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By
Julian H. Betancourt |
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CHEWBACCA: Being a favorite of Star Wars fans everywhere, Kotobukiya's rendering of Han Solo's faithful Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca, proved to be a popular release. The fantastic craftsmanship and attention to detail that are lavished on this figure made it one of the coolest ones for the line.Standing at a whopping 15" high, the soft vinyl kit of Chewbacca consisted of 10 easily assembled pieces and was packaged in a huge color window-box by the well-respected Koto figure modelers. Chewie, the reliable ally of the rebel army was posed ready to defend himself, sporting his lethal bowcaster. It's easy to imagine Chewbacca's distinct roar at an onslaught of Stormtroopers or as leading Princess Leia to safety. The kit offered an interlocking base, perfectly matching the previous Han Solo kit and thus permitting for both figures to be displayed side by side. Measurements: Approx. 15" tall
LIMITED EDITION SANDTROOPERS: 2005 What a sweet trio 2005 brought us! Not only we got treated to one but, actually to THREE different kits of the menacing desert terrain Stormtrooper, the Sandtrooper. Crafted with perfectly designed armors and gear, the Sandtrooper trio became an instant hot seller. Collectors who got all three Sandtroopers were able to swap body parts and weapons from each trooper, thus creating a great number of poses. Distinguishing these troopers were color-coded rank shoulder pauldrons:
Note: The Squad Leader kit, although part of the trio per say, was not made an exclusive. SANDTROOPER SQUAD LEADER: Orange shoulder pauldron. Fantastic battle weathered effect was applied to this figure. Equipment and weaponry are nicely detailed. Squad Leader is posed at rest, blaster rifle down while his left arm is raised at his hand points at the horizon as he appeared during the search for C-3P0 and R2-D2 on the film. Measurements: Approx. 11" tall
SANDTROOPER CORPORAL: Black shoulder pauldron. Great battle weathered effect was applied to this figure. Equipment and weaponry are nicely detailed. The Corporal is posed ready to get into action. His left arm is raised high, holding his blaster rifle. Measurements: Approx. 11" tall
SANDTROOPER SERGEANT: White shoulder pauldron. Again, fantastic battle weathered effect was applied to this figure. Equipment and weaponry are nicely detailed. The Sergeant is posed ALA Western style. Both of his arms hang down, while his right arm holds firmly a blaster gun as if a duel was about to take place. Measurements: Approx. 11" tall
DARTH VADER EP III:
The ever popular
first Koto Vader finally found its match in this second edition
of the Sith Lord from Revenge of the Sith, now plastically
incarnated in a halted battle pose as he commands the power of
the Dark Side to assist in his evil ways. His cape appears to be
flowing in the wind while his left hand wields his blazing
lightsaber behind and Force pushes with his extended right arm
and open hand. Vader seems unstoppable standing on the
volcanic Mustafar base he comes packed with inside a red ROTS
theme window box.
Although the helmet's dome protrudes
too far back, sort of giving the mask a stretched out look when
seen from the sides, the craftsmanship and attention to detail
on the rest of the sculpt succeeded in bringing Darth Vader to
life, once again, with great realism. However, there was a
noticeable production error found in this figure ...
ERROR on VADER:
Kotobukiya's Episode III Vader was first produced with a
significant error. This was in fact the second production error
found in a Star Wars Koto kit, being Yoda with 5 toes (from the
Mace Windu set) the first one.
EP III Vader was first issued having the buttons on the upper part of the chestplate in reverse order. Mind boggling was the fact the photo of the Vader on the packaging presented the upper section of the chest plate in the correct order. A corrected second version was quickly made available having the buttons on the upper section in the correct order. 
NOTE:
While some might complain about the way the two Vaders produced
by Koto hold their sabers (below the shroud of the hilt and not
at the grips), this is by no means an error. After
closely inspecting several promotion pictures from Lucasfilm, it
is clearly seen that is in fact how Anakin/Vader are pictured
holding the weapon.
Measurements:
Approx. 13" tall
SITH ANAKIN:
Portrayed as he appeared before donning the menacing mask and
armor, this figure features a striking an ominous pose,
looking very threatening holding his ignited lightsaber. The
presentation box briefly departures from the usual black
background theme in order to allow for the red ROTS colors.
The authenticity of the outfit is once again effectively captured by the Koto sculptors and can be appreciated on Anakin's cloak, boots, black leather tunic and perfectly detailed glove with straps and buckles. The face is the weakest point on this figure. The likeness isn't accurate, yet it does reveal the agony of Jedi in his shadowed eyes right before his tragic fall into the Dark Side. Anakin can be safely set on a rounded Mustafar volcanic base that connects with that of Episode III fully armored Vader when placed side by side, allowing both figures to be displayed as one single unit.
Measurements:
Approx. 9.5" tall
SPECIAL OPS 501 LEGION CLONE TROOPER:
This is truly a must have kit, one which you'll never regret
getting a hold of. The well proportioned sculpt was given a very
dynamic action packed pose. Standing on spread out legs, the Clone
Trooper features an extended left arm, steadily holding in his
hand a DC- 15 blaster gun, aimed at some unforeseen enemy of the
Republic. The left arm is down by his side and the hand grabs a
huge Dc-15A standard rifle by the barrel. The figure gets hooked
on to a well detailed base representing the floor of the Jedi
temple. Pieces of a destroyed pillar, feeling real to the
touch, compliment the realism of the base.
The overall battle damage of the
sculpt is greatly accomplished sporting a gouged armor with blast
marks, paint chips, nicks and smeared mud from a hundred fights.
The emblazoned 501st legion blue markings on the helmet, shoulder
plates, chest knee plates and legs are precise and realistically
captured.
Measurements: Approx. 12" tall
SHOCKTROOPER: The red emblazoned
shock trooper, the most elite in the Clone Trooper ranks and
Palpatines's personal guard on Coruscant is, to say the least,
amazing.
Although the sculpt is posed exactly
the same way as that of the 501st blue clone and placed atop a
similar base, the ornamentation of the armor is completely
different. Once again, realistic battle damage gets
well represented in the overall wore out look of the armor.
Coruscant designation is clearly authenticated along the front of
the helmet, arms and legs using several sets of red stripes.
Appropriate red coloring on the chest plate, shoulder plates and
boots is present and enhanced with realistically applied
weathering effects.
EXCLUSIVE STATUS:
The Red
Kotobukiya Shock Trooper was carried as an exclusive by Toys "R"
Us in the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Hong Kong. This
item did not differ among countries in shape nor presentation; box
and figure were the same. Only the removable Toys "R" Us Limited
Edition exclusive sticker on the bottom left hand side of the
front of the box, below the bubble, varied from country to country
showing the limited amount and the name of the country. The kit
was also available to the American market through StarWarsShop.com
as a limited exclusive.
Here are the name of the countries
that carried this exclusive along with the corresponding edition
size:
Measurements:
Approx. 12" tall
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