Concept Art IG-88 - LC - Basic (BD40)

In this concept art by Ralph McQuarrie, the droid IG-88 has a broader shape than its ultimate appearance. The chrome war droid and bounty hunter still has a menacing presence with its simple lines that evoke its purpose: destruction.

The Ralph McQuarrie concept figures get officially reintroduced into the Legacy Collection with the release of Concept Art IG-88. We personally have missed the action figures paying tribute to the man who gave Star Wars its face. But now we feel the most expressive elation that they are finally back into the Star Wars basic figure line (even if they won't be coming to us frequently)! Hasbro has clearly confirmed that there isn't confirmed steady or consistent release schedule for them in the future of the basic line, but we are hopeful that additional characters based on McQuarrie's concept art get this treatment (and other artists for that matter). Concept Art IG-88 will have to do for now and let us express how incredible of an action figure this is. We can barely contain ourselves are we tend to believe you will have the same difficulty. A figure like this is extremely exciting to collectors like us and while it is no longer the 30th anniversary of "Star Wars", we are indeed approaching the 30th anniversary of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back in May of 2010. This figure is right on time to start the celebration early. And it will no doubt be a very joyous event. For Concept Art IG-88 is among the finest of the Legacy Collection and it is our sincere hope that future concept figures follow the same level of quality this figure does. Let's cut to the chase. Concept Art IG-88 is a mind-blowing action figure, not just for its innate beauty, but also for its attention to detail (and extrapolation of detail).

While it initially appears that the droid towers over most action figures, its height is actually just slightly taller than the average figure. IG-88 is exactly the same height as The Clone Wars IG-86 Assassin Droid (No. 18) figure, so its nothing too out of the ordinary. It has been painted so well that the action figure looks like a piece of real metal, like aluminum for example. Hasbro nailed the concept art into three dimensions perfectly and every aspect and detail of the character has been incorporated with perfection into the action figure. Concept Art IG-88 has a spectacular 14 points of articulation and we personally find this particularly unbelievable for this figure since it is based off of a simple sketch, but Hasbro did it and they did it very well! The joints are well hidden and are quite tight and the figure can be posed in a multitude of ways. In fact, the joints are implemented so well into the figure that they look inherent to the design of the droid. This is no small feat and we are thoroughly impressed with the amount of thought that has backed the production of this action figure. Concept Art IG-88 has also been designed with two functioning holsters and the guns stay in place flawlessly. They can also be posed in the droid's hands (which look eerily "human" to us) and he can point as shoot as needed to bring home the point that this droid is bad news. IG-88's chest has so much detail we honestly don't know where to begin raving about it. But it is loaded with lands and grooves (no pun intended) and has detail of a more than impressive level. The entire figure has both a beautiful rusty wash and dark wash and both complement each other very nicely.

Although Concept Art IG-88 has a quite bizarre body shape, it does look quite intimidating. The droid has a very broad chest, especially when compared to its skinny legs and arms, but it works. Looking a lot like something you would see in THX 1138, Concept Art IG-88 has a classically futuristic look to it. This may seem like a paradox, but the droid has a lived-in look that is timeless, but not contemporary. In other words, this is a very, very effective action figure. Interestingly, it appears that the only parts that transferred over in the Episode V film prop were the skinny legs. It is very neat to see the origins of our beloved Star Wars characters and while this particular style didn't appear as agile as the onscreen character, we have to admit that it still looks ominous and threatening with its large and "muscular" upper body. But most importantly, the action figure fully delivers and we know you will be impressed by adding it into your collections. The concept art figures are not an official sub-line in the Legacy Collection as they were in 30 (77-07) but they are just as powerful in delivering tribute to the talented artists that gave visual birth to some of the most important Star Wars characters. And it tends to be even more special when the focus of that art is Ralph McQuarrie, for Star Wars would never have been the same without him (for us at least - you may like the more modern prequel artists). And the action figure line wouldn't be the same without this action figure. Looking excellent next to your 2007 TAC Concept Snowtrooper (Ralph McQuarrie Signature Series) (30 42), Concept Art IG-88 is another wonderful addition to the line and it is nice to see Episode V get some more "concept art" love. We hope more are on the way to us shortly!