Kenner Cantina Creatures & Death Star Droid (1978)

As I began collecting a few 3.75" Kenner Star Wars figures awhile back for the first time since childhood, these four denizens of the Mos Eisley cantina were a priority in my book; I had them all as a kid, and they were some of the 2nd wave of Star Wars figures released by Kenner in 1978. I bought the Mos Eisley Streets backdrop from Cardboard Galaxy of eBay- it's somewhat flimsy for the expense and took the seller over two weeks to finally mail it out, but I like how it flattens out for easy storage and shipping here in the U.S. was free.

 Bespin Han Solo isn't really the correct match to do battle with Greedo, but he'll do...

Walrus Man's fate when facing Obi-Wan Kenobi is the stuff of legend! I have two vintage samples of the famous Jedi Knight, this on sporting a reproduction telescoping lightsaber, which I mad for!

Like Greedo and Walrus Man, these newly acquired Snaggletooth and Hammerhead figures are much cleaner samples than my well-loved childhood figures, which I sold many years ago now...

My childhood friend had this Death Star Droid, while I had C-3PO- was fun hunting one down as an adult. While this one has missing black paint in one eye, it's in relatively good shape and has tight joints. I put him in front of my Cardboard Galaxy Death Star Hallway backdrop I picked up the Mos Eisley Streets backdrop.

I couldn't resist throwing my Power of the Force 2 Darth Vader and Stormtroopers in there while I was all set up. I didn't have any of these '95 POTF figures back then, but I find them charming...

But if I understand correctly, the "Death Star Droid" was really the RA-7 Protocol/Inventory Droid was first seen in the original Star Wars movie aboard a Jawa sandcrawler in this reflective finish. So for my childhood memories he belongs on Tatooine, but I digress. It's fun going back to some of my earlier childhood action figures- Star Wars was everything to us back in the '70s!

More Later- May the Force Be with You!

Star Wars POTF TIE Fighter (1995)

I had a Kenner Darth Vader TIE Fighter in the '80s which had lights and sounds, a feature sadly missing from this 1995 update. The Power of the Force TIE had added sculpt on the wings however- a definite improvement on the decals used on the original ship. You can find these used at relatively reasonable prices. There's a white version of this produced in 2003 as well (like Kenner's original 1979 TIE Fighter), they seem to be more rare.

I kind of had to get a Power of the Force TIE Fighter Pilot to fit in the cockpit and picked up a couple Stormtroopers and a Darth Vader to lord over them while I was at it. I wasn't into collecting in '95, so I never had any of these- they are cheap to acquire. For years I've seen these warming the pegs of reseller's shops- Kenner's production runs on this line must've been enormous.

I don't care much for Darth Vader's clunky plastic cape, and his lightsaber is way too long, but the Power of the Force figure line's "beefed up" styling is most effective on him. The mix of matte and shiny black throughout are nice ...

The Stormtroopers can be a little challenging to stand- I've ordered some bases to display mine. While not the iconic figure from 1978, these figures haver added neck and waist articulation and are far more affordable. While I had no figures from this '90s line and the original line is where I came from, I find these POTF figures charming.

I actually bought this TIE Fighter to display with some of the larger vintage Kenner Star Wars figures in my collection, using this Starship Wall Mount I bought from Galactic Collector on eBay...

More Later- May the Force Be with You!

Empire Strikes Back Bespin Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, IG-88

I sold the remaining childhood Kenner Star Wars figures I had six years ago, but the forthcoming 50th anniversary of Star Wars has stirred some nostalgia in me. The Empire Strikes Back might have made a bigger impression on me as I was a little older, and it's probably my favorite of the original trilogy for the same reasons as a lot of fans.

Bespin Han Solo

Not my childhood Bespin Han, but a clean sample from an eBay seller at a good price. The legs are a slightly different shade, and he didn't come with the original Bespin blaster, so I bought a reproduction DL-44 blaster, Han's actual sidearm. 

Bespin Luke Skywalker

Also not the same figure I had in 1980. I actually had a brown hair version, but this eBay sample has overall better/more even color and less paint loss. Again, I paid far less for a figure without accessories and bought repro weapons, including a gray DL-44 blaster just to make him my own. Probably my favorite Kenner Luke Skywalker figure, kinda on the lookout for another.

Retro Collection Lando Calrissian

Not a vintage figure, but a Hasbro reissue that looks very much like my 1980 Lando. I have a much deeper appreciation for the Bespin Cloud City figures like Lando, Lobot, and the Bespin Security Guard now, Lando the most colorful in his bright blue shirt. A complex character in the Star Wars Saga!

Retro Collection Empire Strikes Back IG-88 and Mandalorian IG-11 

I compulsively purchased a Retro Collection Mandalorian IG-11 around the same time as the IG-88. In fact, I felt I knew him better anyway, as we barely get but a passing glance of IG-88 in The Empire Strikes Back, but got a fully fleshed out character in IG-11 in The Mandalorian. I'd swear that one leg on both these figures is shorter than the other- they seem a little flimsy in general, to be frank. But they do like nice together.

More Later- May the Force Be with You!

Mego Disney Store Avengers 4pk (2026)

I'm pretty sure I only heard about the Mego Disney Store Avengers 4pk just a week or so before it dropped, mine arriving just five days after I ordered it online without incident. Some collectors reported receiving badly damaged boxes, but mine arrived unscathed. I think Mego adjusted their inventory numbers with the online giant after grossly miscalculating the initial Fantastic Four set, which left many fans without, present company included. In fact, you could still order last year's Spider-Man/Arch Enemies 4pk when I purchased the Avengers set (and still can as of writing this, though the Avengers set is sold out now). I hope we'll get another chance at the Fantastic Four set! Check out my YouTube Short:

I love the packaging and special edition gold coin, and while I've heard a lot of complaints about changes collectors wanted/didn't want, I'm actually thrilled with this set. Finding vintage figures of these characters in good condition can be a pricey endeavor, and I'd remind any of those '70s kids, they wouldn't have cared about any of that back in the day. They very much channel the spirit and aesthetic of '70s Mego!

 

Below, the new Mego Avengers with my ToyBiz Marvel Famous Covers Avengers:

Below, the Disney Store Capt. America and Hulk with vintage Mego Capt. America and Hulk, Thor with the 50th Anniversary WGSH Superman, and Iron Man with my Mego Ultraman...

Stan Lee and Spider-Man team up with the Avengers 

to fight the webslinger's terrible Arch Enemies!

Visit the Mego Museum's World's Greatest Superheroes Gallery

 to see the figures that started it all back in 1972!

More Later- Make Mine MEGO!