Ephant Mon (Jabba’s Head Of Security) - SW [S - P1] - Basic (’02 #45) [Fans’ Choice #3]

The Empire prepares to crush the Rebellion with a second, more powerful Death Star. As the Rebel fleet mounts a massive attack on the dreaded space station, Luke Skywalker confronts his father, Darth Vader, in a climactic duel before the evil Emperor. In the last second, Vader makes a momentous choice: he destroys the Emperor and saves his son. The Empire is finally defeated, the evil Sith are destroyed, and Anakin Skywalker is redeemed. At long last, freedom is restored to the galaxy.

Formerly a gunrunner, Ephant Mon is a cunning and ruthless adversary. A Chevin from Vinsoth, he was saved by Jabba the Hutt and pledged his loyalty to the crime lord, eventually becoming Jabba's head of security. Heeding a warning from Luke Skywalker, he was one of the few to survive the destruction of Jabba's sailbarge at the Pit of Carkoon.

With the unofficial subtitle “Fans’ Choice Figure No. 3", it’s clear that Ephant Mon (Jabba’s Head Of Security) is an action figure that Hasbro created to appease longsuffering Star Wars collectors. Never quite winning the Fans’ Choice polls before this one, Ephant Mon finally took the title and was released almost unnoticed in the noncommittal Star Wars “Saga” line in the middle of the Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones hype. Hasbro will be the first to tell you that they “lost their shirt” on the Ephant Mon (Jabba’s Head Of Security) action figure. But we appreciate the loss they sustained because it turned out better than expected and has a sculpt that will stand the test of time, even in spite of the limited articulation they added to it. As a member of Jabba’s retinue, Ephant Mon is a long-awaited welcomed addition to the basic figure line. He is hefty, weight, full of girth and has a paint job that rivals even the best decorated previously released action figures Hasbro has ever done. That is no small feat. On top of expending an all-new tooling budget, Hasbro didn’t hold back the funds either to cover the complicated paint operations needed to bring Ephant Mon (Jabba’s Head Of Security) to life. The figure looks beyond marvelous.

Per various sources, Ephant Mon was rescued by Jabba The Hutt. In gratitude (or perhaps really more of a need to get back on his feet again), he became Jabba’s head of security. We personally find this a bit ironic, but it is what it is. Apparently Ephant Mon is a violent creature and the perfect candidate to keep things in order in a hive of motley characters in Jabba’s palace. Wielding a cane in addition to a hidden vibroblade under his robes, they can be combined to make a battle axe of sorts. Hasbro replicated this feature and the two accessories are able to be joined to create a bigger and “badder” weapon. It’s done very well. There is an inordinate amount of detail etched into Ephant Mon’s cane alone. Be sure to look for the same image that is also Jabba’s arm tattoo. It’s a very cool detail and we’re thrilled Hasbro paid attention to such details to include on such a background character. But there is detail everywhere on this figure. Check out the strands of his hair. And look at the texture of his skin. His trunk-like snout is full of layered details like rolls of skin. And we adore the hinge-jointed mouth that gives the action figure unexpected versatility. (The details inside of his mouth are incredible as well for the record.)

So, with a figure this accurate to the onscreen character and possessing a paint job that will impress you beyond belief, is there any exercise of caution you should employ before purchasing Ephant Mon (Jabba’s Head Of Security)? The short answer is no. But we will emphasize that if you’re an articulation junky, then you’ll be mildly saddened by what’s been included here. Right off of the bat we’d like to comment that ball-jointed shoulders would have made this figure perfect. And the second thing we would comment on is his center of gravity. Ephant Mon is absolutely top heavy and falls forward no matter how hard you attempt to prevent it. If you outstretch his arms, there is no way he can keep his balance upright. So we wish Hasbro would have mastered that before releasing the sculpt for finalization and mass producing. But back to our original point, ball-jointed shoulder would have give Ephant Mon a bit more flexibility than two swivel shoulders will. But the fantastic sculpt and paint job outweigh the negatives you may find in this action figure. It goes without saying that you’re getting a great deal of plastic here for less than $5. And it makes sense why Hasbro has lost their shirt. This is another must-have action figure for your collection. Don’t miss out on this fantastic figure.