Naboo Final Combat - OTC - Multipacks (Exclusive)

Stranded on Tatooine after rescuing young Queen Amidala from the impending invasion of Naboo, Jedi apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discover Anakin Skywalker, a nine-year-old slave unusually strong in the Force. Anakin wins his freedom during a thrilling Podrace and leaves home to be trained as a Jedi. The heroes return to Naboo where Anakin and the Queen face massive invasion forces while the two Jedi fight the evil Darth Maul, and realize that the invasion is the first step in a sinister scheme by the dark forces known as the Sith.

The Original Trilogy Collection exceeded Hasbro’s expectations. More simply, it performed better than expected. In fact, case assortments had to be changed and added to meet demand. Originally intended to be a “filler” line until the Revenge Of The Sith line launch, it quickly became a center of focus for Hasbro (and collectors) as the modern, yet nostalgic packaging drew in many more people than planned. Sure, the line consisted of mostly repackaged and repainted figures, but Hasbro brought newness and life to the line through clever packaging that nodded to the classic vintage Kenner line while remaining fresh and contemporary. Hasbro scrambled to create a balanced action figure and vehicles line while incorporating decent concepts for retailer exclusives. But because 2004 was smack dab in the middle of the Prequel Trilogy, not all of the product concepts focused on the Original Trilogy. Take for instance the Naboo Final Combat set. While not perfect, Hasbro added a significant amount of newness to the set which made it a prime target for collectors. And although sourced from The Phantom Menace, it still received the vintage Kenner inspired packaging Its all other Original Trilogy based products did. The better of the two by a landslide, Naboo Final Combat was released alongside the Endor Ambush set and released as Toys R Us exclusives, almost as if they were follow-ups to the multipacks released in the Star Wars “Saga” lines.

Naboo Final Combat comes with four repainted, retooled, or repacked previously released figures and a retooled beast. First up is the Battle Droid. Based on 2000’s POTJ Battle Droid (Boomer Damage) figure, it has now been given an all-new clean paint job. It’s interesting to see the figure without the battle-damage. Its limbs are still too pliable, and the figure has difficulty standing. But the backpack still comes with a slot to stow the droid blaster when not in use, and it looks great as usual. The head still falls off of this figure very easily. We wish that Hasbro would have tweaked the figure’s shortcomings a little bit more because this is a great base sculpt for the B1 Battle Droids. The other Power Of The Jedi figure included here is the Gungan Soldier. A repaint of 2000’s POTJ Gungan Warrior figure, he now comes without the shield. The atlatl is still included. The figure also has some difficulty standing as its center of gravity is skewed, but the figure looks alright for release despite aging rapidly. Naboo Palace Guard is a repaint of 1999’s EI Naboo Royal Guard figure. While the figure is differently colored throughout, the most notable difference is that the pearly color of the top of his helmet is now black. We’re not sure why Hasbro changed this detail. Lastly, Captain Tarpals is a retool and repaint of 1999’s EI Captain Tarpals figure. This time the figure has been given hinge-jointed knees to sit atop the included Kaadu. This version of him is also significantly shorter than the original 1999 release too.

The star of the entire Naboo Final Combat set is the Kaadu. We are thoroughly impressed with what Hasbro did to it to make it screen-accurate and definitive. Most importantly, Hasbro removed the action feature in the legs. The legs are replaced with standard swivel articulation. The saddle area is also retooled to accommodate the included feathers. But the best part of this beast’s update is the paint job. It’s gorgeous beyond expectations. Colorful, warrior-like, and authentic, the Kaadu has never looked better in the toy line. And it probably will never look better than this in the future. Yellows, browns, and purples accent the Kaadu throughout. And the speckled pattern of its skin is brought out thanks to careful applications of color. The Kaadu still doesn’t have great articulation, but you probably won’t care because of how beautiful it is. The feathers are a bit of a pain to insert in the saddle, but if you push them in at the right angle, they go in rather easily (for us at least). Be careful not to bend them while installing them. Captain Tarpals has been designed with a wide enough gap in between his legs to straddle the Kaadu with relative ease. Together, they look fantastic. It is like they were both pulled directly out of the movie. Both are tremendous updates to past efforts. The set as a whole provides ample play value as you get a nice diverse supply of actors that partook in the Battle of Naboo. But for us, we’re smitten with the Kaadu. It’s truly one of Hasbro’s smartest and most clever updates to date.