IIRC, they were said to have a production run of 5000 each and were only available from online stores. But they are not nearly as rare as some collectors and ebay sellers would have you believe, especially loose without accessories.
It seems more were made that never got packaged, along with a LOT of 2000-2006 era figures. Sellers in Asian have them loose for fairly cheap at times. Downside is the sellers often won't ship to Italy due to Italy's strict import laws on toys.
Sellers may vary on that policy, though.
Sidetrack Auction