I recently contacted lightwave000 concerning my story of how I obtained the Illusive Originals Han Solo in Carbonite and he asked if I would post my story here.
As you know, the original trilogy returned to the big screen in 1997 in the form of the Special Editions. During that time Taco Bell had various promotions for the re-release. You could get various toys by purchasing kid's meals, win food or other items from the Feel the Force tabs found on the soft drink cups, or you could take part in the Intergalactic Draw for the chance to win high-end Star Wars collectibles. 1st prize was a lifesize Darth Vader, 2nd prize was a lifesize Stormtrooper, 3rd prize was the Han Solo in Carbonite, 4th prize was a studio scale model of an X-Wing, and various other prizes.
My best friend from high school and I decided to take a chance with the Intergalactic Draw. We both grabbed 5-10 of the mail-in forms from Taco Bell. I went home that evening and filled out each of mine and placed each in its own envelope. For 2 weeks, I stopped by the local post office each day to mail one form as only 1 could be postmarked per day. 2-3 months went by and I was approaching high school graduation and then preparation to leave for college so the Intergalactic Draw left my mind.
Then in the middle of May 1997 I received a letter in the mail stating that I had won the Han Solo in Carbonite. I was ecstatic as I had long been a Star Wars fan and the Carbon Freeze Chamber scene had always been one of my favorites. I had the micro collections Bespin Freeze Chamber playset as a kid and always enjoyed playing with it.
Shortly thereafter I received a packet of papers in the mail with numerous forms to fill out and to be notarized. About a month went by and the day for Han to arrive finally came. It was the middle of July 1997 and the delivery truck arrived. The driver with the help of my dad and I unloaded the large box and laid it in the garage. My dad and I unpacked it and carried it into my bedroom where Han resided during my college years.
My Han is #495. It came with the Certificate of Authenticity but all of the other pamphlets and paperwork which lightwave000 recently posted were not in the box. I assume the folks at Taco Bell had probably taken Han out of the box to take pictures for promotional purposes and may have thrown those items away in the process. On another note, if I recall correctly there was a Taco Bell commercial which aired in early 1997 promoting the Intergalactic Draw. I believe the lifesize Darth Vader was shown in the commercial but I don't remember if the Han in Carbonite was in it. If it was I am interested in tracking down a video of the commercial as my Han would likely be the one shown in the commercial.
Below are a few pictures of my Han in Carbonite. I plan to post some scans in the near future of the paperwork I received from Taco Bell when I won. Enjoy.
