Tusken Raider

Nothing makes the blood run cold in a Tatooine colonist's veins as does the glimpse of a Tusken Raider. Also known by the deceptively benign name of Sand People, the Tusken Raiders are fearsome desert savages who attack with little or no provocation. Their menacing mystique is rendered even more chilling by garments that completely cover them from head to foot, giving them an eerie anonymity. Nomads wrapped in rags, Tusken Raiders can disappear into the desert landscape, only to burst from nowhere brandishing a gaderffii stick or rifle, both of which they use with lethal skill. The last horrifying sight for more than one unfortunate colonist was a Tusken's bizarre mask and the bladed "gaffi" stick swinging down to deliver a deadly blow. Roaming the harsh Jundland Wastes, the Tusken Raiders remain a mysterious peril, as few who encounter them live to tell of their experience. If you play the original Knights of the Old Republic, there's a completely missable side-quest that sees Revan peacefully visiting a Sand People settlement and learning the origin of not only them as a people, but of Tattooine as a desert planet: it was once a normal, livable world, but a race called "the Builders" came and enslaved the people who lived there; when the Builders were finally forced off-world, they just took all the water with them when they left. That's a heck of a thing to leave hidden behind a mission lots of players may never even encounter! The Unleashed line was the "we've got McFarlane at home" of Star Wars toys: large, pre-posed figures with detailed, dynamic sculpting. In the case of the Tusken Raider, that means the burlap sack he wears is covered in lots of thick, stiff wrinkles and an all-over texture, and is tattered near the lower edge. Tusken Raiders culture forbids exposing any part of your skin, so the arms and legs are wrapped up in loose bandages. He's wearing a belt with big chunky pockets on it, the kind he'd be able to reach into even while having his fingers wrapped. There's a bandolier across the chest, and it's molded as one piece with the respirator or whatever that is Tuskens wear around their neck. Considering Tusken Raiders basically just wear monochromatic robes, the paint is surprisingly subtle. The outer robe has highlights and shadows in minorly different colors, and the shirt sleeves worn underneath are different, as well. Then the wrappings around the hands and feet are the lightest of all. The belt is ruddy brown with a light drybrushing on it, while the bandolier is the same colors, but gets heavier paint so the two don't blend together. The brown wrappings around the head are the same again, though with enough light paint over top to make it look completely different, even to the point of being different material. The little metal spikes that stick out of the head are silver, as are the frames of the goggles and the tech on the mouthpiece. The point of Unleashed figures was to make low-cost plastic statues with dynamic poses. The Tusken Raider seems to be intended as a reference to the bit in Episode IV where the Raider pops up in front of Luke and shakes his weapon - you know, the part where the action is duplicated and reversed, because they didn't actually shoot enough of the scene on the day. The toy is posed with its back arched and its arms raised above its head threateningly, with the left hand gesturing wildly and the right hand holding a weapon. One of two weapons. Unlike the majority of Unleashed figures, the Tusken Raider gets some variety in how you display it, thanks to a swappable right arm: the set includes two of them, one brandishing the traditional gaderffii stick, the other waving a long rifle about. The figures all came with some sort of display base, as well. The Tusken Raider's is just a clump of orange desert stones he can put one foot up on to have a more dynamic static pose. That doesn't sound very impressive, but it's the sort of thing that would be useable for any number of characters or displays. Our example when it comes to desert scenery is always The Hulk, and this thing would look just as good being picked up and thrown at the Absorbing Man as it does making sure the Tusken Raider can stand like he's just begun to do a backflip but still not fall over. Star Wars Unleashed was an exciting line at the time, but is just kind of weird today. If they'd been done in a 6" scale instead of 7", you could use them as scene-fillers alongside The Black Series, but to try to do so now would leave you with a Tusken Raider who towers over everyone else. -- 02/07/26 Are there any giants among the Tusken Raiders? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.