Cool Stuff: New Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Funko POPs Celebrate The 25th Anniversary
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In case you were feeling especially spry and young this morning, this year marks the 25th anniversary of "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace," and there's no stopping the speeding train that is mortality. But while you're still hanging around this plane of existence, waiting for "The Phantom Menace" to return to theaters with a sneak peek at "The Acolyte," you might as well fill your shelves with things that make you happy.
In honor of the milestone anniversary of the "Star Wars" prequel that kicked off the tragic story of Anakin Skywalker, there's a new batch of Funko POPs featuring a variety of characters from "The Phantom Menace." While most of these characters have been given their own Funko POPs figurines before, such as Queen Amidala, Anakin Skywalker, and Darth Maul, there have been some style changes in their approach to sculpting characters, and these are the best versions of them yet. There are even a couple of deluxe Funko POPs to snag. Check out all of the new "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" Funko POPs below.
At last, we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi...
First up, we've got two Deluxe Funko POPs featuring Darth Maul and Queen Amidala. The villainous Sith apprentice is riding on his Bloodfin speeder that he uses to ambush Qui-Gon Jinn and Anakin Skywalker as they return to Amidala's metallic starship in the middle of the Tatooine desert. The base features the sand that Anakin hates so much, along with a molded blast of it being blown back by the speeder. Meanwhile, Amidala is sitting on her throne in the Theed palace on Naboo. Funko paid much closer attention to the detail in Amidala's gown this time, adding more specific touches to the character's wardrobe in plastic form.
Funko
Next up, we've got Anakin, Padme, and Watto as they appear during their time on Tatooine. Anakin is wearing his podracing helmet while Padme dons common clothing, as she pretends to be one of the queen's handmaidens. And finally, we've got Watto, the junk trader who loses a bet to Qui-Gon Jinn and is forced to free Anakin. It looks like Watto has his fist raised in anger, but it would have been a nice touch to put a chance cube in his hands instead.
Funko
Finally, we have some characters ready for battle. Obi-Wan Kenobi is decked out in his full Jedi robes with his lightsaber drawn, and we're hoping that a new Qui-Gon Jinn figure is coming sometime in the near future too. Meanwhile, Jar Jar Binks is preparing to swing a booma ball in the big ground battle on Naboo, and we all know how that turns out for the clumsy Gungan. Plus, there's an entirely new Funko POP that we've never gotten before: a Battle Droid. Like a lot of droids in the "Star Wars" universe, the design doesn't lend itself to the Funko POP style very well, but they did a decent job of adapting by giving him a puffy head that still retains the familiar look of the Battle Droid.
All of these Funko POPs are available to pre-order on Amazon now, and they will be released on May 15. However, some are unavailable there, so you might have to pre-order somewhere else like Entertainment Earth.