Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) - POTF2 [FF/TKC] - Basic

One of Jabba the Hutt's top agents, very little is known about the mysterious Saelt-Marae or his specific connection to the crime lord. He could often be found hanging out in Jabba's desert palace.

When Kenner/Hasbro released Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) in 1997, they didn’t realize the impact the figure would have on the Star Wars collecting community. It was an inordinately popular action figure. Kenner/Hasbro didn’t put much faith in their “Collection 2” action figures. To them, background characters, including all of the aliens, aren’t the most popular action figures, and they produce them in smaller numbers. But no one expected how popular Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) would soon become. The figure was so popular that they added the action figure into the Freeze Frame Action Slide phase of the line in 1998. For the 1998 release, the figure sustained a couple of different paint operations changes or updates. But mostly, the figures are very similar in approach. However, you should note that the 1998 figure is not identical to the version from 1997. Many of the differences exist in the areas of the figure’s skin. You’ll also find some differences in the outfit. The figure shares many similarities to 1985’s POTF Yak Face Kenner figure, but as you know, it also introduces new aspects including more color. Although it’s hard to tell how screen-accurate the new inflections are, we believe they did their due diligence to make the best action figure possible. No matter what, Kenner/Hasbro has done a great job of translating this character into the modern line. Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) is tall without being lanky and colorful without being obnoxious.

Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) comes with the standard articulation as most figures in The Power Of The Force “2” line. A swivel head is joined by swivel shoulders, swivel hips, and a swivel waist. Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) has a head joint that is inhibited because of the large surface area the base of the neck takes up in comparison to the top of the body which it sits. Thankfully, Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) doesn’t need that much head movement based on what we see in Return Of The Jedi. The figure’s sculpting is very, very nice. Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) comes with long arms and huge hands, yet they’ve been sculpted excellently to allow for holding the included battle staff accessory, and the accessory looks great in the figure’s hands. Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) is very tall and towers over many figures in the line, but this is an excellent detail as the on-screen character is tall in Jabba’s palace and sail barge. The color palette of Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) is a little bright, and some may feel too bright in some instances. Whether it was the dim lighting in Jabba’s palace and sail barge or not, we don’t think Saelt-Marae (Yak Face)’s threads were this colorful. But, we'll equivocate here and state that we’re not entirely certain about this. The bottom line is that the outfit doesn’t look terrible. But you should note that it’s noticeably brighter than the vintage Kenner figure.

As mentioned, Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) comes with a long, black battle staff. Again, we’re not sure if the character utilized this accessory in the film. It could be a convention made up by Kenner/Hasbro. Who knows? Whether it is screen-accurate or not is irrelevant. It’s a fantastic addition to this action figure. The other accessory is complicated, and perhaps nearly impossible, to remove. It is possible if you’re determined. Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) also comes with a removable robe shell, but the figure doesn’t look right without wearing it. There are too many gaps around the neck and shoulders, which make the design of the figure appear awkward. Aside from not having nearly enough articulation, Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) is an exciting figure to own. The portrait is beautiful. But some may notice that it points upward a little too high. Also, the added white hair doesn’t look fake, but it’s a bit jarring. It feels slightly out of place. Kenner/Hasbro did a thorough job with Saelt-Marae (Yak Face). We’re pleasantly surprised with this release as we didn’t know if they would do justice to this classic Star Wars character. Now part of the Freeze Frame Action Slide lineup, Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) comes with a film slide pack-in which features Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) and Ree-Yees about to get “into it” on Jabba’s sail barge. Kenner/Hasbro kept Saelt-Marae (Yak Face) in the ‘yellow’ Collection 2 sub-line to help keep the line organized.