Roth-Del Masona/Super Battle Droid - LC - Geonosis Arena Showdown (5 of 6)

The Jedi Knights rush to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padmé from execution. The Jedi brandish their lightsabers against the Geonosian warriors and the massive army of battle droids, super battle droids and droidekas. All hope seems lost that any Jedi will survive this battle, then Yoda arrives with an army of clone troopers. Although many Jedi are lost that day, others survive this climactic battle that ushers in the Clone Wars.

Mace Windu. Roth-Del Masona. There are certainly some phonetically similar sounds in those two names. Interestingly enough, Wookieepedia describes Masona as an adjutant to Mace Windu, which is just a really fancy word for an assistant. But their ties are an intriguing one, especially since they utilize the same action figures sculpt which happens to be 2007’s TAC Mace Windu (30 06). (Masona is essentially just a rework of the Mace Windu action figure.) And since they literally are the same figure, it makes for a quite perplexing relationship in your action figure collection. Probably one of the weakest sets in the Geonosis Arena Showdown TARGET exclusives, Roth-Del Masona doesn’t bring too much new to the tackle as far as an action figure is concerned. Hasbro worked well within the parameters of the Mace Windu sculpt to get this action figure to look differently, but it does unfortunately fail in some instances. For example, the likeness is just not there. The actor who played Masona had an uncanny resemblance to the actor Robert Guillaume and the action figure does not resemble either. The ponytail detail was captured well, but overall, it just doesn’t look too much like the actor who portrayed this character. Also, while the costume has been faithfully cast in the same colors to what was seen on film, his white undershirt is much too visible and can been seen from his neck to him belt line. In other words, his outer robes are too wide open and not believable that a Jedi would look this unkempt or slovenly in public. If you can move beyond these points, then you know that this is an excellently sculpted action figure. And yes, once again his hip movement is inhibited by the hard plastic lower robes that hang below his belt line.

You can also expect to not find too much more with the Super Battle Droid either. Actually, you can expect less. The dirty paint wash has been dropped which was seen first on the 2007 TAC Super Battle Droid (30 08) figure. But to be very specific, this figure is a rework of the Super Battle Droid from 2008's TAC Battle On Mygeeto Battle Packs set, or more simply a repaint of 2008 TLC Super Battle Droid (SL10) Saga Legends figure. If you recall, Hasbro patched up the holes that were designed for the flame attachments and this was first included with this figure. The figure also looks more gray than the bluish gray we have seen on previous releases. Also of note, the red circle on the top left of his chest has been cleaned up a bit and looks a little more rounded and prominent than before. Loaded with articulation, the Super Battle Droid is a great action figure he just won’t surprise you by bringing anything new to the table. Together, Roth-Del Masona and Super Battle Droid will play an important part in your Geonosis dioramas of displayed somewhere on a shelf in your home. If you’re not a huge fan of obscure Jedi or if you don’t need another Super Battle Droid than this may just be the set for which you will pass. And if you’re a “completist” you will not be able to pass on this two-pack. Other than that, it really doesn’t offer anything new. We weren’t that impressed with this set ourselves either, although we acknowledge the entry of a new Jedi as a very positive thing. On the flip side, Masona does look a little static when placed next to Mace Windu. Perhaps Hasbro could have integrated a little more “kit-bashing” to make him more unique. For some bizarre reason, the Joclad Danva/Battle Droid set works very well (and this Jedi was just a repaint of the Evolutions Luke Skywalker from The Jedi Legacy). And it may seem hypocritical to say the Roth-Del Masona/Super Battle Droid set doesn’t work as well since it was created using protocol very similar to it (Joclad/Danva/Battle Droid), but it is true. It doesn’t work as well. That doesn't mean we don't like it however.

This particular set is not a stumbling block for the whole, so please don’t misread our criticisms. Every single set has special traits and characteristics that make it stand on its own but it’s just plausible to believe that some sets will be much better than others. Roth-Del Masona/Super Battle Droid two-pack may be one of the weaker sets of the six released. Still, it offers collectors a chance to grab aJedi that would probably never see the light of day otherwise. We are curious how Hasbro will attack (no pun intended) the next set (2010 Edition) of the Geonosis Arena Showdown. Will it focus on previously released Jedi? We certainly could use super-articulated upgrades of all those “mini-statue” action figures received in the beginning of the 2002 Star Wars “Saga” line. Shaak Ti, Barriss Offee, Luminara Unduli, Aayla Secura, Fi-Ek Sirch, Plo Koon, and Saesee Tiin would all be wonderful candidates for a second series! And how amazing it would be to get them upgraded with new modern standards! (Editor's Note: Many of these characters have been updated to super-articulated status in various basic figure lines.) When this does happen, you can currently enjoy six beautiful sets now that comprise a stunning micro collection based on one of the most exciting battles seen in the Star Wars saga. We recommend checking them out and are confident that they will not disappoint. There won’t be buyer’s remorse since they are fairly prices and there are no droid parts for you to go out of your mind searching high and low. Ultimately, we hope Hasbro will keep exclusives as best they can in this format. It is the right direction to go for action figures in general, and is presented in an awesome thematic display for a focused collection of figures. (Editor's Note: The 2010 Edition has been released and the figures are spectacular.)