Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Han Solo (Imperial Stormtrooper Outfit, The Retro Collection). The very first Han Solo in Stormtrooper Disguise action figure came out 30 years ago - I started Adam's Star Wars Newsletter as a text email thing August 1, 1995 once I was able to confirm a Froot Loops offer was real. Then just kept writing about toys online because what else was there to do?

This figure is a Target exclusive that I've barely seen on-shelf. One Target near me put them out on the toy aisle, finally, just last weekend. Sure he's a little tall, and yes the head sculpt is a little weird, but that's consistent with Kenner's old action figures. Chewie was a little short, Leia was a little tall. But this figure improves on Kenner-era engineering by adding an articulated neck - Luke didn't have one - and both of Han's hands can hold a blaster. This is important because he has a typical Stormtrooper rifle plus a longer blaster to hand to Chewbacca. It's a great addition to the toy box, and it's also what I pictured in my head when I heard about the Froot Loops mail-in back in 1995. If we get a Kenner Wedge Antilles, Slave Leia, and a couple more aliens, I'd say The Retro Collection will have been a success. But I digress. Read the whole review.

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Captain Gilad Pallaeon (The Vintage Collection). While the packaging puts him as being from the book, he's a dead-ringer for the character as seen on The Mandalorian TV show. The head sculpt is incredibly good, while the body is, of course, recycled. Unlike some Imperial Officers, his hat isn't removable. I think he's better for it. I like this one. Read on!

This week in Star Wars Q&A - Adding articulation to old figures! Is it against the natural order of things? Ask Mattel. And Advancing TIEs and other ships - is Hasbro giving us props at plussed-up toy prices? Asked weeks ago before the big reveal of this week's HasLab... and yes.

For the month of August, I'll be going into the Q&A archives and posting your old questions and my old answers (the short ones) to comment on where we've been and where we're going. It's been a fun exercise. You'll still get the regular new Q&A every week as scheduled, but the remainder of the days will have one classic question and one new answer each. Please look forward to it.

Also, we're out of questions for August. Send in new questions or you'll get more encore questions.

Read on!

Ad: Get a New Hasbro Star Wars: The Vintage Collection, The Black Series, Epic World of Action, and more! Chicken Jockeys, Herman Munster, Hot Wheels x Transformers, and X-Men '97 Marvel Legends are up for grabs. Check 'em out!

Notable: The Retro Collection and Epic World of Action make no appearances here.

A new set of Jedi Spirits - Anakin Skywalker with your choice of Sebastian Shaw or Hayden Christensen heads - will be joined with Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. That's a nice set.

You have no doubt seen the Star Wars The Vintage Collection LAAT/i Gunship, which is cruising along to 1,110 backers since going live about 6 hours ago. (Not bad!) It will be followed by a "Return to Geonosis" product collection. Should you set your expectations highly?

Hasbro just announced the Star Wars The Vintage Collection LAAT/i Gunship. Due in the Fall of 2026, this heralds the "Return to Geonosis" where you can probably buy new versions of figures that you may already own - but if not, you'll get a crack at new superior versions.

This ship is $449.99 and needs 8,000 sales to fund. You get rockets, and a display stand. It has an incredible new gimmick - swappable nose art. This is way better than stickers that you can remove and replace (that will break down over time.) However, the figure tally is pretty weak with only 2 Clone Pilots in the box by default. Additional stretch goal figures include Coleman Trebor, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin - all of which have two or more action figure releases in various 3 3/4-inch collections. There are no debuts here - everything exists in another format, many of which were in the more kid-driven eras.

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: R2-DL70 (70th Anniversary of Disneyland, Droid Factory). It's neat - it's still available. The colors look very modern, for 70 years ago, and the rich metallic colors pop nicely. I don't have a need to celebrate a building at a theme park, but metallic purples, golds, and blues made me want yet another R2-D2 repaint. Lots of little blue panels are colored in, with gold outlines, so I dig this one as yet another weird one-off. Read on!

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Rebel Fleet Trooper (The Retro Collection). It's probably not in a store near you, and last I checked you couldn't order it for delivery anymore. The set is nice, but this is probably the weirdest figure. The colors and face are perfect, the pose is a little off, the vest doesn't seem quite right. But if you plop it in an old vehicle, he seems right at home. The pants are a little weird. The hips aren't quite right. But, it's one of six figures this year and it's about $10 worth of a $60 boxed set that is otherwise pretty great. It is what it is, and if you plop it in a decent small vehicle you might go "OK, yeah, this is better than I thought."  Read on!

This week in Star Wars Q&A - What's next for Retro? Well, we don't know, but you want some suggestions.

We also just got a big surge of new Vintage figures, so it's hunting (or ordering) season. I just popped open a very good Carson Teva and I'm going to check out Asajj Ventress next.

Also, we're out of questions for a few weeks' out. Send in new questions.

Read on!

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Grand Admiral Thrawn (The Vintage Collection). It's a version designed to match Heir to the Empire - note the shoulder ornamentation and ysalamir - but it retained the unique collar ornamentation from Rebels and Ahsoka. In short, this is probably the Thrawn you were waiting for, unless you're waiting for a retro Kenner-style figure, in which case we're all still waiting. This Thrawn sold out quickly, and is part of a decent set of figures. If you can snag it, you probably should do so. Read on!

My pal over at Orbitdyne on Etsy makes an incredible Deluxe Space Bar - Custom 3 3/4" Action Figure Playset. I have an earlier version and love it. Seth still makes them, but over on YouTube The Kenner Collector made a review of it, and you might want to see it. So here it is!

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: R0-1N6 (The Book of Boba Fett, Droid Factory). It loks a lot like a figure from a few years ago - but the drums are new. They're not an exact match for The Book of Boba Fett but given it's been about four years, odds are we'll not be getting a remake of this guy or many other character from the show. It's good enough for now, and pretty impressive what with its tiny arms and drumsticks. Read on!

This week in Star Wars Q&A - Remaking rarities! Sometimes I'm for it, sometimes I'm not. Also Andor books!  Is print dead?

Also, we're back to the old site template, which is handy, and shows technology that you don't control is hard to fix.

Read on!

While once $20, the Star Wars Rebels The Phantom shuttle is now out of production. Fans take Hasbro vehicle engineering for granted, because even the kid stuff was pretty spectacular. This one had three slide-out cannons, fold-out wings, an articulated rocket launcher, plus an opening cockpit and an opening rear. There was some room for accessory storage, plus a back seat for another figure.

Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Sandtrooper (The Retro Collection). This is a good one, with two gripping hands and a sculpt that looks like it would belong in the 1970s. He has that diamond knee design you'd expect, the shoulder pad is split to allow for movement, and it has a unique blaster. It's kind of a shame you can't buy these individually, I'd have picked up a few more. He's currently in a 6-pack at Target stores. Read on!