Imperial Stormtrooper (McQuarrie Concept) - Mini Busts

Ralph McQuarrie's early designs of the Imperial Stormtrooper are uniquely different from that of the final screen version. Based on original pre-production illustrations from Star Wars: A New Hope, this mini bust displays a fascinating look at McQuarrie's conceptual development of the Imperial Stormtrooper.

Long term Star Wars fans have always highly regarded Ralph McQuarrie as one of the greatest geniuses to have ever lived. He greatly responsible for why the Star Wars universe and its characters look they way they do. Were it not for his visions, Star Wars would have been a completely different movie altogether. You’ve probably heard that said thousands of times by now, but it’s true. For years, Star Wars collectors wanted to see action figures get produced based on his marvelous artwork and Hasbro obliged us somewhat. In 1998, we received the popular Expanded Universe lineup with included concept figures and vehicles and then in 2003 we received our first carded McQuarrie concept figure, the Stormtrooper, which became a hot commodity and fetched a premium almost instantly. But the biggest celebration of McQuarrie’s body of work was documented in the extremely popular 30 (77-07) collection, also referred to as the 30th Anniversary Collection, where Star Wars collectors were treated with eight figures in the distinctly packaged Ralph McQuarrie Signature Series sub-line (not including all of the exclusive releases). They were an instant hit and brought Ralph McQuarrie’s work from revered to trendy and perhaps even en vogue. Still, it was quite a celebration of his body of work and the figures still look fantastic today.

Ever since the successful 2007 TAC McQuarrie focused sub-line, other licensees have dipped into his artwork as well and some fabulous pieces have been produced. Gentle Giant Ltd., who is known for their incredible attention to detail, produced a few convention exclusive Mini Busts for the popular line and 2012’s SDCC exclusive was the Imperial Stormtrooper (McQuarrie Concept). Surprisingly the Imperial Stormtrooper was third on their list despite its popularity, but the final result is amazing. It’s a collectible that could easily be one of the prominently displayed pieces in your collection. We learned a few things about the concept Imperial Stormtrooper while researching for this review that we didn’t know previously. There are actually a few unique helmet designs developed for this character. Most of us are of course most familiar with the one that made it to Hasbro’s action figure line (twice), but we found in the concept art we referenced the second style that Gentle Giant Ltd.. included as an alternate portrait with the Mini Bust. It’s quite similar to the “original” and it differs most by the “mouth” area of the helmet. It’s a pretty neat design, but we’re definitely more partial to the more popular and recognized look. Look in our photo gallery and you can decide which one you like the best yourself.

We have to admit that although we love the Gentle Giant Ltd.. Mini Bust line, we don’t like all of the interchangeable parts. These polystone collectibles and sturdy and high quality, but they’re not impervious to breakage. There have been many times when we moved a Mini Bust from one display to another and have forgotten it has a removable arm or head or whatever else, only to have to go flying off of the Min Bust and potentially break. (We’ve been fortunate a few times thankfully.) But a solid cast Mini Bust just seems to be the most ideal state for these collectibles. That being said, the Imperial Stormtrooper (McQuarrie Concept) Mini Bust is what it is. And it’s a gorgeous collectible despite its interchangeability. For the first time, Gentle Giant Ltd.. has included a clear (and removable) lightsaber blade that looks simply stunning. And to faithfully match Ralph McQuarrie’s timeless artwork, Gentle Giant even incorporated a bulb shaped base for the balde to help give it that extra splash of authenticity. The details carved into the sculpt are breathtaking. There are so many rivets and lines that just can’t be brought to 3.75” scale that look marvelous in one-sixth scale. You may believe that the paint job on this figure is simple since it’s mostly white, but Gentle Giant added a good bit of dirt and shadow to take this out of concept art and into the real Star Wars universe. The Imperial Stormtrooper (McQuarrie Concept) Mini Bust has a true real world look to it and we’re thoroughly impressed. A 2012 Convention Exclusive, be sure that this one doesn’t slip by you. It’s the best McQuarrie themed Mini Bust to date.