Concept Han Solo (Ralph McQuarrie Signature Series) - TAC - Basic (30 47)

Added: October 31st 2010
Category: 30 (77-07)
Reviewer: Paul Harrison
Score:

Name: Concept Han Solo (Ralph McQuarrie Signature Series)
Collection: 30 (77-07)
Number: 30 47
Source: Expanded Universe (A New Hope Concept Art)
Availability: October 2007
License: Hasbro

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Artist Profile

The vivid imagination of conceptual artis Ralph McQuarrie brought to life the characters and worlds envisioned by George Lucas. McQuarrie's paintings and drawings were instrumental in the push to bring Lucas's Saga to the big screen, giving shape and form to a multitude of fantastic individuals, creatures, planets and technology encompassed in this epic tale. developed in collaboration with McQuarrie himself, this remarkable action figure series pays tribute to the man whose art defined some of the most memorable characters in film history.

McQuarrie's concept painting of central characters in A New Hope depicts Han Solo as a fierce Jedi Knight rather than a rougish smuggler. Wearing close-fitting battle gear, he is ready for combat with his lightsaber blazing and his face set with stern determination.

Let’s get physical! Yeah, we know that’s a really bad and overused joke at this point. But we can’t help being corny every now and again. We thoroughly enjoy the Concept Han Solo action figure despite his aerobic look and since we are ridiculously in love with McQuarrie’s artwork, we assume that Hasbro will be able to do no wrong when it comes to these art-inspired action figures. Concept Han Solo looks like an amalgam of both Han Solo and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The facial hair alone gives him a newfound maturity and the lightsaber alone gives him a wisdom otherwise not seen in this beloved character. And in actuality, the concept art for Han Solo actually developed both him and Obi-Wan Kenobi, so it all makes sense. As far as the action figure goes, Concept Han Solo is not without his faults, but overall he delivers quality and awesome accuracy to the two dimensional art graphic we have known for years. Hasbro mastered this figure from the color of the uniform to the athletic body type and we really couldn’t be happier with the final results. The McQuarrie figures are truly the highlight of the 30 (77-07) and we think they give a great balance to Star Wars collecting in general.

Concept Han Solo comes with 18 points of articulation. We’d say that the omission of ankle joints was indeed a mistake here. The reason we feel this way is because his plastic molded cape is heavy and makes him fall over. If collectors had better control on how they could position his feet, it would have certainly inhibited gravity pulling him to the ground a bit more. This issue is elevated by the fact that he has a wide stance. More often than not, figures with wide stances are harder to pose. Still, Concept Han Solo is capable of standing unassisted, but you’ll need a little bit of extra time to get him to do this. He comes with a blue lightsaber (the blade is a rare shade of blue – in the Hasbro line for a lightsaber at least), lightsaber hilt and blaster pistol. Almost his entire outfit is colored purple save for his gloves, boots and midsection, a color that McQuarrie loves to use on his character ideas. Concept Han Solo has a functioning holster and a clip on his belt that actually holds the extra lightsaber hilt (although we find it stretches out over time due to the thickness of the hilt). Hasbro finished him off with his flowing cape (also purple) and as a total package Concept Han Solo is not half bad and succeeds in our opinion. We’re just not sure if he is one of our favorite concept figures in the line.

Concept Han Solo has a decent head sculpt. His likeness is part concept art and part “human interpretation” of some Han Solo/Obi-Wan Kenobi hybrid. This approach happens frequently in Hasbro’s concept figures and it is our preference when they rely on the design of the concept art to infiltrate the sculpt instead of trying to incorporate an actor’s likeness into it. Still, we suspect only keenly eyed collectors may notice this. Instead of head that is molded in flesh colored plastic, Hasbro has decided to paint it this color. More often than not, this leads to an inferior paint job in the face. Even still, Concept Han Solo’s paint job (in the face and head) isn't half bad, but we would have preferred it the other way around. He has layers of color in his hair and his blue eye come shining through nicely. His outfit is detailed in silver which has been used to represent the metal details on his outfit but we find that some of the applications of this silver were put on the figure rather sloppily. But it is possible to run across some with much cleaner paint applications. Concept Han Solo is a must-have if you’re a fan of McQuarrie’s art. If you are, then you have to get them all, there is not other option available! Right?

Collector Notes

Concept Han Solo (Ralph McQuarrie Signature Series)

Status: Concept Han Solo (Ralph McQuarrie Signature Series) is an all-new figure.

Articulation Count: 18 points (12 areas of articulation)

Articulation Details: ball-socket head (1), ball-jointed left shoulder (2), ball-jointed right shoulder (2), ball-jointed left elbow (2), ball-jointed right elbow (2), swivel left forearm (1), swivel right forearm (1), swivel waist (1), swivel left hip (1), swivel right hip (1), ball-jointed left knee (2), ball-jointed right knee (2)

Accessory Count: 4

Accessory Details: removable cape, blaster, lightsaber (lit), lightsaber hilt

Date Stamp: 2007

Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on Click here to check the market value on eBay! listings.

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