In 2008, the idea of a new video game taking place before the original Star Wars complete with Stormtroopers and Darth Vader seemed like an unrealistic dream - and maybe that's why I like this Stormtrooper Commander (The Black Series 6-Inch) so much.  A GameStop exclusive, this blue-striped figure has excellent deco and holds up nicely, despite being based from a 2013 mold that's about 8 weeks from being replaced.  Read on!

This Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder, The Black Series 6-Inch) is a new mold - and it looks great!  Hasbro's engineering has improved a bunch, the colors are vibrant, the joints are good, the paint is great, and you should just have one.  Read on!

A little paint can go a long way!  The original release of this figure was great, but the printed portrait on Lando Calrissian (The Black Series 6-Inch, 40th Anniversary Collection) looks spectacular.  The improved eyes and mustache look so good, it's almost impossible to believe that it wasn't always meant to be this way.  The awkward torso joint remains.  Read on!

Check out the Rebel Soldier (Hoth, The Black Series 6-Inch, 40th Anniversary Collection) - he has two faces! The second one is a face plate you can store in the backpack.  It's really clever, and I'd like Hasbro to keep doing this sort of spare part storage on future products.  Read on!

The complicated name of Artoo-Deetoo (R2-D2, Dagobah, The Black Series 6-Inch, 40th Anniversary Collection) should not be a roadblock to you getting one.  (You've got plenty of other roadblocks.)  The redeco drops a few accessories from the 2013 release, but adds a fantastically filthy paint job to bring out some swampy detail.   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!

Since Disney parks aren't as open as they once were, you may have to go to the secondary market to get your BB Unit (Color-Changing Droids, Droid Factory Line Look).  It's a good one - it's red when hot, black when cold, and opens in the middle.   You can get it in a 4-pack with a Chopper C1 Droid, a R! droid, and an R2 unit.  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!

If you missed the first releases, this Han Solo (Bespin, The Vintage Collection) has a slightly better head!  That's an improvement.  The figure doesn't have the thigh cut joints we started seeing in 2016, but it's still pretty great.  Read on!

While it was an accessory to a playset 40 years ago, the Imperial Probe Droid is an essential part of the collection today.  This more expensive, deluxe action figure has jointed arms, telescoping antenna, and a snowy base to keep it standing.  The glossy black eye is also a nice touch.  Do you need it?  (Yes.) Read on!

A blast from the present!  This Luke Skywalker (Bespin, The Black Series 6-Inch, 40th Anniversary Collection) takes an early orange box-era figure that was pretty good at the time, and brings it into the present with an improved paint job and a new head.  You'll notice the lightsaber is also bluer.  Read on!

From last year - don't worry, we've got plenty of stuff from this year still - is Anakin Skywalker (The Black Series 6-Inch, Archive).  The figure was pretty great for the initial release, but the new face paint really make it sing.   (Articulation is still the same, though.)  Should you track him down?   Read on!

Possibly new at Walmart near you, the Han Solo (Hoth, The Retro Collection)  is the Kenner-style figure you had or always wanted to put in your Tauntaun!   The remake is smoother than the original, but it's still pretty good with decent construction.  Read on!