The original Han Solo is a curious beast because it is one of the few times that Kenner went back and did a major mold change, namely with his head. If you hear the terms "big-head Han" and "small-Han Han" bandied about, this is why. You can see the above pictures for an example. The small-head was first, and then the bigone came with the switch to an ESB card. Some small-heads exist on ESB cards because retailers often sent figures back to the manufacturer to get repackaged when new movie cards came out. Han came out on SW, ESB, and ROTJ cards.
Han is one of the original twelve-back figures, with the paintings instead of photos of the figures. I have mentioned in previous posting with the original twelve about this, and how badly the TIE fighter looks here. Han also came with his signature blaster.
Why should you own this figure? Five reasons:
1. Get a big-head and a small-head. Have a fight over which one is the defective clone.
2. There's only one figure you want behind the control of the Falcon, and it isn't that scoundrel Lando!
3. That vest, the open-necked collar. What's not to like ladies?
4. Get him in a cantina scene with Greedo. Shoot first.
5. It's Han - the coolest guy who doesn't use the Force. Kind of like MacGyver and his feeling about guns.
Backstory:
Han was a rebellious youth on Corellia, and a talented swoop bike racer. Eventually he joined the Imperial forces, where he began to question their values. Eventually he saved and befriended a wookiee name Chewbacca, and they became pilot and copilot smugglers. He hooked up with the Rebellion, a princess, and settled down (kind of) and had three kids, Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin. Many, many years later he is still crossing the galaxy with his wife, but Chewbacca died in the war with the Yuuzhan Vong about 25 years after the event in Star Wars.
I got a Han Solo action figure within a month, if not a week after they were released in the stores. (Full disclosure: I had the "Early-Bird" figures that came in the mail -- Luke, Leia, Chewie, Artoo -- so, for proper play, Han was a must-have first figure. Plus, like most 10 year-old boys, he was my favorite character.) However, my Han is a small-head. What's more, I don't remember the big-head Han for maybe close to a year after the figures had come out. In other words, my memory is that the small-head came first, based on the fact that I almost could not have gotten the figure any sooner after its release, and the fact that I never owned a big-head Han. My thoughts at the time was that Kenner figured out too late that Han was a character who was important to a great many people and needed a head that more closely resembled (however poorly) burgeoning super-star Harrison Ford.
ReplyDeletePS. I meant "My thoughts at the time WERE..." Sorry.
ReplyDeleteSorry - that is correct - the small one did come out first, and as Harrison Ford's own head grew so did his figure's. I always consult the "Star Wars: the Action Figure Archive" first and I must have transposed the two when I wrote the entry.
ReplyDeleteNot only is Han the coolest non-force-sensitive in the whole Star Wars universe he is also the only character to use a Light Saber that wasn't a Jedi or Sith. and for a s far I can remember he is still the only one.
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okay so I have a Hans solo figurine it is a small head it says 1977 on it and it has a seam around his head I haven't seen anything on eBay and trying to figure out a fair price
ReplyDeleteNo, idea on prices. I would check current and past ebay auctions, otherwise I got nothin'
ReplyDelete