It’s a good time to be a Star Wars action figure collector, right? We have new movies, and plenty of plastic to support the new product, as well as the classics. You have your choice at just about any scale or function at this point, and from LEGO to Hot Toys and everything in between, there is certainly something for everyone.
It should come as no surprise that for me, like just about every other action figure property I collect, the six-inch super-articulated figures are the best. Those pointed requirements don’t limit me to one line though, and I am enjoying the embarrassment of riches that come from Hasbro’s Star Wars Black Series, The Bandai model kits, Medicom’s MAFEX releases, and my personal favorite, Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts line. While I do collect and enjoy the other offerings, Figuarts is my new go-to line, and I want just about every character of any significance to be released therein.
Did you survive the last pre-order offering? We have gotten some big guns in the line thus far, but the Episode IV (A New Hope) Luke Skywalker was definitely the most stressful to get in terms of buy-in, and he sold out of most places pretty quickly. I am very glad I was able to secure my Luke because he is looking awesome, and even though I think I like badass Jedi Luke the best, this version instantly becomes my default Luke on the shelf, so it is going to be a long wait until July.
But now that Luke is secured and in the books, my mind instantly asks, “so what’s next?” We know that the Scout Trooper, Mace Windu and FN-2199 (the Riot Trooper) are coming this spring, and the Heavy Gunner First Order Trooper is an exclusive in August, but I am really wanting find out what the next release will be, as I want to know the next time I will have to stay up late, and Bandai has shown quite a bit at shows in Japan.
So, what could be next? Well, all we can really do is speculate at the moment, but as I said, there has been a lot previewed, so it could be fun to guess. Personally, I would be happy seeing just about any of these released next, my personal hope is that we don’t miss another month in the schedule this year, and we can close out 2016 with at least one figure a month from July to December. I know that seems like a bit of a pipe dream, but I think Bandai is starting to figure out just how popular these figures are, so I am really hoping they are going all-in and will help fill out our shelves with something to look forward to each month.
There have been some pretty big guns previewed at various show over the past several month. Most of these have been in displays that did not allow photography, but as you know, that has never stopped the internet before. So, we have seen Han Solo, Chewbacca, and a set of C-3PO and R2-D2 all as they appeared in Episode IV; we have seen General Grievous, Jango Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi (EPII), a Super Battle Droid, C-3PO and R4-P17 (EPII), and countless Clone and Battle Droid repaints all from the Prequel Trilogy, too. There was a rumor that Qui-Gon Jinn has been shown as well, but I have never seen him, and even less substantiated is a supposed Jabba the Hutt.
As you can see, that is MORE than enough to get us through the end of the year, even if you toss out all of the repaints and those figures we have not see any photographic evidence of up to this point. Again, I am not as concerned about who is next, just so long as the next solicitation will be up in the next month for an August release.
Since we have time to play with, though, who do YOU think will be released next? Personally, I am going to pick that Han Solo is likely next because, well, he has been in some form of existence for over a year now, and following Luke up with Han and then (hopefully) Chewie, and then the droids, would build up that New Hope super team pretty fast. Sure, I might WANT Han to be the next one out, even with my Chewie and Obi-Wan bias, but again, he makes more sense right now than just about anyone, so that is who I am going with, and I hope I will be staying up late in early April so I can get my figure ordered.
Granted, as strong case can be made for the droids, too, as they appear in this display, alongside figures that have ALL be solicited by now.
How about you? Who do you think will be next? I have a poll below so you can vote, and then sound off in the comments section about why you think your pick is on deck. Hey, at the very least, it is a fun way to pass the time, and I cannot wait until I have even more S.H. Figuarts offerings on my Star Wars shelf!
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Most pictures are courtesy of TAG HOBBY.
