Star Wars The Black Series Jar Jar Binks Deluxe Review

It had to happen. With as many Black Series Jar Jar Binks as there are clogging up the pegs in stores, eventually, we’d all find one.

Or in my case, four.

Jar Jar spent the late 90’s and early 2000’s annoying me and the rest of fandom. He shouldn’t have, because, by that time, we’d already lived through George’s first attempt at capturing the hearts and minds of toddlers and mentally deficient adults. Back then, it was called an “Ewok.”

Except surprisingly, Ewoks were useful. They helped put a nail (not THE nail, as the novels would go on to explain) in the Empire’s coffin.

In hindsite, you can see the evolution of Lucas’ bag of turnips. Ewoks, like teddy bears, but with military organization. Jar Jar tried to lick a pod racer. Porgs are so dumb they were more useful being rotisserie’d over an open flame.

Least we forget, Jar Jar almost got ran over by a slow moving tank that could be heard coming for miles.

I quickly learned to accept Jar Jar is a goof with nothing to offer, and didn’t spend the next 20 years being angry about it like some prequel haters.

But here we are now, in 2021, faced with not just a Black Series Jar Jar Binks, but a Deluxe one at that.

What makes him deluxe? Well, for a Black Series figure, that bar is pretty low.

What comes with the Black Series Jar Jar Binks Deluxe figure?

Star Wars The Black Series Jar Jar Banks

He’s deluxe, so instead of just a floppy eared simp, we get some cool accessories.

Obviously we get the figure.

We also get a cool Gungan shield.

There is a Gungan ball of death on a stick (what do you call this thing? “Angry Orb”?).

Finally, what I believe to be a Gungan spear.

That’s it. That’s what “Deluxe” means when it comes to The Black Series. Here are a few more pictures.

What doesn’t work with the Black Series Jar Jar Binks Deluxe figure?

Right out of the gate, there was some low-hanging fruit that I’m not sure how Hasbro missed… his ears need articulation. Nothing crazy, just something to capture the bounciness of his persona. Slightly up and down, and back and forth would have really helped this figure. I’m thinking a ball hinge if some sort.

The Black Series Jar Jar Binks figure was already coming out of the factory at a disadvantage because of people’s feelings about him. Why not toss this goofy twit some extra love and articulate those ears?

Add to the ears, how about an alternate head with his tongue out, ala the Qui Gon dinner table scene?

Finally, for a character as dopey as the Black Series Jar Jar Binks figure, his eyes look pretty middle of the road. Its a good sculpt with a dead expression.

The Black Series Double Jointed Knee joint is one of the ugliest creations in action figure history and it’s not even close. Don’t @ me.

What works with the Black Series Jar Jar Binks

Often overlooked, the Gungan army played a significant role in The Phantom Menace. It’s not acknowledged a lot because even though that was the first victory against the separatists, we all know that in the end, the guy who started it all won anyway.

However, my Episode I shelf space was a little bare, with only a Padawan Obi and Jedi Master Qui Gon representing that specific time period.

Because of the features in the Deluxe packages, I have enough to create a small Gungan army.

I can’t complain about that.

Should you purchase the Black Series Jar Jar Binks?

As I mentioned, I bought four. I only paid full price for the first. Each subsequent one was cheaper than the one before it.

Why?

Well, two things: Hasbro thought the world was ready for a massive influx of Jar Jar goods (ok, that’s conjecture on my part) and Hasbro simultaneously released this figure AND SOLICITS for a cheaper archive edition to be released later this year.

Same figure, lower price point. Less accessories that no one really associated with Jar Jar anyway.

People cancelled their preorders, and boom… Jar Jar clogging up our pegs all over the country.

So, should you buy the Black Series Jar Jar Binks deluxe figure? It’s a tricky question because there are some places you can get this deluxe figure for literally half the cost of a normal figure. At that point, there is no reason to wait for the archive edition, right?

If you want to army build, you want this version. For everyone else who just wants the figure or a conversational piece for their office? They should wait for the archive.

Still looking for the Black Series Jar Jar Binks deluxe figure, but massive markdowns have caused him to vacate the store thanks to dumbbells like me? You can still find him here:

In closing, may your Gungans be slippery when wet, and your Naboo Citizens safe in the blanket of security the Republic provides them.

For now.