Half A Blogger
Your faithful Blogger here is running behind this week. We here at Galactic Hunter are getting caught up from Comic-Con this past weekend, and I’m putting a feature together for the site. (We’re also undergoing some tech upgrades, so please stick with us!) All this, and I wanted to bring you (or ya’ll as we say down South) a new Holy Grail for the day.
Now this isn’t your Daddy’s Holy Grail, readers. These aren’t even official Hasbro merchandise – that we’re aware of. These figures were sculpted, to the best of our knowledge, by a very enterprising and talented Japanese customizer and fan. These have been referred to as the "Japanese Fan Club" Jedi Spirits, and the first time I saw them (circa 1997) a dealer claimed that these were the original Jedi Spirits Cinema Scene sculpt, rejected by Hasbro because they were too much like statues. No matter what you hear, these aren’t official product (nice as they may be). Versions of all three figures have been available in both PVC and resin, and complete sets have sold for insane amounts on Internet auctions.
Blogger’s Note: I’ll be drawing names for a Galactic Goodie Bag winner before the end of the day. Apologies, as always, for the delay.
July 25th, 2006 at 10:39 am
It took Hasbro a few years to come out with the cinema scene, even after these figures appeared on the net. Hard to imagine there was a time, way back, when these figures were exciting stuff!
July 25th, 2006 at 10:47 am
Wow..I have never seen these before….so are they 3.75" also?How insane were the prices?…I tried to look them up at auction sites, did not find them of course…I think they are exciting even today. I always like holographic figures….
July 25th, 2006 at 10:52 am
Yes, they’re 3¾" scale, and I don’t recall the prices. I don’t think we can waybackmachine old eBay sales, but they were pretty pricey circa 1997-2000. I think ultimately I prefer my Hasbro figures with moving parts.
July 25th, 2006 at 10:58 am
I’d like to see Hasbro update this set in a similar style to the Dagobah Obi-Wan Spirit from a couple years ago. They’d really just have to scuplt a new Anakin. Throw in a re-released Obi-Wan and a re-deco Dagobah Yoda, and they’ve got another internet exclusive. Maybe they’re waiting until the 30th Anniversary of ROTJ.
July 25th, 2006 at 11:02 am
Personally, I prefer these ‘bootlegs’ over the Hasbro Cinema Scenes ones. I picked up my set about a year ago at a respectable price and ditched my ‘official’ ones but keeping the Cinema Scene platform and backdrop. They look great in my diorama set up. If you have the means … I highly recommend them. [/off Ferris Bueller]
July 25th, 2006 at 11:35 am
Holo figs are always cool, and these because of their story, but Hasbro rejecting a figure because it`s too much like a statue?? Come on!!
July 25th, 2006 at 11:52 am
I agree with Gus, I’d love to see an update using the same style as the Obi Wan Dagobah spirit. Just hope they keep the Sebastian Shaw Anakin, though I think that’s highly, highly doubtful. What I find weird about that mentality though, this sort of "rewriting of Star Wars history" even in the toys, like changing the films and then calling them the definitive versions, is that then, after all that, they go and make figures based on McQuarrie’s original concept art or the wacky-coloured Marvel comics editions, which I think I’m gonna love btw. It just seems like a contradiction….k, I’m getting ahead of reality here since they haven’t NOT made the Sebastian Shaw version again, yet. It’s just I just seriously doubt they will given that the Anakin molds are still hot from the last pressings and the Lucas approved versions of the films now have Hayden at the end….you know, I think they should modify ROTJ’s ending even further, digitally make Alec Guiness do a double take at the young Anakin, going "hey why the hell did I choose old me all this time for my spirit form?!?!" and then snap his fingers or wiggles his nose and becomes Obi Wan Ewan McGregor ala ROTS. Then Hayden can change into his AOTC version, then Ewan into his AOTC version, then Anakin becomes little orphan Annie, Obi Wan becomes TPM Obi Wan and then Yoda goes "screw this then" and, poof, becomes Yoda at age 22 and he’s 8 feet tall with a full head of curly hair, much less pointy ears, a wicked leather Jedi outfit that highlights his Herculean chest and crazy abs! Then they can make a figure of this version of Yoda! Yeah! (with the Obi Wan Dagobah spirit plastic of course.)
July 25th, 2006 at 12:04 pm
So if I were to try to look these up on eBay, what would I look under? What was the difference between the PVC and the resin version.
Adam, any luck on coming up with a list of abbreviations for the toys lines, movies, etc?
July 25th, 2006 at 1:50 pm
These are amazing! I certainly prefer these over the Jedi Spirits cinema scene (they look more natural, even if there’s no articulation). It looks like with the forthcoming holo Obi-Pilot you might be able to take the holo cloak, drape it over the Anakin from the Jedi Spirits and get something similar to the above. Of course, give the Anakin a blue wash of paint to match up the color.
Then apply the same blue wash to the JS Yoda (which I did recently so that it is more like the blue from the mini-holograms) and do the same to the OTC Dagobah Obi-Wan… you’ll have three much better spirit figures close to the ones in the above pic and looking less like bars of soap
July 25th, 2006 at 2:20 pm
I have Obi Wan and Anakin. and a Yoda from the actual cinema scene who fits in perfectly with them. I got the two off eBay I think for around $30-40.I really like them alot, especially Anakin. They are a very unique piece.I hear the ears on Yoda break off easily.
July 25th, 2006 at 5:38 pm
These blueberry flavored ones do look a lot better. Is the Anakin based on the vintage figure? He looks a little stiff, just like the vintage. I dunno…
July 25th, 2006 at 6:37 pm
I too would like to see them revisit these based on the Dagobah Obi design. I kind of like the idea of spirits being transluscent flesh/real life color while hologram figs are blue…
July 25th, 2006 at 7:04 pm
ADAM, you continue to amaze us with great stuff! This blog is now daily reading for me. You have kicked GH up to notches unknown!! Emeril reference for those that are not cooks.
July 25th, 2006 at 7:19 pm
I should mention that mine are not as icey blue as these. Mine are more of a green/blue color. They match almost exactly the color of the original jedi spirits but don’t have the frosted look. This could be due to the photograph taken or mine could be casted from a different material OR a copy of the originals that were around. The bottom has obvious sanding marks.
July 25th, 2006 at 8:29 pm
I have been trying to get this set for eyars not without any luck. I wish i could just find a place to buy them.
July 27th, 2006 at 8:41 am
I’ve been trying to find these for the longest time too! I can’t seem to find them on Ebay or other toy websites.
Does anyone know where I might be able to get a set?
July 27th, 2006 at 9:38 am
You mean..these are actually WORTH something?
I bought a set of these, I believe they’re the resin ones you’re talking about, in I’d say 1997. I hated them. There was like no articulation. I was told by the eBay seller that they were taken from molds of the current Obi-Wan and Yoda (1995) and the vintage Anakin Skywalker figure.
They’re in my basement somewhere wrapped in paper towels, as they were shipped to me.
But yeah, I wanted these sooo bad in ’97 that I bought bootlegs from eBay. Cost me $60 if I remember, and I paid it thinking I was overpaying. Guess not!
July 30th, 2006 at 8:32 pm
I loves my Hasbro Jedi Spirits set! I would certainly love an update with Hayden in the mix.