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MUNGO BAOBAB
Treasure-hunter, adventurer and former owner of R2-D2 and C-3PO
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I must admit, I didn't even know who this guy was! I saw the picture in the STAR WARS ENCYCLOPEDIA, so I knew he was from the DROIDS cartoon series. But since I never saw that series, I had no clue who he was! I just thought he looked like he would make for an interesting custom. So, I did a bit of research, and I found a whole slew of info about him!
- From the STAR WARS ENCCLOPEDIA:
A reckless treasure-hunter and adventurer from Manda, Baobab came from a family that owned the Baobab Merhcnat Fleet during the early days of the Empire. To try and instill a work ethic in Mungo, the family sent him to Biitu to set up a mining operation and trading post. Baobab's greatest accomplishment was finding and preserving the Roonstones, a crystal structure in which was encoded the Dha Werda Verda, and epic poem of the conquest of the indigenous people of Coruscant by a warrior race called the Taungs.
- From STARWARS.COM:
Artoo and Threepio came to be property of Mungo Baobab, a trader from the Manda system. When saving the world of Biitu from the cruel grip of the reigning droid known as the Great Heep, Artoo fell in love with a little pink astromech droid named KT-10. A droid of adventure, Artoo was hardly one to settle down, and soon he and Threepio were working for new masters on Kalarba.
- From SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE CD (About the Dha Werda Verda):
Much has been written on this famous text. We are indebted to the discoveries of space merchant and explorer Mungo Baobab (see The Adventures of Mungo Baobab, LucasFilm 1986) who found and preserved the Roonstones. Encoded into the crystal structure of the Roonstones was the earliest known text of Dha Werda Verda. It is considered original, and was translated in the Baobab Archives.
The text was written five millennium before Coruscant's warlike primitive ancestors, a warrior race called the Taungs, invaded and conquered the indigenous peoples.
Dha Werda Verda recounts in epic poem fashion the legendary story of a battle between the Taungs and the vanquished people, the Battalions of Zhell. The tide of the final battle was turned when a sudden volcanic eruption rained destructive ash onto the Zhell, smothering their city. The plume of ash rose kilometers into the sky, and cast a giant shadow over the land of the Taungs for two standard years. Thousands of years of continual construction have turned the original site of this epic battle into Imperial City. Henceforth, the Taungs became known as "Dha Werda Verda," i.e. The Warriors of the Shadow... or in some translations, Dark Warriors.
The Taungs themselves saw the shadow as a symbol of their destiny and adopted the Dark Shadow Warrior identity throughout their conquests...
It is even hinted in some ancient text that the Mandalorians were the true heirs to the Taungs conquests... While other pieces of ancient Roonstones hint that the Taungs were really the ancient forefathers of the Sith...
Pretty cool, right? There was even a toy produced for the DROIDS line, although it never got made. After some searching, I found the card, coin, and even a test shot of the figure that was scheduled. I even found some screen shots from the cartoon! Enjoy!
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- Endor Rebel Soldier (head)
- Naboo Qui-Gon Jinn (torso)
- Jedi Duel Obi-Wan Kenobi (skirt, legs, and ponytail)
- Luke Skywalker (arms)
- Chewbacca (pouch)
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You've gotta love the "spare parts" customs! This figure was put together using leftover pieces from other customs, except for the new Endor Soldier head from the SAGA line.
I guess this is more of an "inspired by" custom instead of a "copied from" custom. I tried to stick as close to the drawing as possible, but update it for the modern line. I think it still looks like the character.
I had to cut the neck down a bit, because it was way too long. The skirt was also cut so there was just the center piece hanging down. I don't know if the back was supposed to be long, but I left it that way. I glued the ponytail to the back of his head, and sculpted on pouches for the arm and leg. The shoulder bag is a Chewbacca pouch I had cut off...I just glued it to a rubber band.
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