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AT-AT DriverInitially I wasn't looking to be a character collector however I like having items in my collection that represent different areas of the hobby. After separately buying a carded AT-AT Driver and then a proof card, I realized focusing on a character would allow me to collect vintage, modern, bootlegs and pre-production items while having a common thread that ties the collection together. Since the AT-AT Driver was one of my favorite characters as a kid and I had a couple items already, it made sense. CardedAs of August 2005 I believe I've completed a US run of carded AT-AT Drivers. There may be one or two cardbacks with sticker offers that haven't been confirmed to exist yet. There are a couple European releases on display as well and the next step will be to expand that part of the collection.
Starting on the top left:
The photo on the case is from Celebration 3 and is autographed by Ian Liston who portrayed an AT-AT Driver as well as Wes Janson. Ironically, Janson, as Wedge Antilles' gunner, was responsible for downing an AT-AT potentially killing his alter ego! Non-Carded and Misc
Proof CardsOne of the reasons I chose a character focus was to add various items to my collection from different areas of collecting. That way pre-production, bootleg, carded, loose and other items all have a theme to them. )
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ESB 45A In the photo above you can see two proof cards on the left and right. The first, on the left, is a 45 back Empire Strikes Back card with the Display Arena offer. The top two corners have been die-cut but the bottoms are still squared off. This feature is one of two indications of a proof card. The second is the offset punch hole. )
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Revenge 48A The second proof card, on the right, is a Revenge of the Jedi 48A proof card with Nien Nunb offer. Arguably, the most abundant proof cards are from the Revenge line but they are cool because the movie was renamed, obviously, to Return of the Jedi before it's eventual theater release. The logo for the toys and figures was also changed and these cards never made it to retail. As with the Empire card, this has two die-cut top corners and square bottoms. The punch is also offset. 3" Action Figures: Production, Pre-production and BootlegTo go along with my carded AT-AT Drivers I've also added some loose figures, bootlegs and one POTF2 pre-production figure.
On the riser are the following figures
Bootlegs)
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Mexican/SA There are a ton of Star Wars bootleg figures from all over the world, some are more goofy than others but they are all fun to collect. Again, working within my character focus I have added a few boots. The first two are from Mexico (or South America). They have articulated arms but the legs are molded as one piece with the torso. What really stands out on these two, for me, is the color. )
) Polish 1st & 3rd Generation The second set are all from Poland. The leftmost figure is a 1st generation figure, has a funky color scheme and articulated arms and legs which are easy to pop off. The arms and legs use the Biker Scout sculpt. The next is a 3rd generation figure. This version is made from a very rubbery plastic and although the arms and legs are separate pieces they don't move very well. The paint job actually isn't too bad on this example and he comes with his rifle. The 3rd Gen figure also used Biker Scout arms and legs. )
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Polish Deluxe The rightmost two Polish bootlegs are "deluxe" versions with one being cast in blue plastic with silver paint and the other cast in red with silver. These two figures are quite well done and are nicely articulated just as a Kenner figure would be. They also use the correct AT-AT Driver limbs. John Alvarez has written a pretty comprehensive article on Polish bootlegs for the Star Wars Collectors Archive and it has a ton of great information and pictures and explains these boots better than I can here. You can read the article here: Beginner's Guide to Polish and Eastern European Bootlegs ) UZAY The back row holds my two UZAY AT-AT Drivers which originated from Turkey. In the frame is a production figure still on the tree as it came out of the mold. It's complete with arms, legs and both torso pieces. Next to it is a production figure fully assembled and painted. This one is in very nice shape and I was happy to add it to my collection. Joseph Yglesias has written the Comprehensive Guide to UZAY Carded Figures for the Collectors Archive and I recommend that for anyone looking for further information on UZAY figures. Miscellaneous AT-AT Driver CollectiblesThe bottom shelf of my display has my 12" and miscellaneous other items from Hasbro, Tomy, Gentle Giant and other companies.
Back row, from the left:
Front row left:
Front row center:
Front row right:
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