Vintage Jawa's and the Sandcrawler. - 1977
Kicking off what will be a LONG collection of threads, as I own every Vintage Figure made from the Star Wars Line, I see no reason not to start with one of my most favored Aliens ever, The Jawa from 1977.
The Jawa was my favorite alien as a kid, I loved them, and they were awesome and believable, not like the freaks known to us all as Ewoks. Jawa' were a technological scavenging race of shrouded beings that had and still do have an air of mystery to them. Scene through out Star Wars a new Hope slumming around Mos Eisley, or pimping it through the desert in a massive armored Sand crawler, the Jawa' were the race to go to if hunting for droid parts or stolen droids in the case of a New Hope.
My earliest memory of the word Jawa (which weirdly was a Motorcycle line back in the late 60's and early 70's – look up on e-bay and find anything to do with JAWA cycles) was standing in line in 77 with my dad. In Boston we had a lot of Portarican's, and being in the Irish neighborhood, close to the Portaricins, there were like four theaters. Well we went to the Portarican's one thinking their would be more seats to an already three block line at the Dorchester theater.
So there we are, I'm four and I all of a sudden start singing a song I just made up on the spot about how Portarican's and Jawa' are friends. This stemmed from my uncle coming to our house for their game night and telling my dad in front of us that they have Portarican's in the movie played by Jawa'. I know it sounds racist, but the Portarican's were like Jawa', though now they no longer scavenge through our trash, they were pushed out by the Vietnamese. And it wasn't a bad thing, they were just resilient, much like the Jawa', they found crap we tossed away and fixed it and sold it for a profit. The point is, I was four and in line surrounded by Portarican's in their neighborhood, sinning a song about Portarican's and Jawa'. My dad truly thought we would die that night. I look back and wonder how we didn't. When the Jawa' came on the screen I almost shit my pants, two glowing beady eyes holding a rifle that shot electricity. Wow, but that fear turned to admiration even for a four year old as they rescued the droids R2D2 and C3P0.
I received my first Jawa for a Birth Day present, and remember once finding one packaged at a drug store for 3.00. Since then my collection of Jawa' has grown to Eleven Loose, and one Packaged MOC with the Power of the Force coin. Below are Photos of the front and Back of the carded one. And then shots of a Jawa with and with out his poncho, both front and back.
Also a Empire Strikes back carded one I got from a friend for dirt cheap, The card was really bowed but with help of a Acrylic case the figure is prestine now.
Also a shot of My Jawa Clan in Kenner's 1977 Jawa Sand crawler. This vehicle was more than a find for me. I ran across it in Mass. at a Yard sale. Some Mom sold it to me for 4.00. It was missing the droid elevator (wich I since had replaced) but for 4.00 any one that knows Star Wars collectibles knows this is a steal. These things go for well over 150.00 on eBay or any where else in just its condition. With a box or complete they easily fetch well over 400 dollars.
Also included in the Jawa Clan shot below is a a Power droid, I'll cover these guys later, but that's what he is if any one is wondering. A Point of interest on the Jawa – he was originally released with a Vinyl cape much like that of Ben Kenobi's. These can easily fetch carded over a thousand dollars, BUT BEWARE – these are RARE in all that it implies, there are many people who reproduce and sell off copies that can never be questioned due to their original look, and will scalp people on a 4 cent item… I do not nor never will own one unless by chance I meet some old guy from Kenner that has one and gives it to me. I don't think I will ever spend a thousand dollars for an action figure.
Enjoy.
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