6) Advanced Mould Family Overview Part 5 (MIHK Family (1st Alteration))

A Detailed Breakdown Of The Bespin Luke Figure Variations

Part V – MIHK Family (1st Alteration)

MIHK No COO (Smoothed) – Yellow Hair – Caramel Brown Boots

There about the time that the Palitoy ROTJ 45 Back C appeared, a new set of Bespin Luke’s hit the market across Europe, which in many respects went against the grain of all that had come before, and it was these Bespin Luke’s which in time would ultimately become some of the hardest to find and most sought after of all the Bespin Luke variations. These figures featured the MIHK COO but the Hong Kong part filled and smoothed, and like there unaltered counterparts had three molds which of course means that all of these European variations could potentially have nine COO combinations.

The interesting thing about these figures is that despite the fact that the yellow hair had long being replaced by the browner colours, strangely, these particular variation all featured very bright and vibrant yellow hair. The most interesting thing about these figures though was not the hair colour but the boot colour.

There was essentially four boot colour which could be found on these European figure, caramel brown, choloate brown, dark brown matte & dark brown glossy, there is a fifth, the Ledy figure but for now we’ll keep that separate.

Now all though the dark boots Luke’s are generally regarded as being some of the rarer and more desirable Bespin Luke’s of all the variations, as far as I’m concerned they common in comparison to the carmel boots version which is by far the rarest of all these specific European variations.

Because of the scarceness of these figures it can be quite difficult to trace there origins, although I’ve not seen this specific variation on a Palitoy card it is likely that it did appear on them. There are two definite confirmed cards that this variation appeared on, one is the Tri-Logo card and the other is the Spanish PBP El Imperio Contraataca 37/41 Back C card. Javi also sent me a picture of Bespin Luke’s from childhood collections in Spain which featured two of this specific variation which help confirm his appearance in Spain.

The easiest way to spot this figure is to look (obviously) at the boots, the paint is glossy and tends to not look like one solid colour but more like a kind of varnish/ink colour, it’s difficult to describe, the best way is to look in the boot colour section where it is shown quite clearly.

Another feature that these European variations have is the painted or unpainted hip, So far it would appear that all the caramel boots versions have painted hips.

MIHK No COO (Smoothed) – Yellow Hair – Chocolate Brown Boots

The ‘chocolate’ boots variation is the most common of the Bespin Luke ‘boot’ colour variations found in this section. The appeared for the first time and quite heavily on the Palitoy ROTJ 45 Back C cards which where the first ROTJ palitoy cards to feature Bespin Luke. Of all the Palitoy cards Bespin Luke appeared on, the 45 Back C was almost certainly the most common, probably the result of production numbers increasing following the release of Return Of The Jedi.

Many 45 Back C cards feature this specific figure, like his counterparts, he has the MIHK COO with the Hong Kong smoothed over and like his counterparts, it is possible that as many as nine COO combinations can be found on this figure. He can be easily identified from his counterparts if you know what you are looking for, but be careful! Poor quality pictures, or poorly lit pictures can some times make the boots on this figure seem darker than they are, which can often make them look like the much more desirable and harder to find ‘dark’ boots Luke, which often demands a higher premium. The boots are a plain matte brown, again, checking the boot colour section will help identify the differences between these boots and the others. Where as the Caramel Boots figure appears to only feature the painted hip, the Chocolate Boots figure would seem to only feature the unpainted hip, which will also help in identifying him, but again, be mindful as the Dark Boots versions can feature either.

This Bespin Luke variation has been confirmed on both the Palitoy ROTJ 45 Back C and the Palitoy ROTJ 65 Back D cards and also the Tri-Logo card.

MIHK No COO (Smoothed) – Yellow Hair – Dark Brown Boots – Painted Hip

The ‘dark’ boots Luke is definitely one of the most famous of the Bespin Luke’s and one of the more desirable variations to own. Like his counterparts he has the MIHK COO with the Hong Kong part smoothed out, and again it’s possible he can be found with all nine COO combinations.

There are actually two different types dark brown paint used on these boots, a matte brown and a glossy brown, the latter tends to appear darker.

Unlike the Caramel Boots figure which only appeared with the painted hip, and the Chocolate Boots figure which only appeared with the unpainted hip, the Dark Boots Luke’s can be found with either the painted hip or the unpainted hip. This version, the painted hip figure is likely the earliest version and can again first appeared as early as the Palitoy ROTJ 45 Back C cards, another confirmed card that he appeared on is the Tri-Logo card.

It should be noted that this specific figure has often been described as a PBP figure, how ever no carded examples have ever turned up, which to be fair doesn’t mean much in terms of Spanish cards, all of which usually only exist in small numbers. The figure has turned up in Spanish childhood collections and it is likely that he did appear on Spanish cards at some point.

MIHK No COO (Smoothed) – Yellow Hair – Dark Brown Boots – Unpainted Hip

This variation is the unpainted hip version of the Dark Boots Luke, although it’s very difficult to say for certain, it’s possible this figure came after the painted hip version as I’ve yet to find any confirmed carded examples earlier than the Palitoy ROTJ 65 Back D card, which is so far the only card I’ve seen examples of this figure on. Again it is likely that this figure could also be found on Tri-Logo cards and possibly in Spain also.

The unpainted hip version is slightly harder to find than the painted hip version.