Sideshow Hoth Han Solo (Echo Base)

[Wor-Gar]

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

But you can forgive that inaccuracy (not you specifically), and then scrutinize Boba Fett's shade of green on his armor...

...or his helmet because it isn't at the exact angle, the Empire angle as opposed to the Jedi angle, etc.

This is what I mean -- its very subjective, but most of the arguments on this board are about supposed "objective" criticisms.

 

[qbomb71]

I have both on order and will probably cancel the brown one. The blue just looks better to me. Figures don't have to be totally accurate for me to enjoy them. A very nice representation is all I need.

 

[TonTon]

I hope we get to see the production colors as the proto shots are mostly the same exact figure and the color of the coat is just photoshopped.
I ordered the blue in part because I think it looks better/darker and I understand that the non exclusive will be easier to pick up but normally I'd go with what's actually accurate (brown).

 

[Asta]

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?

I guess that's why Sideshow made the blue coat an Exclusive. It's an homage to Kenner as with the Exclusive Bib Fortuna staff, the Snowtrooper rifle or the new TIE Pilot pistol.

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.

Yet it wasn't clearly blue.

Boba Fett, for example, looked orange in the carbon freezing chamber, but I don't want an orange Fett.

What I could do is put him under an orange lamp to make him look scene/moment accurate.

Here everybody's orange:

It's the same situation with Han's coat. You can see the brown coat pass through different coloured lighting.

So, for scene accuracy you could put Sideshow's brown coat under a blue lamp to make his surroundings look cold.

The blue coat is nostalgia driven, and also a reference to the miniature Tauntaun-riding puppet.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I guess that's why Sideshow made the blue coat an Exclusive.

Was the blue coat an exclusive itself? Sideshow did it weird though -- you can order the brown with the exclusive head OR you can order the blue that comes with the extra head anyway. I didn't realize there was an exclusive coat -- just that you had to choose which coat you wanted.

 

[Mike86]

Yeah the exclusive for this figure was kind of confusing. The head sculpt without the headgear is the exclusive for both versions but the blue coat is also an exclusive.

 

[davejames]

Hmm, just found this curious promo shot. If this was the kind of blue we were getting, I'd probably stick with it. But now that I've watched some of my original videos again, the blue Sideshow seems to be going for just feels too off to me now.

 

[Asta]

Was the blue coat an exclusive itself? Sideshow did it weird though -- you can order the brown with the exclusive head OR you can order the blue that comes with the extra head anyway. I didn't realize there was an exclusive coat -- just that you had to choose which coat you wanted.

Yes, it was a strange one!

The Blue coat is only available from Sideshow, but comes with the extra head as standard.

The Brown coat is available everywhere, but if you want the extra head then it's only available from Sideshow.

 

[Asta]

Hmm, just found this curious promo shot. If this was the kind of blue we were getting, I'd probably stick with it. But now that I've watched some of my original videos again, the blue Sideshow seems to be going for just feels too off to me now.

View attachment 163230

That's what I described as "wet brown". You can see the lighter brown turn this colour in camera as Han moves under different lighting. It also picks up hints of purple.

 

[Mike86]

That's what I described as "wet brown". You can see the lighter brown turn this colour in camera as Han moves under different lighting. It also picks up hints of purple.

I think that the coat being wet plus the lighting are what lead people to think the jacket is blue. To me it's brown but to each their own I guess for what's preferred.

 

[TonTon]

Hmm, just found this curious promo shot. If this was the kind of blue we were getting, I'd probably stick with it. But now that I've watched some of my original videos again, the blue Sideshow seems to be going for just feels too off to me now.

View attachment 163230

I see Han's belt and Chewbacca as brown in this photo. Jacket looks navy/eggplant/black.
Either way, neither sideshow coat looks like that so far.

 

[Asta]

This is all I could find on the Harmy's page, but it shows the difference in colour timing between versions - and how the scene was colour graded blue compared to the unaltered master top right.

I think that the coat being wet plus the lighting are what lead people to think the jacket is blue. To me it's brown but to each their own I guess for what's preferred.

I see Han's belt and Chewbacca as brown in this photo. Jacket looks navy/eggplant/black.
Either way, neither sideshow coat looks like that so far.

It's a curious material and colour, as it changes quite dramatically in camera (in the same shot) depending on the lighting.

Enlarging the behind the scenes photo you can see the hints of purple, but also, along the back edge of the upper arm above the pocket there's a hint of that lighter brown.

 

[momaw]

I don't really care about the stills and argument's. I know the prop was brown, but to me, the coat has always looked blue most of the time and still does in the official releases. That's good enough for me. I'll pick up a parted out brown coat and have the best of both worlds.

 

[devilof76]

I'd say that pic looks less purple and more indigo.

 

[Asta]

I'd say that pic looks less purple and more indigo.

Trust you, you old devil!

 

[devilof76]

You built that house of cards way too high for me to not sneeze.

 

[Asta]

You built that house of cards way too high for me to not sneeze.

Luke: Is the blue side stronger?

Yoda: No, no, no. Quicker, easier, more seductive.

Luke: But how am I to know the brown side from the blue?

Yoda: You will know... when you are calm, at peace, passive.

 

[TaliBane]

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?

.....

Re: Hoth coat, we can conjecture back-and-forth what was seen throughout the 1980's (obviously actual film prints that cannot be replicated) and the merits of the various color timings of transfers to home entertainment versions over the years (which vary greatly in terms of coat color.)

What we do know for 100% certainty however is that both Kenner and LFL officlally endorsed the coat as blue back then. People seem to think it was one Kenner action figure - but it went way beyond that to other toys, comics and merchandise, all of it LFL officially approved. As we know from the stories of all the licensees who were rejected back then, LFL was every bit as picky and detail-oriented then as they were in the modern era. It's like saying they'd let ANH Han be released with a brown vest.

So this is not an issue of "some fans thought they saw..." and a "one-off mistake by Kenner" - it was indeed official and widespread. Now...

I will leave you with the most up-to-date official input on the matter, which I have posted before, from the Star Wars Costumes book, published a month or two ago:

"As a result of extensive postproduction color grading on Empire, the anorak (coat) appeared to be navy on screen." - p79, Star Wars Costumes

So... coat costume WAS brown, but DID appear navy blue on screen. This... is official confirmation and supercedes any opinions expressed on any forum and ends the debate. Or does it?

 

[Pixelpiper]

Tali, that quote is only true for specific moments. In every version of the film, the coat was primarily brown on screen. Folks can dispute this all they want - it only takes viewing the film to prove it, something the blue-camp will never do.

 

[creature4000]

As a kid I thought it was blue (it looked blue)... plus the toy I played with was blue... so Blue for me!


It's really brown though.