Commander Bacara Bust Already on eBay

Now that the Baltimore Comic-Con is coming up, and Gentle Giant has already put their Baltimore exclusives up for pre-order, it’s time to check eBay to see what exclusives are there. In a shocking turn of events (gasp!), the Commander Bacara bust is up for sale on eBay with asking prices over $200.

Alright, I admit I’m being sarcastic. It’s not that big of a surprise. So, if you cannot make it to Baltimore and lack friends who are going to Baltimore and are unable to find someone to trade with, eBay is your only option right now.

Commander Bacara is limited to 2,000. However, to put it in perspective, 500 of them will be in the upcoming 5 pack. 200 of them will be up for raffle for the Premiere Guild members. 500 are up for pre-order, which leaves only 800 that are actually for sale at the show. How’s that for a show exclusive?

Bib Fortuna Statue Redemption

Since the Jabba the Hutt and Max Rebo band statues were announced, many collectors have been wondering how they are going to get the free Bib Fortuna statue that you receive when you purchase both statues. To answer those questions, now that the Jabba statues set is shipping, Gentle Giant recently sent out an e-mail to the collector’s club and posted to their blog instructions on how to go about redeeming your Bib Fortuna statue.

Once you purchase both statues, you should receive a “redemption scratcher” with each statue. To redeem your statue, either go to the web site or mail them in to Gentle Giant. Gentle Giant recommends you use certified mail if you go the mail route. There is no shipping fee within the US. Outside the US, there is a $20 shipping fee plus any customs fees that apply. Allow 3 to 6 weeks for delivery. This offer expires December 31, 2008 or while supplies last.

I hope that all of you who bought the very expensive Jabba the Hutt statue set are able to get your free Bib Fortuna statue with no difficulties.

Baltimore Convention Exclusive Pre-Orders are Up!

The pre-orders for the Gentle Giant Baltimore Comic-Con Exclusives are up. Gentle Giant just sent out an e-mail to Premiere Guild members letting them know that the exclusives are up for pre-order for Premiere Guild members for “close to” 48 hours before they are open to the rest of the Collector’s Club this Friday. Here are the links.

• Star Wars Commander Bacara mini bust – pre-order quantity – 500 pieces – $50
• Star Wars Animated Yoda and R2-D2 Maquette – pre-order quantity – 100 pieces – $75
• Star Wars Luke and Han in Stormtrooper Disguise Bust-Up 2-pack – pre-order quantity – 100 pieces – $10

They also say that only part of the total edition size will be available for pre-orders. Baltimore Comic-Con will be handling the sales of the rest of the convention exclusives at a separate booth on a first come, first serve basis.

For those who will be attending the Baltimore Comic-Con, Gentle Giant’s booth number is 1110/1210.

Update – 8/31/07: The Baltimore Comic-Con Exclusive pre-orders are now live for all Collector’s Club members. They will be available until Midnight Wednesday, September 5th or until pre-order for pick-up quantity is out, which ever comes first.

Lord of the Rings Elrond Mini Bust Now Shipping

Look for the Elrond Lord of the Rings mini bust at a retailer near you very soon. Gentle Giant announced today that, along with the Jabba the Hutt statues, Elrond is now shipping to distributors and retailers.

Lately, it’s been a dry spell for Gentle Giant product, but now the flood gates are starting to open. In addition to Elrond and Jabba the Hutt, the Princess Leia mini bust recently shipped as well as the Balrog mini bust and the Yoda on Kybuck maquette. And that’s not to mention all the exclusives. I think that collectors will soon be wishing for that dry spell again!

Gentle Giant Baltimore Comic-Con Pre-Orders

Last week, I posted a summary of a Q and A with Amanda from Gentle Giant on the Rebelscum Gentle Giant forum. Read the full Q and A plus responses on Rebelscum here.

In last week’s Q and A, Amanda shed a little light on how Gentle Giant’s Baltimore pre-orders will be handled. Pay attention because they are doing things a little different this time.

The Gentle Giant booth at the Baltimore Comic-Con will only be for picking up your pre-orders. They will not be selling any other products at the show from their booth. The Baltimore Comic-Con will be handling the sale of the convention exclusives at a separate booth. So it seems, all the Gentle Giant Baltimore exclusives will be for sale at the show, only at the Comic-Con booth, instead of the Gentle Giant booth.

According to Amanda, Gentle Giant also says they will be offering the Premiere Guild members an advance time to place their “Pre-Orders for Pick-Up”, before opening it up to the rest of the members of our Collector’s Club. With Baltimore Comic-Con now less than 2 weeks away, I expect Gentle Giant should be putting up the exclusive pre-orders for Baltimore up within the next few days.

A New Star Wars Animated Maquette?

Rebelscum posted a rumor to their web site regarding what could possibly be the next Gentle Giant Star Wars Animated Maquette. According to Rebelscum, a Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper disguise is the next choice. They go on to say that it will be a brand new sculpt of Luke in the Deathstar trash compactor fighting the Dia Noga!

Maybe it’s me, but that seems like pretty specific information to just be a rumor. Rebelscum does not give a source for the rumor, but my guess is that it is coming from someone in the know inside Gentle Giant.

Han Solo Statue Official Image

Gentle Giant updated their blog yesterday with the news that a new official image of the Star Wars Han Solo statue has been posted to their web site. Check out the new Han Solo image here. Han is currently up for pre-order and is scheduled to ship in November.

Mynock Hunt Chewbacca Mini Bust Update

Gentle Giant has updated their blog on the Mynock Hunt Chewbacca Diamond Exclusive Mini bust. The edition size is set at 2,500. Retail price is $55. This bust is exclusive to Diamond, but only to Diamond customers that have physical stores and not just web sites. It is showing up for pre-order on some web sites though, so be on the lookout for that. If that fails, just ask your local comic store to order it for you. I don’t see this one as being that sought-after since it is a reissue with only a minor change.

Here is the link to the Chewbacca bust on the Diamond web site. See the previous coverage of the Chewbacca exclusive here.

Gentle Giant Premiere Guild Membership Free Gifts

Earlier this week I posted a summary of a Q and A with Amanda from Gentle Giant on the Rebelscum Gentle Giant forum. Read the full Q and A plus responses on Rebelscum here.

In the Q and A, Amanda was asked a question about the free gifts for the Premiere Guild members. She said that he black light posters should be starting to ship out next week, and the other items will be shipped later. Here is our original post on the blacklight poster from Gentle Giant.

In addition, Amanda spoke about what the gift will include overall. According to her, there are 3 licensed products and 3 GGLTD items. All the licensed products are exclusive to the PG and will not be available anywhere else. She also said that some items will be great for display and some you will be able to use everyday.

Some collectors are taking this to mean that “for display” means something like a bust-up. On the other hand, it could refer to something like a poster which has already been announced. Posters are also for displaying. It has already been determined that the gift will not include an actual mini bust which many of the collectors who signed up early had hoped for. “Everyday day use” probably means something like a keychain or a pen.

This news may get some collectors hopes up. I will hold my judgement until I receive the items. Right now I am not planning on renewing my Premiere Guild membership unless I see they make drastic changes to the way it is done. I mean the blacklight poster was announced more than a month ago, and we are still waiting on that.

Jabba the Hutt and Max Rebo Band Statues Shipping Soon

Yesterday, I posted a summary of a Q and A with Amanda from Gentle Giant on the Rebelscum Gentle Giant forum. Read the full Q and A plus responses on Rebelscum here.

One of the questions Amanda answered in the Q and A is when the Jabba the Hutt and Max Rebo Band statues will be shipping. She said that Jabba and the Band will be arriving at their warehouse this week, which means they will reach retailers and distributors at the end of August or early September. My bet is early September. Also, it looks like they will be arriving at the same time, so get your finances in order because this is an expensive set!

Update – 8/28/07: Gentle Giant just updated their blog to let us know these statues are now shipping to distributors and retailers. They also added a post on how to get the Bib Fortuna statue if you buy both Jabba the Hutt statues.