Episode 1: Collection 1
| Class of Bootleg | Class 1 - Exact Duplicate |
| Class Notes: | Missing an acessory (the Com-Tech Chip) but otherwise complete |
| Bootleg Source: | Hasbro "Episode 1" figures |
| Bootleg Rating: |
 (Four out of five stars)
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| Sightings: | California |
| Vintage: | One Month after the mass release of Episode One, 1999 |
These were the first bootlegs to surface that were created directly from Hasbro's new line of toys for Star Wars:Episode 1.
The actual molds used for the prodcution of the figures were still in the Hasbro Factories, not to mention still in use...yet the bootleggers wanted to knock-off the same toys. This "conflict of interest" meant that this first wave of EP1 bootlegs would be of uniformly poor quality.
Instead of working from the original molds, the bootleggers were forced to buy early releases/smuggled copies of the figures themselves. They took these figures and produced molds off of them.
The result is was a "second generation" casting. The resulting figures always loose detailing. In this case they also lost articulation.
For some reason (time constraints most likely) the bootleggers chose to vastly simplify the molds used for these figures. Instead of Hasbro's reasonably generous multi-piece assembly, these copies only have four parts - two arms, a front and a back.
This means that these figures lost the neck, waist, and leg mobiltiy of their legal counterparts. And that they lost a LOT of playability.
All the figures from this first wave came on a Queen Amidala backboard, and none had the commtech chip accessory. Of course, all Hasbro and Lucas trademarks have been removed.
There are eight figures in this first batch, all of the figures produced for the first wave of Collection 1 figures from Hasbro.
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Battle DroidOne of Hasbro's more interesting figures was the Battle-Droid. Lots of articulation, snap on weapons and variations on paint jobs right out of the case.The bootleg version, I suppose, could just be another variation figure if you were to mix him in with a standing army of legit droids. Of course, you'd have to nail him to the display, as this figure will not stand on his own. The only "plus" to this figure is that it is the only EP1:Boot to have an articulated neck. The ball-joint connection of Hasbro's version was preserved for some reason. He is cast in gold colored plastic, comes with two silver guns, and beady green eyes.
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Obi-Wan KenobiThe Hasbro version of OB1 wasn't all that great looking to begin with, and the bootleg version takes that lead and runs with it for all it's worth.The white Jedi-robes of the original have been replaced with an odd custard-yellow color. The belt is no longer painted, and the remaining spray-ops are just tacky looking. Also, the mold for this figure seems to have suffered in the copying process....it's almost like a copy of the old "Super-Steroid Luke" from POTF2! Young Ben's lightsaber is now cast in a flimsy blue plastic, with no detailing on the hilt at all.
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Qui-Gon JinnQui-Gon is another figure that didn't quite make a sterling impression, even in the Hasbro original. And again, the Bootleg is even worse.The coloring is once again off, but this time reasonably close to Hasbro version. Even the mold looks pretty good. But take a look at the detail photo of this guy. I'm not sure how they did it, but he looks a lot like a beafatic Jesus figure to me. Maybe it's the gently arching eyebrows, or soft blue eyes. Either way, this figure hardly says "Kick-Butt Jedi-Knight". Qui-Gon's lightsaber is cast in solid (if flimsy) yellow plastic, with no detailing on the hilt.
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Darth MaulAhh, Darth Maul. He was packed the same to a case as the other figures, but he was the first of the shelves, the toughest to find.Maybe if he looked like this, he would have been a peg-warmer. Say hello to Bootleg Maul. From his forest green tunic to his stubby-horned head, BM is a terror from head to toe. At least his dual-blade saber made the journey to the REALLY dark side pretty much intact...it even got a spray-op of silver detailing for the hilt. Howerver, Maul suffers the most of any EP1:Bootleg from the drop in articulation. He can no longer hold his saber! To me, he looks like a cross between "Pinhead" and "Raw Meat."
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Queen AmidalaThe Queen Amidala figure is the only figure from this set on the "correct" backboard, but even this doesn't help this poor excuse for a figure.The glorious spray-ops that made this one of the nicer Hasbro offerings are all but gone...the Queen is resplendant in nothing more than a maroon jumper with black boots. The facial detailing on this figure is also pretty weak...just a splash of brown for the hair and eyebrows, a dab of black for the eyes, and some cherry-red lips. The Queen comes with two little silver blasters that are really plain looking. Not that they'd fit into the bootleg's mush-molded hands, anyway.
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Padme NaberrieThe, uh, other Queen figure in the set. (Was this a lame plot device or what?!?)Once again the detailed painting of the Hasbro version has vanished. Padme (or should we call this one "Badme?") has basically the same colors, just in really primary versions. For some reason she comes with TWO of the view-screen accessories that the Hasbro version has. Neither has the sticker of the pod race, though. Maybe the bootleggers thought they were weapons of some sort.
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Anakin SkywalkerAnakin suffers the most from the coloration-mishaps of this group's transition to bootleg form.Gone is the likeness of the screen character. Instead we have a small boy who was apparently involved in a creamed-corn fight. It's in his hair. It's on his shoes. The rest of the detailing is also a far cry from the legit version. And his hands are useless as cast. Anakin is also the only figure to come up missing an accessory - his little gun thingie is gone.
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Jar Jar BinksBoy do I hate Jar Jar.I don't think words can express just how much I loathe this guy. He sucks. He came damn close to ruining the entire film for me. And my co-workers all seem to like him. Sigh. Anyway, Jar Jar came across into bootleg form pretty well. The "fade" paint-op was preserved on his arms and head, the weapon is OK, and the other colors are accurate. My guess is the Bootleggers knew he would be popular with the kiddies, so they spent a bit more cash on producing him. They should have spent it on Darth Maul.
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