The first figure in an Expanded Universe Vintage card is quite possibly the best of 2011. Hasbro does pretty much everything you could possibly want for ARC-77, based on the more popular episodes of the Tartakovsky micro-series. He's got interchangeable Phase I and II armor, a unique headsculpt (with a faux hawk and soul patch nonetheless!), and even comes with an instruction insert to show you how to attach both holsters.

This TIE Pilot figure was first released in the Evolutions set from 2008 and has been re-issued several times since. For carded collectors, this means collecting both the Revenge and Return variants and you gotta appreciate the retro Kenner beauty of both. 

A holdover from 2010, Wedge trickled in limited quantities over the summer and demanded a higher premium before Hasbro made him a little more readily available in later assortments in the fall and promises to re-issue him again in 2012. Hasbro utilizes X-wing Luke's body from 2006 along with that figure's hole for a lightsaber hilt. It's a decent head likeness of Red 2 that deserves a spot in your collection...if you can find him. 

With a sculpted-soft goods cloak combo, this Barriss is an improvement over the pre-posed figure from 2003 with more articulation and a decent facial likeness. Check out all the detailed photos in our Image Bank!

We upload photos from the LEGO booth at Comic-Con to our Image Bank. The nice folks at LEGO were kind enough to show us an advance screening yesterday of The Padawan Menace television special at a local theater. All we can say for the time being is this will BE WELL WORTH while seeing this evening at 7 PM on The Cartoon Network.

Hasbro finally delivers a Han Solo in Bespin outfit that we can truly term as the definitive version so far. The dead on facial likeness, super- articulation, and even the "Han-ness", that cocky swagger, is evident in this figure. Sure Hasbro. for their own reasons. didn't include the leg strap, but it doesn't diminish an otherwise excellent execution.

From the fan favorite Season 3 episode "ARC Troopers", Commander Colt gets his own figure with unique experimental Phase II armor and Rancor Battalion markings, which should make him a hit on the pegs. View all the detailed photos now in our Image Bank!

A holdover from Wave 2 Revenge of the Sith, Yoda gets remixed somewhat in Wave 5. Featuring a vastly improved repainted head sculpt from the 2007 Kybruck figure along with that version's torso, Vintage Yoda sports new swivel jointed arms and ball jointed shoulders and knees. The cloak also fits nicely, and as Adam Pawlus noted in this week's Q&A, lacks a hood and features some Dagobah like weathering. In whole, it's a great figure and we really like the inclusion of The Force blast/shield accessory.

Since he was first released for The 30th Anniversary Collection in 2007, this super articulated and removable helmet version of Commander Gree with superior paint deco has seen a couple of re-issues as a "Greatest Hit". He's definitely worth picking up for the nice look of the Vintage card alone. And if you've yet to collect him loose after almost 4 years, here's another chance.

The sculpt for Han Solo (Yavin Ceremony) was originally seen in Legacy Collection BD30 Han Solo (Death Star Escape). But in a testament to the nuanced improvement in paint and paint application, the new Vintage Collection figure looks remarkably better.

This Stormtrooper, while recycling some parts from 2007's 30th Anniversary Collection version (head) and 2009's Sandtrooper packed in with the Walmart Dewback (body) is a pretty good effort. It  suffers from loose helmet syndrome and the cardback wrongly depicts its first issue on an Empire Strikes Back card, but you can do far worse for $9 to $10 bucks. It will be interesting to see how this figure sells next to the lingering Vintage Sandtrooper.

This R5-D4 unit, forgive the pun, has a B.A.D. motivator. The sculpt and detachable parts harken back to Build-A-Droid R5-C7 from 2009, with some minor improvements in deco accuracy. Sure it's mainly rehash, but you gotta admit that "Star Wars" vintage card front with the classic photo gives reminiscent goose bumps of picking one up as a wide eyed eight year old at Gemco and Fedmart. Yeah, we go way back kids.

Featuring a new head sculpt and an updated Resurgence of the Jedi body now with a soft goods skirt and Stormtrooper belt, Death Star Escape Luke Skywalker is a worthy interpretation of the moisture farmboy. The commlink is detachable, the soft goods allow a little more poseability, and it's certainly one of the better ANH Luke head sculpts yet. There will be a robust debate on whether this is a better likeness over the Resurgence figure, but it ultimately falls on the eye of the beholder because both are pretty well executed.

The VC15 Clone Trooper is updated with  yellow deco and an additional blaster rifle to transform into a 212th Battalion Clone Trooper that will adequately army build and re-enforce your Battle of Utapau diorama. The removable helmet gives this version the advantage over the 2006 Saga Collection version, although that yellowing discoloration on the helmet isn't battle damage. It's just the yellowing and discoloration of cheaper grade plastics.

A repaint of 2007's 30th Anniversary Collection figure but with the holes from the flame attachment filled in, the Vintage Super Battle Droid includes some Geonosian dust deco on the feet but unfortunately lacking the ankle articulation of the recent Target exclusive 2 pack version. A Hasbro "Greatest Hit" that looks great carded Vintage style, but you can do better and cheaper elsewhere if you want to open and army build.