Tag Archives: Rebel Alliance

Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently committed to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that there needs a modern counterpart for every classic Kenner figure. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done, and we’ll figure out where we are step by step. Today we assess Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot.

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If you were actively collecting during the fabulous The Original Trilogy Collection in 2004, you’re aware that Hasbro introduced the first “Vintage Kenner” carded figures, much to the excitement and amazement of the entire Star Wars collecting community. The Hasbro team back then realized the importance of the 1978 Star Wars toy line and the main characters that should be part of it. When choosing four characters for placement on the replica 1978 STAR WARS cards, Hasbro wisely chose Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia Organa, Han Solo, and Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi. These four main heroes are synonymous with the Star Wars branding. The modern counterparts started a fire in collectors to see every original Kenner figure updated in vintage Kenner packaging. So why are these four characters still conspicuously absent from The Vintage Collection after eight active years? (more….)

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Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently committed to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that there needs a modern counterpart for every classic Kenner figure. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done, and we’ll figure out where we are step by step. Today we assess Hammerhead.

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Why aren’t you purchasing The Vintage Collection Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) (VC144)? Not only was it the highlight of 2019, but Hasbro also took the time to correct the base figure’s (the “sandstorm” version) many issues, including its shortness, incorrect colors, and finally placed it on gorgeous Kenner-inspired packaging where it belongs. It’s perfection. I don’t want to hear that you passed on this figure because of the missing skiff guard blaster. It’s currently only $7.99 at Walmart.com. Don’t wait for this to sell out and then buy it on eBay for $40 or $50! After this, they’re gone forever!

Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently committed to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that there needs a modern counterpart for every classic Kenner figure. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done, and we’ll figure out where we are step by step.

We’re right in alignment with Hasbro in our vintage Kenner database. There are 21 figures under the STAR WARS banner, 29 figures under THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK banner, 31 figures under the RETURN OF THE JEDI banner, and 15 figures under THE POWER OF THE FORCE banner. (Sy Snootles, Max Rebo, Droopy McCool, and Blue Snaggletooth bring the number to an even 100 figures.)

Read our assessment, and then be sure to add your thoughts to the comments. Let us know if you agree or disagree. If you’re a customizer, show us your custom definitive figure in the comments as well! Who knows? It might give Hasbro some ideas.

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Thank the Maker! We have new 3.75-inch action figures to review. Let’s check out the Walmart exclusive The Vintage Collection Princess Leia (Endor) figure. Man, it’s almost perfect, and likely the last time we’ll ever get this figure again in this scale. If you don’t purchase this figure, you’re an idiot. It’s unreal how great the upgrades are here. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 13!

Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently made a commitment to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that for every classic Kenner figure, there needs a modern counterpart. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done and we’ll figure out where we are step by step.

We’re right in alignment with Hasbro in our vintage Kenner database. There are 21 figures under the STAR WARS banner, 29 figures under THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK banner, 31 figures under the RETURN OF THE JEDI banner, and 15 figures under THE POWER OF THE FORCE banner. (Sy Snootles, Max Rebo, Droopy McCool, and Blue Snaggletooth brings the number to an even 100 figures.)

Read our assessment, and then be sure to add your thoughts into the comments. Let us know if you agree or disagree. If you’re a customizer, show us your custom definitive figure in the comments as well! Who knows? It might give Hasbro some ideas.

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The Vintage Collection Admiral Ackbar (VC22) re-released figure looks pretty good, albeit a little too dark. Unfortunately, Hasbro didn’t correct the color of the nameplate and figure backer. (NOTE: This gallery is incomplete. Only the new figure is shown. We will update the gallery at a later date and post an update.) Check out this excellently updated figure in our RDRs now! There’s more difference here than you may realize.

The Vintage Collection Han Solo (Endor [In Trench Coat)]) (VC62) figure is a frustrating release. But, we have to give Hasbro credit. They made this figure look as good as it likely ever will unless they tool a new figure. The Photo Real updating is excellent, and the new color of the trench coat is great. But Hasbro changed a long-running name on this figure which will upset Kenner purists. It has many other enhancements as well. We took the time to break it all down for you by producing an all-new 80-image gallery complete with all versions (2006, 2011, and 2021) featured, comparison shots, diorama shots, and a breakdown of what separates the two releases in the Collector Notes. Check out this excellently updated figure in our RDRs now! There’s more difference here than you may realize.

The Vintage Collection Luke Skywalker (Hoth [Outfit]) (VC95) still needs new tooling, but the re-release is a major update. It looks good thanks to Photo Real updating and fixing matching elbow joints in the arms. It has many other enhancements as well. We took the time to break it all down for you by producing an all-new 108-image gallery complete with both versions (2012 and 2021) featured, comparison shots, diorama shots, and a breakdown of what separates the two releases in the Collector Notes. Check out this excellently updated figure in our RDRs now! There’s more difference here than you may realize.

Time flies when you’re having fun, but we reached the final figure in the 1985 Kenner DROIDS line. Speaking of flying, today’s review is the A-Wing Pilot, a straight repack of the figure from The Power Of The Force line. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 12!

Thank you for getting Paploo into The Vintage Collection, Hasbro. As one of the main Ewoks in Return Of The Jedi with tons of screen time, it’s awesome to get an update as well as another Kenner 96 release checked off in our collections. But as usual, you have some work to do. Click through for more.

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The Black Series Archive Han Solo (Hoth) figure is a significant upgrade to the original release. But does it meet definitive status? We’re not so sure. (more….)

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A new wave of The Black Series Archive figures is beginning to hit. Let’s look at Luke Skywalker (Hoth) from that wave. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 12!

2020 has come and gone, and that’s good for many reasons, of course. But it’s bad for others. One reason in particular that it’s not good is because of how Hasbro treated The Vintage Collection for The Empire Strikes Back’s 40th Anniversary. (more….)

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In 1984, new packaging for Star Wars figures was introduced for the European market. A cost containment initiative, the new packaging sported three languages of the Return Of The Jedi logo for a “one size fits all” approach. Although a “three-logo” design was created for The Power Of The Force line (as evidenced on some ‘boxed’ toys), it wasn’t carried over to the basic figure line’s card design. They continued to use the three Return Of The Jedi logos instead. Although the word “Trilogo” is found nowhere on the packaging, the term is universally adopted by all Star Wars collectors to describe this line of figures.

We are finishing the Trilogo line up with the final 15 The Power Of The Force Kenner figures, and there weren’t any coins provided with them. Today we revisit A-Wing Pilot. The Trilogo version features brighter colors of a horizontally-flipped reference image when compared to the Kenner release. See the full card art and additional notes by revisiting 1985’s THE POWER OF THE FORCE A-Wing Pilot figure HERE.

In 1984, new packaging for Star Wars figures was introduced for the European market. A cost containment initiative, the new packaging sported three languages of the Return Of The Jedi logo for a “one size fits all” approach. Although a “three-logo” design was created for The Power Of The Force line (as evidenced on some ‘boxed’ toys), it wasn’t carried over to the basic figure line’s card design. They continued to use the three Return Of The Jedi logos instead. Although the word “Trilogo” is found nowhere on the packaging, the term is universally adopted by all Star Wars collectors to describe this line of figures.

We are finishing the Trilogo line up with the final 15 The Power Of The Force Kenner figures, and there weren’t any coins provided with them. Today we revisit Lando Calrissian (General Pilot). The Trilogo version features brighter colors, but with more saturated hues. See the full card art and additional notes by revisiting 1985’s THE POWER OF THE FORCE Lando Calrissian (General Pilot) figure HERE.

Hasbro didn’t include the tunic with the Luke Skywalker Galaxy Of Adventures regular version 5″ figure. And the figure’s hair color looks a little different this time. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 12!

In 1984, new packaging for Star Wars figures was introduced for the European market. A cost containment initiative, the new packaging sported three languages of the Return Of The Jedi logo for a “one size fits all” approach. Although a “three-logo” design was created for The Power Of The Force line (as evidenced on some ‘boxed’ toys), it wasn’t carried over to the basic figure line’s card design. They continued to use the three Return Of The Jedi logos instead. Although the word “Trilogo” is found nowhere on the packaging, the term is universally adopted by all Star Wars collectors to describe this line of figures.

We are finishing the Trilogo line up with the final 15 The Power Of The Force Kenner figures, and there weren’t any coins provided with them. Today we revisit Warok. See the full card art and additional notes by revisiting 1985’s THE POWER OF THE FORCE Warok figure HERE.

In 1984, new packaging for Star Wars figures was introduced for the European market. A cost containment initiative, the new packaging sported three languages of the Return Of The Jedi logo for a “one size fits all” approach. Although a “three-logo” design was created for The Power Of The Force line (as evidenced on some ‘boxed’ toys), it wasn’t carried over to the basic figure line’s card design. They continued to use the three Return Of The Jedi logos instead. Although the word “Trilogo” is found nowhere on the packaging, the term is universally adopted by all Star Wars collectors to describe this line of figures.

We are finishing the Trilogo line up with the final 15 The Power Of The Force Kenner figures, and there weren’t any coins provided with them. Today we revisit Han Solo (In Carbonite Chamber). See the full card art and additional notes by revisiting 1985’s THE POWER OF THE FORCE Han Solo (In Carbonite Chamber) figure HERE.

In 1984, new packaging for Star Wars figures was introduced for the European market. A cost containment initiative, the new packaging sported three languages of the Return Of The Jedi logo for a “one size fits all” approach. Although a “three-logo” design was created for The Power Of The Force line (as evidenced on some ‘boxed’ toys), it wasn’t carried over to the basic figure line’s card design. They continued to use the three Return Of The Jedi logos instead. Although the word “Trilogo” is found nowhere on the packaging, the term is universally adopted by all Star Wars collectors to describe this line of figures.

We are finishing the Trilogo line up with the final 15 The Power Of The Force Kenner figures, and there weren’t any coins provided with them. Today we revisit Romba. Do you notice anything strange? The Kenner version of Paploo shows an image of Romba. And the Trilogo version of Romba shows an image of Paploo. (We should also mention that the Trilogo version of Paploo shows Romba as well, but the Kenner POTF Romba shows the correct character.) See the full card art and additional notes by revisiting 1985’s THE POWER OF THE FORCE Romba figure HERE.

In 1984, new packaging for Star Wars figures was introduced for the European market. A cost containment initiative, the new packaging sported three languages of the Return Of The Jedi logo for a “one size fits all” approach. Although a “three-logo” design was created for The Power Of The Force line (as evidenced on some ‘boxed’ toys), it wasn’t carried over to the basic figure line’s card design. They continued to use the three Return Of The Jedi logos instead. Although the word “Trilogo” is found nowhere on the packaging, the term is universally adopted by all Star Wars collectors to describe this line of figures.

We are finishing the Trilogo line up with the final 15 The Power Of The Force Kenner figures. There weren’t any coins provided with these figures. Today we revisit Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) with pop-up Lightsaber. The card art features a horizontally-flipped image of the Kenner version that is darker and features a more complete image of C-3PO. See the full card art and additional notes by revisiting 1985’s THE POWER OF THE FORCE Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) with pop-up Lightsaber figure HERE.

In 1984, new packaging for Star Wars figures was introduced for the European market. A cost containment initiative, the new packaging sported three languages of the Return Of The Jedi logo for a “one size fits all” approach. Although a “three-logo” design was created for The Power Of The Force line (as evidenced on some ‘boxed’ toys), it wasn’t carried over to the basic figure line’s card design. They continued to use the three Return Of The Jedi logos instead. Although the word “Trilogo” is found nowhere on the packaging, the term is universally adopted by all Star Wars collectors to describe this line of figures.

Today we begin the final 15 The Power Of The Force figures uninterrupted! There weren’t any coins provided with the Trilogo versions of these figures. Let’s revisit Luke Skywalker (In Battle Poncho). It doesn’t vary all that much from the Kenner version See the full card art and additional notes by revisiting 1985’s THE POWER OF THE FORCE Luke Skywalker (In Battle Poncho) figure HERE.

In 1984, new packaging for Star Wars figures was introduced for the European market. A cost containment initiative, the new packaging sported three languages of the Return Of The Jedi logo for a “one size fits all” approach. Although a “three-logo” design was created for The Power Of The Force line (as evidenced on some ‘boxed’ toys), it wasn’t carried over to the basic figure line’s card design. They continued to use the three Return Of The Jedi logos instead. Although the word “Trilogo” is found nowhere on the packaging, the term is universally adopted by all Star Wars collectors to describe this line of figures.

Today we revisit Paploo. Just like the Kenner version, the Trilogo card art also erroneously features a reference image of Romba instead of Paploo. Also, the name “pill” humorously has the subtitle of “Action Figure” added. See the full card art and additional notes by revisiting 1984’s RETURN OF THE JEDI Paploo figure HERE.

In 1984, new packaging for Star Wars figures was introduced for the European market. A cost containment initiative, the new packaging sported three languages of the Return Of The Jedi logo for a “one size fits all” approach. Although a “three-logo” design was created for The Power Of The Force line (as evidenced on some ‘boxed’ toys), it wasn’t carried over to the basic figure line’s card design. They continued to use the three Return Of The Jedi logos instead. Although the word “Trilogo” is found nowhere on the packaging, the term is universally adopted by all Star Wars collectors to describe this line of figures.

Today we revisit Lumat. The Trilogo card art is nearly identical to the Kenner version. The name, however, is different. The Trilogo figure is called Lumat Ewok Warrior (Figurine Guerriere Ewok). See the full card art and additional notes by revisiting 1984’s RETURN OF THE JEDI Lumat figure HERE.