By Adam Pawlus
Photography: Michael Sullenger
(NEW YORK, NY, February 15, 2004)This year, the high-end collectible makers pulled out all the stops to show that there's a much wider audience for large, quality items than previously thought. Master Replicas, for example, trotted out a new scale of lightsabers, a jacket, a vehicle prop, and the first-ever chase prop replicas.
The .45 Scaled Replica Collection was previously announced, but some new details came to light that were new to us. These items, which are to be an unlimited edition, start shipping now and will be spread over several months. The first collection of three individually sold replicas will include Luke's from Return of the Jedi as well as Attack of the Clones weapons for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Mace Windu. The small sabers have a nice heft to them, and they look just like the larger versions, only a little smaller. Considering the huge price drop from full scale to the smaller size, these seem to be aiming for a wider audience.
The second series, which was not shown, focuses on the Sith weaponry. Included are Darth Vader's lightsaber, a battle-damaged Darth Maul weapon, and the arms of Darth Tyrannus. These have no set shipping date as of yet. Also available for these miniature weapons is a display stand. Each stand holds three weapons and will be available in the not too distant future.
The biggest surprise about this tiny line came from their golden chase lightsabers. One out of every 20 pieces produced will be plated in 18k gold rather than the typical movie-accurate silver, black, or whatever the appropriate shades may be. These will only ship in cases from stores and we're told will not be sold via the Master Replicas Web site, so it appears even in the world of prop collecting, a toy run of sorts may be in order.
Moving along to the larger sized weapons, a total of four Force FX lightsabers were on display. The AOTC Mace Windu version was a nice surprise, in addition to the previously seen Darth Vader flavor. Also shown were both Luke Skywalker lightsabers, and it seems this line has carved out a nice, loyal following that may ensure future releases.
Other Star Wars weapons are on display as well, the one that seemed to get the most attention being Princess Leia Organa Blaster. $399, 2,500 pieces, Q2 release. It has a nice sense of balance to it, as the Master Replicas engineers decided to give it a little more weight in certain places so it feels a little more like an actual weapon. Now shown, but on their sales sheets, were a Rebel Blaster and a Stormtrooper Blaster. The Rebel blaster is due to ship in Q3, and each of the 2,500 pieces will sell for about $449. Around the same time, its Imperial partner will have an edition that's twice as large and a price tag of $499.
The biggest item in terms of price at their booth was the AT-AT. Only 1,000 pieces will be produced, and this item will be $1199 when it ships this Fall. It looks like a fantastic scale model of the prop, and it seems anyone who has the money to spend won't be disappointed. As it appears to be large, fragile, and expensive, odds are this will make it to a ton of holiday wish lists.
The final item on the Star Wars section was a Star Wars FX Jacket, which is essentially a $349 jacket that lights up and gives the image an illusion of motion. Darth Vader's TIE Fighter pursues an X-Wing Fighter, and it's a new and notable entry into Star Wars fashion. It's atypical for what Master Replicas has done so far, and it should be interesting to see what this will do in terms of future releases.
Numerous items from Alien vs. Predator, Shrek, Lord of hte Rings, Elvis Presley, and Star Trek were also shown alongside an announcement that a deal was made with Disney for a few items as well. While not shown, the Disney items on their sell sheet were confirmed as Sleeping Beauty Crown, Cinderella Crown, and Evil Queen's Box. No edition sizes, release dates, or prices were offered at this time.
The Shrek busts look great, and are $45 per. Shrek has an edition size of 3,500 while Donkey and Fiona are 2,500.
From Peter Jackson's Rings flicks are four props so far. The Sting Sword was on display, and yes, it even lights up a pale blue color. For $119, this item is probably going to be a hit. Also coming are The One Ring, Light of Earendil, and Gandalf the White's Staff.
While best known for their sci-fi offerings, it seems that diversifying their product line was really the main focus of this year's Toy Fair booth. As such, it should make for a most interesting 2004 and beyond.
Last revised 11:45 PM Eastern on February 15, 2004.
