Grand Admiral Thrawn/Talon Karrde - TLC - Comic Packs (9)

Anakin accompanies Obi-Wan to the Karthakk system, where they hope to prevent the assassination of a Corellian merchant. They board the merchant's damaged space yacht – and walk right into a trap set by Durge, a centuries-old bounty hunter. Anakin battles the powerful Durge in a grueling contest of strength and cunning. Durge has wired the ship with explosives and escapes before the blast, but the bounty hunter makes a fatal error when he underestimates Anakin's skill with the Force.

As collectors who sometimes let entitlement and the unwillingness to be impressed with new Hasbro products overshadow our full appreciation for the great things Hasbro sends our way, we often miss out on some incredible updates to characters we have received earlier in the line's history. Take for instance the revisiting of characters that first debuted in the 1998 Expanded Universe line. They were great figures back then, but Hasbro re-introducing all-new sculpts in the line in 2008 is very exciting since we can now be guaranteed super-articulation and authentic sculpts. The Grand Admiral Thrawn/Talon Karrde Comic Packs set was not a great sell-through for the line, but it is an awesome set that gave us two all-new figures (including one never before available character) as well as an incredible update to a figure we haven't seen in the line since 1998. What is unfortunate about this set being a peg-warmer is that many fans have missed out on a great set. You can effectively kiss your 1998 EU Grand Admiral Thrawn action figure goodbye because the Comic Packs version is definitive. It is a beautiful action figure and the ysalamiri never looked better. Hasbro created a stellar set for Expanded Universe fans and it is our hope that all of you who are fans of Heir To The Empire have added this pack to your collections. And if you are a fan and haven't picked it up, then shame on you.

So you know we already adore Grand Admiral Thrawn. A super-articulated figure, you immediately know right off the bat that the 1998 versions pales in comparison. While his blue coloring is a bit too pale in our opinions, he is a brilliant action figure. His most striking feature is his accurately captured widow's peak, a detail we are thrilled Hasbro didn't leave out. Hasbro also didn't reuse some previous old Imperial Officer body and put a Thrawn head on it and repaint the uniform white. No, this is brand-spanking-new from the boots up and it is a perfectly proportioned action figure. Pretty much every detail of Thrawn is spot on from his pupil-less red eyes to the correct officer's rank badge. His black boots are extremely shiny and his uniform is spotless and made to look as if it came from the tailor flawlessly pressed. The ysalamari has been engineered perfectly to fit around Thrawn's neck. The detail on this tiny creature is amazing and we love how faithful it is to its appearance in the comics. As a side note, if you focus your gaze on the little creature's head, we bet that you will see a striking resemblance to another fan-favorite Star Wars character, Saelt-Marae (or Yak Face to long-term collectors). We would have loved to get his command chair, but if your are interested in that, you'll have to resort getting Sideshow's version of the Grand Admiral Thrawn (Commander Of The Imperial Fleet) 1:6 Scale Figure until Hasbro decides to make one for 3.75" scale.

Talon Karrde is a bit of an enigma. His jacket has been confusingly colored the same as his arms and you would initially swear that he is wearing a long-sleeved coat. This is not the case at all. He is wearing some thick and wooly vest and his arms are bare. His likeness is very accurate to his appearance in the comics so we laud Hasbro on a job well done here too. We don't think that he is the most exciting EU character in the bunch, but he serves an important part in the story arc and he deserves a place as an action figure. With long, slicked back hair and a menacing grimace, Talon Karrde is clearly a smuggler that makes sure he doesn't show where his true loyalties lie. Colored very nice and very well sculpted, Talon Karrde is a very nice brand new addition to the Heir To The Empire sub-line of action figures. The Comic Packs line is certainly making Expanded Universe fans very happy, but it appears that some of the sets perform very well or very poorly without clear reasons as to why. We think this set was one of the better ones, yet it has sat on store shelves. Perhaps the interest has waned for Heir To The Empire. We don't know for sure, but we think it is a small travesty to have passed this set by because it offers great quality. We will not waiver in our recommendation of this set. We think it is a very worthy addition to the Comic Packs line.