Show and Tell > Captain Tarpals & Kaadu

PGPoA Pal and creator of Geek Creek, Monte, who will soon be setting off with his family for a multi-year sojourn in Africa, has offered to be the inaugural presenter for the new Show and Tell feature. Remember, if you’d like to submit your own Show and Tell, just email me with a description and some photos.

The blog is yours, Monte!

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I only became a Star Wars fan in May 2009, so when I bought this unlikely toy sometime in April, it was most definitely not out of affection for the character; I’d always been a harsh critic of the entire Star Wars series, and I couldn’t even have told you in April which toy was Tarpals and which was Kaadu. (Hell, I’m still not clear whether Kaadu is the creature’s name, or if it’s like saying “Corporal Smith and Horse,” or something.)

I scored the toy on eBay ’cause I thought it’d be fun to photograph at the canyon. I was right! While Jar-Jar is mostly despised by the Star Wars fanbase, the overall design of a Gungan translates very well to plastic; I love the intricate patterns of purple on his arms, and the subtle, delicate shading on the backs of his ears. Keeping in mind that this toy was produced ten years ago, and with the concession that its articulation is hardly up to modern standards, this is just a fantastic toy to play with.

Having since become a fan of Star Wars (this is a more surprising development than I can properly convey in such a short space; see the disproportionate number of posts I’ve dedicated to Star Wars for a longer explanation than you or anyone else would probably care for), the toy has actually lost a little of its magic for me, ’cause now that I’m familiar with Gungans, it’s harder for me to re-imagine Tarpals and his sweet ride as giants.

Even so, the design of each figure is fun, and the articulation gets the job done (albiet barely), and I love the soft faux-leather clothes they gave Tarpals. Indeed, I’m so enamored with this ridiculous toy that it’s the only non-Sigma 6 toy I’m bringing with me to Africa this summer; owing to space limitations, I traded or sold all my other oversized monster toys (Mezco’s Kong, Wink, the Rancor Monster, etc.) Tarpals and Kaadu are simply too fun to part with; I have to get to the canyon with them at least one more time.

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8 Comments

  1. Captain Tarpals is the ONLY Gungan I actually liked in the movie. I feel he got the short end of the stick because of his association with Jar Jar, but he's one of my favorite new characters from the prequels.

    Also, I can't wait to show off pics of figures I found the other day. I'm going to bet I'm one of the only people that reads this blog that has a Captain Scarlet and a Captain Black Figure.

  2. Mark

    Im sure youll be able to get some amazing shots in africa just like you did at the creek….one thing, be on the look out incase any wildlife take a fancy to your figures.

  3. Poe

    Is it politically incorrect to refer to it as the Dark Continent?

    EDIT: I guess so, sorta.

  4. Jim

    My favorite Pic: Snake Eyes with Scooby Doo! LOL LOL

  5. Poe

    Yard sale?!

    Selling any toys? You should give us the first shot at 'em ๐Ÿ˜‰

  6. We're probably leaving sometime during the first week of August. In the meantime, we have to sell our cars, rent our house out, have the mother of all yard sales (we'll probably end up having two or three, actually), and get several shots.

    Good times.

  7. When ya officially leaving Monte? I got a tribute post to ya coming, ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Monte can make pretty much anything look golden. He's rather impressive that way.

    Never heard of these figures but they do look cool. Someone had been watching Heavy Metal when they designed Kaadu obviously. He's clearly one of the creatures from that movie, sans wings.

  8. Mark

    Excellent man, that looks a very fun toy. Good luck in Africa. My 3rd cousin works in Africa in Johannesburg, hes been there for 25 years although he is moving to North Africa now.

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