|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
By
Julian H. Betancourt |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
SNOWTROOPER: Adding
to their arsenal of Imperial troopers, Koto brought into their
fold Episode V's specially snow-trained infantry division trooper,
the Snowtrooper. The character got treated with authenticity,
detail and precision throughout the entire sculpt. So real was the
look, we seemed to get taken back to the cold climes of EMPIRE once
the kit was constructed.
The subfreezing conditions armor is striking in detail. The terrain gripping boots were sculpted with a proper rugged look while the insulated belt cape, followed proper dimension and natural appearance. The chest plate featured all communication controls and monitors. The back pack was detailed with precision having all indicators and proper color tones. And the helmet with its polarized snow goggles and breath warmer cover was accurately proportioned. The figure was posed alert, ready to bring down the Rebel forces on the frozen surface of Hoth. His body is dodged a little, giving the impression he is fully aware of his surroundings, carefully conducting a reconnaissance of the area as he strides across the snowy floors of the Rebel base, firmly holding an imperial sidearm blaster with both hands. The actual base for this figure is made of a snowy environment with actual pieces of a busted E-Web blaster. The figures is packed in the usual black background window box, typical of these kits. Measurements: Approx. 10" tall
COMMANDER BLY: Bly's armor gets his distinctive wear beautifully sculpted and painted showing the damage of battle. The pose on this kit is a reminder of the crucial moment when, demonstrating his unerring loyalty to the Republic, Bly raised his weapon and opened fire on his commander officer after receiving order 66 from the Supreme Chancellor. The provided custom base includes a mutilated body of a super battle droid, including its head and torso. The kit also includes two different helmets, allowing for the Clone to be displayed with or without a targeting visor. The visor is glued near the "ears" of the helmet and it isn't truly meant to be moved. However, since this particular part is made of thin vinyl, it can be raised as far as to the black strip on the brow of the helmet where it gets caught, remaining in that position Measurements: Approx. 11" tall
LUKE SKYWALKER Episode V ( BESPIN): Luke sports the familiar tan suit he wore as he appeared on Cloud City during the climactic saber battle with his father, one of Empire's most memorable scenes. The kit is the perfect complement to any of the previous Darth Vader edition releases in the Koto line. Consisting of 11 snap fit pieces, Luke includes a set of interchangeable right hands that enables him to wield his father's lightsaber or hold his blaster gun. Depending on how you wish to display the kit, the weapons can be alternately stored, by either placing the blaster pistol in its holster while Luke holds the ignited saber, or attaching a provided lightsaber hilt (inactive) to his belt clip while Luke holds the blaster pistol. While the likeness is not the best, the rest of the kit sure is accurate to the character and it is highly detailed. The ventilated display base clearly depicts Bespin's Carbon Freezing Chamber floor where Luke confronted Vader in Cloud City for the first time. Measurements: Approx. 11" tall
SLAVE PRINCESS LEIA: Rendered in her eye-popping slave outfit, the figure authentically brings to the plasticized world of snap fast kits one of the most unforgettable costumes in the Star Wars galaxy any teenage boy will ever remember. Critics of Koto's approach to human faces will be very pleased with the likeness to the young Carrie Fisher's character the kit offers. However, due to the rather light paint application on Leia's body, her skin tone is of a noticeably pale/yellowish coloration. The kit includes six easy to assemble snap fast pieces that discreetly hide the seam lines of the highly revealed body areas. It is indeed a well accomplished look that dresses up the kit with realism. Leia rests on a base representing a section of Jabba's throne. On the side of this stone-textured box shaped base there is a grotesque gargoyle head holding in its mouth an aged metal loop with a metal chain attached to it. Leia is "leashed" to this chain by her neck as Jabba's latest acquisition. Measurements: Approx. 10" inch tall
R2-D2 & C-3PO: This is indeed a fantastic three dimensional rendering of one of Star Wars most recognizable and iconic duos. Again, it is Koto's sculpting at its best offering the Droids all gussied up and polished as they appeared at the end of A New Hope while witnessing Princess Leia awarding medals to the heroes of the Battle of Yavin during the victory celebration. The accuracy level is high without a doubt. From the stone steps of Yavin IV serving as the kit's base, to the droid's body shells and Threepio's silver lower right leg and foot, lack of detail was NOT an issue. There is even a little bit of articulation given to the kits as Artoo's dome revolves while C-3PO's neck is articulated allowing for the head to be rotated in various positions.
Measurements:
C-3PO is approx. 10.5" and R2
PEWTER DARTH VADER: Available in the U.S. as a StarWarsShop.com Exclusive Limited Edition of 1000 pieces, this monochromatic version of the Dark Lord of the Sith attempts to represent the character's true essence as cold, hard and forged of evil. Steeled for battle, Vader is wielding his blazing saber with one hand and a crushing Force push with the other. If the pose looks familiar is because this is the same mold used for their previous Darth Vader Episode 3 version. Even the box is the same. I've always been very enthusiastic about Koto's product to say the least however, a new box and a slightly different pose would had been a more proper approach to this release, given the fact this was a Limited Edition exclusive. The kit itself is coated in an all pewter/silver paint deco, minus the red lightsaber blade that remained untouched. According to some collectors' reports, there seems to be a problem with the coat of pewter paint being too thin and lacking any type of sealer to preserve it. As a result, the paint will tend to chip off. Price wise, due to its exclusivity status, the cost for this Vader is higher than its previous, regular release. Measurements: Approx. 13" tall
YODA SPIRIT OF THE FORCE, CELEBRATION EXCLUSIVE: In May of 2007 Koto offered their first ever USA Convention exclusive. Limited to just 1138 pieces, Yoda was priced and sold for $60.00 at Kotobukiya’s booth #921 during Celebration IV in Los Angeles, California. Yoda, a remake of Koto's 2004 Dagobah version, portrayed the Jedi Master sitting at the foot of a tree stump holding his cane. Remarkably similar to me movie character, such likeness could be easily attributed to the authentic and precise details employed on its design Named "Spirit of the Force," the exclusive offered a distinctly attractive and unique translucent look. The kit was cast in a semi flexible clear plastic and placed on a rounded black base with electronics that included a LED light under Yoda. When activated it allowed the sculpt to be illuminated in a mystic blue color, exposing everyone to the Master's glowing Jedi Spirit form. Yoda's electronics were powered by two replaceable batteries located in a compartment under the base. On its opposite side, the top of the base featured a rectangular button with the raised words STAR WARS on it. When the button was pressed, it activated a sound chip with the recorded voice of Frank Oz reciting three different phrases from the original Empire Strikes Back dialogue:
Departing from the commonly seen Koto window package, Spirit of the Force Yoda was placed in a windowless presentation box and dressed up in the style and Black and Gray colors of Star Wars 30th Anniversary high-end collectible packaging. Exact details of the edition sizes produced worldwide for this kit were printed on the back of the package. In order to testify its highly collectible status (being one of the smallest production runs in their Line), each box was individually serial numbered using a triangular sticker sporting the graphics of the Celebration IV logo. To ensure everyone attending the event on different days had a chance at it, Yoda was allocated as follows:
While Yoda "Spirit of the Force" was exclusively released at Celebration IV for the American market , it wasn't just limited to that event. A total of 1138 units were also made available in July of 2007 to fans attending London's Star Wars Celebration Europe in The United Kingdom. Another 1000 units were sold to Japanese fans through Kotobukiya’s chain of retail shops in Japan. A total of 3276 units were produced worldwide. Measurements: Approx. 7" tall
|
