Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Boba Fett (Prototype Edition - Green Head, The Retro Collection). There are at least six color configurations - and mine looks like a Crayola box! Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Remnant Stormtrooper (The Retro Collection). This version looks like the old Kenner one, but comes on a retro card and is dirty. Also it comes packaged with a board game. It was originally exclusive to Hasbro Pulse and Disney Shop, but now you can get it at Entertainment Earth and potentially elsewhere. Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Greef Karga (The Retro Collection). Vinyl capes are in this season, as are loops on holsters that can store blasters. But you probably can't find this in stores - so should you get yourself one? Yes. Read on!
We're almost out of Kenner retro figures to review - but I don't want to live in the present! Moff Gideon (The Retro Collection). The Darksaber is the old Bespin/Jedi Luke lightsaber, but in black. The blaster pistol is new. The vinyl cape is retro, and on this particular figure seems like a good stylistic choice despite the vinyl capes being phased out of new characters by 1982. Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: The Child (The Retro Collection). At $10, it's a pretty decent package with a little frog, the hover pram, a stand, and everything else you could want. The figure seems very much like a retro throwback, but you get way more stuff in the bubble than you would have 30ish years ago. Read on!
Today's focus is on this new release: IG-11 (The Retro Collection). Because the 1980s never ended for some of us, Hasbro made figures that look like old Kenner releases. IG-11 looks a lot like IG-88, only softer, missing a few details, and not quite as perfect as gripping the blasters - but it's still pretty great. I also appreciate they elected to go with the "Credit Collection" red coloring to set it apart. Read the whole review.
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,816: Kuiil (The Retro Collection). This Ugnaught looks a little bit different from the vintage one, and takes a few liberties with the rubbery head from the TV show. It's still cool, and a lot more colorful than the previous figures. Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Cara Dune (The Retro Collection). This is a good one - she can hold her blasters, stand, sit, and generally look like an old Kenner figure with a far better paint job than we would be likely to see in the 1980s. Unlike some other late-era Kenner women figures, she also has a neck. (Look at Kea Moll.) She's also a little short - but still a good figure. Mostly I'm just happy there's no vinyl cape to get in the way of vehicle interaction. Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog, it's the kind of figure I've been waiting for - and it's been a very long time. The Mandalorian (The Retro Collection)! It's great. Because the 1980s never ended for some of us, Hasbro made The Mandalorian figures that look like Kenner releases. From 1981. I'm not quite sure why they went with a vinyl cape for a post-ROTJ release, but it's still neat with bright colors and two great blasters. If you see it, especially for ten bucks, and you're old? This is a must-buy figure. Read on!
If you were lucky, you may have found Leia (Hoth, The Retro Collection) at a Walmart where she's currently exclusive. (Apparently she may be on clearance despite the demand and lack of availability.) It's a good figure! She can hold her blaster better than my 1980s originals, so nicely done Hasbro. The head isn't quite as sharp, but it's still very good. Read on!
If you're a collector of the original line, this Lando Calrissian (The Retro Collection) may be of interest! He has a black blaster, a lighter grey cape, and other smoothed-out changes to the figure's actual sculpt. While some figures are largely similar to the originals, Lando has enough visible changes to be easily noticed as different. Read on!
In case you missed him 40 years ago, Hasbro brought back Luke Skywalker (Bespin, The Retro Collection) this year. Will you find them? No. But you can pretend it's out there somewhere, and that you're not more likely to find it at a garage sale once such things become safe again. The figure has a couple of minor sculpt differences too. Read on!
It's not real Kenner, but it's close. The Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder, The Retro Collection) is just the thing for your Mini-Rigs, assuming you still have some. The figure has a blue lightsaber - which is kind of a big deal - as well as a grapple gun! It comes in a board game you don't necessarily want, but you definitely want this figure if you're a fan of real vintage figures. Read on!
Where are those plans? Etsy! One of the big questions we've had as toy fans is "When will 3-D printing supplant manufacturing in China?" As of now it's still not ready for the kiddies, but someone on Etsy is charging $20 for plans for a 3D Printable Life Sized action figure inspired by vintage R2D2. This is something Gentle Giant showed off as an official Kenner-inspired Star Wars action figure product, so it's unknown how Team Lucas and the House of Mouse will feel about $20 for plans to roll your own high-end collectible. I doubt the final product would be as good as the licensed item right now, but these plans could prove invaluable as printing equipment gets better.
After 43 years at Kenner and Hasbro, veteran toy designer and the man responsible for a lot of what we love about this hobby is retiring, according to The Toybook and elsewhere. I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Boudreaux at a few conventions over the years and he was exactly as gracious as you would hope - plus he has tons of stories about the little details on a lot of your favorite vehicles.