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 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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Kenner 2" Retro & 4.75" Action Collection Yoda

I've collected a couple of Yoda figures recently: a more recent 2" Kenner Retro Collection Yoda and a 4.75" Action Collection Yoda from '97. I really wanted a 3.75" scale Yoda like I had as a kid and lucked upon the Retro Collection Yoda at a decent price- better than I could find a clean vintage sample for. Cracking open a fresh Yoda like I had in youth was kind of a thrill in spite of some collector's misgivings about this line of re-released Star Wars figures.

Below, Yoda with my vintage Obi-Wan Kenobi, and some other Empire Strikes Back figures I've collected recently- some vintage, some from the Retro Collection...

I found this 4.75" Kenner Action Collection Yoda loose on eBay for a good price a few months ago while building out my 1:6 scale Star Wars lineup. I don't think the larger scale Star Wars figures form '97 and onward have the same charm as the late '70s figures Kenner produced, I thought this was a pretty faithful representation of the Jedi Master.

The Action Collection Yoda didn't come with a snake, but I found some cheap on the internet to make him feel more comfortable, like on his home planet Dagobah...

I picked up this larger Yoda to compliment some of my earlier '78-'79 Kenner 12" Star Wars figures, like Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Kenner Star Wars figures Kenner produced didn't have quite the detailed paint that the '97 Yoda has, but his scale is perfect and he's an overall good fit with them.

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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!

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