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Funko To Release New 'Star Wars' Pops Based On Ralph McQuarrie Concept Art And 'The Empire Strikes Back'

Wow! Look AT All of These!

By Culture SlatePublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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When Star Wars Celebration was canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans had to shift all around. The convention got pushed back to 2022, meaning that fans would have to wait much longer for such a gathering. In light of all this, fans wondered what would become of the planned announcements and merchandise that would have become available at the convention. It is possible that some of the announcements of upcoming projects that we have heard so far were originally intended for the convention. As for the merchandise, we now know what Funko would have made available as Star Wars Celebration exclusives. The company’s Funko Pops are very popular, and there are bound to be some collectors who will want the ones that they have just revealed.

Funko looked to the normal character designs for inspiration in the past. However, for the occasion that never was, Funko decided to go really old school. For inspiration, Funko looked to some Ralph McQuarrie concept art when designing Star Wars character pops this time around. One of them is a female Luke Skywalker, an idea that George Lucas had at one point when considering whether or not to make the main protagonist of the first Star Wars film a woman. Funko also looked to an early design of Chewbacca, which served as inspiration for the design of Zeb from the Disney XD animated series Star Wars Rebels, a show that itself went back to the McQuarrie well quite a lot. That show, like Funko, also used Darth Vader concept art as inspiration for how to depict him on the series. Funko, of course, further stylized the Sith Lord to fit their framework. We also get Boba Fett with the white Mandalorian armor. With the popularity of the Disney+ show The Mandalorian, it makes sense that Funko would include a character with the iconic Mandalorian armor, and this iteration of Boba Fett fits the Ralph McQuarrie theme. It fits nicely alongside the rest.

If that was not enough, Funko also revealed two figures that commemorate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. One of them is just a pop vinyl of a stormtrooper. Oh, and it is ten inches tall, which is considerably bigger than one might normally expect from a Funko Pop. This would make a fine addition for anyone who loves collecting different stormtrooper figure variations. The other is a set that recreates the pivotal moment in the film when Yoda lifts Luke’s X-wing out of the swamp on Dagobah. Even in its pop stylization, one can see the wisdom in Yoda’s face. Some might cite the “I am your father” moment as the biggest moment of that film, but one must not forget the gravitas of this Yoda moment, which showed the true power of The Force, with John Williams’ mystical music swelling.

At the moment (or as of the writing of this article, rather), there is no information about how, where, and when these Funko Pops may be obtained. For now, that is a mystery that has yet to be solved. Understandably, fans of pops, Star Wars, or both may be very curious about how they can get these well thought out figures and add them to their collections. (Looking at you, General Grievous.) When the news does come out about their availability, some consumers are sure to plan out their strategies to obtain them. It is comforting to know that, in these times of uncertainty, there are still some worthwhile Star Wars products that fans can look forward to and collect if they so choose.

Written By Steven Shinder

Syndicated from Culture Slate

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