Remember this guy? Back in 1980 he was quite the toy to have… he came with both a blaster pistol AND a lightsaber. Why was the lightsaber yellow? Who cares! You got them both!
Luke Skywalker in Bespin Fatigues went through several different paint jobs– you can find old examples with yellow hair, brown hair, even red hair. But they all had the same body sculpt.
This year, Hasbro has decided to release an action figure series called the “Vintage Series.” The new action figures are modern updates on your old favorites, packaged on a card matching the 1980s packing. The first wave of these toys have hit stores now, and I decided to check them out in person to see what all the fuss is about.
I was a little shocked by my initial findings. Two stores that I visited were already sold out. I asked an employee at one store if they had even been stocked yet, and learned that “some dude” bought every one they put out on the first day. Damn eBayers! How dare they rob a 40-year-old man of his toys!
I finally caught up with a few of them at my third store. Fittingly, there were only three left. I had my choice of AT-AT Commander, Cloud Car Pilot… or Luke Skywalker in Bespin Fatigues. It was a no-brainer, and now Luke guards my DVDs near my desk.
I had to shell out an extra dollar for Luke. Retail for the vintage figures is $7.99. I noticed that Clone Wars or Saga collection figures were going for $6.99. (If you listen to our podcast, you know that I’m furious at Toys R Us for charging up to $10 for these figures!) But I have to admit that I am impressed with the level of detail in the sculpt. The face looks like Luke, and his clothing detail is very good. He still comes with two weapons– a blaster that fits nicely into a belt holster, and his classic blue lightsaber. An added bonus is the inclusion of a “turned off” lightsaber, which attaches to the belt if you wish to pose Luke in a non-battle moment.
We have plenty of action figures in my house. This figure immediately struck me as more solid than some of the Clone Wars figures. I suspect that the higher price point might have to do with increased use of plastic– Luke feels heavier than a similar sized Clone Wars Obi-Wan I found laying around.
Some of the other figures in the initial wave include Han Solo in his unzipped Echo Base coat, Princess Leia in a Hoth Outfit, a fantastic looking Dengar sculpt, a Dack figure (Luke’s gunner… five minutes total screen time?), and the elusive Boba Fett. Finding Boba Fett in the stores will be a real miracle, since I’ve already found him commanding $15 on eBay and other internet outlets. If you are a Fett Fan, you may have to buckle under and pay the money– it’s the best looking Boba Fett I’ve ever seen!
Will I purchase more of these Vintage Series figures in the future? Sure… for my kid. Yeah, for my kid…
By Sci-Guy-Mike
August 9th, 2010 - 5:52 pm
The new ESB Luke looks great. I haven’t found any on shelves yet…just empty space. I wonder if they were shelved and then sold out.
August 9th, 2010 - 7:20 pm
After posting this, I shopped another Target and found figures on the shelves. So the scoreboard is…
2 Targets — NO figures (1 where employee claimed somebody bought them all)
1 Target — limited figures, obviously picked through
1 Fred Meyer — 3 figures
Have not had any reason to check Toys R Us or other large chains.
August 9th, 2010 - 7:21 pm
Oh.. almost forgot…
One Target had the new AT-AT, which looked pretty darned cool. But $100 is not something I enjoy parting with…
August 9th, 2010 - 10:37 pm
I stopped by Target tonight (On Bvtn-Hillsdale) and they had a handful. The C-3PO has a kind of haunting look. They also had Bespin Luke, Hoth Han, Hoth Leia, AT-AT Driver, Cloud Car Pilot, Dengar and Dack. I agree, these figures look excellent. A close look at Dengar showed a real attention to detail. Sadly no Boba Fett…but the hunt is on.
August 10th, 2010 - 9:36 am
That Luke is really excellent. How big are these toys compared to the originals?
August 10th, 2010 - 2:52 pm
These figures are 3 3/4 inches tall… so about the same as the old ones. Darth Vader looks taller than the others– I bet he is about 4.5 inches tall.
I found Boba Fett today… so he is out there. @Sci-Guy-John: I agree with you about Dengar– amazing detail on his sculpt. And the C-3PO does look a little odd… having a non-metallic finish on him really makes him look different from other versions.
August 11th, 2010 - 10:00 am
Because of the increased detail, I imagined that these toys would be a bit bigger than the old ones, so that’s impressive (“Most impressive…”) if they’re the same size.
Does Boba Fett have a missile launching jetpack?!
August 11th, 2010 - 11:16 am
Boba Fett does not have a missile launching jetpack… but the odd twist is that Hasbro is offering an original sculpt Boba Fett figure with a launching missile if you send in five proof of purchase on new action figures. The missile firing Fett looks exactly like the one from 1980-82, has no increased articulation… but the missile works. I think they are trying to give the fans the premium they were supposed to get back in 1980!