Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (Han Solo/Princess Leia) - Skywalker Saga Commemorative Edition

Hasbro no longer supports the 3.75" 5POA line, but they have no issue releasing them as exclusives for Walmart. As you know, Hasbro canceled the 3.75” 5POA figure (the line for kids supposedly) and replaced it with a highly-articulated 5" Galaxy of Adventures line. The latter is a wonderful collection of old and new Star Wars characters, but the animated style isn't "selling it home" for quite a few collectors. The nine sets of 3.75" 5POA figures commemorate the celebration of the nine Star Wars films. Disney and Lucasfilm consider them the Skywalker Saga, and with a series of two-packs, they're celebrating the legacy. Not all that different from the Commemorative DVD or Commemorative Blu-ray sets of years’ past, Hasbro designed this "GOLD" celebratory line that reduced the content to only two figures. Cast in gold-colored plastic and painted in a glossy and sparkling gold paint finish, each figure functions like a golden idol that we're supposed to adore and worship. That's not happening. Displayed as the Skywalker Saga Commemorative Edition, this line of figures (except for the Episode IX set, which has three figures) contains two high-profile characters in solid gold (with the accessories also included in gold) that are housed them in deluxe black and gold packaging. While we’re critical of the figures, we have to admit that the packaging is truly exceptional. It may be the only reason collectors will consider this line. The reverse side of the card back contains an episode-specific montage of the Star Wars film it memorializes. What's more, you can line them up together to create a stunning “holographic-like” mural that paints a beautiful picture of the Skywalker Saga as a whole, without any breaks or interruption. You can see each "uninterrupted" trilogy-specific grouping in our Photo Gallery by Prequel Trilogy, Original Trilogy, and Sequel Trilogy. Or you can see the whole collage HERE.

Wave 1 comprises characters from all three Original Trilogy films. The three two-packs in this grouping include Darth Vader and Stormtrooper (from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), Han Solo and Princess Leia (from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back), and Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca (from Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi). The latter is perhaps the oddest figure combination in the entire series. But the Episode V combination of Han Solo and Princess Leia feels perfect. Unlike the second wave that focuses on the Prequel Trilogy, wave 1 (the Original Trilogy) picks figures from some of the more recent action figure lines, like Rogue One and Star Wars [The Last Jedi] and Star Wars [Solo] for example. These newer lines contain figures where Hasbro aggressively included a few extra points of articulation as compared to the standard 5POA format. Some characters are surprisingly well-articulated. Typically, Hasbro chose characters (with only a couple of exceptions) that directly interact with each other in the films. This is especially true with the Han Solo/Princess Leia set. They were together for almost the entire film, and their interactions are some of the most memorable. Regardless of who is packed together, it’s interesting to see so many characters all one uniform color: gold. Most collectors are familiar with the base sculpts of the figures chosen for these sets. We’re impressed with how much detail is etched into them. The solid gold plastic allows you to see the details previously unseen in the tooling. Interestingly, some figures look better in gold than they did properly colored. It’s a shame that so many of the original paint jobs didn’t meet our expectations.

Han Solo is based on the figure from the popular Rebels Saga Legends lineup. While not a fantastic figure, its sculpt is now cast in a golden plastic with a shiny gold finish and points out how well-detailed the figure is. Han Solo only comes with a DL-44 blaster pistol. But that's all the figure needs. With relatively simple articulation, Han Solo doesn't do much but stand "pretty" in this commemorative line. Princess Leia is our favorite of the two figures in this duo. Based on the well-received figure in the mixed Star Wars [Solo] line, all of Princess Leia's best features are forever immortalized in gold now. Princess Leia comes with a blaster (also cast in gold), and the figure holds it well thanks to excellently designed parts. Because of limited articulation, the figures’ poses are a little too stiff, but as previously mentioned, Princess Leia is from a line where more articulation was added to the tooling. Both figures in this set interact nicely with each other. And the likenesses are notably better than the figures from the 2013 era. Still, is there a need for solid gold figures with minimal articulation? We’re not so sure about that. Every last part of these figures is cast in the same gold plastic, enhanced by a final gold coat of paint. These will chip and peel over time we imagine, depending on how much abuse they sustain. Still, for what they are, they look fantastic. If you didn’t know better, you might believe for a moment that these figures are cast in metal. Regardless, we’re not going to defend these figures’ existence. We think there are better ways to celebrate the Skywalker Saga. And until we get the long-awaited super-articulated versions of characters (like an original A New Hope version of Princess Leia Organa), collectors will continue to have unrest. Hasbro is getting some important figures out in the line, but their pace will never be fast enough for collectors.