Funko has turned to Star Wars concept art for their new collection of bobblehead Pop! figures. Based on the early drawings by Ralph McQuarrie, this latest series features four Star Wars characters fans know and love, realized as their original concept drawings.
What’s Happening:
- StarWars.com recently interviewed Funko designer Reis O’Brien about his new collection of bobblehead vinyl figures inspired by Ralph McQuarrie’s concept drawings.
- Long before audiences were introduced to the sweeping and exotic galaxy far, far away, George Lucas commissioned McQuarrie to conceptualize the worlds he was creating for his outer space saga.
- While McQuarrie’s concepts were modified by the time they made it to the big screen, fans of the series have a deep appreciation for his vision.
- When it came time for O’Brien to design new Star Wars Pop! Figures for Funko, he thought back to his childhood and pulled inspiration from McQuarrie’s work.
- The result is the Concept Series, a line of Funko Virtual Con-exclusive Pop! bobbleheads based on McQuarrie’s designs.
- The collection features four unique figures brought to life for the first time in Funko’s signature style:
- Darth Vader (menacing and mean)
- Chewbacca (with yellow bug-eyes)
- Starkiller (female take on Luke Skywalker)
- Boba Fett (all white armor)
Funko Star Wars Concept Series
Darth Vader
Chewbacca
Starkiller
Boba Fett
What They’re Saying:
- Reis O’Brien: “I had books, when I was a kid. The Art of Star Wars and The Art of The Empire Strikes Back. They had a lot of [Ralph] McQuarrie sketches in them. Those early sketches always blew my mind.”
- O’Brien on the Concept Series: “We started toying with the idea, I’d say maybe four years ago. I initially just did some quick-and-dirty sketches and sent them over to Lucasfilm. They liked the idea, but I think it was a timing thing. It just didn’t feel right at the time. I just made a point, any time we’d have a brainstorm meeting. I’d just kind of roll those back out. [Laughs] ‘Remember this idea?’ Finally, this time, it stuck.”
- O’Brien on designing “The backs are tricky. You get creative and you try to put yourself in the mindset of a guy designing these characters for this sci-fi movie no one’s heard of back in 1975 or 1976. You just try to imagine what they would’ve imagined.”
- O’Brien on this project: “This one’s kind of important to me because not only am I a geek about Star Wars, but I’m a geek about the history of Star Wars. I hope that’s what this inspires in other people. Go back, look it up, learn your history, know how it was made.”