Plo Koon - LC - Basic (BD45)

Plo Koon is a Jedi Master whose homeworld is Dorin, where the atmosphere is mostly helium and another gas unique to the planet. He wears protective goggles and a face-concealing antiox mask whenever he is in oxygen-rich environments.

Plo Koon has had his fair share of time in the spotlight as a Star Wars basic figure. Debuting in the Power Of The Jedi line in 2000, it still holds up pretty well today. In fact, that sculpt was most recently used for 2005's ROTS Plo Koon (III 66) figure, the "Holographic Transmission" version. The 2002 Star Wars Plo Koon had a great and exciting action pose but fell extremely short in the area of acceptable articulation (by today’s standards). The 2005 ROTS Plo Koon (III 16) figure was a significant upgrade and has basically held the title for the definitive Plo Koon action figure until now. (It was also subsequently used for the 2008 TAC Plo Koon/R4-F5 (1 of 6) Droid Factory set as well as multiple Saga Legends releases.) The Legacy Collection Plo Koon has good and bad news and we will start with the bad news first. We don't like the removable mask. Sorry for those of you out there that may have wanted this and waited a long time for it. We feel that it doesn’t deliver as Hasbro may have intended it to and it is more of a nuisance than a cool accessory. For starters, it doesn't stay on very well and when you do get it to stick in place, it looks bulky and awkward (only to fall or get bumped out again which causes much frustration). Maybe the hole where it attaches on our sample wasn’t cut right, but we think this may be the trend unfortunately. Perhaps if it plugged in more tightly and closer to the head we may be inclined to be a bit more forgiving of it, but we don't think it turned out like we (or Hasbro) had hoped. Don't misinterpret our complaint here because Plo Koon is a beautifully sculpted action figure and so is the removable breathing mask/goggles, but its utilization is lacking (a lot). The good news is that the new Plo Koon figure is super-articulated and all the parts that you wanted to see enhanced have indeed seen incredible updates. We were dying to know just how much of the new Plo Koon may have been originated from the 2005 ROTS Plo Koon (III 16) figure. And while we are unable to call the 2009 Plo Koon an all-new figure, we are happy to report that only the upper body/chest and hands have been reused from the ROTS III 16/DroidFactory/Saga Legends figure. This is wonderful news, because we popped off the head and hands (of the new Plo Koon) and replaced them with the ROTS Plo Koon (III 16) parts and we have to say it alleviates the issue of the mask/goggles popping off while at the same time making the figure look better in many aspects. We think this figure could have been perfected by coming with a second portrait that didn’t have the removable mask. Despite this little issue, the new Plo Koon is exceptional and he is right on time for an update.

Plo Koon really does get better and better the longer you play with him. He has wonderful soft-goods and the hard plastic skirt has been removed in its entirety. This allows for optimum mobility and effortless posing. It is our desire to see plastic skirts be ultimately eliminated on all future action figures (especially the Jedi) because it does inhibit what they can do as an action figure. Not only does he have soft-goods below his belt, the fabric has been cut perfectly and the drape is gorgeous. It is not stiff and falls with clean lines and the silhouette of the figure is stunning. The flesh parts have been cast in a much more human tone than the previous versions of Plo Koon (like what we see in the Droid Factory/Saga Legends packages). We think the true color lies somewhere in the middle because the new version is too light and the Saga Legends version is clearly too dark. His outfit matches throughout his body (chest to arms, etc.) and his dark brown pants enhance his reddish upper threads very nicely. Probably the next best enhancement to Plo Koon are his legs. Swivel jointed at the hips but ball-jointed at the knees and ankles, his legs have been crafted with such attention to detail, we once again are amazed by how much it looks like what we saw in Episode III (or actually production skills). Cast in a lighter brown than the rest of his costume, the boots are probably the best sculpted detail on this figure. That is saying a lot for a part of the costume than can go pretty much unnoticed, especially in the films. Plo Koon comes with the removable mask, a lit lightsaber and the “concept art” double-bladed lightsaber gauntlet. He displays very nicely and can hold them all at the same time without any issues. Plo Koon’s right hand has been designed flawlessly with two fingers bent inward so that the lightsaber hilt actually snaps in place between these two fingers. In other words, that lightsaber is going nowhere unless you pry it out of his hands yourself. (We love when designs are this great!) This of course is not new (since the original hands have been reused) and you are most likely familiar with this awesome design already. Although the concept art shows that the gauntlet had green blades, Hasbro opted to be a little more faithful to The Clone Wars series (we assume) and cast them in blue. It could be said that this Plo Koon is a realistic version of The Clone Wars Plo Koon (No. 14) if you display him with this gauntlet. (We won’t, but the possibility certainly exists.)

The Legacy Collection Plo Koon is a testament that good action figures can become great once they are given the full articulated treatment they deserve. Of course the older Plo Koon figures weren’t terrible but they certainly age when we see something of this magnitude enter our collections. Plo Koon is pretty much everything you want your definitive Plo Koon action figure to be. And you may even like the removable mask. We think it is aesthetically displeasing to our eyes but you may see it in another light. But no matter your opinion on this little detail, Plo Koon delivers as a stunning product to the action figure line and we believe it will be the basis for all future Plo Koon action figures. (We hope so at least.) And how about a “Concept Art Plo Koon” action figure to go long nicely with the recently released Concept Art Ki-Adi-Mundi? Huh, Hasbro? Please?! (Actually, this figure could possibly work as a concept version with the included lightsaber gauntlet.) It seems all Hasbro would have to do is simply “head swap”. Then again, we suppose we could just do that ourselves (if the ball socket fits). The last few Star Wars basic figure lines have been quite well-rounded for the most part and the Legacy Collection has certainly followed suit. While each wave focuses on a specific Star Wars source, the figures within those waves include main characters, background characters, army builders and collector-focused characters. Our opinion is that Plo Koon fits the background character definition quite well, and perhaps is just shy of main character status. But we believe if Hasbro keeps making action figures like Plo Koon of this incredible quality, he may just become a more popular mainstay in the action figure line. This action figure is absolutely an improvement to its ancestors and we know that you will feel very similarly. On top of a great and authentic costume, he has awesome accessories and articulation that will make you smile. And Plo Koon has made us smile, in fact, we are still unable to wipe the grin off of our faces. He may just put a smile on your face too! We highly recommend that you pick him up! (*Editor's Note: Plo Koon's lightsaber gauntlet is directly inspired from Revenge Of The Sith concept art and subsequently The Clone Wars and his removable antiox mask is from the Star Wars: Practice Makes Perfect comic, the first place we saw him without the mask on his face.)