The Boba Bounty

There’s another round of Boba Fett scuttlebutt hitting the web, after Jeremy Bulloch reportedly had a slip of the tongue at Salt Lake Comic Con earlier this month.

While media is taking this as a possible hint toward Bulloch’s involvement in a Boba Fett project – there’s a lot of forced conclusions behind this speculation. Lucasfilm may have approached Bulloch for any number of projects in development, including a voice role in Star Wars Rebels or a cameo appearance in a spin-off film – whether or not that’s a Boba Fett film or Episode VII.

When pushed further, Bulloch said he’s not allowed to say anymore. No surprise, really. But I’m more prone to think he was about to say he’s doing a voice on Rebels.

I believe any spin-off projects are in discussion phases – nowhere near casting talks – he just stated nobody approached him for Episode VII yet, and I tend to think they’ll go in the direction of Daniel Logan or Temuerra Morrison for Boba Fett – if for no other reason than continuity purposes.

In related news, the folks over at MakingStarWars.com report a source overheard Disney executives discussing their enthusiasm for Boba Fett during a breakfast meeting yesterday. An unidentified executive allegedly said they wish to move forward on the bounty hunter’s spin-off, but worry about his portrayal.

According to the eavesdropper, the executives want Boba Fett to remain a menacing presence, but are challenged by the thought on how to make him the hero of the picture – without sacrificing the villainous nature Boba Fett carried in the films.

How much of this breakfast talk is on point, is debatable. But my thoughts on the story, as it’s been reported, is I don’t know if I totally agree with their appraisal of Boba Fett’s nature. To put it simply: I don’t think I agree that Boba Fett is a “villain.”

First off, you don’t need to be an outright villain to be menacing. I don’t even know whether I fully agree he was a villain in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi – I grew up seeing him as a bounty hunter. Therefore, his actions may be villainous or heroic, depending on the contract.

The team over at Rebels Report is in my opinion the leading source of Star Wars Rebels coverage. Earlier this month, they uncovered five book covers from this summer’s release of Rebels tie-in children books – scheduled to hit shelves Aug. 5.

They’ve been keeping a close eye on these titles since hints of the book series popped online earlier this year. The cover art was discovered via the Edelweiss catalogue, which is a legitimate information source for publishers and professional reviewers. So, this is the real deal, not misconstrued fan art or a hoax.

One of the books, Ezra’s Gamble, immediately grabbed our attention. The cover art depicts Rebel’s fresh faced Ezra standing alongside the familiar face of Bossk. Some have pointed out the image of Bossk comes from The Clone Wars, but being a tie-in novel, Disney wouldn’t have generated a new model of Bossk just for a book cover.

What’s more important than where the images are originally sourced from is the fact that Bossk and Ezra appear friendly – or at least allied – in the cover art. At this point, it’s nearly impossible to speculate the storyline in Ezra’s Gamble, at the very least; it’s obvious the two characters cross paths. But, does this point toward Boba Fett also appearing in this title?

The Clone Wars established a close partnership between Bossk and young Boba Fett, and sketches by Dave Filoni hinted the two bounty hunters continued their partnership in future storylines – these are the sketches showing Bossk and Boba alongside Cad Bane’s crew in an unaired story arc.

Of course, plenty of time has passed between the happenings in The Clone Wars and the time period of Star Wars Rebels, but I have to imagine any fallout between Boba Fett and Bossk would be saved for an onscreen story arc. Filoni created such a strong bond between the two bounty hunters, it would be a wasted opportunity to not show their dissolved.

Even if Boba Fett and Bossk is no longer a pair during this time period, their close association could still point at Boba Fett appearing in the title. If they’re no longer allies, than they’re each other’s competition, making it conceivable that if Ezra is crossing Bossk’s paths, then it couldn’t be too hard to believe an intersection with Boba Fett wouldn’t be too outlandish to occur.

Several pieces of action figure news dropped this month, including updates for Hasbro’s 6-inch line and Jakks Pacific’s giant sized 31-inch line. If you missed the announcements, here are a few Boba Fett related snippets that may be of interest.  

Vintage Boba Fett T-Shirt: While most designer T-Shirts popping up these days feature clever mash-ups; it’s refreshing to get a simple and elegant Boba Fett item once and awhile. Artist Mark Daniels of Sublevel Studio has unveiled one of his latest custom designs, which is a clean and beautiful illustration of the vintage Boba Fett action figure by Kenner. I personally, love this design, and at $12 it’s a great item for any collector or fanboy. This T-Shirt is available at WeLoveFine.com – and the good news, this awesome shirt doesn’t have a running clock to make your purchase.

Giant Sized Action Figure: Jakks Pacific revealed images of this year’s lineup of 31-inch giant action figures, following the success of last year’s deluxe Darth Vader. I’m not sure how readily available these figures will be at retailers – they take up a lot of shelf space, so I can’t see stores stocking all the figures at one time – but the 31-inch Boba Fett reminds me a lot of the Saga Legends Boba Fett that hit stores earlier this year. How many of you plan to scoop up this giant sized action figure once it’s available?

Black Series Update: The fourth wave of Black Series 6-inch figures are presently up for pre-order, but some may noticed a change in the lineup – there’s no longer a tall fur ball in the wave. While Hasbro originally planned on releasing Chewbacca in this wave, the awkward positioning of Chewbacca to squeeze him into the packaging didn’t fly – so the figure’s release is being postponed. Instead, the hard to find figures of Boba Fett or a Stormtrooper will be included. This is great news for those still hunting for these earlier figures, especially for army builders.

Stephen Ward is a Texas-based customizer who caught our attention with some absolutely stunning Boba Fett figures. While the Boba Fett 6-inch is one of the highest praised figures from the new Black Series line, Ward has not only created more screen accurate versions of the bounty hunter – but has pumped out a small squadron of armor variants – ranging from the Holiday Special, to Droids and Boba Fett’s Prototype Armor.

We got the chance to talk to Ward about his custom work, how he got into the hobby and what projects he has planned in the future.

How long have you been a Star Wars collector? Do you have any specific collecting focus?

My Star Wars story started early. I started collecting Star Wars toys as a little kid; it was 1989 and I was 5 years old.  One of my first childhood memories was at KB Toys and my mom buying a Han in Carbonite from the Power of the Force line.  I wasn’t really into Star Wars yet, but as I understand it, the last figures KB had were on steep discount sale for 50 cents or so – even in 1989, that was pretty cheap.  It was a few more years until I got really into the movies and subsequently going to antique malls and flea markets with my mom, picking up vintage figures.  My favorite character was – of course – Boba Fett.

It was the POTF2 line’s introduction which had me super stoked upon its release and I bought up everything I could get my hands on with lawn mowing money.  Once I got to high school I was ‘too cool’ for Star Wars toys and everything I owned went into boxes and I didn’t get back into collecting until after I got out of the Army years later.

As an adult, I collect vintage figures loose and on-card.  Occasionally I have to pick up a modern Boba Fett item like the Black Series figure or the new Saga Legends figure.

When did you learn about customizing figures? What prompted you to first try your hand at it?

Customizing figures was a natural extension of my 'original’ hobby, which is sculpting and painting historical/military miniatures.  As a kid I loved painting the figures which came with plane and tank models – more than I enjoyed the scale models themselves.  That grew into converting existing figures and eventually sculpting my own, mostly in 1:32 scale, with each figure only being about as tall as my pinky finger.  I’m a literature and art nerd so I’ve done pieces of Hemingway (my favorite writer) and stuff like a piece based on old German woodcuts by Hans Holbein the Younger.  I’ve done quite a few pieces about the Iraq War in recent years as well since that’s within my wheelhouse, having served there in combat over 10 years ago.

What was the first character you ever customized? How did the project turn out and what important lessons did you learn from the experience?

The first Star Wars figure I ever customized was the new Black Series 6” Boba Fett; I wanted to improve the stock Hasbro paint apps.  I was pretty happy with how it turned out actually.  The biggest lesson I learned?  Probably that a lot more hours went into a 6-inch figure than I ever would have expected.

What goes into customizing a figure? What’s a basic way to customize a figure, compared to more advance methods? What are the tools of the trade?

Customizing a figure is as simple or as complex as you want it to be.  Keep in mind that I jumped into doing custom stuff without any real experience with action figures specifically. All my experience was starting from a wire armature and using putty and some stock parts to build miniature figures.  Much of my work with customs has been modifications of the existing figures with some putty, a couple coats of primer and then acrylic paints made for the gaming and miniature hobbies.  Swapping and heavily modifying parts from different figures as well as the scratch building of accessories for a figure are definitely more complex applications.

Tools for customs are fairly simple – a good Xacto knife, files, putty, some handmade lathed brass rods for sculpting, and steel wool & polishing pads are essential to making the figure into its final form.  Brite Touch automotive primer, Vallejo and Reaper acrylic paints, and some good Winsor &Newton Miniature Series 7  brushes are what I use to prime and paint each figure.  Good brushes are absolutely essential; Series 7 brushes aren’t cheap but they are the best brushes for any artist working in miniature.  All the talent and the best supplies can’t save a figure painted using a cheap brush which won’t hold a sharp point.

When Hasbro announced its 6-inch line, did you immediately begin thinking about opportunities to customize? Is customizing this scale of figure more or less challenging than the smaller scale figures?

To be honest, I didn’t really think about customizing any of the 6-inch stuff at all.  I had thought previously about reworking some of the existing 3.75-inch stuff and repainting it the way I would paint a scratch built figure, with highlights, shadows, mid-tones, all placed to replicate light and shadow in scale. 

Larger scale means you can load the figure up with tons of small details – but some of the stuff like base coating sections of a figure with a specific color feel much more like a chore because of the size.

Your custom Boba Fett is astounding. What inspired you to start this project, how did you go about planning what you needed to complete the figure?

I scoured the best reference for Boba on the Internet – thedentedhelmet.com – for tons of pictures of the original costume to get small details right, especially the helmet.  Using hundreds of pictures from the times the 'hero’ helmet from Empire was on tour and displayed (plus HD screen grabs, production shots, and behind-the-scenes stills) I was able to get a great library of reference. 

I tried to make the colors match better, make every scratch and scrape and paint chip accurate, and bring the Hasbro figure to a new level.  Obviously some small modifications were made such as replacing the rangefinder stalk, shortening the cape, and replacing the Wookie braids were done to add some more accuracy and depth to the figure itself.

Did you have any trouble locating 6-inch Boba Fetts for these projects, since some fans have reported trouble finding the figure? What type of costs goes into the average custom project?

As far as projects for other folks go, the Fetts themselves have been provided but I have had to get a few on my own from third party sources in order to complete some orders for figures.  Personally, I can’t easily find extra figures at retail for MY own projects I wanna do, so I feel the pain of the fans who are unsuccessfully hunting them down.  I’m like you guys, and have to resort to sourcing them from the secondary market sometimes, too.

How long did you work on the customized versions of Boba Fett? How did you go about customizing these figures and which was more challenging?

Planning, planning, planning is key.  If you are gonna customize anything, research and reference pictures are the most important part of the process.  I could have winged it with my Empire figure, but I took the time to gather hundreds of pictures first because it makes all the difference when you have the right stuff to compare the work in progress to. 

The most challenging version, believe it or not, is the Super Trooper.  Filling the helmet dent and the dings in the armor of the stock figure are a bit more difficult than they originally seemed on the first one I made.  The whole kicker is that it’s gotta look seamless in the transition between the original plastic of the figure and the epoxy putty used to fill it in.  Lots of careful sanding and polishing was needed to make it happen – and I’ll admit that the first attempt at wasn’t 100 percent successful. 

How did you approach customizing the accessories for these figures? Also, what goes into the added step of customizing packaging for these projects?

Accessories aren’t much different than the figure itself. They may require some primer and paint to bring them up to par.  The Super Trooper version I did first actually had a simple scratch built laser pistol; it was made from Evergreen styrene rod and tube plus good ol’ superglue. 

I haven’t really done much custom packaging. That’s a whole other realm that folks with the talent for need to do.  I did see some really great work on a Super Trooper custom which included a white with black accents box for it.  Awesome stuff.

Do you have any plans to customize other versions of Boba Fett or other Mandalorians?

So far I’ve done quite a few versions of Boba: Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Droids, the Holiday Special, and of course the prototype Super Trooper.

I have a few others that are in the works soon- the pre-production version 2 (based on the version painted by the talented Sandy Dhuyvetter and subsequently photographed for the original Kenner figure cardback), a version based on the Mythos statue by Sideshow Collectibles, and a Jodo Kast, of course. 

I’m about to start a vintage 3.75-inch Luke as well for my friend Shane, which will be painted in the same style as my miniature work – with light and shade to make the face and hands seem more alive than just an old figure with wide eyes and generic flesh tone paint. 

I always thought that most of the Star Wars figures were pretty damn good sculpts beneath their simple paintwork, and that one could improve the classic sculpts with serious paintwork if they tried.  The 3.75-inch stuff is more my speed since it’s smaller and more comfortable to paint and I’m looking forward to many more projects in this scale.

That’s what’s so great about the hobby and about custom work with Star Wars figures, there’s more subject matter than any one person could have time for which leaves the possibilities wide open.

Do you have any other comments about customizing in general? Also, have you considered doing commission work?

There’s some cool work being done in the customs hobby today, a lot of creative artists turning some decent figures into really neat original work.  Man, as far as my stuff goes, I’m just a guy from Texas doing what I love to do.  I am enjoying working on Star Wars stuff as much as miniature stuff I’ve done, and probably a bit more so.  Star Wars has been a constant since I was a kid and it’s taken on a deeper meaning now that I have two daughters, one who is 8 and one who is about 9 months.  My oldest has a lot of my childhood POTF2 stuff still on the card displayed proudly, and my little one likes to use old beater vintage figures as playthings.  Seeing it all as a parent makes me love Star Wars that much more.

As far as commission work, every single figure I have done with the exception of my initial Empire version has been a commission thus far actually.  I am always open to more commission work, and not just Boba Fett stuff (although he’s a lot of fun), so if there’s something anyone has in mind feel free to drop me a line.

Thanks for taking the time to talk and showcase the work.  I owe a lot to good friends in the collecting hobby, Frank, Jav, Shane, for being good friends in general and for encouraging the work I’m doing.  It’s grown into something all its own now which keeps me constantly busy and continues to become much bigger than just one single figure I made for myself.

Its latest Boba Fett statue is scheduled for release in October, and is currently up for pre-order for $44.99.

This statue features Boba Fett in his Cloud City paint scheme, and is posed holding up his blaster, ready to take shots down the Bespin corridor – elegantly sculpted to look like it was pulled right out of the film.

The statue comes in a model kit with pre-painted parts, which snap-fit together to form a lightweight and durable statue at 1:10 scale.

This is Kotobukiya’s first addition to new round of smaller scale Star Wars models. There’s no glue required to build this kit.

At this price, this line of statues also makes for great gift ideas for younger fans and family members, or at the very least, the opportunity to own a quality statue without fear of buyers remorse or over paranoia over the product breaking.

If you recall the Star Wars: Force Collection mobile card game from last year, you may remember how much of an utter disappointment it was – especially coming from a company like Komani.

Last week, Disney Interactive released Star Wars: Assault Team for iOS, Android and Windows devices – which are the game we hoped Force Collection would be.

A product of Disney Interactive, this is a turn-based combat game that spans the story of the entire film saga and features popular characters – including Boba Fett.

It’s in the style of a card game, by which it allows players to acquire character cards to assemble their dream team to complete missions and battle other players.

Unlike last year’s game – which was graphically no more than cardboard cut outs and lame game play – the graphics are brilliant and fun. There are hundreds of cards to come across, and you can improve your team’s skills through completing in-game missions.

The New York Toy Fair is long past, but a huge thanks to SirStevesGuide.com for sending images of some upcoming Boba Fett products that flew past our radar. If you thought there were plenty of officially licensed Boba Fett items flooding retailers last year, just as much product seems to be coming down the pipeline for this year.

An image of the Boba Fatt plush toy from Angry Birds Star Wars II was released last year, but the vendor, Common Wealth, showcased the latest addition to its plush line at Toy Fair. Whether or not you’re a fan of the Angry Birds franchise, you can’t deny the adorable-factor for this plush toy, and you can’t deny this makes for a great, low-cost gift item for any Boba Fett fans.

This next items takes me back to the 90’s – Yomega, a leading manufacturer of Yo-Yo products is releasing a line of Star Wars Yo-Yos. While they are selling a limited line of professional Yo-Yos – one such Boba Fett design goes for $130 – the company showcased a more affordable Boba Fett Yo-Yo for about $22.

Cardinal has been a longtime vendor for licensed Star Wars products. These are the items most commonly found at Target’s bargain bins. We’ve seen a few of its products earlier this year, but some more items are coming down the road including a 50-piece Boba Fett puzzle.