Gungan Warrior - SW [TPM 3D] - Discover The Force (5 of 12)

Gungan warriors emerge from the misty swamps to the battlefield, where they take on the Trade Federation's droid army. These natives of Naboo are armed with electropoles and weapons that can hurl plasmic energy balls at the droids.

Don’t believe what you might have read about this figure on the web already. There are a lot of erroneous things being said about it and we’re hoping we can clarify them all and illuminate the collective body a little bit more. Hasbro releases “another” Gungan Warrior into the basic figure line just in time for The Phantom Menace 3D release. It’s a gorgeous figure, but honestly it should be because it borrows the arms and legs from another stellar Gungan figure. A reworked 2009 Legacy Collection figure, the 2012 iteration isn't exactly a "warrior" as we know them to be. It may utilize the arms and legs from 2009’s LC Gungan Warrior (BD07) figure, but the rest of it is all-new. The entire body and head get all-new sculpting treatment and the final results are stunning. Although Hasbro has treated us to another incredible member of the Gungan species, they unfortunately have forgone the unique skin pattern that these creatures possess. It seems as if it will never return sadly. It's terrible that older figures have managed to capture this detail, yet figures released years later do not. As a result, the figure is definitely lacking and costs should have been cut some other way as to not affect the integrity of the authenticity of this fan favorite Star Wars species. Part of the Discover The Force promotion, the Gungan Warrior is a fine and much needed addition to the basic figure line.

We should have mentioned this immediately, but this figure’s name is actually a misnomer. This Gungan is not a Gungan Warrior, but rather a Gungan Scout, and he can clearly be seen in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. There is one scene in the film where there is a Gungan atop a sacred relic or statue. He then relays information to Anakin Skywalker who serves as some sort of messenger to relay this information to Boss Nass and the others to prepare for the invasion of Naboo. He is holding a farseein which is the equivalent of the more commonly used (and higher technology) electrobinoculars to see things in the distance. As an accessory it's cool, but it's difficult for the figure to utilize. Other than balancing it on his shoulders, it isn’t the most functional accessory we’ve seen a figure get. We do have to say that Hasbro did a great job on its sculpting and it looks just like the digital prop in the film. But there are more things needing clarification. Some collectors have referred to the included staff as an electropole, but that is incorrect too. It’s actually a two part cesta staff. We think that despite what's been included with the figure that the Gungan Warrior is a little too lightly accessorized. It would have been great to get another atlatl again, but that wasn’t in the cards for this release obviously. It just feels like he is lacking.... something. We'd also like to make it clear that even though this figure needs a better paint job and the accessories are a little light that we still have a great affection for the Gungan Warrior.

The Gungan “Scout” Warrior comes with 14 points of articulation and has an especially wide range of motion in the legs. He doesn’t come with ball-jointed hips, but they function is a way that almost make you believe that they are. The outfit he is wearing is completely different that 2009’s LC Gungan Warrior (BD07) figure. He is wearing chest armor very reminiscent of what Captain Tarpals was wearing (if you can recall that figure from the Episode I line). Hasbro definitely knows how to change things up in the basic figure line with repetitive species. They’re really good about looking for those who stand out in a group of species that are all the same. Even the 2009 LC Gungan Warrior (BD07) figure was unique because it came with his battle horn. Now we’re getting the sole Gungan from Episode I who is using a farseein. (It’s literally the only place in the film you’ll see it.) We definitely are into Hasbro consistently releasing a new Gungan as often as they can into the basic figure line. While Jar Jar Binks may be solely responsible for creating an incredible amount of hate towards the Gungan species, they really are interesting creatures that we find particularly likeable. Hasbro is making this even easier for us since the action figures based on them are just stunning. This Gungan Warrior (we mean Scout) is one of those examples.