I think most collectors associate the word “vintage” with the current 3.75 inch scale figures in the Hasbro Vintage Collection, but in this case I’m thinking about the older Star Wars movies and cartoons that were recently added to Disney+ under the Vintage header. Now that I finally have a Jaxxon figure in hand, I find that I want more figures from these slightly more obscure, less loved, and less likely to be merchandised corners of the Star Wars Universe.
The Vintage collection on Disney+ includes the two Ewok TV films, the Droids and Ewoks cartoon series from the ’80s, The 2D Clone Wars cartoon, and the Boba Fett cartoon from the Star Wars Holiday Special. It’s basically all the canon-adjacent material created prior to the Lucasfilm sale to Disney.
I always like to start off with a runner up or two and this one comes from the excellent Clone Wars 2D cartoon that preceded the release of Revenge of the Sith and the 3D Clone Wars cartoon. There are a ton of lovely ideas in that show, but one that always stuck in my imagination was the Jedi Kit Fisto using his Lightsaber under water. We already have a Black Series Kit, but I wouldn’t mind another go at getting a smiling version.
I think they could actually get away with re-using the recent shirtless Maul body too.
#5. First Appearance Boba Fett
While I’m normally not a repaint fan, I am a little shocked we haven’t got a first appearance version of Boba Fett from his holiday special debut. There have been a few takes on this from Hasbro in the smaller scale and Hot Toys in the larger scale and lots of merch over the years, but I’d love one in the Black Series too. I don’t need the sculpted details to match the cartoony style, I’d just like a repaint in those colors, maybe with an orange disruptor rifle, basically the Sideshow version ported over to Black Series.
That would also go well with my next pick since Fett did appear with similar colors in the Droids cartoon.
#4 Thall Joben
R2 and Threepio get involved with a number of colorful characters in the Droids cartoon, but my favorite is the original group of Thall Joben, Jord Dusat, and Kea Moll.
Thall and Jord are speeder racers who somehow get mixed up with gangsters, the Rebellion’s Kea Moll, and even race Boba Fett. They all got figures back in the day that are now ridiculously expensive, but I’d love to see Thall’s glam-punk meets Mad Max aesthetic vibe in the Black Series. I’ve seen a few custom figures of Thall in a more detailed style that look fantastic, but I’d love to just be able to buy an official version.
#3 Cindel and Mace Towani
We desperately need a Wicket and more of his Ewok pals in the Black Series, but I have a soft spot for this sibling pair from the original Ewok television film. I was just the right age for that TV movie when it originally aired, so all of the clunkier bits sailed over my head and I was completely involved in the adventure of these two. It is kind of funny going back and watching that first movie now because Mace’s outfit is so similar to Ezra Bridger’s original look while Cindel gives me the vibes of an ’80s kid on a ski vacation. I put them together as a two-pack since they are co-leads, but I suppose if I only could get one, I’d go for Cindel since she also stars in The Battle for Endor.
#2 Princess Kneesaa
Yeah, I’m on an Ewok kick right now and while that cartoon isn’t my favorite, I did like a lot of the world building and designs like the Duloks and the addition of Kneesa. There is something very striking about the pink and white color scheme and I love the way the design looks rendered in a more realistic style like her portrait from Women of the Galaxy.
I’d love a scaled up version of the 3.75 inch figure, but I think they could re-use the body of their inevitable Wicket figure for an effective Kneesaa black series figure with a new head and cloak.
#1 Teek
Of all the vintage stuff collected on Disney Plus, I was most excited to re-watch The Battle for Endor. I dig what a weird, dark turn it takes right off the bat and the designs of the marauders and their leader, King Terak, but most of all I love the oddball little speedster Teek. He’s kind of shaped like an Ewok, but he’s got a more ape-like face, big ears, buck teeth, and sharp little fingernails and rides the cute/repulsive line pretty hard. He also has the ability to move at high speeds, which is something we don’t see often in Star Wars and this ability is used to comic effect in the TV movie.
He also gets bonus points for me due to his appearance in the original safety spiel on the original Star Tours ride. That ride was one of the few things keeping Star Wars alive in my imagination for a while there, so I have a special love for anything related to it.
Well, that’s my top 5 of “vintage” characters I’d like in the Black Series that I’m sure would elicit many, many “waste of slot” comments from the hardcore fans out there, but I like what I like. What, if anything, from those older Star Wars bits would you like to see in the Black Series?
