The Grails: Droids Carded Boba Fett

Posted by Chris on 04/01/19 at 12:15 PM Category: Vintage Collection, The Grails

https://www.banthaskull.com/images/news/droids_fett_grail2.jpg

This series explores vintage Kenner "holy grail" figures which could be made into modern Vintage Collection replicas by Hasbro.

Background

End of lines are often synonymous with scarcity, so it's no shock that so many vintage "grails" come from 1985, the final year of the vintage Kenner line of toys. It's a natural coincidence. Toy lines end when sales falter. When sales falter, production levels plummet. Kenner's Droids line did not get a great reception at retail. It consisted of 12 figures. 10 of those figures were stylized to match their animated counterparts, but for Boba Fett, Kenner decided to just release the same exact figure that had been in production since 1978. The other realistically styled figure was the A-Wing Pilot which was also released in the POTF line. Boba Fett and collectibility go together like shoe and shoelace. It's no surprise that Boba Fett is the most sought after figure from the vintage Kenner Droids line.

Estimating the value of a truly high grade sample is difficult due to the infrequency of samples coming up for sale. Mid-grade samples sell for between $2,000 and $3,000. It's not a stretch to estimate that a high grade sample could push $7,000 or more. According to AFA's population report, there have only been 11 Droids Boba Fett carded samples graded 85 or higher in history. So that estimate might actually be low.

Ease of Release

Boba Fett as he appeared in the droids cartoon.

This should be a fairly easy release for Hasbro. Unlike the shortcut Kenner took in 1985, Hasbro should try to style the paint application to match the animation. Fortunately the figure already exists with the TAC 30-24 Boba Fett (Animated Debut) figure. That figure was based on Boba Fett's appearance in the infamous Holiday Special, but it also matches the color scheme of the Droids appearance. This is nothing more than a re-card and a new coin.

Suggested Release

The Droids cartoon debuted in September of 1985. The 35th Anniversary is right around the corner. Releasing a reproduction Droids Boba Fett as a SDCC '20 exclusive seems like a perfect fit.

Summary

Releasing a reproduction Droids Boba Fett as an SDCC exclusive is not a new concept for an LFL licensee. That's exactly what Gentle Giant did for the 30th anniversary of the Droids cartoon with their "jumbo" Boba Fett figure. Hasbro needs to catch up. The image below is Gentle Giant's example, and they followed Kenner's lead by releasing the standard movie deco Boba Fett. As mentioned above, we suggest that Hasbro release the appropriately painted TAC Animated Debut figure.