LUKE SKYWALKER & Princess Leia
Power of the Force Princess Leia Collection
Item No.: Asst. 66935 No. 66937
Manufacturer: Kenner
Number: n/a
Includes: Leia figure with ceremonial medal
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $9.99
Availability: 1998
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: The beautiful Princess Leia, Senator and Cell Leader for the Rebel Alliance, rewards the young Luke Skywalker for his heroic role in the destruction of the Imperial Death Star. (Taken from the figure's cardback.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy room.

Commentary: In 1998, Kenner was pretty game for experiments in the 3 3/4-inch figure format, one of the more interesting of which was the Princess Leia Collection, which featured this figure. Combining (or so I'm told) some of the typical Kenner boys' team designs with refinements by the Kenner girls' teams, this unique figure was one of the first modern attempts at incorporating cloth bits and rooted hair into the action figures. This version of Luke Skywalker was the second-ever ceremonial figure, and the 1997 original was actually pretty good for the time. What made this figure distinctive was the removable cloth jacket, which revealed a v-neck black shirt underneath. (You may recognize it from some old promo shots.) The figure has 5 points of articulation-- no waist, just like the originals-- and can sit pretty well. So in some respects, this is as good or better than the 1997 one, but as far as appearances go, it's not as good overall as the 2007 one. You know, the super-pale one. It's a great artifact from its time, and while the jacket and medal didn't quite sit as well on the figure as they should have, well, that's kinda normal. It's good, but you probably won't miss it if you never get one.

Collector's Notes: This entire collection of 2-packs didn't do so hot-- many of them sat in some areas, and could be had on clearance for about two bucks. Consider that if you decide to buy one off of eBay or in the secondary market, there's really not much incentive to pay too much more than retail plus a couple of dollars for inflation at this point. ( MORE IMAGES )

--Adam Pawlus

Day 713: April 18, 2008