Gungan Warrior - POTJ - Basic

The Gungans are an amphibious species who live in underwater cities hidden in deep lakes on the planet Naboo. Although Gungans have a strong warrior heritage, a series of treaties has long kept them at peace with each other. During emergencies, all territories unite to form the Gungan Grand Army.

The Power Of The Jedi line was a way for Hasbro to play catch up with the Episode I line. They didn’t utilize the Power Of The Jedi line to carry-forward any figures from the Episode I line, but there were plenty of action figures planned for the Episode I line that just didn’t see release before it got canceled. And if you analyzed just how many figures were from each Star Wars film, you would see a very heavy concentration of characters from The Phantom Menace. Gungan Warrior was one of the first action figures released in the Power Of The Jedi line. It was a “right on time” action figure because, unbelievably, Hasbro never released a generic Gungan Warrior basic figure for the Episode I line. We got the Gungan leaders, but none of the frontline infantry. The great news is that Hasbro created a very nice Gungan Warrior action figure and accessorized it with the perfect mix of weaponry that will no doubt excite collectors of all things Naboo. Gungan Warrior not only comes nicely complemented with appropriate accessories, it has a gorgeous paint job which functions much like the icing on a cake.

Gungan Warrior definitely has an Episode I, the toy line and not the film, vibe to it. It comes with only six points of articulation and has a better than average sculpt. Some of the details are sadly muddled, especially in the head sculpt, and lends a very blurry interpretation of the character. The facial details in particular and not crisp and you don’t get a sense that any emotion exists in the Gungan Warrior species. We’re well aware that this is just a simple action figure, but when Hasbro can create stunning, full of expression, portraits like Boss Nass (Gungan Sacred Place) and then compare it to the Gungan Warrior, you’ll quickly see how much it is lacking. That being said, the Gungan Warrior is still full of great detail. Hasbro miraculously recreates the Gungan skin pattern beautifully. It’s completely puzzling how precisely they creates this detail without messing it up. We’re thoroughly impressed with how well this detail turned out. The costume is another standout point to the Gungan Warrior. Not only is the outfit well sculpted, it’s painted equally beautiful as well.

Perhaps the greatest aspect of the Gungan Warrior is the included accessories. He comes with a standard atlatl complete with a boomer ball permanently attached. And then he also comes with a body-length clear shield that is just simply gorgeous. The shield is reason enough to purchase this figure. That’s how nice it is. Due to the Gungan Warrior’s limited articulation, you really can’t attain a full range of cool battle poses, but you can situate him in a way that is still relevant and shows that he is ready for battle. His right arm is angles appropriately to hold the atlatl too, so all is not lost. And we do have to concede that when it comes to “army builders” that they should come with plenty of articulation for the widest range of movement. The Power Of The Jedi Gungan Warrior is a great jumping off point for Hasbro and there is no doubt better versions will come in the future. But this action figure still holds its own in many ways. From the gorgeous skin detail to the awesome accessories, you really can’t do wrong by picking up this figure. Once again, at least collect it for its accessories.