Kitik Keed’kak

Kitik Keed’kak is an alien from the Cantina from A New Hope. The cantina scene is the one scene from almost all the films that both fans and non-fans recall. For all of the screen time that the aliens in that scene got, they are the ones that fans seem to remember the most in the Star Wars saga. The giant praying mantis is no exception.

Our bug-like alien here is a female Yam’rii according to the Star Wars Databank. It seems strange to think of a big insect on the desert world of Tatooine. Of course, an 8 ft tall praying mantis is a bit strange anyway.

Appearance:

If I had seen this figure loose somewhere, and hadn’t know about it, I’d guessed it was part of another line. She looks like a big bug with a little softer detailing than the usual SW figure. Since this figure is a re-issue from a Kmart three pack, there may have been a less attention to detail put into the original figure to save some dough. There is texturing all over the body, though. Something akin to crab shell looking stuff.

The waist of this figure looks a bit odd to me. I’m sure it’s based on some real praying mantis reference. But to me, it looks like the skirt was going to fit differently at some point. Since she’s a Cantina patron, I almost wonder if she was intended to have a cloth skirt so that she could sit.

Speaking of the skirt, this is one part of this figure that bugs me. The sculpt is probably good, but the blotchy washes and paint just look terrible. Apparently, big bugs do all the speeder oil changes on Tatooine. I wonder if this is carry over from the original issue as well.

When I saw this figure carded, I figured it was solid from waist down. I was pleasantly surprised to find a bug abdomen and legs under the skirt. It seems figures with skirts are becoming a trend in these reviews (see Gragra‘s review). The legs even
have hip joints. They remind me a bit of grasshopper legs from “A Bug’s Life”.

My biggest gripe with this figure is the color. I haven’t pulled out the DVD to confirm, but the Databank photo is what I thought she should be for color. The figure is somewhat a brownish color. The film photos appear a green similar to a real praying mantis. This may be a case where like the Hoth Han Solo, where not all the reference material matches.

Fun:

You can tell this figure is intended to be more of a collector figure than a standard figure. There is far less articulation than we have gotten used to seeing. There are points at the shoulders, hips and waist (5 points).

Oddly, missing is a ball jointed head, which was done to save money I’m sure. That would have made this character capable of much more expression. I would have preferred a slight tilt to the head if it wasn’t going to move instead of straight on.

I would have like to have seen some secondary arm articulation as well. It would have been nice if she could have wrapped her arms around her prey.

For accessories, she has two. The standard holograph figure and a base. She stands fine without the base, though. As you can see from the picture the base is incorrect, showing Episode 2 instead of A New Hope. I
suppose it’s possible she was lurking in the corners of the Outlander club and her scenes were cut, but to me it’s just an outright mistake.

Overall:

I have to say I’m a big fan of figures of background characters. This one is no exception. I’m not a MOC collector, so these kind of figures appeal to me for filling out little scenes. I remember walking by my Cantina shelf a year or so ago and thinking that it was looking kind of under populated. Now, it’s starting to bustle with patrons.

Looking at this years Toy Fair pictures, it looks like it’s only going to get busier.

Now, as far as figures go Kitik here may not be up to par with the other figures we’ve become accustom to seeing, but she definitely would look great hanging out in the back corner of your Cantina diorama. Especially, if, like me, you weren’t able to score the original Kmart 3 pack.

Engineernerd Score: 75/100

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