Kenner 12in. Sand Trooper and Jedi Luke Skywalker Customs

For years I've searched for decent samples of Kenner's 12" Star Wars line from the late '70s at prices that aren't ridiculous, which are getting harder to find as time unfurls. Kenner returned to this larger format in the late '90s with a much more deeply expanded selection, but they lacked the charm of the late '70s line. When I found a seller kit-bashing the outfits/accessories of the later figures with the '70s figures, however, my mind was blown! 

This Sand Trooper was otherwise just a very clean sample of the 1978 Kenner Stormtrooper with a customized backpack that utilized magnets to cling to the small screws on the verso of the figure. I could easily convert him back to a standard issue Stormtrooper by finding a blaster like the one they were originally sold with, but I like the orange shoulder pauldron, and Tatooine was probably my favorite setting in the original Star Wars Trilogy- the locale where Luke Skywalker's adventure begins.

The custom Sand Trooper with my 1978 15" Darth Vader ...

From the same seller as the Sand Trooper, I bought this custom Return of the Jedi Luke Skywalker what utilized the outfit from the late '90s figure with the '70s figure body, essentially a Ken doll. In fact, all the human characters from that earlier 12" line were Barbie/Ken dolls with that limited articulation, but the facial portraits on those figures were great, and really reminded you of the Star Wars actors who portrayed those characters.

The seller added their own custom brown cloak, a blaster from a Hot Toys figure, and a custom green lightsaber of the same funky design that the original Kenner figure had. He also painted the hair to be browner, as actor Mark Hamill appeared in Return of the Jedi.

Father and Son ...

And finally, Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight, with his faithful companions, C-3PO and R2-D2. These kit-bash custom Star Wars figures really set my imagination going, and I'm planning a couple of my own as I write this. I also picked up two or three other kit-bashed figures from this seller, which I'll share in future posts. In the meantime, check out the Toy Collector's Guide on Kenner's 12" Line, 1978-1980!

More Later- May the Force Be with You!