Tassadar

You've gotta respect a PC game that can still be a best-seller after seven years on the market. Starcraft is, without a doubt, one of those games. if you want to get technical, Starcraft hasn't had a single sequal yet (Although Starcraft: Ghost is currently in production), and the game that has had one measly expansion pack is still one of Blizzard's bestsellers. (note that the same thing can be applied to Diablo II).
In any futuristic war between alien and human factions, the different sides can almost always be divided up as follows: The warlike barbaric aliens, the ancient mystic religious and revered aliens, the hive-like monstrous alien alien factions, the hunter predator alien factions, and the human space marines. Starcraft only includes three - the mystics, the hive thingamabobbers, and the humans.
Tassadar is a member of the Protoss, which is the "Mystic alien" race. He's their champion, but holds to these strange newfangled ideals such as adapting to changed circumstances. this obviously makes him a REBEL WITH A CAUSE, which I guess is cool. Or something. Anyway, they made a toy of him, so he's got to be important.

Sculpt: Tassadar has an excellent sculpt. His skin is grey, leathery, and a little on the wrinkly side, and he wears armor that manages to successfully blend futuristic and "ancient" motifs into one. Tassadar has no mouth (Apparently making him superior to humans) and three fingers on each hand (Apparently making him inferior). There's a tiny hint of the Predator in tassadar's design - his ponytail consists of the infamous dreadlocks that everyone's favorite hunters have. His armor is heavily ornamented, giving it more of a ceremonial feel than anything that could be used in hand-to-hand combat (Well, this is the future, where people have laserguns and stuff). With that said, I can't decide if he looks more Aztec or Asian... but EVERYONE mixes those styles for their Mystical Alien Race. I like the attention to detail that this figure shows - you can see ridges for Tassadar's spine, some of his mustulature, etc. He's even got clothing underneath his gigantic belt-loincloth, only it's hard to see.

Paint Job: tassadar is mainly painted in shades of grey for his body, and variations on gold or blue for his armor. There are a couple of paint washes applied to his skin, which give him a definite leathery, alien hide, and his eyes are a deep, piercing blue. Me like. His armor looks old and weather-beaten, and there aren't any mis-applications anywhere that I can find. Toycom did a good job with him.

Articulation: Tassadar sports 17 points of articulation, and only the elbow joints are actually visible at a glance. He's very heavily-poseable, and the joints also seem sturdy. There's a fair chance that his ponytail might fall out, but it also looks like you can put it back in if need be. Tassadar is prood that articulation need not be sacrificed by sculpt.

Accessories: Tassadar comes with one and only one accessory: A sword. it's a curved scimitar with a skull-based handle. Just the perfect thing for taking out laser-wielding humans, I guess. even though it's sculpted and painted well, the sword just doesn't fit comfortable in his left hand - it's too small, and just kind of "rests" there. Tassadar doesn't hold his sword, he balances it on the palm of his hand. The best use for the weapon is to give it to somebody who can hold it - preferably a medieval barbarian, since the weapon's design actually clashes with Tassadar.

Pricing: I got Tassadar for $9.95 from Blizzard's site, but beware that he doesn't seem to be available at any stores - you've got to order this figure on-line, and pay shipping.

GOtGM (1-10): 3. He's just an alien. if someone knows that you collect, they'll think it's cool.

Overall: 4.7 out of 5. Tassadar is an excellent figure, I just want to know what's up with the accessory. Was it originally intended for a Diablo II or Warcraft figure, but got given to him? that's probably the solution.

Images: Until I get a good working camera, here's the official mugshot:

http://www.blizzard....es/tassadar.jpg

#1 Ridureyu

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