Kit Fisto - TSC - Basic (SAGA 055)

Without a doubt, one of the more memorable scenes from Genndy Tartakovsky's acclaimed Clone Wars micro-series was the Battle of Mon Calamari. So popular, in fact, that Hasbro decided to re-release a figure specifically from this chapter in the series, The Saga Collection's shirtless Kit Fisto. The underwater battle pits the Quarren Isolation League and Separatist droids against Mon Calamari Loyalists, aided by Jedi General Kit Fisto and a legion of SCUBA Troopers. This scene somehow struck quite a cord with fans and eager collectors soon demanded figures based on this action-packed battle. This repack, first released as part of Hasbro's 2003 Clone Wars line, gives collectors a second chance to add this fantastic, albeit peculiar, figure to their collections. A lot of collectors were baffled by the 2003 Clone Wars line and chose to ignore the figures completely. This wasn't surprising when, after all, the line was kind of a strange amalgam of realistically-styled figures based on a lot of unknown characters from an animated TV show that not a lot of people saw in the first place. In fact, when we first saw these figures on the shelves, we remember saying to ourselves, "ARC Troopers? Those weren't in the movies. And why does Anakin have all this weird armor? A shirtless Kit Fisto? What?" After some time, however, collectors wised-up and eventually realized the brilliance that was Tartakovsky's Clone Wars. By that time, though, Hasbro's line of realistic figures had already died (lasting only two waves), leaving a lot of collectors empty handed and fetching a premium price on the secondary market. Fortunately for us all, Hasbro has re-released a number of the figures from the line at one time or another and Kit Fisto here is no exception.

With a very scene-specific outfit as well as standout paint job, it's easy to look past this figures few flaws. Definitely sculpted from his appearance in Attack of the Clones (not the re-designed ROTS character model), Kit sports a moderate eight points of articulation. The figure would benefit greatly from elbow and knee joints, but the addition of ankle joints is a nice touch when you're a figure who's suppose to be flapping his feet in the water. Nonetheless, you really can't position him into any of the interesting underwater poses we saw in the series. His ball-jointed head is designed with the ability to look up; another great feature when you're swimming. Unfortunately though, the tendrils that hang over his shoulders hamper his ability to look straight forward when he's standing upright. This gives Kit the distracting trait of always looking up slightly. Articulation aside, it really is the fantastic paint job and detailed sculpt that makes this figure great. Who would have thought? Kit Fisto is ripped! Never has Hasbro put so much detail into a figure's musculature. The awesome sculpt is made even better by the dry-brush coat of light green paint over the figure's skin. This paint application really brings out the detail in his muscles, a treatment that we rarely see on figures from this era. The only bummer is that Hasbro decided to cut costs by not applying the dry-brush coat to the figure's back, hoping that his tendrils would cover up the omission. Sadly, it doesn't work. You can still easily see the dark green paint underneath Kit's ponytails and it's ever so distracting. Small details on the belt, like the metallic paint on the food and energy capsules and the yin-yang-like belt buckle (taken directly from Kit's appearance in the micro-series) add to the figure's likability.

Another great detail is the way in which Kit's tendrils seem to be blowing in the wind (or is that flowing in the water?). Either way, it's a touch that really brings the figure to life. While the paint on the head doesn't quite match the rest of his body, it still looks nice. An interesting little tidbit about this figure is that he sports twenty tendrils sprouting from the top of his head (that's right, we do have too much time on our hands). According to Wookieepedia, Nautolans should, in fact, have only fourteen tendrils, the same number of tendrils found on his previous 2002 Star Wars "Saga" release, but not the same as the twelve found on his 2005 ROTS release. (Editor's Note: Future releases would have anywhere from twelve to eighteen tendrils, so for now this release appears to be the winner of "Most Tendrils on a Kit Fisto Figure.") This doesn't mean much for the figure, but it is another happy little inconsistency that we obsessive collectors can pour over. Kit Fisto is a straight repack, so if you missed him the first time, now's your chance. His only accessory is his standard green lightsaber. It would have been nice if Hasbro threw in a little something extra on this one since the articulation isn't up to the current era's standards. This simply isn't the case, though, and we'll have to do with a figure that looks great and scratches our itch for more figures from Tartakovsky's incredible Clone Wars micro-series. Look for Kit's shirtless appearance in Chapter 21 of the series. If you love that chapter as much as we do, you owe it to yourself to go out and get your hands on this figure. And if you're not a fan of the series (shame on you!) then you should at least pick him up for the sole fact that he's a shirtless Jedi…A SHIRTLESS JEDI! (Editor's Note: Kit looks right at home next to the 2008 Legacy Collection's Clone SCUBA Trooper (BD 10), Mon Calamari Warrior (BD 14), and Quarren Soldier (BD 15) all from the Battle of Mon Calamari. This figure was also repackaged in the Walmart exclusive 2008 TAC Kit Fisto/R4-H5 (4 of 6) Droid Factory set with a soft-goods cloak.)