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I have to say, while I don't like a good portion of
the newer figures Hasbro has been coming out with, they seem to
have embraced the fact collectors want EVERY character from the
films, not just redone original figures. The last few waves
have had some really cool background characters that I would have
guessed we would have never seen.
Kitik Keed'kak is an alien from the Cantina from
A New Hope. The cantina scene is the one scene from almost
all the films that both fans and non-fans recall. For all of
the screen time that the aliens in that scene got, they are the
ones that fans seem to remember the most in the Star Wars saga.
The giant praying mantis is no exception.
Our bug-like alien here is a female Yam'rii
according to the
Star Wars Databank. It seems strange to think of a big
insect on the desert world of Tatooine. Of course, an 8 ft
tall praying mantis is a bit strange anyway.
Appearance:
If I had seen this figure loose somewhere, and
hadn't know about it, I'd guessed it was part of another line.
She looks like a big bug with a little softer detailing than the
usual SW figure. Since this figure is a re-issue from a
Kmart three pack, there may have been a less attention to detail
put into the original figure to save some dough. There is
texturing all over the body, though. Something akin to crab
shell looking stuff.
The waist of this figure looks a bit odd to me.
I'm sure it's base on some real praying mantis reference.
But to me, it looks like the skirt was going to fit differently at
some point. Since she's a Cantina patron, I almost wonder if
she was intended to have a cloth skirt so that she could sit.
Speaking of the skirt, this is one part of
this figure that bugs me. The sculpt is probably good, but
the blotchy washes and paint just look terrible. Apparently,
big bugs do all the speeder oil changes on Tatooine. I
wonder if this is carry over from the original issue as well.
When I saw this figure carded, I figured it was
solid from waist down. I was pleasantly surprised to find a
bug abdomen and legs under the skirt. It seems figures with
skirts are becoming a trend in these reviews (see
Gragra's review). The legs even
have hip joints. They remind me a bit of grasshopper legs
from "A Bug's Life".
My biggest gripe with this figure is the color.
I haven't pulled out the DVD to confirm, but the Databank photo is
what I thought she should be for color. The figure is
somewhat a brownish color. The film photos appear a green
similar to a real praying mantis. This may be a case where
like the Hoth Han Solo, where not all the reference material
matches.
Fun:
You can tell this figure is intended to be more
of a collector figure than a standard figure. There is far
less articulation than we have gotten used to seeing. There
are points at the shoulders, hips and waist (5 points).
Oddly, missing is a ball jointed head, which was
done to save money I'm sure. That would have made this
character capable of much more expression. I would have
preferred a slight tilt to the head if it wasn't going to move
instead of straight on.
I would have like to have seen some secondary
arm articulation as well. It would have been nice if she
could have wrapped her arms around her prey.
For accessories, she has two. The standard
holograph figure and a base. She stands fine without the
base, though. As you can see from the picture the base is
incorrect, showing Episode 2 instead of A New Hope. I
suppose it's possible she was lurking in the corners of the
Outlander club and her scenes were cut, but to me it's just an
outright mistake.
Overall:
I have to say I'm a big fan of figures of
background characters. This one is no exception. I'm
not a MOC collector, so these kind of figures appeal to me for
filling out little scenes. I remember walking by my Cantina
shelf a year or so ago and thinking that it was looking kind of
under populated. Now, it's starting to bustle with patrons.
Looking at this years Toy Fair pictures, it looks like it's only
going to get busier.
Now, as far as figures go Kitik here may not be
up to par with the other figures we've become accustom to seeing,
but she definitely would look great hanging out in the back corner
of your Cantina diorama. Especially, if, like me, you
weren't able to score the original Kmart 3 pack.
Engineernerd Score: 75/100
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