Stan Solo Boba Fett

 

Some time ago I bought some Stan Solo figures off an eBay seller, including this handsome, detailed Boba Fett. It manages to capture the spirit of my long-lost childhood Fett, even improves upon the design without losing that Kenner feel. The cloth cape and peg-on jet pack make him feel deluxe, and the rifle fits better with the character than the Imperial blaster included with the 1979 Fett.

Below Vader seals the deal with Lando Calrissian regarding the transfer of Captain Solo, frozen in carbonite! Retro Collection Death Squad Commander and vintage 1978 Kenner Stormtroopers, vintage Darth Vader with a repro telescoping lightsaber, Retro Collection Lando Calrissian with vintage Lobot and Bespin Guards...

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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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Star Wars Jawas

My journey to building a Jawa collection had been slow up until recently, purchasing a 7" 3-D printed vinyl cape Jawa from Rad Vintage Toys on eBay, as well as two 1:18 scale Stan Solo vinyl cape Jawas. 

Rad Vintage has several of these 1:6 scale Kenner style figures that help collectors fill in the gaps in their Gentle Giant 1:6 scale Star Wars collections. The characteristic silken texture of 3-D printing is less jarring on the Jawa's monochromatic palette than some of the other figures offered by Rad Vintage-  posed on a shelf, it's not distracting.

Below, a comparison of the 1:18 scale Hasbro/Kenner Retro Collection Jawa and Stan Solo Jawa, sans robe/vinyl cape. The "SS" stamped on back lets collectors know the Stan Solo figure is not the highly coveted vintage vinyl cape Jawa. At about $23.00 each, including shipping and sales tax, these SS figures were much more affordable.

I found this 1979 8" Jawa on eBay for a competitive price, with robe, but no bandolier or ion rifle. He was a decent purchase of a clean but not complete sample I supplemented with a 3-D printed blaster. I've not yet secured a vintage bandolier nor 3-D print of considerable quality to complete the figure, but I'm happy as it is, regardless.

Below, a comparison of all these Jawa's ion rifles, the top two 3-D printed, evident by their silky texture. The Jawas used these rifles to capture droids- when fired, they attached a restraining bolt to the droid which ordered a stop command. Its maximum range was about 12 meters, and while it wouldn't kill most organic creatures, it could administer a painful sting.

Below, my vintage 8" Kenner Jawa with C-3PO and R2-D2 from the same line of 12" figures...

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