Han Solo (McQuarrie Concept) - Mini Busts

Ralph McQuarrie's early designs of Han Solo display a vast difference from that of the final version as seen in Star Wars: A New Hope. Designed initially as a Lightsaber wielding, bearded Jedi Knight, this mini bust explores a fascintaing look into the conceptual development of one of science fiction's most rougish smugglers.

One of Gentle Giant Ltd.’s greatest qualities is there dedication, especially when it comes to a sub-collection of high-end collectibles. They have been fervent about consistently releasing conceptual Mini Busts based on the artwork of Ralph McQuarrie. And they’re doing this for so many Star Wars characters. Of course this is really nothing new. Hasbro went all out celebrating the artwork of Ralph McQuarrie in 2007 (heck, even McQuarrie himself was part of the figure approval process), but it’s nice to know that even a decade later that Gentle Giant Ltd. can continue to pay homage where credit is certainly deserved. For 2017’s Star Wars Celebration Orlando, Gentle Giant Ltd. chose Han Solo (McQuarrie Concept) to be the exclusive for this event. But trying to obtain it during the event proved frustrating, aggravating and annoying to the point that many people just wanted to give up. Utilizing a raffle system based on choosing the correct color ticket, a small group of collectors were given the pass to get in line and buy their convention exclusives. After that the general public could get in line, but by the time allotment for the day was history. It was a disaster.

Thankfully we manage to secure this Mini Bust on the last day which is why we’re able to review it here. Han Solo (McQuarrie Concept) is a fairly decent Mini Bust. It appears that in the last couple of years Gentle Giant Ltd. has found a way to improve the quality of their Mini Busts line. There were quite a few consecutive years when the quality was in the toilet. Flesh colored faces had no texture or realism to them, and paint operations where frighteningly bad. But when you look at a piece like Han Solo (McQuarrie Concept), you’ll find that while imperfect, it looks incredible better than those past Mini Busts we’re referencing. We all have to keep in mind that these Mini Busts are hand-painted. There are intentional imperfections on the Han Solo (McQuarrie Concept) Mini Bust. But there clearly aren’t any cutbacks or shortcuts taken here. They brought the piece to life with multiple colors throughout the hair and face. And you can see the impressive talent that the painters have utilized to make this a piece that stands out from so many others. Han Solo (McQuarrie Concept) is destined to interest fans of McQuarries’s artwork. It’s that good.

It’s hard to pinpoint if Gentle Giant Ltd. has mastered the likeness. Remember, they created this Mini Bust from two-dimensional sketches. A great deal of the likeness of the Han Solo (McQuarrie Concept) Mini Bust is left up to the sculptors’ interpretations. Yet it is totally recognizable as the two-dimensional sketch too. This shows that the piece has succeeded. The Han Solo (McQuarrie Concept) Mini Bust doesn’t come with too many accessories. It comes with a removable clear (frosted) lightsaber blade which attaches loosely to the lightsaber hilt permanently sculpted in Han Solo’s right hand. It looks alright we guess, but sometimes accessories like this can take attention away from the cold-casted sculpt. The Han Solo (McQuarrie Concept) Mini Bust is limited to only 750 pieces. This is probably a huge number since there are so few buying Star Wars collectible consumers these days. And if they do spend money on Star Wars collectibles, it usually all goes to Hasbro. We hope that Gentle Giant Ltd. finishes off the rest of the Ralph McQuarrie concepts. They do a great job with them and there are plenty more to attack.