Thursday, March 11, 2010

Kenner 12" Star Wars Large Size Boba Fett

This is Kenner's 12" Large Size Boba Fett. He was released in 1979, at a time before his film debut in 1980's Empire Strikes Back. He had previously played a part in the animated segment of the Star Wars Holiday Special that had been shown on TV a year or two previously.

So, when this figure was released, we didn't have much of a clue who the character really was. There was quite a bit of hype around the character before the release of the Empire Strikes Back which included this figure and the now infamous "rocket firing" 3 3/4" Boba Fett that could be had by sending in enough Star Wars action figure proofs of purchase.


Kenner must have decided that they weren't putting enough play features into the figures of the Large Size figure line when they designed Boba Fett. For one, he was designed with quite a bit more articulation than any other figure of this line before. Boba Fett has lateral shoulder, elbow, wrist, and knee ankle articulation that most of the other large sized figures were missing. He was articulated more like a 12" Gijoe from this era rather than something more akin to Ken and Barbie like previous figures.


Boba features a see-through eye feature that was, seemingly, borrowed from Kenner's own Six Million Dollar Man figure. He also sports quite a few more accessories than was typical for this line. Another fun feature is a missile that can be removed from his backpack and hooked onto something like a grappling hook. A string attached to the "missile" allows Boba to hang or glide along the string.

This particular figure was our childhood Fett. It first belonged to my brother and then, eventually, became mine through a trade of some sort. My folks hated it when we did that. So, this guy is far from mint and has more than a few problems. One of his hands was torn off and then glued back on. His backpack is also missing one of the prongs for winding up the black cord that's attached to his missile. If you look closely, there's even glue on his face, presumably from "Operation Hand Reattachment."

I always felt bad for the wookies that gave their lives so I could enjoy this toy.

This particular figure is complete, however, which is no small feat with this guy. He had quite a few accessories to lose over time. A complete Boba Fett should include his gun, belt, wookie scalps, shoulder cape, removable backpack, and a rubber tipped missile with attached string and loop.

9 comments:

  1. Now that's a dolly I can get behind!

    Figuratively, of course.

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  2. I don't see any removable clothing... :)

    This one is an anomaly. He's like a true action figure stuck in the middle of a dolly line of toys. All his clothing is sculpted except for the cape. Surely a cloth cape doesn't make him a dolly.

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  3. I think I like Boba Fett best back then. You know before we really knew all about him.
    Cool jet pack, Helmet and a strange ship.
    We also weren't quite sure whose side he was on.

    Nice toy and I like that he has been "yours" from the beginning too.
    A true toy.

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  4. Okay, now I'm a little jealous. That is one fine looking Boba Fett.

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  5. he looks a bit emaciated, though.

    Why don't I remember these? Were they regional? I had gobs of the 3 3/4" ones, but never these. Actually, I don't think I had any 12" figures after I discovered Star Wars figs and Adventure people. They were easier to cart around.

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  6. Arkonbey, I don't believe these were regional. They may have been limited to North America. I'm not sure, though. I do know that they were a bear to find when they were on shelves (not hard to find, now, though). As a kid, I always looked for them even though I only got a couple. It seemed like you would see one or two but never a big assortment. There were several that I NEVER did see on toy shelves. So, I have to believe that these guys didn't get restocked often or at all, in some cases.

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  7. Does anyone know how much one of these 1979 12" Kenner Boba Fett figures are worth, perfect condition, opened but still in it's original packaging?

    And what about the 1980 Kenner 3 3/4" Boba Fett figure (the non-rocket-firing one released after the firing rocket was deemed a hazard) in perfect condition, opened, but with it's original packaging?

    Someone is offering to sell them to me for $100 each, is that a proper price?

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  8. spewin mine dont have any accessories. Mine was purchased from new also from my brother but all the accessories went missing round the time it was passed down to me when I was born. Would like to find them for sale somewhere aswell as the box to put him back in. Think the hand must be pretty weak as the hand on mine had to be glued back on too.

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  9. I have this one,got it when I was 8 or 9.its in my closet at my moms

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