@docsilence Right, and remember how the ewoks were blacked out on the back of the cards? Chirpa and Logray are surprising omissions with BS but it probably seems like that just because they were the first two ewoks I had, heh. If ROTJ came out now, I'd want Wicket, Paploo, maybe the two AT-ST hijackers, and the one with the E-11. Action ewoks!
Ric Olie I have a soft spot just for his wide-eyed announcements. He seems like an actor who gave Lucas exactly what he wanted.
@ru1977 I'd forgotten about the blacked out figures until you mentioned it, but man, the HYPE when they did that, right? Maybe it's the internet's fault. We don't get mysteries anymore. Information demand comes at us too fast.
Having flashbacks to what my overactive writer brain did with Ric Olie. "He's an ex smuggler, clearly working for the princess as her dedicated pilot, right? He'll definitely be important in some way, grizzled veteran who's loyal to one of the heroes... oh he... he's just a featured extra? Oh. Okay. Gotcha. Well, the action figure is nice."
If the Black series does not finish off the vintage Ewoks line-up I declare this whole line an EPIC FAILURE!
that is all...
@docsilence heh, true. And I'm one of those who seek out spoilers too. I used to claim it was to have an idea of what happens before I take my kid to see the latest Marvel movie, and that was probably true, once, but now it's just habitual. The guy who played Ric Olie had bit parts in some good movies, but his best role, to me, will always be Wayne's World 2.
If the Black series does not finish off the vintage Ewoks line-up I declare this whole line an EPIC FAILURE!
that is all...
I'll raise you that they need to also finish off the vintage Cantina guys. They're so close.
Having flashbacks to what my overactive writer brain did with Ric Olie. "He's an ex smuggler, clearly working for the princess as her dedicated pilot, right? He'll definitely be important in some way, grizzled veteran who's loyal to one of the heroes... oh he... he's just a featured extra? Oh. Okay. Gotcha. Well, the action figure is nice."
That was half the fun as a kid, though! As writer/actor myself, I always did the same and inflated the importance of a lot of characters simply because I had them in my collection and they looked cool. I miss the days when "Featured Alien #4" got a figure, regardless of any new tooling required- it wasn't "if", it was just a matter of "when". The bios on the back gave us just enough to be able to form adventures in our heads. Then the comics and Clone Wars came along and gave us some real stories with some of the characters.
But Star Wars in general has always been supported by its uber cool background characters- it's what helps the world feel more alive and lived in. You ask almost any Star Wars fan who their favorite side characters are, and they'll always have a handful of answers. But nowadays there's absolutely no hope of ever getting the likes of Elan Sleazebaggano or Dannl Faytoni. Heck, even some of the more featured extras, like Shakk Ti or Mas Amedda are questionable just because of the amount of new tooling required. And I get it- they ain't cheap to make, but I do feel like part of the magic of action figure collecting- at least Star Wars collecting- is gone. With a few exceptions, of course, your shelf is only ever gonna be populated by the heavy hitters and a few army builders, and even then there'll be major holes to fill. You won't ever necessarily fall in love with a character simply because they were the only one you could find on the pegs, or they were the first one your parent bought you, or you see them on your shelf and think they look cool and decide to research them. Their inclusion in the line depends on the off chance that parts can be recycled into making them cheaply for the company, and that's a shame. And that goes for the heavy hitters too, which is probably why we still don't have, say, a Zam Wessell, a Peli Motto, half the Jedi council, half the Mantis crew, etc. I personally would welcome more "Who the heck is this guy?" figures.
I also loved when they released the EP II preview figures before I really knew anything about the movie. Jango Fett, Zam Wessel, R3-T7, and the Clone Trooper.
I was so intrigued by that preview set and so excited for the film to release. And it was a blast introducing those characters into my collection and making up stories of who they were.
God, I loved the entire time the Prequels were coming out. All the hype, advertisement, and merchandise. It was a blast.
I remember finding those figures on a late Saturday night trip to Walmart. A really great little assortment to get you hyped up. Some of them were a little more posed than I would like but i think they did a really great job with the EP2 figures across the board.
The boxed Battle Droid and STAP released before EP1 was great, too. Still have mine on a shelf. And talk about being hyped up for a movie ...
All of it pales in comparison to the mail-in Admiral Akbar ahead of Return of the Jedi. Brought mine to school the day after the package arrived and dropped his pointer-thing walking home. I looked for that stupid tiny black stick for days walking back and forth to school but it was never seen again.
@grumpymatt ah man the mail order figures were fantastic! I think Emperor and Zuckuss were as well? And replacement weapons. I saved all my proofs of purchase for yeeeeeears because of that heh.
@joshsquash729 right, I remember when my imagination kicked in because I was tired of playing the movies and made my own sequel trilogy. I think it was the biggest boost to my creativity since seeing Star Wars in the first place. Of course, Boba Fett escaped the sarlacc and became more of a good guy 40 years ago in my house.
And that was one thing that was cool to me about The Mandalorian. Filoni said the characters and aliens they used was like if you could only play with the figures your brother wasn't using, as well as the well worn Boba figure he'd replaced with a better one.
And I get it- they ain't cheap to make, but I do feel like part of the magic of action figure collecting- at least Star Wars collecting- is gone. With a few exceptions, of course, your shelf is only ever gonna be populated by the heavy hitters and a few army builders, and even then there'll be major holes to fill. You won't ever necessarily fall in love with a character simply because they were the only one you could find on the pegs, or they were the first one your parent bought you, or you see them on your shelf and think they look cool and decide to research them.
I think this is probably the biggest problem with the line. It kinda started when TVC didn't get Holdo and Dryden, but when Hasbro released only eight TROS figures and refused to ever go back for the rest of the main cast, I knew they'd accidentally murdered their own line.
Marrok has been the closest to this feeling I've had in this line for awhile - he's just really cool looking and fun to pose. For a literal fart in the wind, nothing character.
I don't have room for more Cantina aliens, but I still have a soft spot for Garindan. 🙂 All of those POTF characters who were not made in the Vintage line-up all hold special spots for me - Ceremonial Leia and Luke, Tarkin, Rebel Fleet Trooper, Garindan, Mothma, Slave Leia - I loved the "FIRST TIME IN THE LINE" stickers. I still like seeing those on WWE toys. 🙂
Garindan is another figure that feels strange to me we haven't gotten. He's one of those cool looking, Star Wars-ian designs that feels at least as essential as Greedo in my eyes- a small but crucial part of the film. I would think he'd be pretty easy to make for Hasbro, as his head is really the only thing that probably couldn't be sourced from pre-existing parts. Maybe with the focus on cantina denizens over the last few years, he won't be too far behind.
@schizm thanks for reminding me. Yes, that period in the late 90s was really sweet with those kind of figures. I went through a major, heart rending breakup around 97 or so and potf2 really became my major distraction from it. I did a scale palace throne room playset out of foam core, as well as a mos eisley street. And when I say "scale", I mean literally. The thing was probably four feet by six feet, with all the alcoves and stairs to the big entrance. It was so big, I didn't have enough figures for it, though I did have nine Gammoreans in there. And the crappy original ANHSE Jabba heh. And once it was done, I had to get rid of it since it was too damned big. But it served its purpose.
But yeah, I have a ton of BS figures now but there's a lot I'm not counting on ever getting made. I kinda feel like any they announce that I'm into now is a blessing.
@joshsquash729 that's a good point about Garindan's significance. It's funny how some of us put priority on some over others just because of Kenner. Like I said above about the ewok, if I were collecting solely now for the first time with no childhood nostalgia, yes characters like Garindan would be higher on the list.
Yakface has some new target exclusives posted. I just got R5 but don't need pit droids anyway, and who is that Mando? I STILL haven't finished season 3 heh.
Don't worry, it doesn't make any of these characters/releases more relevant. 🙂
WHERE IS PELI!??!??
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