LOBOT /
LOBOT (Lando's Aid)

Source:
  (The Empire Strikes Back)


Date Stamp: 1980

Release Date: 1981

Carded Availability:
  The Empire Strikes Back
  Return of the Jedi
  Tri-Logo

Assortment No. : 39349

Retail: $2.49

Weapons and Accessories: 

  • Blue Bespin Blaster


  • Point of Interest: 
      This figure was included in the Cloud City Playset, but made it's first carded appearance on The Empire Strikes Back 41 back card. This figure also appeared as Lobot (Lando's Aid) on a Canadian exclusive skin wrapped card*. The original card image featured on the Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi cards was swapped out for another image on the Tri-logo card.

    Comments: Perhaps the vintage Lobot action figure isn't as exciting as, say, either of the Bespin Guards or the Cloud Car Pilot, but certainly was an intriguing character in the film, and that likely had a lot to do with the figure's success on the toy shelves-- That or maybe it was the fancy shirts he had a proclivity for wearing that Star Wars fans went nuts for.

    Major Variations: Though all vintage figures have minor variations, the Lobot Action Figure does have one major variation worth mentioning. The figure was produced with two distinctly different torso sculpts. Though, not necessarily easy to spot at a quick glance, any eagle-eyed collector should be able to spot a few of the following telltale signs from virtually any clear photograph:

    The breast pockets: on the first version the pockets are separated slightly from the lines going vertically down the figure's tunic, where as the second version's pockets are butted up to the lines.

    The trousers zipper: The zipper on the second version is much thicker and comes to more of a point.

    Lastly, though much more difficult to spot in photography, the belt buckle on the first version features from left to right a square (with a smaller square centered in it), two vertically placed smaller squares, then four short horizontal rectangles. The second version's belt buckle has from left to right a square (with a smaller square centered in it), two vertically placed circles, then four longer horizontal lines.

    There is no indication whether either version is any more rare than the other.

    *The Canadian Skin Wrapped figures were produced for Sears Canada and were included as exclusive bonus figures in multi-packs created for the holiday catalog. Since these figures had not yet been released on card backs, Kenner produced them vacuum-sealed on lower quality cards that had every element a regular Canadian The Empire Strikes Back cards had save an actual character image or the individual colours on the name plate and behind the figure itself. The card back was completely unprinted. Though in some cases renamed from the mass released versions, the skin wrapped figures were: Dengar, Ugnaught, Lobot (Lando's Aid), Han Solo (Cloud City Outfit), General Veers, Luke Skywalker (Hoth Outfit), and R2-D2 with Periscope.

    Text & Photography by D. Martin Myatt.


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