figure) and Sideshow sculpted beautiful four-fingered hands and the figure comes with various attachments needed to hold the staff, blaster rifle or just in open positions to lay his hands on his Mos Eisley Cantina (Nadon's Nook) 12 Inch Figure Environment. Momaw Nadon is super-articulated. Sideshow Collectibles cleverly used one of their new basic body types but yet incorporated Ithorian-specific extremities. This allows the figure to have the most amount of movement possible while being able to create and authentic look still faithful to his species. Our one complaint is that the joints are a bit looser than we had wanted. But the figure can stand unassisted and he comes with the updated figure stand if you choose to pose him that way instead.
Momaw Nadon’s stature is something else. While he looks gigantic, he appears graceful placed at the Mos Eisley Cantina (Nadon's Nook) 12 Inch Figure Environment that Sideshow intended for him. But there is also a lot to appreciate with his costume too. All of the fine details on his belt like the ornate buckle and waist rope with all of the necessary pouches are in place and look incredibly lifelike. Small details do a world of good for a 12" figure and Sideshow has not failed us here at all. A lot of effort was put into making these accessories and they pay off in helping to decorate this figure to astounding levels. This is a 12” figure where Sideshow Collectibles has gone above and beyond and we’re particularly thankful that a background character like Momaw Nadon has gotten all of this treatment. Exclusive collectors have the pleasure of adding the long, gold staff (that was seen included with the 2006 The Saga Collection Hasbro figure) into their collections. It is extremely tall and looks awesome with Momaw Nadon holding it. The various hand attachments that come with Nadon are made for very specific reasons. And the nice thing is that Sideshow Collectibles didn’t go crazy with a ton of hand attachments. Sometimes that can be overwhelming. It was nice to get all of those attachments with Captain Rex [CC-7537] (501st Legion: Torrent Company), but there were way too many hands! The fabric used to make Momaw Nadon’s outfit has been "weathered" superbly. The fabric is worn looking and the edges are tattered. The clothing is fitted and Sideshow stuffed certain portions of the outfit in an effort to give Nadon’s body some “body” (or depth). It worked quite well! With the recent tease of the Modal Nodes, it seems that Hasbro has the intentions to release more cantina aliens. And we hope they keep them coming to us. Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba are two we'd love to see accompany Greedo and Monaw Nadon. But Momaw Nadon is a figure to enjoy now because he is an accomplishment on so many levels. It’s truly a blessing to finally own a 12” scale version of Momaw Nadon (Hammerhead) in our collections. And it’s an even bigger blessing that it’s been done through the craftsmanship of Sideshow Collectibles.
|