Bandai S.H.Figuarts Star Wars Mace Windu Review

S. H. Figuarts Star Wars Mace Windu Review

This party’s over!

No Mace, this party has just begun.  This month’s Star Wars Figuarts release is none other than the baddest Jedi in the galaxy Mr. Samuel Jackson aka Snakes of a Plane aka Shaft aka Jules Winnfield aka Nick Fury aka Mace Motherfuckin’ Windu.  Bandai’s focus this last year has laid heavily on Episode 7 and the prequels, with a few original trilogy releases sprinkled in from time to time.  Master Windu is a solid choice for the prequel collection because it’s the first in this scale!  Hasbro has yet to do him, and I’d be willing to bet they aren’t in a huge rush to do so either.

As with most S.H. Figuarts releases, Mace comes with a decent collection of accessories including an alternate head, two open hands, two fists, two hands for holding his lightsaber, a lightsaber hilt that can be clipped onto his belt, and a lightsaber with the purple energy blade.

The alternate head on Mace has a very similar predicament to the Phantom Menace Obi Wan I got a few months back.  Both heads are very similar.  One is definitely angry and looking down on you.  The other is not really angry but not overly happy either.  It’s such a subtle difference that I’m surprised they did it at all.  I mention this a lot, but a screaming face would be awesome.  I enjoy those strong expressions much more than two faces I wouldn’t be able to tell apart at a glance.

My initial inclination when this figure was announced was to assume that they were reusing the Obi-Wan Jedi garb for Mace.  This is not the case.  Master Windu has his own uniquely sculpted body and it works out great.  It’s extremely posable for lightsaber combat in which he can hold it with either one or two hands.  He’s also very well balanced.  I was able to get him to stand on one leg and kick Bruce Lee in the face without the use of any stand (and no he isn’t leaning on Bruce either).

Bandai S.H.Figuarts Star Wars Mace Windu Review

Figuarts did the best the could as far as I can see in creating a super-posable Jedi outfit.  It can look a little weird in certain at certain poses or angles because you end up testing the limits of the joints.  For instance, his elbows have barbell joints that allow you to get a decent amount of rang with his arms.  The only downside to this is at certain angles it looks like his forearms are floating out of the elbow sockets.  I prefer these minor visual sacrifices to the single jointed elbows of a Hasbro Star Wars Black action figure.

Sam Jackson is a very quotable guy.  In preparation for this review I went back and watched the prequels to take in as much Mace as I could.  Besides saying “this party’s over,” he really doesn’t have any great memorable quips over the span of three movies.  Come to think of it, he’s also been in about 80 Marvel movies and I couldn’t recite a single Nick Fury line either.  Disney is not properly utilizing this man!

Bandai S.H.Figuarts Star Wars Mace Windu Review

Mace is the best Bandai Star Wars release thus far this year.  Usually with unmasked Figuarts I need to let go of the fact that the likeness isn’t going to be perfect, however they nailed him.  This is easily the definitive Mace Windu, of which all future Mace Windus will be judged against.  I’m a big prequel fan so of course I bought him, but I think any Star Wars fan owes it to themselves to at least consider Mace.

Bandai S.H.Figuarts Star Wars Mace Windu Review

This figure was just released a couple weeks back in Japan.  I imported it, but there are domestic options as well such as Amazon.  If you wait a bit, the prices on Star Wars Figuarts tend to come back to earth … unless you are Jedi Luke, then I’m not sure what to tell you!

Bandai S.H.Figuarts Star Wars Mace Windu Review

Okay, now this party really is over.

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