Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Mace Windu Mighty Mugg: Because Samuel L. Jackson IS An Action Figure Subject!


The Good: Costume looks good, Decent accessory, Undeniably Mace Windu
The Bad: Giant head, Heavy, Light on detailing.
The Basics: The Mace Windu Mighty Muggs figure is one of the better, more basic Star Wars Mighty Muggs figures, even if it’s a crappy style toy!


With the hubbub over a reporter mistaking Samuel L. Jackson for Laurence Fishburne still trending, I figured it was a good time to review a toy featuring one of Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic characters. Jackson is the subject of dozens (if not hundreds) of action figures, statues, and other merchandise, while (to date) Laurence Fishburne’s most merchandised role is probably Morpheus from The Matrix. Fishburne is not represented in plastic or plaster (or other collectible-making materials) nearly as much as Samuel L. Jackson. Easily the most merchandised role of Mr. Jackson’s career so far was the Star Wars prequel trilogy where Jackson played Mace Windu. One of the worst Mace Windu toys (though still recognizable as the character) is the Mace Windu Mighty Mugg toy.

Mighty Muggs toys look like they might be plush as they feature animated versions of recognizable Star Wars characters. However, the cartoon-like heads atop disproportionately smaller bodies simply revealed that the heads and toys were solid, like ceramic (they are, in fact, made of a super-hard, heavy plastic). This is as true of the Mace Windu as it is of other Mighty Muggs figures.

For those unfamiliar with Mace Windu, he appeared originally in The Phantom Menace (reviewed here!) as one of the members of the Jedi Council. His inactivity evaporated in Attack Of The Clones and, like most of the Jedi, he met his end in Revenge Of The Sith, where he lost his hand and his life to the newly minted Darth Vader while trying to dispense some justice on Emperor Palpatine. He is one of the Jedi Masters who is prominently featured in The Clone Wars as well.

The Mighty Muggs Mace Windu figure is all right, largely because the character was very simple and was featured (in much worse forms) in the original Cartoon Network Clone Wars series (and toy line!).

Basics

Mace Windu is a human Jedi, seen on Coruscant, Naboo and Genosis in the prequel Trilogy. The figure stands 7" tall. Mace Windu is dressed in a tan tunic that is iconic of the Jedi and is painted solidly onto the puffy body of the toy. There are no additional costume details on the toy, save the painted-on belt and boots.

This toy is a poor sculpt which looks like an oversized, fattened up LEGO figure and the Mighty Muggs figure has a solid body that has two puffy legs. The hands are open slightly and this allows Mace Windu to hold his ridiculous plastic lightsaber. Mace Windu’s face is recognizable as Samuel L. Jackson . . . from a distorted, animated perspective. As with virtually all of the Mighty Muggs, the facial details are only painted on, not molded onto the face of the figure.

Accessories

Mace Windu, Jedi Master as he is, comes with one accessory, his lightsaber. The three inch long choking hazard fits in Mace Windu's right hand. This is a monolithically molded silver and translucent purple cylinder which looks vaguely like a lightsaber and is colored distinctly to be Mace Windu’s weapon.

Playability

The Mighty Muggs toy line was designed for no good reason I can find, perhaps just because someone realized Star Wars fans would buy almost anything (which, given how many waves of Star Wars Mighty Muggs figures there were, seemed to be a good assumption!). This heavy toy can be harmful to children and is more intended as a display statue.

Mace Windu comes with only three points of articulation, all of which are simple swivel joints. He has joints at the shoulders and neck. The elbows do not extend, so all arm posing is straight-armed. To be fair, the figure does stand up.

Collectibility

The Mace Windu is part of the Mighty Muggs Star Wars collection, which no one I know would ever spend money on, save on severe clearance. The value of these is already declining because it was drastically overproduced in relation to customer demand.

Overview

Despite how ridiculous the Mighty Muggs figures are in general, Mace Windu is actually one of the better ones because he looks pretty much like character and actor upon whom he was based. There’s no mistaking Mace Windu for Laurence Fishburne, so even Samuel L. Jackson can be happy with this ridiculous toy/statue.

For other Star Wars Mighty Muggs toys, please check out my reviews of:
Han Solo
Imperial Guard
Plo Koon
Qui-Gon Jinn
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Younger)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Older)
C-3PO
Luke Skywalker
Hoth Luke Skywalker
Grand Moff Tarkin
Bespin Luke Skywalker

5/10

For other toy reviews, please visit my Toy Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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