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Stass Allie w/ BARC Speeder

Star Wars
by yo go re

Something has always bugged me about Star Wars - I mean, besides the wooden acting and the special effects I could see through when I was eight. No, I refer instead to the end of Return of the Jedi, when the spirits of Obi-Wan, Yoda and Anakin all appear during the victory celebration on Endor - three smiling dead guys in their matching Jedi robes. Basically, my question is this: how did Obi-Wan hide for 20 years when he was traipsing about the countryside in what was essentially the Jedi uniform?

The prequels answered that somewhat, showing us that Jedi could apparently wear whatever they wanted. But still, the robes seemed to be standard-issue for the most part, with everyone from the rank-and-file knights to the Jedi Council wearing them.

Stass Allie Jedi Master Stass Allie is an experienced warrior and field agent. She is also a skilled healer and a member of the Jedi Council. Riding a BARC Speeder, Stass Allie uses her skills and the power of the Force in combat.

Nice how that bio doesn't tell us anything about either the bike or its pilot, huh? Stass is the cousin of Adi Gallia, one of the Episode I council members, and a lot of people get the two of them confused. For the record, Adi was killed by General Grievous in the comics - Stass was Order 66'd on Saleucami in the film.

Judging by the figure, it's easy to see why the confusion exists. Both characters wear the same plain Jedi robes, so with merely a few seconds of screen time, it's hard to tell one from the other.

Stass Allie is sculpted well, the multiple layers of her robes folded over one another appropriately. Her face is a bit more rounded than actress Lily Nyamwasa's is, but it's close enough to count. Oh, and those things on her head? Turns out it's an ornate headdress, not something biological: Stass Allie's human and, just like Han Solo, comes from Corellia.

Not Adi Gallia This isn't a figure you want to order sight-unseen. While the paint apps are mostly good, Hasbro seems to have had some trouble with her eyes - it took me a while to find one that didn't look like Aunt Jemima, with great big bugaboo eyes. Other than that, everything's fine: the various tans stay in place and there's a nice bit of detailing on her belt.

The figure moves at the neck, shoulders, wrists, waist and hips, which is awfully light. Why no elbows? Why no knees? And why does every bike-riding figure have to look so "saddle sore" when you stand them up? And, proving the claim that all Jedi come with a lightsaber is pure bunk, Stass Allie does not have a lightsaber. No worries, though: you're sure to have an extra lying about somewhere.

Part of the fun of the prequels has been seeing where the vehicles we knew from the original trilogy got their stylistic starts. Though we saw Clone Troopers on Speeder Bikes during the Clone Wars, that was Expanded Universe - it didn't count. In the movie we got the BARC Speeder, a one-person, modified repulsorlift speederbike, as piloted by Biker Advanced Recon Commandos.

BARC Speeder

The BARC Speeder is over 10" long and has a more powerful look than all the speeder bikes we've seen before b-b-b-b-b-b-bad to the bone - in motorcycle terms, those were sport bikes, while this is a Harley. There are two huge engines on the sides at the rear, and a third turbine in the nose. Four guns are mounted on the bike, and there are two sets of handlebars.

The surface of the vehicle is detailed with sculpted seams between the panels used in its construction and is painted with hover an olive drab stripe pattern. Landing gear folds down so that the BARC Speeder can actually stand on its own, something unheard of for Star Wars bikes.

This is the second BARC Speeder available - the first came with a BARC Trooper and featured a ripcord-operated flywheel that let the bike actually race across a smooth, hard surface. Despite what the packaging for this set claims, there are no action features in the speeder itself.

Ceci n'est pas une button Obviously they were planning to give it the same exploding action as most of the other speeders - there's a button, concealed as the headrest, that would have triggered the explosion; would have, if there were any mechanisms inside the bike, or even a cavity they could have been placed in. It seems the idea was scrapped pretty early in production. The BARC Speeder is assembled from three pieces, and you can take it apart if you want to, but it does not pop apart on its own.

This is a good set. The BARC Speeder is awesome, Stass Allie is decent and there are no built-in action features to ruin either of them. You shouldn't pass up the chance to get a vehicle and Jedi for only $10 - even if she is only wearing the plain brown robes.


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