Sideshow Hoth Han Solo (Echo Base)

[DeadLeaves]

Yeah, probably just too much whine.

 

[Asta]

Let's re-open an old wound.

I started on Harmy's Empire Strikes Back 2.0 Blu-ray last night, eager to see for myself the colour of the coat.

As expected, it was quite clearly brown in all live action scenes. At times it was darker, resembling wet brown material.

The puppet appears dark blue.

And for the record, this is an amazing version of the film with so much clarity in every image.


On reflection there is the scene where Han dismounts from the Tauntaun and walks with the scanner. As he approaches the camera and turns the brown takes on a blue hue. But this is a very blue-saturated scene.

My conclusion is that it was meant to be a brown coat. Even if it appears blue it's still meant to brown, but brown seen under conditions to make the audience feel cold!

I'm happy to have both brown and blue versions arriving. Maybe not so happy when we see what passes for the heads sculpts!

 

[davejames]

Did Harmy really change up the coloration that much from his first version? Because it was definitely leaning more towards blue in that one.

Hopefully he didn't alter the colors so much it no longer even looks particularly cold on Hoth anymore, like in that other, overly color-corrected video that was going around. Because I really doubt that was the feel Lucas and Kershner were going for with those scenes.

 

[momaw]

Not sure a colour manipulated fan edit constitutes evidence of what the coat looked like on screen for 3 decades.

 

[Asta]

Did Harmy really change up the coloration that much from his first version? Because it was definitely leaning more towards blue in that one.

Hopefully he didn't alter the colors so much it no longer even looks particularly cold on Hoth anymore, like in that other, overly color-corrected video that was going around. Because I really doubt that was the feel Lucas and Kershner were going for with those scenes.

I don't know, but everything else looks correct. Hoth definitely still looks cold, and there's still a lot of blue lighting. Maybe for the most part it's a more realistic hue, rather than being over-saturated blue.

The following scene proved contentious before, so I looked at it closely:

Nope, still brown:

It's not a screen pic, it's a clip made directly from the dvd output of my dvd ripped Laserdisc copy (the only existing official unlatered edition off the OT).
That was made beacause people swore the scene was originally even bluer than the SE, DVD, and BR, which is clearly not the case.

So from Harmy's ESB 2.0:

Han dismounts the Tauntaun under blue lighting, but as he turns he's out of it and the coat is brown. He walks up to the Falcon and from the back his coat is undeniably brown, especially as he passes under the X-Wing.

In this shot the Falcon is seen bathed in blue light. In the close-up the coat has that wet brown look, with some purple hues in it. When he raises his left arm the brown is clearer from shoulder to elbow.

Under the strap holding his scanner a lighter brown is visible, especially near the top.

In the exterior shots the coat is generally darker, and occasionally blue as with the scene I described in the last post. But I don't get the impression that Lucas intended the audience to think he was wearing a blue coat, but a brown one in extremely cold conditions.

 

[davejames]

Yeah I think you might be right. Out of curiosity I just dug up my old 1995 VHS and played it on my old picture tube TV (can't believe the crappy picture quality we used to put up with back then by the way!), thinking for sure it was going to lean more towards a dark blue. And yet even with the crappy picture, and even in scenes where he's out in the snow on his tauntaun, it still looks distinctly brown.

Aarg, guess I'm gonna have to change my order now.

 

[Asta]

Yeah I think you might be right. Out of curiosity I just dug up my old 1995 VHS and played it on my old picture tube TV (can't believe the crappy picture quality we used to put up with back then by the way!), and the coat is definitely looking a lot more brown than I remembered. In fact even when he's out in the snow on his tauntaun it still looks distinctly brown! Which I was not expecting at all.

I blame Kenner!

Aarg, guess I'm gonna have to change my order now.

I couldn't decide so had to go for both. I like the idea of blue, even if it's just another of Han's coats hanging in a wardrobe in the Falcon.

 

[davejames]

Only problem is I already made my first flex payment on the blue. Hopefully the Sideshow help desk will be understanding and be willing to shift that payment over to the brown version instead (since it's still essentially the same figure I'm buying).

Of course considering how many cancellations they probably get every week, I'm sure they'll be happy I'm just buying anything at all.

 

[Asta]

Only problem is I already made my first flex payment on the blue. Hopefully the Sideshow help desk will be understanding and be willing to shift that payment over to the brown version instead (since it's still essentially the same figure I'm buying).

Of course considering how many cancellations they probably get every week, I'm sure they'll be happy I'm just buying anything at all.

I don't see them having a problem with that. It's essentially the same figure releasing at the same time.

Hope you end up with the version you really want.

 

[momaw]

Only problem is I already made my first flex payment on the blue. Hopefully the Sideshow help desk will be understanding and be willing to shift that payment over to the brown version instead (since it's still essentially the same figure I'm buying).

Of course considering how many cancellations they probably get every week, I'm sure they'll be happy I'm just buying anything at all.

Follow your heart... and get a parted out Brown coat. Remember the Blue is only available from sideshow but the brown in the mass market release.

 

[Asta]

Follow your heart... and get a parted out Brown coat. Remember the Blue is only available from sideshow but the brown in the mass market release.

There is that aspect to it. There won't be as many blue coats around.

 

[davejames]

Hmm, interesting idea. Although I'm not sure this is a figure I really want to have to spend another $40-50 on for a second coat...

I do wish the brown one was a bit darker though. Because regardless of whatever color it is, it definitely appears darker on screen than Sideshow made it.

And even off screen:

 

[Asta]

Hard to tell what colour the Sideshow one will be in hand.

This was taken through glass and presumably under bright lights:

It's similar to the colour I noticed at 4:37 in Harmy's ESB 2.0 just before Han walks under the X-Wing.

Afterwards it's back to the dark brown as in that behind the scenes still.

I would take screenshots...but my PC can't read Blu-rays.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Follow your heart... and get a parted out Brown coat. Remember the Blue is only available from sideshow but the brown in the mass market release.

If people really want the blue coat for nostalgic reasons then definitely get the blue thru SS and pick up a brown from Toy Anxiety or ebay. Blues will probably cost a lot more and be much harder to get since so fewer are being made.

Really odd why people here -- who will combat every little exact detail everywhere else -- want the incorrect coat color to this day because of a horrible little toy from their childhood when they didn't know better. So many of the Hasbro toys had incorrect colors, why wouldn't Hoth Han?

 

[bmarz1000]

If people really want the blue coat for nostalgic reasons then definitely get the blue thru SS and pick up a brown from Toy Anxiety or ebay. Blues will probably cost a lot more and be much harder to get since so fewer are being made.

Really odd why people here -- who will combat every little exact detail everywhere else -- want the incorrect coat color to this day because of a horrible little toy from their childhood when they didn't know better. So many of the Hasbro toys had incorrect colors, why wouldn't Hoth Han?

For me, it's notastalgia. That "horrible little toy" was my favorite action figure and I took it everywhere I went.

 

[davejames]

To be honest I just never paid much attention to the color of the coat before. My only memory from the movie was that it was this darkish color, and given that most of the action figures depicted it as blue I just assumed that's what it was.

And I don't see anything wrong with people wanting the blue coat as a sort of homage to the Kenner action figure, considering what a huge part of our lives those toys were. And it is kind of a cool look.

 

[Mike86]

I wish Sideshow would have just included both coats as part of their exclusive rather than having us choose.

 

[Captain Britain]

Blue all the way. It always looks blue on screen, therefore blue is screen accurate.

I mean, if a bunch of behind the scenes shots showed that Boba Fett's costume was actually composed of shades of pink you wouldn't buy a pink Boba Fett figure would you? You'd buy what you saw on screen.

 

[Pixelpiper]

I wish Sideshow would have just included both coats as part of their exclusive rather than having us choose.

Especially since that's what they mentioned would be shipping when it was discussed at SDCC in 2013.

 

[davejames]

Blue all the way. It always looks blue on screen, therefore blue is screen accurate.

I mean, if a bunch of behind the scenes shots showed that Boba Fett's costume was actually composed of shades of pink you wouldn't buy a pink Boba Fett figure would you? You'd buy what you saw on screen.

That was my previous argument (and all I really care about is what something looks like on screen), but the problem is it's looking more and more like it actually did appear more brown on screen after all, before all of Lucas's color alterations and SEs and blu-rays.

Heck, even in the crappy theatrical version that got released earlier: