The Good: Great collectible value, Great balance, Amazing detailing
The Bad: None that I could find.
The Basics: The 2011 Limited Edition Bossk ornament is already becoming a collector's favorite and those buying in the secondary market are discovering it to be a steal at twice the price based on the quality of the ornament!
Happy Hallmark Preview Weekend Opening Day! If you're like me, the onset of Hallmark Ornament season is an actual event. It's an event because the first day or two of the season finds the Hallmark stores selling limited edition, super-hard-to-find ornaments from the major franchises. My wife and I, getting up a little late today, nearly cost us our chance to find the two limited edition ornaments we were hoping to find. My wife wanted the Harry Potter The Golden Snitch ornament (reviewed here!), while I was super stoked about the Limited Edition Bossk ornament I learned of only a few days ago. Following on the heels of last year's limited edition Lando Calrissian ornament (reviewed here!), Bossk is a masterpiece that is bound to thrill fans of The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars bounty hunters alike.
Bossk is a limited edition, exclusive Hallmark ornament, and it is not one of the usual ornaments considered # in a series. Instead, this is outside the regular numbering and it is rapidly disappearing from the Hallmark stores that got them in for the Hallmark Preview weekend.
Hallmark Keepsake has a line of collectible ornaments from major franchises, like Star Wars and Star Trek. From the Star Wars line comes the Bossk limited edition ornament. Fans of the original Star Wars Trilogy will easily recall Bossk. Bossk was one of the bounty hunters hired by Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back (click here for my review of the film!). Bossk is the reptilian bounty hunter who intimidates Imperial officers just by growling at them. And this version of Bossk is very action-oriented and exceptionally well-detailed!
Basics
The Bossk ornament recreates the lizard bounty hunter in solid plastic. The ornament, released in 2011, is the obscure alien bounty hunter in his yellow jumpsuit with his blaster rifle in his clawed hand. He is posed to look like he is running and growling and he has such great detail that the straps on the flightsuit are molded so they appear to be flexing, as opposed to simply laying flat! Bossk in ornament form is 4 5/8" tall, 2" wide and 1 1/2" deep. Hallmark charged $14.95 for the ornament originally and it is selling out at that price, with most on-line vendors already doubling the purchase price. Given that the ornament was designed for fans, this is an ornament that appeals to collectors and Bossk is easily recognizable to them.
The Hallmark Bossk ornament is made of a durable plastic and has him holding a blaster rifle in his right hand. The gun and arm are raised, which makes the gun's strap fall away from his back and this ornament is molded with a reality that captures that exceptionally well! His feet are arranged in an action pose, as if he is hunting his quarry.
Bossk is detailed exceptionally in the body, in the accessory and on the costume. Bossk looks like he did in the movie, even in his face. His skin has more depth and shading than most Hallmark ornaments and the scales and eyes are precisely colored, making it look like more than just a guy in a rubber suit would. Hallmark took a lot of care in decorating the Bossk ornament, including the coloring detail on the chest panel's accouterments.
Features
As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Bossk could have a function like a sound chip or light effect, but does not. This is just an ornament, a low-cost (comparatively) option for those who might not want to shell out for the starship or diorama series' of Star Wars ornaments. This is Bossk and he simply hangs on the tree. Bossk's gun may not be removed from his hand and there are no additional weapons or accessories for the ornament.
Balance
As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Bossk ornament is to be hung on a Christmas Tree. And for those creating the ultimate Star Wars Christmas Tree, Bossk is very much a luxury. Bossk is in no way essential to the story, but fans who are likely to collect the ornaments will like how much care went into this ornament. The ornament has a brass hook loop embedded into the top center, slightly back, of the character's skull. From that hook, the Bossk ornament hangs perfectly balanced. It is impressive and the ornament sways when rocked, but otherwise sits stable in the right position!
Collectibility
Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition original U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (click here for my review of that one!). Since then, they have branched out into other popular franchises like Star Wars and The Wizard Of Oz. The Bossk ornament is very limited and has already doubled in price in the secondary market, which is hardly ridiculous because many Hallmark stores have already sold out of them! At this point in the Star Wars ornament collections, the primary characters have all been done and the popular secondary characters are being explored. Bossk was short-produced, though the exact numbers have not been released, but it's pretty hard to meet the demand of all the Star Wars fans.
This is a great investment piece and it is already appreciating, so one suspects that buying it early would be a good investment.
Overview
Like most Star Wars ornaments, Bossk has nothing to do with the Christmas holiday, but the ornament is flawless on the essentials, looking exactly like the character, balancing exceptionally well and having a collectible value that is astonishingly good. This one is perfect: get them while you can!
For other Hallmark ornaments of Star Wars characters, please check out my reviews of:
2010 Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot
2010 Boba Fett and Han Solo in Carbonite mini-ornament set
2009 Greedo Limited Edition ornament
2009 Han Solo As Stormtrooper
2008 Emperor Palpatine ornament
2005 Slave Leia ornament
1999 Max Rebo Band mini-ornament set
This is an ornament I am proudly selling in my online store. Click here to see my current inventory of them!
10/10
For other holiday ornaments, please check out the index page!
© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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