The Empire Strikes Back. My favorite Star Wars film, and one of my top movies of all time. I've lost count at the number of viewings I've racked up, but it's got to be in the hundreds to thousands. In fact, I just watched it yesterday. In a weird way, I've always seen it as a Christmas movie. I guess it's all the scenes on ice planet Hoth. No matter what, though, every single time, my eyes are drawn to one character: Boba Fett.
I don't know what it is about the mysterious bounty hunter that drew me in-- okay, I do... with the rocket pack, cool helmet, bad-ass armor, and a grappling hook, Fett's design immediately hooked me. While I don't recall the specific age or time I first saw him, I remember exactly what I thought: "That's the coolest character I've ever seen!"
An original, now-vintage (then-NEW) Boba Fett Kenner figure joined my Star Wars collection shortly thereafter, and he's been one of my cherished, original childhood toys ever since... even if he doesn't have a firing rocket pack.
Inspired by the 6" Black Series Boba Fett deluxe boxed set (with Han Solo in Carbonite), this 4" version of the bounty hunter is a completely repainted, modified Fett from Hasbro's Vintage Original Trilogy Collection. He has Marvel Universe upper legs grafted on (don't remember who), and a metal "T-Bar" from a 25th Anniversary GI Joe.
When making a Fett, the question always comes down to which armor: Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi? While he looks wickedly cool in Jedi, for me it's all about that combination of the shades of grey and the metallic blue-green. For a second I thought about going with the Joe Johnston/Ralph McQuarrie all-white concept, but it seemed a little too Storm Trooper-y... perhaps in the future. Or a long time ago...
