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Unnecessary commentary? Why sure! Here's the TLDR on the 30 minute stream.
Ad: In stock (while supplies last), the Star Wars The Retro Collection Return of the Jedi 3 3/4-Inch Action Figures Set of 6 - Exclusive is back! In 2023 this item was a shared Disney/Hasbro Pulse exclusive and sold through pretty quickly. Orders are processing, and new orders are welcome today for your Yak Face and Mon Mothma needs.
Details are light, but at New York Comic Con Steve Evans posted a preview of Garindan! It looks a little different than many would have expected - the hips seem a little thin and possibly fragile for a robed figure - but it's a new alien. Is it an exclusive? Will it be in a 6-pack? How can I get one? I don't know. But it's nice to see the line continue, in some sort of "pack" at least.
It's time for another Q&A flashback for me to see how wrong I was!
Today: What about remaking the original toys? (From 2002!) Proof positive that opinions can change with time.
Read on!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Luke Skywalker (Yavin, The Retro Collection) . This is the sixth and final figure left to look at from this year's set, and maybe this looks to be all we're getting for Retro for the year. Luke doesn't look quite like the 1978 figures out of context, but placed next to the other original action figures he seems to fit a lot better. He stands, he sits, and for some reason he feels a lot like the similarly not-quite-right Rebel Fleet Trooper.
These sets may still be in a Target near you. Weirdly, one near me just put them out for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I'd recommend the set as part of a larger collection, but I don't think anyone is buying these as one-offs. Read on!
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: 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!
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!
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Walrus Man (The Retro Collection). It's the only remake of the only wave (that I know of) for the year, taking the 1979 figure and sanding down the edges. The whiskers seem to have been reduced in resolution and blurred out, and the various wrinkles are softer than the real deal - but the colors and paint are perfect. The joints move nicely and the plastic feels great. Hopefully they can sharpen up the next round of reissues, but after seven years of figures I would not hold my breath. His hand can hold his (or one of Evazan's) blasters, but it's a little looser than the 1979 hand. Still, it's nice, and I like the improved eye paint a lot. It's charming, and you should be buying this set anyway. Read on!
This week in Star Wars Q&A - Toys A-No-Go! Why are the bulk of releases not actually toys? And Retro Reckoning - how are things looking today?
Also, we're out of questions for next week. Send in new questions.
Read on!
In case you missed it, Target.com restock the Star Wars Retro Collection Star Wars: A New Hope Figure Multipack with Dr. Evazan and Walrus Man and Stormtrooper Han Solo and the rest. It's also in stock at some locations - allegedly. If your pre-order got canceled and you can't find one locally, it seems to ship free too so go get your one/two/whatever sets while you can.
We don't know how many of these got made, but demand has been high and while not perfect, if you're a fan of a certain age, you should probably get these. Entertainment Earth also has the Star Wars The Retro Collection Return of the Jedi 3 3/4-Inch Action Figures (with Yak Face and Mon Mothma) for pre-order, and it's due later this year.
Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Dr. Evazan (The Retro Collection). I haven't opened every figure in the set yet, but this is an early favorite. The 2025 Target exclusive is a new sculpt with a very good head sculpt - better than the 1997 Kenner POTF2 version - and purple pants. He has two blasters, so you can give one to an old unarmed Walrus Man if you have one around. (One of my old Kenner Walrus Men makes a cameo in this one.) The set is currently out of stock near me, but that doesn't mean it's gone for good - keep an eye out, and I'd recommend you get one (or two, or three) of this set if you see it.
Also the link works now.
That which plagues your dreams and makes you cry out in the night may be in stock! The Star Wars Retro Collection Star Wars: A New Hope Figure Multipack has been going in and out of stock (for shipping) all week long, usually around midnight Pacific.
It's also been going in and out for local in-store pick-up, so make it a point to obsessively reload this link and click "check other stores" to see if you should bother putting on pants and leaving the house today. Normally I'd say "no," but for Kenner figures, I'll find some pants.
If you're over 40 I would recommend picking up one or two of this set. Or three. In 2025, Hasbro is making the figures I was dreaming we would get for the 1995 relaunch. They may not be the exact perfect things we wanted, but they're pretty close and the price (while not cheap) seems fair.
I got the set, and I've opened five of the six figures so far. I don't know when the next set is coming out so I don't want to blow through them. I'm working on Figure of the Day reviews, too. So what do I think? Well, I'll tell you what I think.
Target's exclusive Star Wars: The Retro Collection 6-pack with the Sandtrooper, Han Solo Stormtrooper, Dr. Evazan, and so forth has started to show up in very limited distribution and, at times, on their web site in onesies and twosies. I was fortunate to get one and it showed up a couple of days ago - here are some lovely high-quality photos of the set's box.
It's a rumor - but more so!
I was reading on some forums that Hasbro's Star Wars: The Retro Collection action figures for Obi-Wan Kenobi were showing up at Dollar Tree. Exciting! Ross had some of these guys last year for around $3.99. When I heard Dollar Tree might have some, I started checking (more frequently, I'm there all the dang time looking for stuff) and so far haven't found any. But, as you know, Dollar Tree has things for $1.25 and up.
I was wondering which one this would be, and I had a way to find out.