UZAY SAVAŞÇILARI (Space Warriors) action figures were manufactured by SB Products in Istanbul in 1988 and were available exclusively in Turkey for about three years.
To ensure that the figures were presented at their best, photographer Naci Gündüz was hired to design the packaging.
He was born in Turkey in 1954. Gündüz had a background in working in advertising and chose to finish his corporate life at an early age to open a photography shop in Istanbul called “Fokus”. Having opened his own business, he continued to work in advertising, as well as photographing and printing. One of his jobs was to create the packaging for the UZAY SAVAŞÇILARI figures.
Naci Gündüz was 90% blind in one eye. He lost his sight during a soccer match as a child. He loved playing soccer so much that he died of a heart attack during a match at the age of 38 in 1993.
His biggest dream had been to win the lottery and expand his business. The ticket he bought just before he died hit the jackpot, but he never knew that his lifelong dream had come true.
Naci Gündüz had two nephews, Bülent and Deha Cennet (known as "Uzay Brothers” among the collectors). They have a special connection to the products – their uncle had photographed the figure images on the packages of the UZAY SAVAŞÇILARI.
The company SB Products gave Naci Gündüz two of each figures directly from the factory for the shootings. Bülent and Deha Cennet, who were in primary school at the time, were often in the studio, waiting impatiently for the end of shooting so they could get the figures.
Bülent Cennet tells about this time:
"I remember being with my uncle during some of his shoots of cardboard photos. In his studio in Göztepe he shot with dioramas, which he prepared as best he could under the conditions he had at the time: sand scenes, scenes created with vegetables, popcorn etc.
Imperial Gunner's famous calculator was also his idea. He used the calculator which he used during the work. He added round red and blue stickers on it to give it the look of a spaceship cockpit. I also remember that those stickers remained on the calculator for a while after shooting.”
The exact model of the calculator was CASIO ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR LC-737c.
Bülent Cennet has kept the inherited figures and their accessories for years. First, he gave them to his son. After he found out how valuable these figures became, he was able to get them back from his son.
One of the things Bülent regrets most is that many pieces, which he took from his uncle's shop as a souvenir, including the demo cardboards, photo slides and the famous calculator, were thrown away due to the lack of space at home. He had no idea that the UZAY SAVAŞÇILARI story would become what it is today.
Lev Levarek
In the early 1990s, during one of his business trips, toy dealer Lev Levarek from “Toy Tokyo” went to the factory SB Products in Turkey and purchased every figure-related piece they had and brought them to the United States. He sold the carded figures to bootleg collectors. Soon after, UZAY figures gained popularity and became the most sought-after bootleg figures of today.
Steve Sansweet
The chairman and president of the world's largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia, contributes to the popularity of the Uzay figures by presenting the extraordinary packaging in his museum.
Rick Springfield
There are many other collectors, one of them is the famous singer Rick Springfield, who collects the rare figures in their original packaging. He owned the most famous figure, the UZAY “Head Man” which he sold after a while. It is one of only four wrapped “Head Men” in circulation today.
Before Springfield sold the figure, he took a photo of himself with the figure in the garden. He wore a black t-shirt, sunglasses, and a necklace. This set-up become a running gag for owners of a packaged “Head Man”, who all took a picture in the same pose.
