Hair
The country of origin stamps for Bespin Luke, like many figures are the basis of all the other variations that are ultimately associated with the figure. Probably the most noticeable ‘actual’ variation associated with Bespin Luke though, is his ever changing hair colour.
A Detailed Breakdown Of The Paint Variations – Hair
The problem with paint is that it is subject to degradation, most notably, fading and sometimes discolouration. This poses problems for variation hunters as has been brought up, discussed and argued time and time again on the boards. The paint variations that will be mentioned over the next few posts are the result of years of handling literally hundreds of Bespin Lukes and studying countless numbers of images. After a while you see the same things again and again and again, both in the form of actual variations and figures which have faded or become discoloured (transformants).
The paint variations shown below are all different in some way from each other and in most cases unique to a specific group of figures from a specific COO family. As most of you will know, photographing paint and plastic colour differences can some times by quite frustrating and never quite capture the differences that the naked eye can see. I’ve tried my best, but sometimes things do look a little the same even though they are in fact different.
Yellow Hair
The yellow hair was the colour used on all the earliest Bespin Luke’s until it was replaced by the mustard haired versions. The MIHK smoothed figures were produced later, why they went back to yellow is unclear.
Typically I tend to stick with five different yellows that are unique to five different Bespin Luke, these are pictured here:
The first on the left (MIHK) is found on the MADE IN HONG KONG figures and as can be seen from the picture, it is a darker, duller yellow than any of the others. The paint is a matte paint and like all matte paint, easily damaged, especially as the paint on these figure always seems to be spread quite thinly.
The second is from the HK Large Luke’s and is what I would call a true yellow colour. The paint used here is once again a matte paint, although this time spread more thickly and subject to less damage than the previous.
The third is from the HK Small figures and is notably lighter than the other yellow, the paint is a much creamier paint, kind of like what would happen if you took some yellow paint and mixed it with white. It has a more glossy look and is less susceptible to damage.
The fourth is unique to the MIHK smoothed figures from Europe, it is very similar to the second one (HK Large) only glossy, this particular hair is pretty hard wearing and often perfect, which is good given that all the figures it appears on are quite hard to find, if only the same could be said for the eye prints.
The fifth is unique to the MIHK Smoothed Lili Ledy figures, it is a light yellow but also very pale, unlike the HK Small light yellow which is notably more vibrant. These figures are hard to find at the best of times, some finding a less than mint one is a bonus either way.
Brown Hair
The blonde hair Luke’s saw there last true appearances on the ESB 41 Back D cards and where replaced by the more common mustard hair figures which typically saw the figure through to the end of the line. Yellow haired Luke’s found on card’s past the ESB 41 Back D’s were mostly likely re-carded figures or overstock being used up, they are not common.
The first on the left is from the MIHK figures and is the nearest to an actual brown that was ever commercially available to buy. Most of the browns used where more glossy and more hard wearing than the early yellows.
The second is the mustard hair found on the HK Small figures, this is probably one of the most common colours to be found, especially in Europe.
The third is the Olive hair from the HK Small Smoothed Luke’s and is exclusive to Europe. At first I thought that this was possibly a result of discolouration of the mustard hair versions, but after seeing so many of them it became apparent that it was an actually different colour. Further evidence to back this up is the fact that, if this was discolouration then it would also appear on the U.S. Hong Kong marked figures, but it does not.
The fourth is from the MIHK raised bar Lili Ledy figures, Its more tanned and quite glossy, the China Baggie versions tend to swing more toward the mustard colour and are not as glossy in appearance.
The fifth is the dark brown paint used exclusively on the Lili Ledy overstock heads. It’s shown hear as an example of Bespin Luke hair colours, but it should be noted that no commercially released figure ever featured these heads, any figures with these heads are customs built by collectors.
Ginger Hair
The ginger haired Luke’s are quite scarce (with the exception of the third shown here). It’s possible they where a kind of transitional colour, bridging the gap between yellow and brown.
The first on the left is from the HK Large figures. It’s a matte paint and very easily damaged. Finding these figures with mint hair is quite difficult. This particular figure is often referred to as a Palitoy variant, and it would certainly appear that they turn up in England more than anywhere else. Carded examples are scarce, but the ones I’ve seen have been Palitoy, wth the exception of one on a Kenner ESB 31 Back B, which a. seems too early, and b, the bubble was questionable, most likely a reseal.
The second is from the HK Small figures and is a dark glossy ginger. As far as I’m concerned this is probably one of the hardest Bespin Luke’s to find. The only carded examples I’ve seen have been on ESB 41 Back D’s, the exact point when the change from yellow to mustard took place. It’s my belief that it was a short lived transitional colour.
The third is the light ginger haired version found on U.S. HK Small figures. These are quite common, particular in the U.S.
Well that should just about cover any questions concerning Bespin Luke hair colour variations. As always, any question or things you feel you can add, get in touch.