Today we open up the Hasbro The Vintage Collection Obi-Wan Kenobi action figure 2-pack, which includes Obi-Wan Kenobi (Showdown) VC290, and Darth Vader (Duel’s End) VC291, for a closer look at their details, articulation, and accessories.

We both really enjoyed the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, especially the climactic battle in the final episode. When this TVC box set was announced, we knew we had to add it to our collection!

Check out our unboxing video –

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Showdown) – VC290

The Obi-Wan figure is wearing his dark brown Jedi robes from the end of the series, and comes with three accessories – blaster, lightsaber hilt, and lightsaber ignited with blade. The accessories fit well into their attachment points (hilt on belt, blaster in holster), and the figure holds the lightsaber well.

I think the facial sculpt does a good job at capturing Ewan McGregor’s likeness, and the hair is styled just like Obi-Wan. The figure has good articulation, and can hold a variety of cool lightsaber combat poses – though I will put this figure on a stand for extra stability.

Darth Vader (Duel’s End) – VC291

The Darth Vader figure has unique battle damage from the series finale – a slashed open helmet revealing Anakin’s face inside, burn/slashes to the chest box, a slashed hole across the back of the cape, and a weathered cape edge. The figure comes with two accessories – lightsaber hilt, and lightsaber with blade (though the peg for the lightsaber hilt didn’t fit into the attachment hole on this figure’s belt).

I really like the unique battle damage on this figure – but the best feature is the broken helmet. Inside we can see Anakin’s yellow Sith eye and scarred head, and the top of the helmet is removable to see the full head sculpt underneath. Really great detail and painting here!

I wish the Darth Vader figure in particular stood up better (my figure will definitely need a stand), but overall, I really like the details and sculpting of these two figures. That slashed open Vader helmet especially looks amazing! What a great way to add that climactic fight scene to our action figure display!

May the Force be with you!

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The vintage Toltoys NZ Star Wars 48-back action figure cardback is one of the rarest and most interesting New Zealand-specific collectibles from Toltoys. There have been a number of NZ-specific vintage Star Wars cardbacks (we have written comprehensive articles about them on the SWNZ, Star Wars New Zealand website), but the 48-back is the only one that specifically mentions Toltoys NZ Ltd.

The New Zealand variant of the Empire Strikes Back 48-back is a truly unique design that stands out in particular because of the white box on the rear where the barcode would normally reside, which bears the text “Marketed in New Zealand by Toltoys NZ Ltd under license from General Mills Creative Products Pty Ltd Australia”. It also has a distinct white circular space for retailers to write in the price, where the proof of purchase is found on US cards.

In addition to being very slightly wider than US cards, other distinguishing aspects include the matt finish of the printing on the rear of the cardback, small radius corners, and an unmistakable, flat-based peg hanger hole. The cardback is otherwise similar to the US ESB48A, promoting the Scout Walker, Rebel Transport, Tauntaun, Wampa, and Mini-Rigs.

Footnote: we first wrote about the Toltoys NZ 48-back cardbacks on the SWNZ website back in February 2006 (Internet Archive link). Since then, we have added a lot more research and content about the products and history of Toltoys NZ – check the list of articles out here.

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Today’s unboxing features The Black Series HK-86 6″ Figure from The Mandalorian series. We were a little slow to jump into Black Series collecting, but it was The Mandalorian that really hooked us in, so we’re trying to collect as much as we can from the show in the Black Series 6″ range. HK-87 was a fun new droid design from the show, so we’re really happy to add him to our collection.

Check out my unboxing video –

This figure is part of Hasbro’s recent ‘plastic free packaging’ initiative, which means it has a windowless box. You can’t see the specific figure you are buying – which is not an issue if you predominately order online, but we mostly get our figures from local store shelves. Personally I like the opportunity to see the figure I’m choosing, and comparing the details, especially the paint job, with other figures on the shelf.

The windowless box also causes some headaches for collectors who keep their Black Series figures boxed – you can’t ‘display’ the figure anymore, it’s just a picture on the front. For the most part, we open our Black Series figures, but we appreciate the option for those rarer/collectible/exclusive ones we would choose to display sealed in the box.

Apart from the front missing the classic window, the rest of the packaging matches the modern Black Series boxes, with artwork on the right side slanted panel that forms a wider picture when displayed alongside other figures from the same series – in this case, The Mandalorian series. The colour scheme for The Mandalorian series packaging is orange, which we see in the stripe across the front with the series name, and used to accent the side panel artwork.

As the box notes, the packaging is free from plastic, with the exception of tape and glue. Inside, the figure is wrapped in ‘The Black Series’ branded tissue paper, held in place in a brown cardboard insert with some thin cardboard bands taped closed. The accessory (blaster) is stored inside a waxy paper pouch that is sealed closed, so it doesn’t fall out. All in all, this holds the figure well, and is easy to open – similar to how starships are packaged, but of course this only works in boxes without windows.

I was really keen to get my first in-hand look at this HK-87 droid figure – and I’m quite impressed. There is something quite striking about the colours, and that cool fabric half-cloak, it all really comes together in a neat design. Droids in particular often translate really well into action figure form, and this HK-87 is no exception.

This figure has all the standard articulation points you would expect from a Black Series 6″ figure. I was a little surprised to find that the grey shoulder ‘armour’ pieces are actually made from a soft plastic, so they can bend to allow you to pose the arm upwards without limiting movement.

Most of the different colours of this figure come from being made in different plastic colours, so there is very little paint application. The most notable painted details are the silver at the limb joints, the gold belt buckle, beige/grey stripes on the upper right arm, and some small silver details on the face – which are all quite tidy and well done on my figure.

This figure also includes a soft goods component – a dark brown fabric ‘half-coat’ worn on the left side, and held in place with a plastic bandolier-style strap. Some fabric cloaks look a bit awkward when scaled down to toy size, but the fabric used here is a good thickness and folds well when posing the left arm. The neckline edge of the half-coat is painted neatly in red, which helps to keep the fabric straight and tidy.

The hands on this figure are quite rigid for holding an accessory, but once you do get the blaster into place, HK-87 holds it well for poses. There is only one singular blaster accessory for this figure, but it looks good.

Overall, I think this HK-87 is a great figure – and now that I’ve seen it in person, I’ll definitely be on the look out for a second to build a cool Corvus scene with Din Djarin and Ahsoka Tano. Speaking of Ahsoka, I was really excited to see one of these assassin droids in the recent Ahsoka series trailer, so I’m sure we’ll see a variant figure from that show released in the future.

May the Force be with you!

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A new addition to our TVC collection – the Darth Vader (Death Star II) action figure from The Vintage Collection line by Hasbro. This is released as part of the Return Of The Jedi 40th Anniversary, and features Darth Vader with his helmet off as seen towards the end of the film.

We also took the opportunity to compare this figure to the Darth Vader (Dark Times) VC241 figure from the Obi-Wan Kenobi series – it was interesting to see the similarities and differences when holding them side by side.

Check out our unboxing video –

Scroll down for our full photo gallery –

This Darth Vader figure comes with several accessories –

• an additional right hand/glove (to swap out for the severed mechanical hand)
• helmet in 3 pieces – neckpiece (attached to the figure), face plate, and dome
• lightsaber hilt (with peg to attach to the belt)
• activated lightsaber with red blade

As expected, there is a great level of articulation in this figure, which means he poses very well, but I found him a little unsteady when attempting to stand him without an additional base stand (not included). There are articulation points at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrist, waist, hips, thighs, knees, and ankles. Most of the joints feel nice and tight, but quite loose at the hips for my particular figure.

This figure has two soft goods components – a large flowing black cape, and a lower “skirt” robe. The soft goods are made from the same material, and suit the scale well. The edges are not sealed, they are left raw, so do be careful not to cause any fraying with handling.

I really like the cape in particular – there is a lot of fabric here, which was all tucked behind the figure when packaged. The cape opens up for a full wide shape, like when Darth Vader strides down hallways.

The unmasked Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker face here is quite good. I have seen some speculation that the likeness is a bit of a halfway point between the original Return Of The Jedi actor Sebastian Shaw and later Anakin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen – I can see a bit of that, but at this scale, it’s pretty hard to tell.

The helmet for this figure is in three parts –

• neck piece (attached)
• face plate (removable)
• dome (removable)

All three parts are made from a softer plastic, that can bend a little when squeezed. I was a little worried about the shape of the helmet parts, as they looked a little misshaped when I got them out of the packaging, but they fit over the head well and hold in place.

The top dome also fits nicely into place – again, I was worried about the softer plastic giving a bit of a distorted or squished shape to the round flared edge of the dome, but it looks good. It wasn’t hard to get the dome nicely into place, that soft plastic slides over the head well.

The helmet almost looks like one complete sculpt when fully on and assembled, except at one spot – underneath the breather section. Those two pieces didn’t quite fully meet seamlessly, so there is a small gap here on my figure. This may be more or less visible on other figures – but of course it’s impossible to tell how well a particular figure will display until you open up the card/bubble and assemble it. Of course it looks very noticeable in these enlarged photos, so it’s less of a gap in person, but still visible.

This figure comes with two options for lightsabers – an activated blade lightsaber that can be held for action poses, and an unlit hilt that can be held or worn on the belt with a small peg on the hilt that fits into a hole on the belt.

Now to compare with the Darth Vader ‘Dark Times’ VC241 figure from Obi-Wan Kenobi – the main difference is of course the helmet. Darth Vader’s helmet has subtle differences from film to film to series, and action figure sculpts have also changed a lot over the years, and some are better than others!

The first obvious difference is the small gap under the ‘breather’ section of the helmet, where it can be removed – though perhaps some figures may have less or more of a gap than the figure I have here.

To my eyes, the rest of the helmet does look very similar. The Death Star II figure has a removable helmet with head underneath, while the Dark Times figure does not have a removable helmet. Usually a removable helmet results in a slightly larger overall scale, to fit the head inside, but here it is not very noticeable at all. I am quite impressed!

• Death Star II VC280 on left – Dark Times TC241 on right

Comparing them in hand, it is obvious that many of the same parts of the ‘Dark Times’ version have been reused here. To my eyes, the main different part is the ‘gloves’ which is accurate, as they are different between Return Of The Jedi and Obi-Wan Kenobi. The paint application on the chest boxes and belt boxes is also different, to be accurate to the film and series, respectively.

• Death Star II VC280 on left – Dark Times TC241 on right

While this figure might not have many differences to the earlier Dark Times version, I do still think it is a worthwhile addition to our collection. We intend to display this figure alongside our Return Of The Jedi action figures, with the options as seen when carded – cut off hand, and helmet removed.

May the Force be with you!

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Today’s unboxing and review features the new Young Jedi Adventures range of figures. The Hasbro range features characters from the new Disney+ animated series, set in the High Republic era before the prequels.

We recently spotted the ‘Jedi Showdown Pack’ at a local retailer, and we were keen to check out the figures ourselves after seeing the range previewed at Celebration Europe earlier this year.

Check out my unboxing video –

The Hasbro toy range for Young Jedi Adventures features figures and vehicles from the new Disney + animated show. Previewed at Star Wars Celebration Europe a few months ago, the new range is bright and colourful – and it immediately drew me in. I have collected a range of ‘cute’ kids Star Wars merchandise over the years, including Itty Bittys, Galactic Heroes, and Mission Fleet, so I was keen to add a few pieces from this new range to my collection.

This ‘Jedi Showdown Pack’ includes five figures – Lys Solay, Kai Brightstar, Yoda, Taborr, and a training droid. The packaging notes that this pack includes a ‘special Yoda figure’ – which is different to the version of Yoda that is available separately.

Each character comes with a weapon to hold, while the training droid has two blue training blades permanently attached.

Taborr is the tallest figure, measuring approximately 11cm high, while Yoda is of course the shortest at approximately 7cm high. This is a good size to hold, and they all stand up reasonably well on their own.

My main critique of this set is that one of the main characters from the show, Nubs, isn’t included here in this set, alongside fellow young Jedi Kai and Lys. Nubs is available separately in a few ways – as a standalone figure, in a set with a speeder bike, and in another set with a starship. I guess this is to make sure that most fans will buy at least one other product from the line to complete the lineup from the show.

Lys, Kai, and Taborr all have removable capes, which helps if you want to pose the figures sitting down. Yoda has a peg hole in his back, but his robes are not removable, so perhaps this is for some other feature, like interacting with the Tenoo Jedi Temple playset (which is on my wish list).

The training droid is attached to a clear plastic stand, and can spin around freely. The blue ‘training’ blades are permanently attached, so they won’t get lost. The droid’s arms don’t move, so they are fixed in one pose.

The characters hold their weapons well, and the simple articulation (shoulders and wrists) works well for some classic lightsaber poses. Add in the training droid with two blades, and kids can recreate some of the fun training scenes seen in the animated show.

As you may have guessed, I have also picked up a few other items from the Young Jedi Adventures toy range – including the standard individual figures for Lys Solay, Yoda, and Nubs, as well as Lys with her speeder bike, and her lightsaber. This toy range hit our local stores during school holiday toy sales, so it was a great time to pick up a few of my favourites from the range while they were all on sale. I’ll be unboxing those additional figures soon.

One of the friends in the show, starship pilot Nash Durango and droid companion RJ-83 aren’t in this set either, but if you are keen to add Nash to your collection, the upcoming set with the Crimson Firehawk starship would be the way to go.

Overall, this is a fantastic set if you are keen to collect the set of character figures from the show – coming in much cheaper than buying the figures individually. The figures are bright and colourful, with enough articulation for simple poses or play time.

May the Force be with you!

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Welcome to 10 Star Wars Things – a regular series highlighting a variety of Star Wars items from our collection. Today’s theme is – Han Solo!

Today is Harrison Ford’s birthday, so in celebration we are highlighting his iconic Star Wars character Han Solo. From the original Kenner vintage action figure, to collectibles from Gentle Giant, Hasbro and more, we highlight 10 Han Solo items from our collection.

Watch the full video on YouTube –

Check out our gallery below – which one is your favourite? May the Force be with you!

• Hasbro Unleashed Han Solo Figure

• 2. Vintage Kenner Han Solo Action Figure

• 3. Funko Pop! Vinyl Han Solo (Snow Gear) #86

• 4. Han Solo At Star’s End paperback novel by Brian Daley

• 5. Hasbro The Black Series Archive The Force Awakens Han Solo Carded Figure

• 6. Gentle Giant Ltd 2011 Premier Guild Exclusive Han Solo (Bespin) Mini Bust

• 7. Funko Pop! Han Solo Pocket Keychain

• 8. Hasbro The Black Series ROTJ Han Solo (Endor) Carded Figure

• 9. Gentle Giant Ltd 2010 Convention Exclusive Han Solo (Stormtrooper Disguise) Animated Maquette

• 10. Vintage Kenner ROTJ Han Solo (Hoth Outfit) Carded Figure

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It’s May the Fourth here in New Zealand – Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth be with you

This week we have been rearranging a few of our Star Wars collectible shelves, so we filmed an updated tour of some of our favourite Star Wars collection displays. It’s awesome when you manage to find some more space by rearranging figures!

Check out our Star Wars collection tour video –

Read on for more photos –

Here is our main Star Wars life-size display area, including Han in carbonite, Gonk droid, Royal Guard, Stormtrooper, IG-88, R2-D2, and Death Star backdrop.

As well as our screen-used Outlander Club bar set piece (read more here), this corner houses Gentle Giant maquette statues, helmets, Hasbro Unleashed figures, Gentle Giant mini-busts, Master Replica 0.45 scale lightsabers, and an assortment of random Star Wars collectibles that don’t have a permanent display area yet. The framed C-3PO and R2-D2 poster is a new addition to this space, the ‘concert poster’ style fits well with the bar.

Then we move on to our Star Wars action figure room. This is the area we have updated the most – we had quite a few new figures and vehicles that had been gathering on the floor, needing space to join the displays. It’s always a big job to rearrange shelves to make room, so we had been putting it off. Star Wars Day was the perfect reason to finally tackle that task – and it looks great! There is still more to do (need to find a spot for our figures from The Mandalorian, Andor, and Obi-Wan Kenobi) but for now we’re really happy with how it looks.

May the Force be with you!

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So many exciting new Hasbro The Vintage Collection figures lately! Celebrating the recent 20th anniversary of Attack Of The Clones, we have the new Anakin Skywalker ‘Padawan’ figure from AOTC – VC244.

We are still quite shocked to find this figure available on local store shelves, as it is still listed for pre-order on most international collectible websites. We were excited to get our first in-hand look at this Anakin figure, especially after the surprise appearance in a flashback in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series! I think Hasbro knew about those scenes, and put this figure in the same assortment as the first figures from the show.

Check out our unboxing video –

Anakin Skywalker ‘Padawan’ is VC244, as he appears in Attack Of The Clones. The backing card features a promotional photo of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, from what looks like the Tusken Raider camp scene.

This figure is part of the assortment containing the first figures from the Obi-Wan Kenobi series – all the more interesting after discovering that this version of Anakin does appear in the series in flashback scenes.

Here in New Zealand, this TVC figure retails for NZ$29.99 each – which is approximately US$20.

So, our first look at the figure loose and up close.

This Anakin figure comes with an alternate ‘robotic’ hand, which is quite unique for Hasbro 3.75″ figures. This ‘padawan’ version of Anakin is from Attack Of The Clones – technically the gold version of his robotic hand is only seen in the closing wedding scene on Naboo, so it’s really interesting to see it included as an option here.

As expected, the figure also comes with two lightsaber accessories – a lightsaber hilt with peg that can attach to a hole on the left side of the belt, and an “activated” lightsaber with blue blade, that can be held for action poses. The figure also comes with a removable soft goods cloak, and attached soft goods lower tunic.

First up – the cloak. Anakin has a unique cloak in Attack Of The Clones – the front has strips, which is quite different to other Jedi cloaks. Unfortunately, his style doesn’t translate well in this small action figure scale – the front strips here don’t want to hang down the front. This is mostly due to the way they have been cut/sewn, as part of the back, so they naturally want to hang down the back. I understand a small change like sewing separate strips to the front would increase production time and costs, but it would have been a big improvement.

With a bit of wrestling, the strips do hang down the front, but that creates a bit of bunching at the shoulders. If I want to display this figure wearing the cloak, I would just lie the strips down the back for a cleaner (if not as accurate) look.

Personally, I prefer this figure without the cloak on, which is a shame – not very many Anakin Skywalker figures have come with a cloak. It can be easily removed – it sits on the figure with a loop of cord around the neck – not very accurate, but as Anakin’s cloak doesn’t have standard sleeves, it needs some method of staying attached to the figure and not just falling off.

Taking a closer look at the figure sculpt up close. I like the Jedi tunic details, some good fabric folds and lines here. The plastic lower front tabbards are joined together, so they lie straight and flat – though they do limit the hip articulation a little.

The padawan braid is curved to the front – it isn’t bent so it naturally sits forward. The hands hold the lightsaber well – though considering the options included here like the robotic hand, I wonder why they didn’t include a second lightsaber. Anakin uses other random lightsabers on Geonosis in the arena and in the fight against Dooku, so it would have been fun to include another here. I know I can always grab a spare lightsaber accessory from another figure, but that would have really make this figure into the definitive AOTC Anakin figure.

There are nice points of articulation at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, and ankles. The knee joints on our figure are quite tight, but better than being too loose. To be honest, most of our figures are displayed standing straight, with most posing done with the upper body, so I don’t really mind – I care more about the arms for lightsaber poses.

The detail continues nicely on the back, with the belt pouches and capsules, tunic fabric folds, and boot strap details all very well done.

Our figure unfortunately has a bit of a paint flaw on the back of the lower tabbards. It’s frustrating, but always a risk with Hasbro figures – thankfully it is on the back, as we very rarely pose a figure facing away, so it won’t be seen once displayed on our shelf.

I particularly like the soft goods lower tunic – it adds a nice touch to the figure, and matches nicely in colour to the top of the tunic. It allows for some flexibility of the legs without having to create large artificial cuts in a plastic tunic.

One of my favourite aspects of this figure is the alternate hand – as well as coming packaged with two standard ‘human’ hands, this Anakin figure also comes with a gold robotic right hand. This allows collectors to create a ‘post-Count Dooku fight’ version of Anakin, as we see him during the wedding on Naboo.

Of course we don’t really see Anakin fighting or holding a lightsaber with this version of his robotic hand (it is black in Revenge Of The Sith, and mostly covered by a glove), but I really like the options here. I always feel nervous pulling off parts like hands, but the switch was relatively easy – the robotic hand sculpt has a hole/gap at the wrist so I was careful not to force it too much when attaching, as it can flex and bend.

The lightsaber hilt accessory attaches nicely to the peg hole on the belt, tight but not too tight. I am not worried about it falling out or coming loose. Of course this attachment method always leaves a hole in the belt sculpt if displaying the figure with the activated lightsaber in hand, but I do think it’s one of the better ways of giving collectors the option of displaying the hilt on the belt – and given the style of the belt clip, the gap is not too distracting within the design.

Overall, a great figure. Yes I am frustrated that the cloak isn’t quite as good as I hoped (it really is tucked behind the figure when carded so you can’t really see it at all before purchasing), but I still like all the other design details. Good sculpt details, good articulation, and I love the alternate hands.

As a big fan of Attack Of The Clones, I am really happy to see a new sculpt of a character from the film – especially as this year marks the 20th anniversary. I hope we see more AOTC figures released this year, especially since there are still many Padme’ Amidala outfits that have yet to be made in the action figure line.

May the Force be with you!

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The time has come – we opened up the brand new TVC Darth Vader figure!

After we featured the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series figures online, we had many collectors ask about the VC241 Darth Vader figure in particular, and if we could show him uncarded to see all the details. The iconic Star Wars villain has been made countless times in the 3.75″ action figure line, with so many different sculpts and repacks – so how does this one compare? After initially deciding to keep our Obi-Wan Kenobi series figures carded, our curiosity got the better of us, so we decided to open them for a closer look.

Check out our unboxing video –

We are still quite shocked to find these figures available on local store shelves. International retailers like Entertainment Earth (affiliate link) and Big Bad Toy Store have these figures available for pre-order, with a release date of November 2022 – that’s still months away. Here they are at our local Farmers department store, sitting alongside the current range of locally available Star Wars toys.

Here in New Zealand, these TVC figures retail for NZ$29.99 each – which is approximately US$20.

Here he is – “The Dark Times” Darth Vader VC241. I found the variant title quite interesting – this version of Darth Vader is “The Dark Times” – just as Obi-Wan Kenobi mentions when talking with Luke Skywalker in A New Hope… “Before the Dark Times, before the Empire”.

The back of the card shows the other figures in this wave, including Obi-Wan Kenobi “Wandering Jedi” and Reva “Third Sister” from the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. It’s kinda funny that a couple of the other figures pictured here, like the Ahsoka Clone Trooper, are still not available here yet. It really is quite exciting to have these new figures available while the series is still airing on Disney+, we are so excited for the final episode!

So, our first look at the figure loose and up close.

This Darth Vader figure comes with four hands – two left hands and two right hands, for a variety of poses.

• An open grip left hand, capable of holding a lightsaber
• A closed grip left hand, in a fist
• An open grip right hand, capable of holding a lightsaber
• An half-open grip right hand, as if pointing or using the Force

As expected, the figure also comes with two lightsaber accessories – a lightsaber hilt with peg that can attach to a hole on the left side of the belt, and an “activated” lightsaber with red blade, that can be held for action poses.

This figure has two soft goods components – a large flowing black cape, and a lower “skirt” robe. The soft goods are made from the same material, and suit the scale well. The edges are not sealed, they are left raw, so do be careful not to cause any fraying with handling.

I really like the cape in particular – it is pleated at the back, to give extra fullness. This means that you can open the cape up for a full wide shape, like when Darth Vader strides down hallways.

There is a great level of articulation in this figure, which means he poses very well, and I found he is quite steady when attempting to stand him without an additional base stand (not included). There are articulation points at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrist, waist, hips, thighs, knees, and ankles. The joints all feel nice and tight, so the poses hold well.

The helmet has some really nice sculpting and details. The lenses have a red tint, to match Darth Vader’s appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi. There are also nice accurate silver/grey touches on the cheeks, nose, and tusks of the helmet (as used on the full-sized filming helmets to increase the contrast and visibility of dtails). One aspect which I found interesting – the helmet dome is made from flexible plastic, so the sides can be flexed (it feels like the same plastic as the cod piece, which can also bend). Perhaps this helps when assembling the figure with the soft goods components? In any case, I only noticed it when checking the neck articulation movement.

All up, a fantastic action figure – and I’m glad we opened it up to take a closer look. I know for many collectors, when it comes to a character that we all own several versions of, sometimes getting yet another double doesn’t always fit into the budget alongside new characters being done in the action figure line for the first time. Personally for us, this VC241 Darth Vader is a must-have figure, and in our opinion, one of the best versions Hasbro has ever made.

May the Force be with you!

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Very exciting news – the first three Star Wars The Vintage Collection 3.75″ figures from the Obi-Wan Kenobi series are now available in NZ! They just showed up on store shelves, unannounced, and fans were running out to grab them before they all disappeared. We were very fortunate be to able to get ahold of all three figures at our local store.

These figures were not expected to be released until much later in the year (or even early next year), well after the series had finished airing, so it was a complete surprise to find them available now, let alone locally – even before the US! These figures showed up at local Farmers stores, which had a toy sale on at the time, so fans could grab them at a discounted price as well.

While these figures are already must-haves for our collection, the figures themselves are very well done. The Darth Vader sculpt is one of the best Hasbro has done in recent years, complete with lightsaber hilt, activated lightsaber, and two alternate hands for different poses. Obi-Wan Kenobi comes with a blaster, lightsaber hilt, activated lightsaber, and two versions of the little Lola droid. Reva comes with four lightsabers! One hilt, one activated double-bladed lightsaber, and two single-bladed activated lightsabers, for all your posing needs. All three figures also have soft goods cloaks, which I personally really like for this scale.

I found the variant notes quite interesting – this version of Darth Vader is ‘The Dark Times’ – just as Obi-Wan Kenobi mentions when talking with Luke Skywalker in A New Hope... “Before the Dark Times, before the Empire”. This version of Obi-Wan Kenobi is ‘Wandering Jedi’, while Reva is ‘Third Sister’.

• Darth Vader ‘The Dark Times’ – VC241
• Obi-Wan Kenobi ‘Wandering Jedi’ – VC245
• Reva ‘Third Sister’ – VC242

We may eventually open these figures up, as our 3.75″ figure collection is predominately loose (rather than carded), but right now, these are the only figures with the Obi-Wan Kenobi series backing card design, so we’ll keep them carded for now.

Such a great opening line-up for our Obi-Wan Kenobi series collection – I really hope additional figures aren’t too far way. I definitely need a young Princess Leia and Tala, as well as Bail and Beha Organa!

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