*Reviews
| Basic Figures 2002
| Saga
The Massiffs were originally slated to appear on both Tatooine and Geonosis, but by the time the movie came out, the scenes where they would have appeared on Geonosis were cut. This figure was obviously designed before these changes were made--a testament to how far in advance figure development begins in relation to the movie's opening. Read on for the review and 8 photos!
Massiff
"Massiffs are ferocious creatures with razor sharp teeth and agile movements. Although small in size, these aggressive beasts are difficult to restrain, even by their handlers." --Excerpt from the card back
 | In the final cut of the film, the Massiffs only appeared on Tatooine in the Tuskin Raider camp. Originally however, they were also to appear on Geonosis as well, in a scene where they attack Obi-Wan Kenobi. This explains why this figure comes with a Geonosian handler, even though they never appear on Geonosis. Sculpt--4/5
The Massiff and its handler are sculpted extremely well from what I can tell. I especially like the Massiff, with its textured skin, bumps and spikes. The spikes on the spine of the Massiff were molded separately and then attached to the body. Unfortunately, it's very obvious as it isn't flush with the rest of its skin. The insect-like Geonosian handler is nicely detailed as well, with plenty of little details and textures. Articulation--2.5/5
The Massiff has a whopping one point of articulation--its mouth. You can open and close the mouth of the Massiff, and while that's nice, it would have been even nicer if the legs were articulated as well. The Geonosian handler has the basic six points of articulation: neck, shoulders, waist, and hips. Accessories--3.5/5
You get a removable harness for the Massiff. It fits on nicely and has a real chain attaching it to a wrist harness for the Geonosian handler to wear. The chain seems like it's made of metal, but I'm not sure what kind of metal, as it's definitely not magnetic. Anyway, it's well done harness and looks great. Paint--4/5
I like the paint ops on both the Massiff and the Geonosian handler. The Massiff has a nice dark gray paint op which really brings out all the detail in the sculpt. And what impresses me about the Geonosian is the light refracting paint op which gives him a metallic, dragonfly-type of shine. Overall--3.5/5
It feels like this should have been called "Geonosian Warrior with Massiff", because it seems like the Massiff is the accessory to the Geonosian. The lack of articulation on the Massiff makes it look more like a well-sculpted PVC figurine than the main figure of this set. In any case, the Massiff and the Geonosian look good, so I only recommend this set if you like beasts and aliens. |
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All original website content and photos © Copyright 2002-2006 Garett Yoshimura. All Rights Reserved. Not affiliated with Lucasfilm Ltd. or Hasbro.
