Mace Windu

Looks like it's time to get my Jango Fett figure out of storage. A grim Jedi Master with an amethyst-bladed lightsaber, Mace Windu was the champion of the Jedi Order, with little tolerance for the failings of the Senate, the arguments of politicians, or the opinions of rebellious Jedi. Mace Windu (the name, at least) first appeared in 1973's Journal of the Whills, Part I, the 13-page story treatment that would eventually evolve into Star Wars: "This is the story of Mace Windy, a revered Jedi-bendu of Ophuchi, as related to us by C.J. Thorpe, padawan learner to the famed Jedi." But that was soon written out, so it wasn't until 1993 that we met Mace Windu for real... as a fuzzy blue alien puppy-man NPC in a roleplaying game. Basically, the game authors just went through the archives and grabbed an unused name - hardly the first or last time such a thing would happen, though it did require some explaining when the Prequels rolled around. Movie Mace was played by mister "Bad Mern-Forner" himself, Samuel L. Jackson, who got the role simply because he asked for it. The likeness on this figure is quite good, showing that Hasbro's Star Wars and Marvel teams must not share resources. He could perhaps use a little more jowl around the corners of his frown, but that's it. Mace is wearing the standard Jedi council robes - you'd think if anyone was going to buck the fashion trends, it would be the guy with the history of anger issues, but maybe he finds that conformity helps him keep his mind centered and calm. His outer layer of robes is a darker shade of tan, while his inner layer and his pants are white. Unlike Qui-Gon, Mace actually gets his brown robe too, a lovely softgoods piece that you can choose to remove if for some reason you don't want it. (No, we're never going to let it go that Hasbro shortchanged fans with that Qui-Gon. There was no excuse for it.) The articulation is above average. Surprise! Most of the joints are the usual stuff - swivel/hinge ankles, double-hinged knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge wrists, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/hinge shoulders, and that new (inferior) style of neck with balljoints at the top and bottom - but the shoulders are mounted on pec hinges that make it easier to pose him with his lightsaber. Neat! The top of his tunic is molded from PVC so it won't block the movement, rather than simply being part of the sculpt. His belt is detailed, but has no hooks or holes for his lightsaber. Other than the robe, Mace's only accessory is the only one he needs: his purple lightsaber. There's this (very) loose pattern where green lightsabers are used by those who interact with the Force in a theory way, blue lightsabers are used by those who perfer a physical way, and yellow by those who prefer balance. Mace is one of the strongest Force users ever, in terms of brute power, so it makes sense he'd lean toward blue over green, and the anger and hostility he feels within make sense that a Sith-ish red tint would creep in as well. Mace Windu is a great figure, so of course as part of one of the last series to come out before Triple Force Friday, it was incredibly hard to find. Him, Padme, Battle Droid, Holdo, Imperial Cadet Han Solo, and Dryden Vos, and none of them were easy to get ahold of. Because the cases were ordered in low numbers, or because everybody loves this badass Jedi? -- 01/26/20

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