Han + Taun Taun

[Emperors_Hand_2211]

Not sure if I spelled that right but never mind.
I just got R2Dtoys news letter. I had no idea this that said toy was so expensive. £109. For Han and taun taun. Why is it so much.
I have one anyway so I'm not that bothered, just interested if anyone knows. I seem to remember getting mine for like a tenner way back then.

[kdp100]

I think it's rare 'coz it's always been very hard to find, due to a limited initial run.
No other reason as far as I know.

[Emperors_Hand_2211]

It's a funny old game this isn't it.
AT-AT bought for £100, could buy one now for about £100.
Darktrooper bought for £70, could buy one now for £20.
Han and Taun Taun bought for £10, could buy one now for £109.
There's just no predicting it at the time is there.

[Jargo]

Well i look at this way. I paid full whack for the first Royal starship i bought at TRU - £112, then a comic shop owner sold me one for £15. God knows why i bought a second one but there you go, never one to pass up a bargain i suppose. I balance more expensive items against bargains so i averaged the two starships out and called both a good buy.
Now, considering that the freeze frame weequay is listed at R2's at something like £319 I wouldn't exactly call that a good buy. Bearing in mind how hard to come by the Tauntaun with han is I'd say currently the asking price everywhere would be roughly £100. So it cost peanuts when it first came out but then it soon became a hot item as it was packed one per case and thus the price escalated. It'll continue to escalate being one of the very few items in the entire range that remains hard to come by. I see the price on these going up to the giddy £300 mark sometime. Or at least becoming harder and harder to find. This is the first time I've actually seen one listed at any UK site although I've heard of stores that had them a year ago for £75. Since the saga line debuted interest in star wars toys has increased not least because stuff has been easier to locate lately. So interest in older items is increased by default as new collectors join the fray and start to want the older items to complete a collection. This is why i think POTF prices are going to start getting high again. This is also why I bought the Tauntaun with Han. I wanted one to complete my beast collection, It's the first time I've seen one anywhere and frankly, I don't much care about the money. Sure i could have bought a lot of other things for £109 but those will be available all year somewhere. Easy pickings. This is something I doubt I'll see again so I went for it.
Will I regret buying it? No. Is there a new Tauntaun coming out with split belly? Yes. Is that likely t be Han's Tauntaun? Yes. but that is a new version and I'll buy that too. I only buy variants of aliens and droids really. Human characters don't interest me much, this is what my collection is all about. Beasties and aliens and droids and vehicles.
Am I trying to convince myself here? Damn right. Doing a good job actually.

£109 is a lot of money though. For something so small. My other half didn't want me to buy it but after talking through my reasons i got the blessing and go ahead to charge the card. If it makes me happy My other half is happy too.

[Emperors_Hand_2211]

You know I thing there is something very special about partners of star wars collectors. They seem to be able to endure the most outlandish of purchases with only a slightly withered and resigned look of mystification.
I'd have bought one too if I didn't already have it. There aren't many costly items I'm missing at the moment, the last couple of EP1 figures (R2B1, Amidala acension) are about it.
I own almost no Saga stuff because first I ran out of money and now I've ran out of space. Until I get new shelves I'm only buying bargains (Anakins speeder for £3 from Tesco last night, same price as the pizza) and irresistable items (Aayla, Ephant). So any hot tips on what Saga stuff might be difficult to come by in Sep-Nov of this year so I can get it bought now.

[gibbspaulus]

I remember being scandalised at paying fiftenn wuid for Luke and TT, then i heard about ahn and was a bit gobsmacked. If I'd had the money I would've got one too. And I would've opened it. But if I really had that money then one of the 12" speederbikes would've been my first choice

[Jargo]

If i hadn't bought the Tauntaun then it would have been the cantina wave and a load of army builders. I'm also trying to source cantina band members, i need five or six. Four to complete the band and one or two for customising. I want to make a Bith Jedi and a Bith casino patron. I'll probably customise one of the band members so he can sit and make the omni box accessory into the full deal with seat and pedals. Call me crazy and I'll agree.

About the Tauntaun, i finally justified it to myself by reasoning that people buy silly little die cast metal cars for more than £100, or stupid ceramic novelty pigs or girly figurines of shepherdesses. So buying a plastic beast that's way cooler to look at is fine. And unlike the die cast car there's no paint to get scratched beyond repair, it won't smash into a million shards if i dropped it, and it isn't pink. I think i can safely close the book on smug self satisfaction now.

However, considering that the only real difference in the Han Tauntaun and the Luke Tauntaun is the fact that the han Tauntaun has both tusks complete, I'm paying a lot for a whole unblemished tusk and a single not very good figure of han.
I already have two Luke's tauntauns So i guess i have a bit of a tauntaun fetish. Guess that'd be because the split belly vintage one was the only beast I had as a kid. This upcoming split belly version has me giddy with anticipation.

Am i talking too much? I'll shut up and let someone else get a word in. sorry.