When it comes to the biggest pushovers in the Star Warsuniverse, very few characters are as useless as the Emperor’s Royal Guard. The Jedi Temple Guard come close, but we’ve at least seen them atleast put up a fight. The Royal Guard have hardly done anything of note in the mainline story and have barely slowed down anyone going after the Emperor. In fact, Yoda even knocked two of them out with a flick of his wrist. Considering all this, you wouldn’t expect Royal Guard action figures to be valuable. Well, you’d be wrong.
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Over on Hakes Auctions, a Palitoy Star War: Return of the Jedi action figure of the Emperor’s Royal Guard is currently going for $3,146. There are actually several reasons why this figure is worth so much, despite being useless in the movies. Firstly, there are only four such AFA 85 rated figures, according to the population report, with none of a higher rating. The triple logo in English, Spanish, and French on the packaging is also pretty rare. And, most importantly, it’s in pretty good condition.
The Packaging Of This Star Wars Royal Guard Action Figure Makes It Pretty Rare
Palitoy’s tri-logo Star Wars packaging was launched in the early ‘80s in Europe, featuring the English, French, and Spanish titles. While the double-logo variants were relatively common, these tri-logo packs have since become rare and highly coveted. Besides this, what makes the Royal Guard figure even more special is that it’s in great condition, rated AFA 85. This is especially rare, as the Royal guard’s cape is easily susceptible to deterioration, but this one looks fit for the Emperor himself.
Something I’d like to note in particular is how well the eye-slit in the helmet has been crafted. The original version does not let you see the guard’s face, adding to how intimidating they are. Recreating this detail in 1984 couldn’t have been easy, but the manufacturer managed to pull it off, making the action figure as intimidating as the actual thing.
Despite not doing much in the movies, the Royal Guard does have some great drip. The striking red helmet and attire stands out in the Empire’s black, white, and grey color scheme. This translates pretty well into the action figure too. The helmet is well detailed, and the red cape wraps around it perfectly. If I were to nitpick, the material on the figure looks quite a bit different from the movie version. The movies depict the capes falling perfectly, while the one on the figure looks a bit bulky and even velvety.
Who, or which faction do you think is the biggest pushover in the Star Wars universe? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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