Anakin Skywalker and Sebulba - Gentle Giant - Mini Busts (2013)
Star Wars Collectible News, Photos, and Reviews

Research Droids Reviews Recap

Posted by Paul | July 03, 2013 at 01:22 PM ET

Click through for our Research Droids Reviews recap and see what recent reviews you may have missed.

Research Droids Reviews

Research Droids Reviews: June 5, 2013 – July 2, 2013

Han Solo - OTC - Basic (OTC #07)
Overuse can be quantified with one Star Wars action figure. And that would be 1999’s POTF2 Han Solo (Comm Tech) figure. It was the “go to” figure for more than half a decade and used once again for The Original Trilogy Collection.... (read the full review)

Chewbacca - OTC - Basic (OTC #08)
One of the most immutable things about Hasbro is that they’re going to salt the basic figure line with repacked action figures. With some collections they add more repackaged figures than others, but withThe Original Trilogy Collection, they had to go into “repack overdrive” to meet the deadline of the Original Trilogy making its debut on DVD.... (read the full review)

Scout Trooper (Star Wars Battlefront) - OTC - Basic (Exclusive)
There are some moves that Hasbro makes that will leave you scratching your head for years. They introduced the Star Wars collecting community to the very first Star Wars: Battlefront video game figure in 2004. While not technically in The Original Trilogy Collection line look, it was released in its own one-off (and very unique) packaging to fit in better with the video game market.... (read the full review)

Boba Fett - OTC - Basic (OTC #14)
Does it ever frustrate you that an action feature ruins what is potentially a tremendous update to a Star Wars action figure? That’s precisely how we feel about The Original Trilogy Collection’s Boba Fett action figure. Boba Fett is simply a repack of 2003’s SW Boba Fett (The Pit Of Carkoon) (‘03 #08) figure, but Hasbro has once again revised the colors and some of the paint operations for this release.... (read the full review)

Yoda [Episode V] - Mini Busts
After a heavy concentration of characters from Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones in 2002, Gentle Giant Ltd. turned their attention to the core Original Trilogy characters. It took them until 2005 however to bring us Yoda, a character once thought to be a diminutive Jedi Master until we saw him in action in Episode II.... (read the full review)

Han Solo - Mini Busts
Gentle Giant Ltd. released the worst exclusive Mini Bust for 2005’s San Diego Comic Con. Instead of creating a truly unique sculpt or character for the event, they just reserved the first 1000 pieces of it and placed it in a “special” white box and called it the Early Bird Edition – First 1000 Han Solo Mini Bust.... (read the full review)

Greedo - Mini Busts
Greedo is really a difficult character to screw up, but Gentle Giant Ltd. unfortunately found a way to do so. You might be surprised that we’re not entirely crazy about his Mini Bust, especially since its been hailed an artistic achievement by so many collectors.... (read the full review)

Clone Commander Cody - TCW [SOTDS] - Basic (CW03)
When I was approached to participate in the making of The Ultimate Action Figure Collection by Steve Sansweet, I thought it was a dream. I know that sounds cliché, but I really didn’t believe it. I called my mom and dad first to share the news with them and they couldn’t believe it either. They never thought for a moment that my obsession would ever amount to anything worthwhile like this, and honestly, neither did I.... (read the full review)

Holographic Darth Maul - Mini Busts
Should it be the equivalent of Gentle Giant Ltd. scraping the bottom of their barrel of ideas when they resort to manufacturing a “holographic” Mini Busts for the line? It seems even less appropriate to release it as an exclusive, especially for a population of people who rarely get to see any exclusive Star Wars events, like the Star Wars: The Exhibition in Brussels.... (read the full review)

Holograhic Qui-Gon Jinn - Mini Busts
Gentle Giant Ltd. fell for Hasbro’s trap. Often noted for developing many original Hasbro concepts for their own Mini Busts line, Gentle Giant Ltd. has now developed the Holographic Qui-Gon Jinn Mini Bust, a screen inaccurate interpretation of the character based directly from a Hasbro figure released in 1999.... (read the full review)

Clone Trooper (The Clone Wars) - Maquettes
There is no question that most collectors are uncontrollably obsessed with the latest offerings Hasbro makes with the basic figure line, but sadly great collectibles made by high-end dealers like Sideshow Collectibles and Gentle Giant Ltd. go often unnoticed which in our opinion is a terrible shame.... (read the full review)

Obi-Wan Kenobi (The Clone Wars) - Maquettes
When Hasbro announced to Star Wars collectors in 2008 that The Clone Wars basic figure line would be approached in animated style, the collecting world groaned. From the beginning, Hasbro has stated thatThe Clone Wars property was to be geared for kids, but with a twist.... (read the full review)

Han Solo (Rebel Captain: Bespin) - Heroes Of The Rebellion- 1:6 Scale Figures
Everyone involved with the Han Solo (Rebel Captain: Bespin) 1:6 Scale Figure by Sideshow Collectibles (both Sideshow and collectors) got a little too eager about it. Sideshow produced a remarkable 10,000 total pieces of this high end collectible and collectors couldn’t wait to get their paws on what is easily considered the most popular version of Han Solo across all collectible formats.... (read the full review)

Commander Cody - Mini Busts
2007 ended up being a banner year for Gentle Giant Ltd. and their popular Mini Busts line. They beat out a heavy quantity of different Mini Busts, but the quality of them was noting we had seen in the line to date. Arguably, the biggest sensation of their 2007 offerings were the clone commanders that became the proud headliners of their 2007 World Tour promotion.... (read the full review)

Commander Gree - Mini Busts
If there is one thing that Star Wars collectors want to see in their collectibles it’s got to be accuracy. Things didn’t go so well for Commander Gree however. Eager to release this character before the Revenge Of The Sith line ended, Hasbro hastily repainted 2005’s ROTS Clone Trooper (III 41) figure and turned it into Commander Gree (III 59).... (read the full review)

Commander Bly - Mini Busts
It’s no secret that Gentle Giant Ltd. piqued collectors’ interest with the development of their beautifully sculpted clone commanders Mini Busts. Fans of the line waited two long years for Gentle Giant to develop these awesome looking characters from Revenge Of The Sith, almost following in similar footsteps to Hasbro.... (read the full review)

Commander Bacara - Mini Busts
If there was one tour date that was a “head scratcher” for Gentle Giant Ltd.’s 2007 World Tour, it was Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore Comic Con was the fifth and final stop for World Tour 2007 and lucky attendees were treated to an exclusive Commander Bacara Mini Bust that was limited to only 2000 pieces.... (read the full review)

Commander Neyo - Mini Busts
It’s quite astounding what an edition size of 500 less pieces will do for a Mini Bust’s rarity. Perhaps it stems more from the panic of being without, but Commander Neyo instantly commanded a hefty aftermarket value just moments after its debut at 2007’s Tokyo Blister Event.... (read the full review)

Clone Trooper [Episode III] - Mini Busts
Gentle Giant Ltd. was quick to produce the phase II clones from Revenge Of The Sith and the collecting community was ready for them. With the overnight success of the phase I clone Mini Busts from Attack Of The Clones, Gentle Giant Ltd. made it clear that they would be releasing many more units, 15,000 to be exact, of three unique Clone Troopers from Revenge Of The Sith.... (read the full review)

Clone Trooper (501st Special Ops) - Mini Busts
The phase II Clone Trooper Deluxe Collectible Mini Busts didn’t fully meet the expectations of the collecting community. There really isn’t any other way of saying it. While it goes without saying that we desperately wanted to see these characters made in the Mini Bust format, it seems that the process by which they were developed wasn’t heartily considered and as a result they feel incomplete, that further tweaking was needed before they were approved for production.... (read the full review)

Clone Trooper (Utapau Trooper) - Mini Busts
When Gentle Giant Ltd. releases multiple styles under one SKU, there is always one that stands out from the rest. We’re specifically talking about the Clone Trooper [Episode III] Mini Busts and the smallest produced variation of them all.... (read the full review)

Darth Vader [Episode III] - Mini Busts
Most licensees missed the boat with creating screen accurate collectibles of Darth Vader (in the black iron lung) as he appeared at the end of Revenge Of The Sith. We don’t mean for that statement to come across too seriously, but we’re simply trying to make a point that screen inaccurate add-ons can sometimes make or break a collectible.... (read the full review)

Darth Vader (Star Wars Animated) - Maquettes
Gentle Giant Ltd. changed the face of collecting when they brought characters from the Original Trilogy and created the Star Wars Animated Maquettes line. The line exceeded expectations. Collectors were instantly enamored of the characters Gentle Giant Ltd. chose to bring into the line and couldn’t wait to see how far and wide they would continue to take it.... (read the full review)

Darth Vader [Black & White Edition] (Star Wars Animated) - Maquettes
If you thought the Star Wars Animated Maquettes line couldn’t get any better, than you aren’t aware of the complementary Black & White Edition Maquettes that they made as counterparts to the earliest releases in the line.... (read the full review)

Darth Vader - OTC - Basic (OTC #10)
It’s hard to believe that Hasbro released three Darth Vader figures in The Original Trilogy Collection basic figure line, you know, the collection with the 38 single-carded figures. This directive should make it clear to you the popularity of Darth Vader and how he is easily the most successful action figure at retail.... (read the full review)

Darth Vader - Premium Format Figures
Sideshow Collectibles wasted no time at all developing Darth Vader for their highly respected Premium Format Figures line. After a warm welcome from collectors with their Luke Skywalker and Han Solo pieces, they jumped right in with an Episode IV inspired version of Darth Vader.... (read the full review)

Darth Vader - Life Size Busts
It’s not often at all when a high-end collectible leaves us without speech, but that’s precisely what Sideshow Collectibles’ Darth Vader Life Size Bust did to us. Perhaps we should come clean right from the start. We are big fans of the Life Size Bust line.... (read the full review)

Darth Vader [Chrome] - Mini Busts
How do you make an awesome Mini Bust niche? Gentle Giant determined the best way to do this would be to dip 2003’s Darth Vader into a chrome lacquer and then add an aged final finish to it and save it as an exclusive. But it didn’t really go as planned.... (read the full review)

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