What good is the Luke Skywalker (In Stormtrooper Disguise) Mini Bust without the Han Solo (In Stormtrooper Disguise) Mini Bust? Apparently he isn’t much good at all. Thankfully Gentle Giant Ltd. noted this and secretly began work on Han Solo right around the same time they began working on the 2004 San Diego Comic Con exclusive Luke Skywalker piece and reserved it for a Collector’s Club Edition Exclusive early the next year. Limited to same exact amount of pieces as the Luke Skywalker (In Stormtrooper Disguise) Mini Bust, Han Solo (In Stormtrooper Disguise) is produced at a fair 3500 pieces as well. Han Solo is done equally well, but there is a problem. While Luke’s armor is off-white (borderline cream colored in spots), Han Solo gets a sterling bright white stormtrooper outfit, so the pieces don’t match each other as nicely as they should. This is what happens when characters from the same scene get manufactured at different times. Even a few moths difference is enough to cause the disparity in the colors used.
So it’s definitely a slight disappointment that the pairing of these two Mini Busts will look off to collectors. However, the pieces are excellent when looked at as mutually exclusive from each other. Han Solo (In Stormtrooper Disguise) is perhaps the better piece for a few reasons. Firstly, the bright white armor looks so much better. The yellowing on the Luke Skywalker (In Stormtrooper Disguise) Mini Bust is a bit distracting. It’s doesn’t look terrible, but bright white is the way to go here. Secondly, Han Solo (In Stormtrooper Disguise) is superior because he comes with an accessory that fits perfectly in his right arm and hand. Gentle Giant Ltd. actually took the time to sculpt a separate Stormtrooper helmet that looks stunning in Han’s hand. It obviously cannot be used and placed over Han Solo’s head, but it’s a nice extra value-added bonus for this exclusive Mini Bust and we’re thrilled that Gentle Giant Ltd. decided to go this route.
This isn’t the first time Gentle Giant added a helmet “accessory” to a Mini Bust. If you recall, they made a gorgeous X-wing pilot helmet for the Luke Skywalker (In X-wing Fighter Gear) Mini Bust. And now we have an awesome Stormtrooper helmet accessory for Han Solo. It is our hope that they continue to do things like this for characters that have removable helmets in the Star Wars films. Even interchangeable head would be a nice alternative too. We should definitely direct your attention to Han Solo’s portrait too. It is one of the nicest likenesses of Harrison Ford we have seen in the polystone medium. He has a wry smile on his face, yet he also looks a bit smug (which is typically the way we like to view Han Solo). All of these details and more just emphasize the fact that Gentle Giant Ltd. is a more than worthy license holder for Star Wars collectibles. Han Solo (In Stormtrooper Disguise) perfectly proves this point and more. It is the perfect complement to the other previously released Mini Busts.
Collector Notes
Han Solo (In Stormtrooper Disguise)
Status: N/A
Exclusivity: 2005 Collector's Club Edition
Assembly: N/A
Date Stamp: 2004
UPC: 871810000364
Retail: $44.99 USD
Market Value: Click here to check the latest prices based on listings.