Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,143: Han Solo (Twinduction)

HAN SOLO (Twinduction)
Star Wars Classics Walmart Exclusive
Item No.: Asst. FKD57 No. FKD58
Manufacturer: Mattel
Number: 1/8
Includes: n/a
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: About $1
Availability: 2018
Appearances: n/a

Bio: Han Solo rose from an impoverished childhood to become captain of the Millennium Falcon, a leader in the Alliance to Restore the Republic and an instrumental figure in the Galactic Civil War during the reign of the Galactic Empire.. (Stolen from Wookieepedia.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: It's Wheels Week! Here and at 16bit.com, I'm looking at some Hot Wheels and 1:64-compatible scale toys - they're cheap, why not. Stay tuned for collectible cars and RacerVerse here, while 16bit.com will look at Transformers Spy Changers, cars you can find at the grocery store with LEGO and MEGA-compatible studs, and other goodies. I'm still writing these, so you'll have to come back for more.

This Han Solo Twinduction was something I skipped in 2018 - I picked up all the "cheap" $1 Walmart exclusive cars, but for some reason this series, I didn't get at the time. I just got the series on eBay for about $3 percar shipped, which is arguably cheaper than gas & tax & driving around. A lot of people collect and flip these things, and some cars are pricey - but most of them aren't, and you can find a lot for $1-$4 (plus or minus shipping) at online and brick and mortar shops. The mark-up is probably more of the service of their holding on to it for a few years or the gas to the post office - this is not a piece that's in demand. If you are considering buying it, let me just say to buy it in a lot or small collection because the shipping is going to kill you on eight individual tiny cars. Don't blame the seller, blame math.

I started this week because I wanted an excuse to write about the RacerVerse go-kart toys (come back tomorrow!) and wound up diving lot of unopened toys, and remembered to look into this set. Was it worth my waiting six years to track down and open this car? ...no. I had a few cars as a kid (mostly from the 1983 McDonald's collection, all but one sadly sold at a garage sale) and I have picked up a few odds and ends as an adult. There's a pattern - it's usually when Star Wars collecting is particularly dire (so 2013 and 2024 were upswings) and when Mattel announces an interesting licensed car from TV or a movie that I want to track down. I'm also fascinated with people wo race these things as a sport. There are amazing features and fun things to do with these toys - usually. This one is top-tier "nothing special." I'd go as far as to say it's pretty bad, and you're buying it for the card art.

Mattel has gorgeous card art that is similar to - but not the same pose as - the art on the car itself. It reminds me a lot of collectible fast food glassware, in that it's flat and almost looks like it could have been traced. This one has a dull blue finish, it feels light and has some silver vac metal around the engine. A Star Wars logo sits on the roof of the car, and Han's last name "Solo" is written on Aurebesh on the sides. It's very blah - I don't necessarily expect Spectraflame paint, or metalflake paint, but a little shine goes a long way on these things. This is a car that sold for about $1 and looks like it should have sold for about $1.

As something you leave on the card, it's great. I love the big portrait, and the car art is actually quite nice. The tampos are incredibly crisp, with some nice striping and a Rebel Alliance logo. I am a little surprised that, in 2018, Mattel gave us an old-school Harrison Ford portrait and not something stylized or based specifically on Solo: A Star Wars Story. Maybe they were short on assets given the prequel's production, or the licensees were all given some "pivot to classic" directive because it was easier - and arguably safer - to do. The car itself more or less matches Han's Corellian jeans, complete with bloodstripes on the spokes of the wheels. It's a nice touch. It rolls a little rough, unlike a lot of other cars you can hear a hint of a rattle or a scrape while it moves on your mousepad. It glides along just fine, but there's a difference in the sound - compared to other Hot Wheels, it's not quite as clean of a gliding sound. But you're probably not buying this toy for track, this is a collectible, a souvenir, a way to spend $1 to tell the world "this is a thing I like." (See also: Hot Wheels cars based on states and various highways, and a Matchbox based on the 1986 arrival of Halley's Comet.)

I am not a car guy despite being descended from a Chrysler engineer, but I know what I like when it comes to toys. Functionally this particular Twinduction is a little disappointing but I really do appreciate that they made something that looks sort of like a goofy 1970s retro collectible. You can probably find this one at a second-hand shop of some sort on the cheap, and if you can't, there are a bunch of other licensed cars and go-karts in a store near you right now. Having said that, it is unlikely that a Han Solo may be among them at mass retail.

Collector's Notes: I got mine from eBay. I should also note that this series has a wild Jabba the Hutt-themed Deora II car, where the card art is based on Return of the Jedi while the car art is based on an unflattering angle of the Special Edition digital Jabba. I have no idea why they didn't just go double duty on the card art there - but take a look, it's worth it for the laughs.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,143: June 17, 2024