Star Wars Black Series Wave 25 arrived in Summer 2020 and was predominantly based around Episode II : Attack of the Clones. It brought us four new Jedi in the shape of Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. Bolstering the Separatist forces with a re-pack of Count Dooku from Wave 24 and a new Geonosis Battle Droid.
Packaging 4.0
Wave 25 arrives in the Phase 3 packaging, and is the last wave to feature the black box with red spine and cardback as the Black Series moves to a 4th Phase in the 2nd Half of 2020 with the Galaxy collection packaging split by movie.
Plo Koon is number 109 in the 3rd Phase packaging, with the numbering featured on the side spine and reverse of the box. The figure name plate is simply Plo Koon, and there is no specific placing of him as the Attack of the Clones here, or anywhere else on the packaging.
The packaging carries the usual Gregory Titus artwork on both front and back. This is one of the best illustrations i have seen from Titus in terms of the detailing and intricacy to capture Plo Koon's alien physiology and breather mask - it's just a pity the head is cut off by the window. The illustration is complete on the reverse, but is overwritten with the logo, numbering and a short piece of background text.
"A Kel Dor from Dorin, Plo Koon was among the wisest of the Jedi Order, respected for his level-headed analysis of events and unflappable calm."
Paint & Sculpt 4.5
Hasbro always seem to execute alien sculpts to a high standard, and Plo Koon is arguably a level above this - he is stunning! The entire ead is intricately sculpted with the various organic head elements shaped wall and painted in varying shades of orange to bring out the detail. The face mask and eye components are then, in contrast, harsh and metallic with angular lines and various components and vents. They fuse well to the organic parts of the head and even connect independently of the head to the ends of the two head tails.
Unlike most other Jedi, Plo Koon is packed with a soft goods cape. The decision was most likely driven by his look on Geonosis in Attack of the Clones where he wore his robes during the Arena Battle. The material is soft and free flowing - although it doesn't perhaps fold and crease like its on screen counterpart. Unlike other Jedi robes, there is a stitched connection at the neck which means you will need to pop off the head if you want to remove it - this is easy enough to do.
There is a giant hood at the back of the cape which fits over Plo's head with some work. You have to try and hold down the point of the cape or he looks like he is wearing a wizard hat. The robes go from brilliant to looking a bit odd and clumsy very easily and getting a robed Plo Koon posed will be key to how this figure looks on display. I think the stitched piece that connects to the two sides sits too high up and should be lower down, or left out completely.
Plo Koon uses the Mace Windu body from 2019. This includes a wider shoulder section and longer skirt piece. For Plo this is now coloured a darker brown, with very dark brown trousers and gloss brown boots.
With the robes removed, you will find everything underneath is well painted and coloured including details on the belt. The neckpiece is new and matches Plo Koon's physiology. The hands are also new and are four fingers with a large central claw which is painted in gunmetal silver.
Accessories 3.0
Plo Koon includes his lightsaber. This is the standard two part affair with a saber hilt and clip in and out translucent blade. The saber is actually taken straight out of the General Grievous Deluxe release rather than create Plo's own saber and that is disappointing considering the usual attention to detail on sabers in the Black Series.
The shape is not too dissimilar to Plo's but his was fully silver with the ridges with blue tints only. This one is coloured silver with black at the emitter, a gold band a third of the way down and more black on the fins. Less would have been more here in terms of better screen accuracy.
The blade clips in easily with a more substantial peg than other recent sabers and it doesn't feel like it will snap when you look at it. The the blade is bright and blue and pretty straight on arrival.
Plo Koon is usually shown as being left handed, and that detail has been recognised with the left hand cast as the gripping hand while the right is a mix of grip and extended fingers in a force gesture. The saber sits fine in the hand although it's a bit tricky to get all of the four fingers to individual grp the saber as each is a seperate piece of the hand. Sadly there is no option to hang he saber hilt on the belt either via the saber or the belt which has no slot like the Obi-Wan body.
Articulation 4.0
Plo Koon has 19 points of articulation, and includes the new neck configuration and the butterfly shoulders.
Head : ball joint pivot head
Body : torso ball joint
Arms : ball joint shoulders, butterfly shoulder joint, single joint rotating elbows, pivot wrists
Legs : ball joint hips, thigh swivels, double joint knees, ankle rockers
The arms are a little restricted by way of the shoulder robes that extend out some way and block upward movement. But this is offset a little with the new butterfly shoulder joints. But not enough to get some two handed saber poses as you can achieve with the other Jedi body used on recent Obi-Wan's and Kit Fisto.
The skirt section, while flexible also blocks some leg poses being a little longer and reaching down to Plo Koon's knees. Every joint is tight and secure and Plo has no trouble standing in a number of poses.
Summary
Plo Koon is an unbelievable head sculpt and the re-use of the Mace WIndu body does not bother me in anyway, particularly as the body is recoloured and features the updated articulation. The robes are something I ask for in every Jedi release, so I am pleased these are included - I am just not sold on the way they've been done with the stitched joint at the neck, they take some work to pose them without looking a little goofy.
The lightsaber repack is a shame, and they did not even repaint it to represent Plo's saber and left it as the same colours as were included with General Grievous. The box art is fantastic and it is nice to sign off on a high in the Phase 3 packaging with this being the final wave in this box design.
Summing up, Plo Koon is a brilliantly looking figure who needs a bit of work with the robes if you keep them on - and if you get them posed the look is awesome. I score him a total of 4.0
About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, star wars, hasbro, black series, attack of the clones, episode 2, jedi, plo koon