Review of Ki-Adi-Mudi Star Wars
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

Sideshow is filling out the Jedi ranks with another prequel good guy - Ki-Adi-Mundi. Best known for his huge noggin', this Jedi Master is one of the more unique in appearance.

They've done him up as a domestic exclusive through their website, with an edition size of 3000 and a price of $70. Yea, this sixth scale hobby is getting whack expensive. However, even with a run of 3000, these sold out at Sideshow, and finding him might be tougher than expected.

Packaging - ****
What, I'm going to start complaining now? Sure, we've seen this packaging for awhile, so it might be tempting to complain that it's getting too repetitive, but you won't hear me say that. Most of the time, it's best not to fix what isn't broken.

And if you're unfamiliar with the packaging, it's completely collector friendly, no twisties, and has those cool magnetic closures for the wrap around fifth panel. Oh, and plenty of text too, even for a C character like Mundi.

Sculpting - ***
There was much concern when the prototype for this figure was first shown, due to the size of his head. Hey, let's be honest - Sideshow already has enough problems with normal sized heads ending up too big, what would happen to a guy who has a big head to start? Most people were expecting a Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon.

But the final product did NOT come out looking like a pointy bobble head.  The scale is actually quite good, although there's an entirely separate issue with the small body. Had they gone with the normal body, this guy would look perfect.

The sculpt is also very, very detailed and realistic. In fact, this is one that has more of a 'Hot Toys' look and feel, with nicely detailed facial hair, and very expressive eyes.

The hands are specific to this character (with sharper, pointed fingernails), and he has a gripping right hand and gesturing left hand.

As I mentioned (and will again in the articulation section), they went with the smaller body. This makes him about 12.5 inches tall at the top of his pointy head, about the same height as a normal Sideshow figure, and he looks too short to me. The smaller body, combined with the elongated head, makes him appear very stubby. As you'd expect, the smaller body also has thinner legs, and these look odd on him. I'd suggest putting him on a larger body now, but of course that means the tunic and shirt will be too short, and he doesn't come with the usual Jedi robes that could cover it up.

The choice of this smaller body is one of two factors that brings the overall sculpt score down for me.  The other is the mold lines along the side of the head. Obviously, this is created by the manufacturing process, but at this price point, more care in designing how these will be produced needs to be taken.

Paint - ***
As you might expect, most of the paint work is concentrated on the head and face.  And most of it is extremely good, with a realistic skin tone, and great shading on the eyebrows and beard. The yellow eyes are also very clean and life-like, with a piercing, sharp stare.

Only one issue brings this score down - the red under the eyes. Obviously in a flash photo, this color is going to be even more distracting, but it's quite obvious in person as well. I didn't throw too much light into his eyes in any of my photos, but in hand I can tell you that the red is obvious, and it is a bit too much.

Articulation - **
Yea, it's that damn Buck body. If I consider that a) the Prometheus is now available, b) this guy is at the new, higher price point and c) when I had my old Captain Action figures out last week, I realized even THEY had a better posing body than the Buck, then I can't have a whole lot of love for getting another Buck figure. 

With the recent Gandalf, I could cut them some level of slack, since the character isn't going to be in wild poses. But this is a Jedi, man.  He needs to be able to take and hold some cool fighting stances, something the Buck simply can't do well.

Accessories - **
Sideshow has been adding in quite a few extras in their more recent figures...until poor Mundi, that is.

He gets his two light sabers of course, one lit and one unlit. Something seems off about the hilts to me, but I'm not an expert on them.

He also has a little sculpted bag, with leather strap. The strap came unglued on mine about 5 seconds after I took it out of the package, and I immediately tossed it back in.

There's the usual display stand of course, which will be a relief for those of you in earthquake zones.

And that's it.  Not even any  additional hands. At this price point, that's a huge disappointment.

Outfit - ***
There's not a whole lot to his outfit here, but there's one saving grace that kept the score at three stars.

He has his shirt, with pirate sleeves and all. Over this he has his Jedi tunic, which is actually a sleeveless hoodie.  I don't expect any one will put the hood up, but it has the usual wire through the edge to allow you to pose it nicely on the shoulders. 

There's also his pants, which fit about as best as you can expect on those skinny small body Buck legs.

Over the tunic is his cloth belt, and then his leather belt with slot for the unlit saber.  I had one Hell of a time getting the saber to stay on the belt though, which is usually not an issue.

What was that saving grace?  Why, the boots of course! Sideshow has consistently produced great looking boots, and this time they did them in a softer, rubber like material. That means you can actual pose the feet...a little...inside the boot, getting some use out of the ankle articulation. They look terrific too, easily the best part of his otherwise basic outfit.

Yep, that's it. No outer robe, either. How much did I pay for this guy again?

Fun Factor - ***
Another good example of a sixth scale action figure that remembers its roots. Yep, a kid could play with this guy, and other than that damn little bag with the glued strap, it's unlikely he'd break anything too fast. Or at least, not any faster than your average mass market toy.

Value - *1/2
It's a pretty high edition size for a C level character in the prequel movies. And they put it on a body that's clearly outdated. With very few accessories. And a stripped down outfit. Seventy bucks? No.

Things to Watch Out For -
There's a big one - that pony tail of his. It is VERY easy to break off, and I almost did it just turning his head. You can probably glue it back together if you do, but why risk it in the first place? Don't rest your hand on it when posing the figure or moving the head.

Overall - **1/2
I really want to give this guy a better score - the head sculpt is better than this, certainly. But the smaller Buck body, along with the lack of accessories and a basic outfit all at a very high price, are too much to let him squeak out anything more from me.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ****
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***
Articulation - **
Accessories - **
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - *1/2
Overall - **1/2

Where to Buy 
Originally you had to go with Sideshow, since it's a domestic exclusive.  There's only the one version because of this. They've sold out, but you can wait list and have a shot at getting one. Or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I have tons of sixth scale Star Wars reviews:

- the recent Obi-Wan in Clone Armor is easily their best to date.

- then there's Aayla Secura, Tatooine Luke and Han Solo.

- Sideshow has had a strong year so far with Commander Praji, the exceptional Palpatine/Sidous and ANH Obi-Wan, and the not quite so exceptional Ilum Padme.

- also in the sixth scale line, I've reviewed Leia and Bespin Luke, the Holo-chess set, Sideshow's Asajj, a terrific figure, Yavin Luke, the Endor Troops, Jabba the Hutt and his throne, Bib Fortuna, Jedi Luke, Darth Maul, Obi-Wan, Bespin Han Solo, regular Anakin Skywalker and Kit Fisto.

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