Thi-Sen (Clone Wars)

January 22, 2011 | By More


For me, one of the most interesting episodes in the second season of Clone Wars was Trespass, were we get to see new environments and more importantly, new character models developed for the CGI series.

The Talz were among the creatures shown in that episode. People familiar with the original trilogy will recognize the species from a shot in the Mos Eisley cantina were a large, furry creature with four eyes is having a sip of whatever intoxicant his species favors.

The leader of the Talz in the TV episode is Thi-Sen, Son of Suns and all around Though-Guy. All it takes is to see him charging across an icy plain atop a fierce looking snow beast to realize you wouldn’t want to be at the wrong end of his volcanic glass spear.

I must say the sculptors at Hasbro did an astounding job in translating the CGI model into plastic, as Thi-Sen looks dead on like his screen counterpart. Most of the figure is covered by fur and the sculpted texture, oddly enough, doesn’t look quite as choppy as one would have expected, given the budgetary constraints associated with rendering hair for a weekly TV show.

The grooves in the textures are deep and thin, so much that Thi-Sen could easily fit in with the more realistic looking Star Wars figures from the Legacy or 2010 Vintage lines. Thi-Sen does look thinner than both Muftak and Foul Moudama, but the difference might as well be attributed to their particular environments.

Still, Thi-Sen is taller and bulkier than any other Clone Wars figure I own, and the joints feel quite sturdy. Unlike the previous Talz figures, Thi-Sen got much improved articulation:

• Swivel neck. Motion range is functional but slightly limited by the character design.

• Peg & hinge shoulders. Excellent motion range on both sides, and the joints are well concealed.

• Peg & hinge elbows. Full 90° bending range and forearm rotation. The joints are well hidden by the sculpt.

• Swivel wrists. Range is slightly limited by the flecks of fur hanging form the forearms.

• Swivel waist. This is a simple cut joint and works fine, plus, the armor helps in hiding the joint.

• Swivel hips. These have a very decent range, although they don’t quite reach a 90° bend.

• Peg & hinge knees. Similar to the elbows, these are nicely integrated into the character design and provide a very good range both for bending and rotating the lower legs.

Thi-Sen is molded basically in very light gray plastic except for the hands, which are made from a very dark (almost black) gray plastic. The whole fur was given a bluish gray paint wash to enhance the sculpted textures and possibly a very light dry brushing in white to add highlights.

The face area was given a dark brown airbrushing with only the “mouth” and the rings around the eyes painted in a pinkish gray hue. Since the hands are already molded in the correct color, the claws at the feet come painted in a very dark gray color that matches the plastic hands.

Thi-Sen comes packaged with a piece of armor made from the carapace of some spiked alien creature, a crystal/stone headed spear and a club/axe that also serves as a headdress or status symbol. The club is affixed above Thi-Sen’s head by clipping it to the spines in the back of the armor, but can also be held in his left hand as a weapon.

Both the armor and the club are molded from a purplish metallic plastic, while the spear seems made from dark brown plastic and has the tip painted in a matching metallic purple hue. The accessories do look kind of toy-ish, but the overall look works well with the figure’s fairly dull color scheme.

To put on or remove the armor, you have to pop out Thi-Sen’s head, which actually gives you the possibility of building up a nice looking Talz war band by mixing and matching accessories on multiple Thi-Sen figures.

For a figure I wasn’t planning on getting (you know, not being a clone or a droid), Thi-Sen turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise, and the fact that it would also serve to build up a tribal war party just adds to the fun.

Errex Score: 98/100

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Category: Featured, Star Wars, Toy Reviews

About the Author ()

I've been collecting action figures since the original Kenner Star Wars days. Nowadays, I still collect pretty much anything that catches my eye.

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