JoeDeclassified.com

So I found this well looking through EBay a couple weeks ago. I'm not a fan of translucent figures and Mirage came around after my time, so never had a figure of him before. Never thought he was a popular character either.

But for some reason this caught my eye and the price was right.











It's some kind of bootleg or something. There is no copyright by Hasbro marked on the feet or anywhere else I could find. Has the "made in china" across the backside but that's it.

That is the 2005 Mirage from the TRU Winter Operations 6-pack.

Initial images of that Mirage were completely transparent with no details painted on it at all. Then there was a second preproduction one that was pretty much just like the one you posted, but the hair was painted.

I remember when they added the paint ops there was a rumor going around online that they had to add them because of a factory mess up: they had already made a batch of figures and lost them because they were too clear. Sometimes it amazes me what people will believe. I hope that no one really believed that and it was just a case of a rumor slightly changing each time it is retold. There must be some other explanation for the addition of color that makes more sense.

To me, the bits of color make more sense because it makes it look like a cool figure. And this one is a testament to how a good idea for a repaint can really sell a figure. The Mirage mold was slightly over-used by the time this one hit. But it certainly doesn't sit long when they pop up now. This has to be one of the best figures from the 97-06 run. It actually makes sense that a character named Mirage might have some kind of cloaking equipment.

I bought the production set for that figure. I didn't care for the Club's clear Zartan, but Mirage just looked cool. Put him on the snow field and he's damn near impossible to see.

Cool. Didn't realize it was a real figure. I couldn't find any copyright markings so assumed it was a bootleg of some kind.

I personally hate the paint apps on that figure. It would have been cool as hell if it was completely clear with no apps. I suppose I could try to remove the paint but it is probably more trouble than it is worth.

I could believe that marketing forced the paint aps because if you put that clear figure in the Winter Ops packaging without the paint aps, he blends right in...and that could cause buyer confusion or people thinking there being ripped off.

It's one of those figures I'll pick up indefinitely from $3 bins.