When it comes to Star Wars action figures, one of the things I have been waiting for for a very long time has been the ability to recreate in the S.H. Figuarts line the lightsaber battle at the end of The Phantom Menace featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn versus Darth Maul. Well, it has been a pretty long wait, but now that the triumvirate is complete, I have found it was well worth it.
As I have mentioned before, I am not a Prequel Trilogy hater. I admit that those films are not as good from a storytelling standpoint as the Originally Trilogy, but I also have to say that Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of my favorite pieces of Star Wars overall. I also enjoy Liam Neeson’s muted portrayal of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, and when those two teamed up to fight Darth Maul, it made for the best choreographed lightsaber battle in the films yet. Sure, it wasn’t was as emotionally weighted as the Luke and Vader duels in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but frenetic pacing and razor sharp actions sure are fun to watch.
Also fun, for me anyway, is collecting Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts Star Was line, and ever since I got that Episode I Obi-Wan so long ago, Master Qui-Gon has been near the top of my list of needs. I appreciate the Figuarts line for its overall quality, but also because it does not shy away from getting us the important Prequel characters. Sure, many of them have been Soul Web exclusives (like Mr. Jinn here), but this summer alone has yielded Anakin and Padmé, in addition to this rebellious Master. I hope the trend continues, because I really enjoy getting these characters.
I found Anakin and Padmé to both be very nice figures, and Qui-Gon continues that trend. He has the styling, details, and inclusions we have come to expect from SHF, and I personally love adding new Jedi to my collection whenever I can. One of the hallmarks of this line is the stunning likenesses Bandai has been able to achieve and the screen accuracy to the characters, and while I find his not to be as good as the Padmé to Natalie Portman translation, this Qui-Gonn piece is like your very own plastic Liam Neeson. The main portrait looks wonderful, and you can see that Bandai continues to improve their photo printing technology as this figure features less stippling and holds up better under extreme close-up than previous offerings. The alternate head is a bit of an odd choice as I believe this is the first time Bandai has captured a “mid-lightsaber stab” expression, but for some very specific shelf posing or photography, it can come in handy.
Aside from the extra face plate, Qui-Gon comes with his trusty green-bladed lightsaber, as well as an non-ignited hilt that can hang from his belt. This is the not the first time we have seen this saber, so even though Qui-Gon is the rightful owner of the blade, it was previously included with the aforementioned Obi-Wan. Qui-Gon also has several sets of interchangeable hands: fists, tight grip, loose grip, open, and mind trick. These all have their purpose (though, the fists probably the least), but my favorites are the loose grip hands as they hold the saber well, and I am always a sucker for “force pushed” and mind tricks, so those are good too.
From an overall construction standpoint, Qui-Gon has been handled well, and from his basic frame all the way to the paint details, Bandai captured the character faithfully. Liam Neeson is a tall dude, and thus, so is Qui-Gon, so he stands above many of the other releases, but most importantly, he is the tallest among EPI Kenobi and Maul. All of his articulation is top-notch and on par with other Jedi in this line, so the acrobatic moves Jinn performs in the movie can (mostly) be recreated here. This is aided the standard SHF elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles, and the shoulders and hips feature the drop down joints to increase the range of movement in those points. As mentioned before, the paint handled well (if you don’t like the golden tones used before in the hair, you won’t now), and while there is not a ton of it, it is all very clean and precise.
Look, I own, and I have reviewed, just about all of the SHF Star Wars figures, and I just cannot say enough about them. They are my favorite figures to collect, and in terms of 1:12 scale Star Wars figures, they are in a class of their own. I realize I have been rather to the point with this feature, but Qui-Gon fits in perfectly with the rest of the collection, so if you own even one SHF SW figure, you know what that means: he is awesome. Pictures say much more than words, so hopefully you can see what I mean when I say I love this figure. My only regret is that so much of my collection and photo accompaniments are packed away for a move, so I cannot set up my Theed Palace plant display for more pictures. I greatly anticipate each release of this line, and while the OT and new Sequel Trilogy figures are awesome, I hope we continue to see move PT figures, too. I still needs me some EPIII Obi and Ani, as well as Dooku, Grievous, Yoda, Palpatine, and any Jedi they want to offer up. Bring them ALL on, Bandai!
