Thursday, April 28, 2011

Z is for Zam Wesell

Zam Wesell was a shape-shifting Clawdite bounty hunter from the planet Zolan. The character of Zam Wesell was played by actress Leeanna Walsman in "Attack of the Clones (2002)".


Wesell took the form of a Human woman and took a job in personal security. Over time, she moved up through the ranks by honing her skills, gathering equipment, garnering finances and making valuable contacts which altogether allowed her to begin a career in bounty hunting.



Confederate leader Count Dooku contracted Jango Fett to eliminate Senator Padmé Amidala on behalf of Nute Gunray. In turn, Fett subcontracted the bounty to Wesell, who attempted to kill the senator by destroying the senator's starship with an explosive device.


Unsuccessful in the first attempt but undeterred, Wesell met with Fett and schemed to use two venomous insects to kill the vulnerable senator. The attempt was foiled, however, by the alert presence of Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi who had been stationed in the Senator's apartment.


After chasing Wesell through the skylanes of Coruscant, Wesell was easily defeated and before she could divulge Jango Fett's identity, she was silenced by Jango with a toxic dart.


Zam Wesell began using her KiSteer 1284 on the advice of her associate, Jango Fett, who believed she needed to augment and diversify her arsenal with a long-range weapon. Following the second failed assassination of Senator Padmé Amidala, Zam used her rifle to destroy ASN-121 from a distance of twenty meters, in order to dislodge Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi.


Zam Wesell unmasked. Does the Hasbro 1:6 scale 12-inch figure of the bounty hunter / femme fatale look anything like the actress (Leeanna Walsman) who portrayed her? You be the judge. Compare the picture below with the one after.


Lining the bodysuit were elastic bands, placed at strategic locations, which remained taut during changes. Moreover, the bodysuit could stretch to accommodate a new form. The purple armor had other features apart from its versatility when shapeshifting. The material had dark, subtle colors that blended into shadows of buildings and other objects. A veil was used to cover the lower part of her face, hiding her appearance.


In her true form, Wesell was a reptilian-like humanoid, although she often appeared as a Human woman with short blonde or bronze-colored hair.


The armor was also equipped with a direct-to-lungs breathpack. Hoses from the breathpack could connect to the couplings grafted into Wesell's ribcage. Moreover, Wesell wore a Mabari armorweave blast-sink skirt and shin guards on her boots. The skirt was able to absorb or deflect blast fire from grenades and other energy-based explosive devices, and offered protection for attacks from behind.


Her blaster pistol was a KYD-21 model, composed in part of a Hadrium alloy. The blaster also featured a guard-less trigger that allowed for rapid firing. Due to its small and compact size, it could be easily hidden. Additionally, her Mabari combat gauntlets and her helmet also included intricate etchings from the Mabari holy books.


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