GEORGE LUCAS in Stormtrooper DisguiseThe Saga Collection Vintage Mail-In Premium
Item No.: No. 87069
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster, Helmet
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $4.95 + 5 Proofs of Purchase
Availability: Spring 2006-2007
Appearances: None
Bio: Celebrate the legendary Star Wars films that changed the universe forever, with The Saga Collection. This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and transported us to a galaxy far, far away. To commemorate these landmark films, we are honoring their creator, George Lucas. We pay homage to both his remarkable accomplishments in film as well as the legions of Star Wars fans that he inspired by presenting a likeness of the director himself, clad in one of the saga's most iconic designs - the distinctive armor of an Imperial stormtrooper. May the Force be with you! (Taken from the figure's cardback.)
Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.
Commentary: There's a strange mentality among collectors that if you can't buy something in a store, that's it's automatically more valuable. Not so-- a lot of mail-in figures tend to be produced in big numbers and are rarely completely redeemed, meaning Hasbro has, in a warehouse somewhere, a bunch of these sitting around or waiting to be donated or something. I'm not saying this is the case with George Lucas in Stormtrooper Disguise, I'm just saying if history is any indication, you'll be seeing these again down the road.
So what is this figure? Well, it's the 1999/2000 CommTech Stormtrooper, which was pretty nice for its day, with a removable helmet (which I believe is a unique sculpt to this figure as it doesn't match other releases), plus an all-new George Lucas head that looks like he did around 1976-- although idealized slightly. For example, he has no glasses, black hair, and no flannel. The helmet fits snuggly, and at first glance you wouldn't even be able to tell that the face underneath is a future billionaire who indirectly determined where we shop for the remainder of our natural lives. The sculpt itself is decent-- it looks like George Lucas, the Stormtrooper looks like a Stormtrooper, in short, there are no surprises here. A lot of fans were hoping for a super-articulated body like that used for the 2007 Stormtrooper or 2004 Stormtrooper, but well, we don't always get what we want. The figure comes packaged on a faux-vintage cardback in a clamshell, which was shipped in a white mailer box-- so you'll probably want one to keep carded in addition to one to open.
Collector's Notes: At first, Hasbro made you buy one of each of five different figures to send away for this one, and on top of that, they charged you five bucks. This was obscene, and caused overpaying on the secondary market. Today, it's a little bit cheaper, but still hard to get as it's assumed by some that what's out is it-- but don't be surprised to see more show up over time. It's a nice one, a neat collector item (as in, collectors will dig this more than kids), and I personally think every fan who wants something unique in their collection ought to get one. I mean, it's George Lucas-- who, to date, has been released as a Rebel pilot and as a victim of Mr. Wonka's chocolate factory.
Day 500: September 18, 2007
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