Wow. The animated
maquettes line from Gentle Giant Ltd.. is back with a vengeance. And
it has returned in the form of Boba Fett With Han Solo In Carbonite.
Made so well that is has exceeded our expectations tenfold, it will no
doubt invigorate this smaller line of high end collectibles. It has a
higher price tag than all the other maquettes released to date and we
can assure you that it is worth every penny. While all of the maquettes
themselves are remarkable pieces of art, the line was becoming slightly
bland. A character on a black base is nice, but a little scene of multiple
characters is ultimately better. This piece adds a whole new level of
interaction which the line desperately needed. While Boba Fett certainly
has an attitude of ownership (you can see it all over his "face") the
attitude you feel from him is unprecedented in this line. And the success
of this piece shines through brighter than a trouper light. Let us just
say that this is a piece not to pass over for your collection. It is
that good. You already know that Boba Fett is a surefire hit in any collectible
form and this animated maquette is no different.
Boba Fett has been
cast in a guarded pose. Since he obviously needs to keep an eye on Han
Solo (in both frozen and unfrozen states), Gentle Giant has assured a
pose that captures this much-needed security coupled with a confidence
in Boba Fett's demeanor and stature that seemed to be lacking in the
first Return Of The Jedi inspired animated maquette. While the
original has a very cool pose, its strength lies in the sensory overload
of the sculpt and not so much with every detail being perfect. This maquette
is perfect, well almost. We will nit pick about the orange glare being
cast on the frozen Han Solo. We think it may distract or mislead the
collector into thinking that he has started the defrosting process. (Well,
maybe he is - after all, there tends to be major artistic license taken
with these pieces.) But we don't think this was the intent and clearly
these orange accents are meant to recreate all the orange lighting cast
from the Bespin freezing chamber as seen in Episode V. We suppose the
final interpretation will have to lie in the eye of the beholder. (Remember
how fans wanted an Bespin-reflection stormtrooper? Same thing here -
we think.)
As an Entertainment
Earth exclusive, the edition size has been set at a moderately low 1750
units. This may be enough for the time being, but this is certainly one
of the finest maquettes Gentle Giant has ever made and we suspect it
will be a sell through. If it doesn't, then we have to surmise that collecting
is coming to an end. It would be an egregious decision to skip over this
collectible. That in combination with the most popular bounty hunter
of all time and our favorite scoundrel frozen in time will undoubtedly
make this a very popular collectible and should ensure its success. The
maquette has it everywhere it counts. The figure is colored beautifully
in multiple colors. The oranges are extremely bright and the blues and
green work together to tie the whole "diorama" together. The carbonite
block serves as not only a second figure to this maquette but a backdrop
to Boba Fett. It looks spectacular. Plus, how often do we see the back
side of the carbonite chamber? Gentle Giant took it upon themselves to
give the back of the carbonite block its own unique design pattern. (Check
out the pictures!) In summary, we are thrilled with this piece. It is
their best animated piece in years. Be sure to give this piece the proper
consideration it deserves. |
