Captain Tarpals & Kaadu - POTJ - Action Collection (Exclusive)

An experienced warrior, skilled in the ways of defending Otoh Gunga, Captain Tarpals maintains a respected position in the Gungan armed service as a kaadu patrol chief assigned to protect the city against attack from lethal sea creatures and other dangers. He achieved notable recognition while battling the Trade Federation's droid battalion during the invasion of Naboo. During the conflict, Captain Tarpals bravely sat atop his trusty kaadu, as rounds of laser cannon fire exploded around him, deploying the courageous Gungan warriors in their efforts to repel the droid battalion's advance.

After the mind-blowing Speeder Bike Action Collection release, Hasbro had to figure out how to take the line a step further while supporting the latest Star Wars film, The Phantom Menace. Instead of looking for a vehicle to produce in the Action Collection line, Hasbro opted for a beast, the battle-ready Kaadu. And because they already produced a Jar Jar Binks Action Collection figure, Hasbro believed that adding Captain Tarpals would make the most sense while avoiding any redundancy in the line. Designated as a TARGET exclusive, Hasbro produced the beautiful Captain Tarpals & Kaadu Action Collection set. And we have to state how impressive it turned out immediately. Both Captain Tarpals and the Kaadu are sculpted beautifully, and then Hasbro gave them beautiful and colorful paint jobs. Captain Tarpals comes with standard articulation for this line, but the Kaadu, due to its inherent design, only comes with two points of articulation.

Captain Tarpals is an all-new figure. We believed that Hasbro would utilize parts from Jar Jar Binks to produce Captain Tarpals, but we’re unable to find any similar or shared parts between the two of them. Hasbro followed the Captain Tarpals source material very closely to produce the Action Collection figure. From the material outfit to the head sculpt, to the ornate skin pattern, Hasbro pulled out all of the stops to produce the highest quality Captain Tarpals figure possible. Captain Tarpals also comes with decent articulation. The comes with a ball-jointed head and shoulders. They also added swivel elbows, which helps to pose Captain Tarpals with the included atlatl. By the way, the atlatl is a nicely designed accessory. They should have colored the translucent ball blue, but aside from that, it looks brilliant. Captain Tarpals leather-like outfit is well-fitted, and the added details help bring everything together. He looks fantastic.

As nice as Captain Tarpals is, the Kaadu comes across as nicer. The Kaadu is large and looks to scale next to Captain Tarpals, but we aren’t sure how “to scale” it is. Some refer to the Kaadu as the Tauntaun of the Prequel Trilogy. But for us, it’s a unique creature that doesn’t borrow anything from the Original Trilogy. It’s duck-like appearance and long legs paired with its scaly and colorful skin make it one of the most interesting creatures we’ve seen in a Star Wars film. And it has a design that seems to go over well with Star Wars fans. The Action Collection version of the Kaadu included three large and separately-sculpted feathers that convert the beast of burden to a faithful weapon of warfare. When everything is put together, and you set Captain Tarpals atop of the Kaadu, you’re left with a truly remarkable Star Wars collectible. The MSRP is $59.99, and we feel while a tad high, it’s worth your consideration.