In modern times, Star Wars is everywhere. You can see the movies in many different languages, collect paraphernalia from multiple continents and purchase toys on your holiday travels, but this wasn’t always the case. Many countries in Eastern Europe, Central and South America did not have the rights to the Star Wars brand. Whether this was for financial, political or other reasons children from these areas back in the 1970’s and 80’s would not have been able to play with Star Wars toys if it were not for bootlegs.
Bootleg Star Wars toys are not fakes, customs or reproduction items. They are toys which were produced in countries which either did not have the license to sell them or were sold in places where children couldn’t afford to pay for the more expensive imported Kenner figures. One of the most famous, desirable, and therefore expensive, to collect ranges came from Turkey in the form of Uzay (pronounced Ooe –zeye) which were produced in the latter years of the 1980’s.
For anyone with an interest in Uzay history and items check out these websites from two long-term bootleg collectors and documenters Joe Yglesias and Mete Akin.
After clicking on the links you will see oddities, eccentricities, cheesiness and a Blue Snow Trooper, known as Blue Stars!
What you see here is a piece recently purchased and showcased by Zach Tann and is possibly the best condition Blue Stars figure to have ever surfaced. The colours are vibrant, the figure looks great and it displays well in its case. Whatever inspired Uzay to create a Blue Snow Trooper, they did after all also create a white Snow Trooper, may not be known but they could have never predicted the demand from collectors worldwide so many years later.
Sadly, over the past year many photographs of Blue Stars are often met with comments such as ‘fake’, ‘rubbish’ and ‘custom’ from newer collectors. Although bootlegs are not everyone’s cup of tea they clearly have a place in the hobby and especially meant a lot to the children who played with these 30 years ago.
As with most bootleg items there are many copies and fakes out there. You will not find Uzay figures easily, and that includes going to Turkey and scouring markets which many collectors have done. When it comes to purchasing items like Blue Stars, education and provenance is the key.
Photo © Zach Tann