Mon Calamari Warrior - TLC - Basic (BD 14)

The Mon Calamari are under attack by the Quarren, who have joined the Separatist side in the Clone Wars. Aided by Republic forces, Mon Calamari warriors mounted on trained keelkana fight the attacking Quarrens in a roiling undersea battle.

Ah, the Battle of Mon Calamari as seen in Tartakovsky's Clone Wars micro-series. It was simply one of the most exciting battles in the entire Star Wars saga! And ever since we saw Admiral Ackbar in Episode VI, we wanted to know more about his species and homeworld....and we did. As one of the pivotal scenes of the original Clone Wars micro-series, it quickly became one of the most favorite for Star Wars enthusiasts, even those who are not really into the Expanded Universe, because it introduced to the Mon Calamari and Quarren species in a new way as well as the awesome keelkana from the underwater battle. This sequence is full of new, but very recognizable Star Wars characters which harken back to the Original Trilogy films (just like Admiral Ackbar). The Mon Calamari are certainly a peaceful species, but they can battle with the best of them in an act of defense whenever necessary to protect their people. The underwater war included Battle Droids, Quarren Soldiers, Clone SCUBA Troopers and the fearless Kit Fisto sans shirt as the Jedi Knight leader of the battle. All of these characters together fought in an exciting display of epic proportions to prevent Separatist overtake of their Republic planet. The rather brief three minutes of this classic animated short contains more engaging action than even the latest The Clone Wars television series. The story was quick, the action was intense, and the mixture of characters created a divine recipe of Star Wars sweetness that has been hard to match this flawless vision.

The Mon Calamari Warrior action figure was also designed in a similar way to its appearance in the Clone Wars chapter: flawlessly and phenomenally stupendous! To say that he is an excellently sculpted action figure is an understatement. He is easily one of the best action figures we have received in The Legacy Collection. And Clone Wars enthusiasts have been thrilled to complete the scene from the animated short by including him in their displays. Mon Calamari Warrior sports only 12 points of articulation but we can definitively say that this is all he needs. His hands are probably the best design on his body. They are realistic and can hold his accessories incredibly well. He comes with three beautifully sculpted and painted accessories including a shield, blaster rifle staff and horn. All three are highly detailed and have been finished with a pearly blue layer of paint that captures light and glistens. The accessories match some of the shoulder armor detail on his outfit. On top of all of these ornamentations, he has a nicely woven soft-goods skirt with a unique tear drop pattern silk-screened onto it. These beautiful touches along with the bland colors of his uniform work strongly together to create a truly amazing and special Expanded Universe character that all drive home the point that he will do whatever it takes to fend of threat. His face is painted beautifully and his brick red skin tone is just beautiful in every way. In short, this figure will really impress you! It's a beautiful work of art, just like how the Clone Wars micro-series is.

As a figure that has not shipped since its original wave assortment, Mon Calamari was manufactured with the highest high quality and generous quantity and most collectors had multiple opportunities to grab him. While he is not warming the pegs a year after his original release like some other of his collection mates, he has always been a consistent seller and has all about sold through now. As a no-brainer army builder, you should by extras of his because he is cool. This wave of The Legacy Collection was one of Hasbro's best and we think that the only thing that could have perfected it was to release a whole second wave of new Clone Wars characters - that is how good these figures are. Unfortunately, Hasbro has hinted that this was their "goodbye" to the original Clone Wars micro-series. But we really hope that Hasbro will continue to create and release the "so far ignored" characters and get them out to us over time. For those not yet realized in plastic we hope their time will come. Captain Fordo is a perfect example. He stole the show in Volume 2 and we have yet to get him in Phase II armor. We just love the Clone Wars. As collectors, we are really growing our Mon Calamari species; we have Admiral Ackbar, Mon Calamari Officer, Meena Tills, Ibtisam (from the Ibtisam/Nrin Vakil exclusive Comic Packs set, and now the generic Mon Calamari Warrior. With each incarnation into the line, the details and likenesses have been getting better and better. But Hasbro has been good to this species and have always seemed to be successful in making pretty darn good versions of these popular characters. Mon Calamari Warrior is one of these that should have a spot in your collections too!