| BASA Chewbacca large action figure (Peru) | |
| This beauty hails from South America and is unique in both packaging as well as the toy itself. Unlike its Kenner counterpart, as well as the other large action figures made by various licensees, this box did not feature a cellophane window so that the toy inside could be viewed. Without a photo of the toy on the outside either, one wonders what the kids thought when they went to buy one.
Although the BASA company imported its action figures and toys from Kenner and affixed them with a BASA sticker, they made 2 large size action figures in Peru, exclusive to the local market - the other being Darth Vader. Interestingly enough, like their action figures, the packaging still retained the Kenner logo in addition to the BASA logo. On top of this, The Empire Strikes Back packaging was never used on any other large Chewbacca figure made worldwide and the closest thing to it would have been the Darth Vader released in ESB packaging by Toltoys in Australia. The figure itself is based on an actual Kenner production toy thus the detailing isn't quite as crisp as the Kenner piece. However, the big difference is how they manufactured the piece because while Kenner injection-molded their figure, BASA went with a more economical solution and blow-molded their version. Think of a Wiffle Ball bat if you want to imagine what the difference would be like because it's very lightweight and thin compared to the thicker, more solid plastic of the Kenner version. Also because of being blow-molded, the figure is about 1/2" shorter than its Kenner counterpart and that difference can be directly attributed to the blow-molding process and how the material shrinks when cooled. Of course, the differences keep on coming and continue into the accessories as well because the bandolier strap is simple with no ammo clips and the gun is smaller, requiring less plastic to produce, and thus cheaper. The box is completely printed and has the Chewbacca name printed on the lower front. The printed BASA logo is the same size as the stickers affixed to the action figures and is carried around the top of the box with ring of overlapping B's. The artwork is both a rearrangement and artistic variation of the imagery used on the Mini-Action Figure Collector's case This is an amazing toy, amazingly rare, and in amazing condition and you just don't usually hit on all 3 points like that. |
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| Description by: | Chris Georgoulias, Josefina and Luis Gálvez |
| Photo: | Josefina and Luis Gálvez |
| From the collection of: | Josefina and Luis Gálvez |
| Country: | Peru |
| Film: | Empire Strikes Back |
| Licensee: | BASA |
| Year: | 1981 |
| Category: | Toys / Action Figure Related / Large Size Action Figures |