Michael Crawford's Review of the Week

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Jorg Sacul

From all accounts, the huge Star Wars Celebration II certainly came off better than Celebration I. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, mind you, but certainly better.

I couldn't attend, but due to the assistance of a kind person, I was able to get the special, exclusive figure of 'Jorg Sacul'. This is the rebel pilot done with the George Lucas head sculpt ('Jorg Sacul' - 'George Lucas' - get it?).

These are going for $80 to $100 each on the secondary market right now. Yes, crazy, it is. Some folks think that having a figure done in your likeness is the ultimate ego trip, and sometimes I think it is. Let's face it, the Todd the Bum figure was his idea, and it was all about ego.

But this time I don't think it has anything to do with ego, because I really doubt it was George's idea. It's far more likely that what you're seeing here is the ultimate in butt-kissing. Someone in power for Celebration II, or perhaps someone at Hasbro, decided that if they did a figure of George, it would stroke his ego and make some brownie points. I have no idea if it worked - perhaps George could call me and let me know - but I do find it tremendously amusing to see this sort of thing happen.

"He's lost his mind! Save the children!"

Packaging - ***
Jorg comes on the same card as the rest of the new Star Wars Saga figures, but with a special Celebration II insert. Seeing one carded won't be nearly as rare as seeing a loose one though.

Sculpting - ***
It really does look like George, or at least how I suppose George thinks he looks. It's sort of a cross between his younger, thinner self, and his older, gray haired self. They certainly got the hair style down though.

Paint - **
The paint ops on the body, helmet and accessories are all very good, with clean lines and a fair amount of detail.

What hurts this score is the terrible job I have seen on every face. The beards and moustaches are usually crooked, sloppy and uneven. Considering that the face is really the key here, it's unfortunate they didn't do a better job.

Articulation - **
Since this is the same basic body as the other rebel pilots, you've seen this before. Neck, shoulders and hips don't give you a lot of posing possibilities, but at least he stands well on his own.

Accessories - ***1/2
The accessories are really the best part of this figure. George, uh, Jorg comes with a removable helmet, replica fighter with stand, and blaster.

The blaster is fairly well done, but without a holster it doesn't have a home. It does fit well in his hand though.

The helmet fits on his head fine, although in the package it seems they were all crooked and pushed forward over his eyes. There's lots of detail on the helmet as well, and it's nicely done.

The best accessory is the small fighter replica. With nice paint ops and details, along with a great little clear stand, it looks terrific.

There's also an background insert, similar to the first sixteen figures in the Saga line.

Value - **1/2 to Bupkis
If you bought one at Celebration II, where they were $10, you'd be getting the **1/2 stars. On the other hand, if you've had to pay $80 or more, the value is bupkis. The only reason they are getting that price is because of availability.

Of course, the theater exclusive Jedi Luke went for over $100 each at one point, but now you can find them for $40 if you're patient.

Overall - **1/2
If you paid $10 for him, he's a decent figure, and slightly amusing. Otherwise, don't get too excited - remember, this is a George Lucas figure, not someone that actually had screen time in the movie.

Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford.