#138 STAR WARS – BARADA & YAK FACE (1985)

I have already explained that the last wave ever of many toy series or (most accurately) action figures series, are usually the most difficult to find today and the ones that reach the highest prices. This is, in my opinion, caused for one reason: the last wave is made when sales and popularity are sinking, and the toy companies do not risk much by making as many units as they did for previous waves, when the product was more popular. Kenner’s 3’’3/4 Star Wars action figures were no exception, and in 1984 and 1985, were the “last 17” figures released.

This term (last 17) is very common among SW collectors, because it’s the name given to the most hard to find figures in the whole collection. This figures were released under the line “Power of the Force” (short POTF), since figures for each film had already been released. POTF figures were 36, many of them (22) being re-releases, and including mainly many auxiliary characters and main characters in different outfits.

I am not a very experience collector of this series, but I own a few of this 17. Today I am presenting 2 of them: Barada and Yak Face.

Barada is a Klatooinian slave and mechanic appears in the film “The Return of the Jedi”. The colour scheme, however, come from another character named Kithaba. As a curiosity, the name Barada is a homage made to the film “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, in which an alien named Klaatu comes to Earth. The original line: “Klaatu Barada Nikto” is repeated over the film. George Lucas gave name to three Star Wars characters using these three words.

Yak Face is not even an “auxiliary character”, since it appears in the film “The Return of the Jedi” only for 3 seconds. It belongs to the race of the Yarkora. The figure however is one of the most valuable. The reason for this is that this one the last figure in the POTF line, and it came in production when the line had already been cancelled due to the low sales. The distribution plan for this figure was to send all these figures to Canada and Europe, and not the U.S.A. The Canadian version came with a staff, while the European didn’t.

Both figures share the same weapon, a staff, and both were packed with a “collectors coin” that I do not have. The weapons depicted in this article are both repro. I don’t think I would give away so much money for an “original” one. For these two, I gave 3 US dollars away (1,50 each).

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: BARADA and YAK FACE
• Toy Line: Star Wars: Power of the Force
• Year: 1985
• Company: Kenner (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: 11 cms or 3,75’’

As annex, I copy here the list of these “last 17” figures:

• 1. Amanaman
• 2. A-wing Pilot
• 3. Anakin
• 4. Barada
• 5. EV-9D9
• 6. Han in Carbonite
• 7. Imperial Dignitary
• 8. Imperial Gunner
• 9. Lando General
• 10. Luke Battle Poncho
• 11. Luke in Stormtrooper Disguise
• 12. Lumat*
• 13. Paploo*
• 14. R2-D2 w/ Pop-up Lightsaber**
• 15. Romba
• 16. Warok
• 17. Yak Face

*All of them were released in 1985, except Lumat and Paploo, that were released in 1984.

**R2-D2 with pop-up lightsaber is marked 1977, because its cast was reused from the same figure (without the lightsaber) that year.