Mace Windu - TVC - Basic (VC35)

One can say that 2009’s The Legacy Collection Attack Of The Clones wave is the B-side to the smash hit that is The Vintage Collection’s fourth wave based on Attack Of The Clones. Hasbro’s focus for this The Legacy Collection wave was on multiple background characters from Episode II, with only a minimal concentration on main characters, with exceptions like Obi-Wan Kenobi (BD 44). It is primarily a collector-focused group of figures. Hasbro also informed collectors that they produced this “final” wave in notably smaller quantities than the previous wave, and collectors quickly noticed how difficult these figures are to attain today. Hasbro knew that this group of figures would only appeal to a smaller audience, so making a smaller run made the most sense. Those who did purchase them thought the wave was fantastic. By contrast, The Vintage Collection Attack Of The Clones wave focuses on the characters that glistened in the limelight most prominently in the film. And to save on tooling costs, they used many of the best sculpts in their catalog and updated them, minorly and majorly, to make the figures feel new again. It’s safe to say that the updated and upgraded new interpretations give us the most definitive or near-definitive versions of these characters to date. And don’t allow us to neglect to mention they gave us a bunch of all-new figures too. Mace Windu is a perfect example of what retooling magic does for an existing figure. You might believe you know this figure well, but you should carefully inspect it. While the figure borrows most of the parts from 2007’s TAC Mace Windu (30 06) release, Hasbro made significant tweaks, and the changes have meaningfully altered the posture, stature, and stance. Then, the all-new portrait dramatically brings all the newness together to give collectors a refreshed and gorgeous interpretation of this Jedi Master.

Mace Windu is a retool and repaint of the previously released 2007 TAC Mace Windu (30 06) figure. For this version, Hasbro retooled the lower section of the skirt. They’ve cut it all away except for the two front flaps. And instead of a full plastic molded skirt, Hasbro added matching soft goods, allowing for full mobility in the lower body that it couldn’t previously achieve. For the re-release, Hasbro changed the shape of the soft good skirt, and it hugs the figure’s body more closely. Hasbro appears to have somehow assembled this figure differently than before. We aren’t claiming they’ve retooled it, but Mace Windu appears more compact and fluid, and we know it has everything to do with its newfound range of movement made possible by the added soft goods. Hasbro also repainted the figure, and the skin tone is dark. However, the skin color is much lighter for the reissue, and Hasbro also gave it a Photo Real update. The rest of the figure has an upgraded paint job too. In our opinion, it looks like Hasbro attempted to capture a combination of the Geonosis red sand and yellow skies reflecting on the figure’s body. This new paint job gives Mace Windu a near-identical appearance to the character we see in Episode II. The pants are brilliant white, and the tunic is a notably darker tan (as it should be). The soft-goods Jedi cloak is large but also fits where it needs to be, giving the figure a lovely silhouette. The figure came with perfectly folded cuffs at the wrists which prevented the hands from being hidden under the sleeves of the cloak. The original release comes with boots colored in a deep chocolate brown, but the reissue comes with a lighter brown color. They look better than ever. Hasbro didn’t add some new paint on this figure and then throw it into a new package. They completely revisited the deco approach to ensure a faithful recreation of this beloved Star Wars character.

We feel Hasbro succeeded here. On the original release card back, Hasbro denoted an incorrect historical reference of the first time offering of this character in the toy line. Using the Episode I release of the figure, it’s erroneous because a “first issue” Episode II Mace Windu action figure would be 2002’s Star Wars “Saga” Mace Windu (Geonosian Rescue) (’02 #28) figure.The crowning joy of this figure is the head sculpt. It is a fantastic likeness of actor Samuel L. Jackson who played Mace Windu. Hasbro exceeded expectations here, and we’re confident most collectors will agree wholeheartedly with us. We are thoroughly impressed. There is concern and wariness in the eyes and tension in the grimace. Not only does this figure have an incredible likeness to Mace Windu, but it also has a head perfectly proportionate to the rest of the figure’s body. (The older head sculpts of Mace Windu didn’t have the right size heads, in our opinion. They were either too elongated or too small.) We’ve stated earlier that we don’t have proof that Hasbro repositioned this figure’s legs, but it is noticeable that the figure is much easier to pose than all previous versions. Positioning an action figure is a crucial detail, and we are happy that the action figure is functional now. Hasbro milked the old 2007 tooling of Mace Windu for too long. If you recall, they repainted it for the 2009 Legacy Collection Mace Windu/Battle Droid Commander (3 of 6) Geonosis Arena Showdown set. As cool as that set is, the Mace Windu figure included is outdated, thanks to The Vintage Collection release. You’re probably correct if you think you already have enough Mace Windu action figures, but this is the one you need to replace them all within your collection. This figure is simply a pleasure! And it should serve well as both an Episode II and Episode III Mace Windu replacement! The reissue is even better!

Editor's Note: Hasbro re-released The Vintage Collection Mace Windu (VC35) figure in April 2022 with a significant number of changes. Updates include: (1) new paint operations/deco including Photo Real, (2) lighter skin complexion (3) different color palette of outfit, (4) refreshed 2022 packaging, and (5) different placement of action figure and accessories in bubble

Review Status Update: The original publication date of this review is February 23, 2011. It was subsequently updated with a new Photo Gallery and revised General Analysis and republished on August 14, 2023 after Hasbro reissued the figure.