Ask ak, Meena Tills Return of the Sith action figures - Another Toy Review by Michael Crawford, Captain Toy

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Senators Ask Aak and Meena Tillis

I've bought so little Star Wars stuff this time around, I should be ashamed. Or proud. Take your pick.

Oddly, I've picked up more of the goofy stuff, rather than the 'serious' stuff, although considering action figures serious seems a tad odd.

But I did finally buy two of the new 3 3/4" figures, both Senators, and both aliens. That's probably why I haven't bought much ROTS stuff - there just aren't enough aliens, and way too many retreads of dull humans. I've already got a Bail Organa...do I really need another one?

But these are two Senators, from different worlds. There's Ask Aak, which sounds like a bad quiz game, and here's how he is described on the package:

"Ask Aak is a Gran, from the outworld of Malastare. Just before the start of the Clone Wars, he suported the Military Creation Act and was part of Chancellor Palpatine's Loyalist Committee. "

Then there's Meena Tillis, who tends to yell "It's a trap!" during senate sessions. He's described on the card as well:

?Meena Tillis represents a planet torn by civil war. He watches in concern as Chancellor Palpatine gains more power and appoints regional governors. He is an ally of Senators Bail Organa and Padmé Amidala."

I picked up these two at a local Meijers, but they should be popping up all over soon.

Packaging - ***
I like the new ROTS packaging, although it doesn't store particularly well. Still, it looks good on the peg, and it's easy to pick out which ones you need. They show off the figures well, and hold up to shelf wear extremely well for cardback and bubble combos.

Sculpting - ***1/2
Top notch sculpting on both figures, which is really no surprise considering the job Hasbro has been doing lately. Oh, not every ROTS figure has been a winner, but most have had above average sculpts.

The aliens allow for some great detail work, without requiring the sculptor to capture an actual human likeness. Both of these have great head sculpts, but they also have a ton of detail in their complex outfits.

The hands are designed to work with their blasters, and both figures stand nicely on their own without the use of the display stands.

Paint - ***1/2
Again, some great work from Hasbro. It really is surprising to put figures like these up against stuff from the POTF2 line, and see how far they've come.

Just like in the sculpt category, this category gets a big boost from the cool outfits. There's lots of small details there, and Meena also has a great color scheme.

The paint ops on both heads are good, but Meena has more complexity in his (her?) skin patterns. Ask gets his revenge though with the nifty mottling of his hands and feet.

Articulation - **1/2
These won't get filed in the 'super articulated' drawer, but there's enough articulation to allow you to find the sweet spot for standing, and give them some arm and head poses.

Both have ball jointed necks, but Ask's has a greater range of movement. This is my favorite joint, and needs to be on every figure.

The both have cut shoulders, cut elbows, and cut wrists or forearms (at the end of their sleeves), and waist joints. Ask Aak adds hip and ankle joints as well.

Accessories - **1/2
Both figures come with two accessories - a blaster and a base.

The bases are identical. They look okay, and work okay, but are fairly unexciting and not particularly important.

They also both come with blasters, Ask with a blaster rifle and Meena with a blaster pistol. Who knew that the senate was packing heat?

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Kids who enjoyed the movie and still enjoy action figures will enjoy these. I'm betting most kids are pretty much sick of seeing the 12th version of Padme and the 30th version of Obi-wan, so these make for a nice change of pace. And even though us adults know their just some politicians, more capable of filibustering than clone-blastering, kids will see them as funky aliens, armed and dangerous.

Value - ***
You can find these for $6 at most, and if you're lucky, you'll hit one of the sales at Target, Meijers, Toys R Us or Wal-mart, where you can get them for $5 or less. Considering how little we get for that kind of price point these days, these are a pretty good value.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing! That's always a good thing.

Okay, I could make one mention. There were a few of the joints painted tight on mine, like the wrists. The plastic is somewhat rubbery, which means you could break the pin that goes into the arm from the hand if you're not careful when twisting them free.

Overall - ***
These aren't going to set the world on fire, but they're decent aliens in an otherwise visually ho-hum series.

Just to prove how bored I've become with the regular line, I found myself buying the entire Mpire series of M&M's dressed up in Star Wars outfits this weekend. Silly? Yes. Fun? Absolutely. And I have a review up over at MPS!

SCORE RECAP:
Packaging - ***
Sculpt - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - **1/2
Accessories - **1/2
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - ***
Overall - ***

Where to Buy -
I picked these up at the local Target. You should be able to find them at most major retailers about now. If you're looking for an online source for Star Wars figures:

- Toy Fellas has quite a few, although they don't have these two listed yet.

- Yikes Comics has a lot as well, but new ones aren't cheap. Ask Aak is $12, but if you're having trouble finding them, they are a good alternative.

Related Links -
I haven't done too many ROTS reviews, but here's a couple:

- here's the best figure they've done in the series so far: the Super Articulated Clone Trooper.

- if you're looking for the best general Star Wars site around, then you're looking for Rebelscum. All the latest news on all the latest collectibles, run by a terrific group of folks!

- since there was a requirement for every human being to write down their opinion of Revenge of the Sith, you can find mine right here.

- I haven't reviewed many smaller figures, but Sean Teeter has kept busy with reviews of some Jedi, some ladies, some bad guys, some Clonetroopers, and the 12" Shaak Ti and General Grievous.

- Other guest reviews have covered the Operating Table Vader, and Count Dooku's light saber and Vader's talking mask.

- I did review one of the 12" figures myself as well - Darth Sidious.

Keep Scrolling Down for more Photos!

Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford.