Star Wars Black Series Han Solo And Stormtrooper Packaged Review

It's May 4th, and every Star Wars buff is celebrating what is called "Star Wars Day". It's actually an unofficial holiday created by the fans to celebrate the films, books and the culture of the franchise. For action figure collectors, this is the day that they post their Star Wars collections in online communities, forums and other places on the Internet. Luckily enough, I was able to get hold of some Star Wars goodies just in time for the big day... and they come in the form of the Han Solo and Stormtrooper action figures from the third wave of the Black Series figure line.

I was never really considering buying these figures, but when I saw how the Han Solo figure captured the likeness of Harrison Ford (if you don't know him, he's the guy who played the character in the original trilogy), I knew I just had to add him to my collection. If you don't believe me, take a look of the close up of the figure.

This Han Solo figure is sporting the costume he wore in Star Wars: A New Hope, particularly the scene where he squared off with an alien bounty hunter named Greedo. For his accessories, he's got a pair of space guns, a pair of extra hands with gloves (which is really cool by the way), as well as nice looking gun holster. For a 6-inch figure, this for me is the best action figure rendition of the iconic character. His package specs read: "Han Solo has a final showdown with the bounty hunter Greedo in the Mos Eisley Cantina." with a quote "Sorry about the mess."

Then there's the ol' white and shiny Stormtrooper. Now this figure is what I'd call the gem of the wave. I've seen a lot of Stormtrooper figures before, but this one definitely nails it. The helmet, the armor, the guns - the figure itself is the best one that Hasbro has ever produced.

As far as I can remember, this is the costume of the Stormtroopers in the New Hope, and in the movie they are the ones hunting down the Empire's enemies (rebels) across the galaxy. The white guy's got two accessories - a space gun and a long rifle. His package specs read: "Stormtroopers board the rebel blockade runner Tantive IV and send word to Darth Vader that they have captured Princess Leia." with a character quote of "Inform Lord Vader we have a prisoner".

Moreover, the Stormtrooper makes a great army builder. So having 5 to ten figures of him would be great for your display cab (if you can afford that much Stormtroopers, of course). However, online forums and reviews say that these figures are no longer available in singles if bought online; which means you need to buy the whole wave/set just to get your hands on him. Therefore, I'd consider myself lucky to snag one for myself.;) (And I've got to thank my very supportive girlfriend for this one as well.)

The other figures of the wave include Luke Skywalker (Bespin outfit) and Obi Wan Kenobi (the bearded Ewan McGregor version), and since I really don't like these characters that much, I just made a pass on them. The Black Series is actually a great line, and I'm looking forward to see more interesting characters (like Padme Amidala clad in a white suit in "Episode II: Attack Of The Clones" and the space bounty hunter Jango Fett). Though they're what I'd call 'wallet busters' costing as much as P1,500 (nearly $40) per figure, these are actually worth their price tag as they are among Hasbro's best figures yet.

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Keeping It Sealed

Ever heard of 'MOC', 'MIP' or 'MIB'? For those who aren't familiar with (or new to) the world of action figures, these abbreviations may seem quite strange. For long-time collectors, however, these are just common terms that come to mind when they buy, trade or sell some goodies. These expressions, which mean 'Mint On Card', 'Mint In Package', and 'Mint In Box' respectively, pertain to the preservation of action figures within their packages.

MOC and MIB Transformers - My favorite 'bots

I have been a collector for about a decade now, and I myself have tons of action figures which have already been removed from their packaging. When I started out in this niche, after my purchase I'd always get the figure out of its clamshell (blister pack) or box immediately and then display it. But there was this certain figure (it's the Marvel Legends Series 11 Hulkbuster Iron Man) which made me realize that 'packaging is everything'.

MIP ML11 Hulkbuster Iron Man - Luckily I bought another one which I kept MIP.;)

So, what's the big deal about 'keeping it sealed'? It all comes down to two things: quality and value. You see, once the figure is removed from its original packaging, it loses a part of what I'd call its visual flavor - the element which made it an 'eye-candy' in the first place.

Preserving the legends of the Marvel Universe

And let's not forget about its increasing value. The longer an action figure is kept in its packaging, the more profitable it can be for the owner when auctioned in E-bay and other places online. Two good examples are the MOC G.I.Joe Cobra Ninja (Code Name: Storm Shadow) and the MIB Transformers Autobot Commander Optimus Prime (both produced in the 80's) which would cost around US$3,995.00 and US$2,795.00, respectively (now tell me that's not reason enough to keep your figures sealed!).

That chick on the center could cost 4 to 5 times her original price these days

But that's not to say that every sealed figure you're going to have will reach that kind of price after some time; it actually varies from one figure to another. And even though I'm well aware of the fact that action figures are meant for playing and displaying, keeping them MOC, MIP or MIB could be a wiser choice. Who knows, maybe that unopened Transformers 'bot of yours could be worth a car in the future!

MIB Batman: Arkham Origins & Injustice: Gods Among Us Collector's Edition sets - Yes, I preserve them even without removing the video game inside ;)

How about you, do you prefer to keep your figures loose or sealed?

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