Hot Toys Grand Moff Tarkin

[Wor-Gar]

The Han/Chewie that sold for $650 was a buy it now that someone listed too low. Almost all the auctions go for over a thousand. In contrast there are zero sold auctions for Tarkin/Vader only buy it now or best offer. There are zero Snowtrooper two pack auctions in the US, only one buy it now for $1,100. The singles sell for $500 or more.

You can't decide what auctions are proper.

There are other sold Han/Chewie OT auctions for $799, then $850, $910, $899, etc. Not almost all over $1,000.

And there are two sold auctions for Vader/Tarkin (when it sells for less it gets a strikethrough):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175101587166?hash=item28c4de2ede:g:xq8AAOSwcuRh2iU2

And here's the 2-pack snowtroopers one I was talking about for $890:

Hot Toys Star Wars Snowtroopers Set EP5 1/6 Action Figure VGM 25 | eBay

Anyway, look, they are all very close. I was just curious which one was going for the most. I was surprised that Han/Chewie was as low as it was. I forgot entirely about the snowtroopers. But I had a feeling Vader and Tarkin were up there.

 

[Tetryon25]

I also hoped we'd see a few other Imperial officers like Veers in AT-AT Armor, Captain Needa, Admiral Motti and Ozzel. We only got the old Sideshow Cmdr Praji and Admiral Piett, and Hot Toys never made the Death Star Trooper either.

Those are all instabuys for me.

Got pretty much all the essential OT Imperial Troopers except...the Death Star Trooper.

 

[Jedi_Col]

Around the beginning of the pandemic, I made the mistake of letting go of some hot toys. Thankfully I got them all back (and cheaper than I sold them for), but there was one guy who was trying to get my Vader/Tarkin set for $25 cheaper. I had it listed at $650 at the time when most listed were $750 and he just wouldn't budge unless I dropped it to $625. I wish I could thank that guy for being so stubborn because I decided not to sell it after that

I really thought we would've gotten some more imperial officers by now. It really is a shame. Piett and Ozzel should be no brainers imo. Maybe someday...maybe someday

 

[dukefett]

Around the beginning of the pandemic, I made the mistake of letting go of some hot toys. Thankfully I got them all back (and cheaper than I sold them for), but there was one guy who was trying to get my Vader/Tarkin set for $25 cheaper. I had it listed at $650 at the time when most listed were $750 and he just wouldn't budge unless I dropped it to $625. I wish I could thank that guy for being so stubborn because I decided not to sell it after that

I really thought we would've gotten some more imperial officers by now. It really is a shame. Piett and Ozzel should be no brainers imo. Maybe someday...maybe someday

Piett would be great since he's one of the only ones to show up in more than one movie. I'd probably buy any of them but he's more likely. Ozzel hasn't had a Black Series figure yet, not sure about The Vintage Collection. But Piett and Veers both came out a couple years ago in BS.

 

[TaliBane]

Around the beginning of the pandemic, I made the mistake of letting go of some hot toys. Thankfully I got them all back (and cheaper than I sold them for), but there was one guy who was trying to get my Vader/Tarkin set for $25 cheaper. I had it listed at $650 at the time when most listed were $750 and he just wouldn't budge unless I dropped it to $625. I wish I could thank that guy for being so stubborn because I decided not to sell it after that

I really thought we would've gotten some more imperial officers by now. It really is a shame. Piett and Ozzel should be no brainers imo. Maybe someday...maybe someday

Hmm... some day. It's amazing how many years can pass waiting.

Tarkin shipped four years ago now and even if they previewed a HT Piett or Ozzel/Veers this week, there's a 50/50 chance it would never go up for PO and just disappear forever, and even if it did go up, it would ship late 2023/early 2024.

Even with obvious major OT hero sellers.... When Sideshow Luke Snowspeeder appeared people were like "where's the HT version?" and the dream scenario was answered (it was previewed and actually went up for PO): but with a ship date 5-1/2 years after the Sideshow version.

That's the same timeframe between thinking about having a baby and having that child in kindergarten/first grade.

 

[Wor-Gar]

there was one guy who was trying to get my Vader/Tarkin set for $25 cheaper. I had it listed at $650 at the time when most listed were $750 and he just wouldn't budge unless I dropped it to $625. I wish I could thank that guy for being so stubborn because I decided not to sell it after that

That's actually a "piece" worth keeping... I mean, if you display figures in boxes.

 

[jkno]

Piett would be great since he's one of the only ones to show up in more than one movie. I'd probably buy any of them but he's more likely. Ozzel hasn't had a Black Series figure yet, not sure about The Vintage Collection. But Piett and Veers both came out a couple years ago in BS.

I believe it would be easier for us to get a Tarkin in slippers, than other imperial officers, by the way things go at Hot Toys...

 

[Wor-Gar]

I'm amazed and thankful HT made Tarkin. Considering how long it took Kenner/Hasbro to make a Tarkin.

But yeah, the likelihood of Piett or even lesser Imperials like Veers and Ozzel are certainly at zero. HT can't even provide a generic Death Star Trooper.

At these new $285 price points, HT just would not sell enough even with CanadaClone buying.

The higher the price point, the fewer choices you will have.

 

[jkno]

Unlike troopers, you cannot really build an army of Tarkins or Ozzels, though people might buy more than one to replace the head and use the uniform for customs. Still a few more important Imperial officers would be cool to have, not to mention the Death Star Trooper, which, in a way, is also connected to the vintage Kenner line.

 

[TaliBane]

I somehow managed to buy three Tarkin uniforms/belts off eBay years ago and have made a Piett (Sideshow head,) Jeremy Bulloch officer and have a WIP Veers.

My one big dilemma is I have a head and cap for Ozzel but used Ozzel's uniform for Veers - leaving my only option to pop the head off my second Tarkin and turn that into Ozzel.

Needless to say, I've been mulling that move for quite a few months.... do I really want an Ozzel THAT bad?

 

[Wor-Gar]

There's that sculpt from DiD that is perfect for Ozzel so I can understand the desire to make him.

 

[TaliBane]

Yeah it really only takes some slight tweaks to the hair color and it's a perfect Ozzel.

But Veers is a far more exciting Imperial officer with the armor/helmet and all so I jumped on that but now my "seated Tarkin" (as opposed to my second "hero display" Tarkin ) is in the firing line.

I even thought I could just do a head swap to Ozzel then swap the Tarkin head back in the future to reconsititue the Tarkin fig, but the rank badge is different Tarkin vs Ozzel and can't be easily swapped (riveted to the fabric.) I guess you could blu-tack a thinned version of Ozzel's badge over the Tarkin one but it would look a bit funky/thick.

One other weird thing about Tarkin that's made his uniform very hard to use for other Imperials is the Tarkin head's neck is sooo thin, so the collar is way-thin and requires a lot of dremeling of the other necks to fit. It looks WAY better than the Sideshow Imperials uniform, but it's also a very difficult garment to get sitting just right on a generic body.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I even thought I could just do a head swap to Ozzel then swap the Tarkin head back in the future to reconsititue the Tarkin fig, but the rank badge is different Tarkin vs Ozzel and can't be easily swapped (riveted to the fabric.)

Can't you exacto the peg tops off the badge inside the tunic leaving the holes and just cast/make a whole new badge and slide the pegs back through the two holes in the tunic? Plug-and-play like?

 

[DrWeaponX]

Hmm... some day. It's amazing how many years can pass waiting.

Tarkin shipped four years ago now and even if they previewed a HT Piett or Ozzel/Veers this week, there's a 50/50 chance it would never go up for PO and just disappear forever, and even if it did go up, it would ship late 2023/early 2024.

Even with obvious major OT hero sellers.... When Sideshow Luke Snowspeeder appeared people were like "where's the HT version?" and the dream scenario was answered (it was previewed and actually went up for PO): but with a ship date 5-1/2 years after the Sideshow version.

That's the same timeframe between thinking about having a baby and having that child in kindergarten/first grade.

As a dad with two kids under 2, you’ve perfectly captured my frustration with the absolutely goofy HT release timelines!!

 

[jkno]

HOT TOYS, IT IS TIME TO MAKE OTHER IMPERIALS!!!

 

[TaliBane]

Can't you exacto the peg tops off the badge inside the tunic leaving the holes and just cast/make a whole new badge and slide the pegs back through the two holes in the tunic? Plug-and-play like?

The pegs are crazy solid and I found that the badge just wouldn't stay flat on the uniform with a plug/play scenario.

This is SSC Piett with the HT uniform (another head I've planned to do a few paint tweaks to but never get around to it.) One issue I've had with the HT uniform fabric is that it has a lot of "memory" and holds wrinkles, so you don't want to do bent-arm poses too much if you want the uniform to later be in a neutral/flat pose. Piett below recently had his left arm bent upward a bit and I haven't refutzed the sleeve so you can see that big wrinkle.

 

[Darth_Tabarnak]

This guy fetches a good price and is a great companion piece

 

[generalgrevious]

never got him. it was sold out before i ever got around to getting one.

 

[TaliBane]

never got him. it was sold out before i ever got around to getting one.

It's a pretty easy custom to make. I did a super-quickie Kenner ROTJ style gunner (I still plan to do a coat of clear red over the visor to complete the Kenner POTF look) and used a leftover Marmit jumpsuit.

I passed on the HT one because the helmet is decent but isn't hugely accurate and those gloves and boots (which HT keeps re-using) are pretty weak. The pleather on the figure also looked delicate and I've seen a few with small tears, though my HT Vader pleather is holding up okay so far.

 

[generalgrevious]

what parts did you do for yours? i might go hunt them down