Saga Legends Luke Skywalker, Disney Rebels Darth Vader, Retro Collection Emperor Palpatine

I've mostly collected 3.75" Star Wars figures that are vintage, Retro Collection, or POTF 2, but I couldn't resist this Sage Legends Jedi Luke Skywalker in all his appropriate attire for his confrontation with Emperor Palpatine. I also found the Emperor on eBay loose/uncarded- another Retro Collection figure that looks just like the figure I had in the '80s. I loved the design of Darth Vader in Star Wars: Rebels, so I decided to include him in this post as well.

Like the Retro Collection Dark Times Vader, this Star Wars Rebels Vader has red lenses...

Below, Power of the Force2 Vader, Stan Solo Vader w/removable helmet, Star Wars Rebels Vader, Retro Collection Dark Times Vader, Retro Collection Classic Vader, and 1978 Vader with repro telescoping lightsaber...

And finally, Luke removes his father's helmet to look upon his face before dying, just like in Return of the Jedi! Thanks to Stan Solo's fantastic Vader with removable helmet, we can relive that famous scene of redemption!

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Kenner Dagobah Playset

I saved a little money piecing the Kenner Dagobah Playset together with some reproduction parts, all of which were new to me not having had it in 1981, the year of its release. I disassembled it to clean and replace the foam in the pit and admired the bowl and spoon sculpting detail on the stump inside. The 3-D printed branch with figure clasp and crates left a little to be desired, but were a much cheaper alternative to their vintage counterparts.

R2-D2 is already stuck in the foam!

I also bought a Stan Solo Jedi Training Luke to learn 

the ways of the force from my Retro Collection Yoda.

I fit Luke with a vintage training pack I found on eBay ...

It was fun to push the rock/lever down and lift the crates using The Force ...!

Below, my vintage Bespin Luke Skywalker and vintage Kenner Darth Vader 

meet for battle in the mysterious dark cave on Dagobah ...

The Stan Solo Jedi Training Luke sculpt is stylized very much in the spirit of Kenner's Bespin Luke from The Empire Strikes Back. That figure from 1980 was certainly a favorite of mine- the second Luke figure from Kenner and first to come with a separate lightsaber accessory.

Still enjoying the repro telescoping lightsaber I got for my vintage Darth Vader!

Yoda and Luke can reenact their dinner scene just like they did in The Empire Strikes Back!

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3.75in. Darth Vader Figures

There was non-stop hatred poured onto Hasbro's 3.75" Star Wars Retro Collection, but it allowed me to have some of the figures from my childhood again without paying exorbitant prices for vintage figures, among those being the Retro Collection Darth Vader, pictured below on the right next to my vintage Kenner Darth Vader, which I outfitted with a reproduction telescoping red lightsaber!

 

There have been a lot of complaints in particular about this Retro Collection/Obi-Wan Kenobi "Dark Times" Darth Vader, but I personally liked him a lot. Are the eyes too red, does the cape cover too much at the neckline, is the waist-skirt molded onto the leg sculpt a little clunky? I don't know, but I'm fond of him! In spite of criticism aimed at this figure, I feel it's a decent spiritual successor to the updated features present in the line later on with Return of the Jedi, including a soft goods cape and separate lightsaber accessory like Jedi Luke came with. 

And last, but far from least, my Stan Solo Darth Vader with removable helmet. Kenner never gave us an updated Darth Vader in the years they produced 3.75" Star Wars figures- we had several Princess Leia and Han Solo figures, more of Luke Skywalker, and even R2-D2 and C-3PO got new parts, but never a new Darth Vader throughout the entire line. The fit of the helmet works seamlessly and Anakin's scarred head and simple eye treatment really mimic Kenner's style, and his cloth cape and waist-skirt really make him feel deluxe! Stan Solo has produced some of the 3.75" Star Wars figures of our dreams and Dath Vader is at the top of the list.

Before I go, some classic Kenner Star Wars goodness: my vintage Kenner Darth Vader, Imperial Commander and Death Star Droid with my vintage Kenner Star Wars Stormtroopers and Retro Collection Death Squad Commander.

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Kenner Bespin Guards, Princess Leia, Lobot, C-3PO with Removable Limbs

While picking up the Death Star Playset from Cardboard Galaxy featured in my last post, I also purchased a Bespin Hallway background for some recent Kenner Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back figures I found. Lobot is a figure from that collection I feel is essential to the celebrated sequel to Star Wars, pictured below with his boss, my Retro Collection Lando Calrissian:

The real prize of this particular haul was a vintage Bespin Princess Leia Organa, 

pictured below with my Bespin Han Solo and Luke Skywalker...

I actually had both of these Bespin Guards in the '80s, notable for Kenner's decision to release two versions of this background character from The Empire Strikes Back. Only recently have I been introduced to the idea that the forward stepping posture of the second evokes the theatrical scene featuring Bespin Guards leading Han Solo's carbonite casing down the Bespin City corridors. Brilliant!

Below, my Han Solo/Carbonite figure from Kenner's POTF 2 line...

I also found a C-3PO w/removable limbs recently (below,left), the second version of the protocol droid introduced as part of the first twelve Kenner Star Wars figures in 1978. His sculpt looks identical to the Retro Collection C-3PO figure pictured below...

C-3PO w/removable limbs included a pack for Chewbacca to carry the verbose protocol droid around Bespin in search of his copilot of the Millenium Falcon, Han Solo, betrayed by administrator of Cloud City, Lando Calrissian.

The Empire Strikes Back was quite possible my favorite of the original Star Wars trilogy, and having this grouping of figures together over 45 years later is a thrill. There's more to come here on The Empire Strikes Back at the Super-DuperToyBox, so stay tuned for that!

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Cardboard Galaxy Death Star, More Kenner Star Wars Figures

I've purchased a few of these background dioramas from Cardboard Galaxy, but this Death Star Playset Multilevel Display is by far the largest and most complex. The sidewalls are of a thinner stock than the corrugated second and third level floor inserts, and though I feel the set could be improved by having a taller first and second level, I had no initial problems posing figures on it. I'm pretty sure the illustrations are scans form the '78 Kenner Death Star playset, which was a far more expensive option. I had that playset, and this taps that nostalgia I had for it.

I also recently found a Kenner Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi on eBay without Ben's cape and both the figures' lightsabers. I've been picking up assorted repro blasters and sabers on eBay, and decided to give both a telescoping lightsaber, Ben with a yellow version in honor of him always shown in product photography wielding this color as opposed to blue- the true color of his saber in the movie. I found a cheap repro cape form another seller, though I'm not crazy for its overly glossy vinyl. This Ben has a leg substantially shorter than other, which makes posing a challenge.

Below, my vintage Darth Vader with my Retro Collection Vader, and my latest Obi-Wan with my other two vintage Ben Kenobis, one with a telescoping blue lightsaber...

This is not my childhood Power Droid, but another vintage Kenner figure found on eBay in far better shape. He fits right in with the retro-futuristic interior of this diorama. I also found another Death Star Droid on eBay- a figure I didn't have as a child but always liked.

And finally, an Imperial Commander found on eBay for a great price in great shape. I fit him with a gray repro imperial blaster, and he fills out my Imperial Squad with the Death Squad Commander and Stormtroopers.

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