Anticipation mounted over the first four months of 1983 as what was supposedly the final sequel to Star Wars was being completed. Even without the Internet, rumors abounded: Jabba the Hutt would be seen at last, Luke and Darth Vader would engage in one final battle (and Yoda and Obi-Wan might help), and there would be a second Death Star.
The movie was, of course, Revenge Of The Jedi. … Read more
The first wave of toys to hit the store shelves after the release of The Empire Strikes Back, the second wave of Empire toys was able to reveal the vitally important character of Yoda (which was also the smallest of the original Kenner Star Wars figures, smaller than even R2-D2, Wicket, or the Jawas). Technically, Yoda was released in the first wave of figures, but was not promoted heavily to preserve the surprise of the character’s nature in the film. … Read more
1980. New wave was in. Early video games were about to reach their apex. And best of all, Star Wars was back – not the original, but a new movie following up on the original, taking us to new places and new adventures. Life was truly good. And so were the first figures from that sequel.
The Empire Strikes Back had such a diverse spread of locations and climates and environments that the first figures – released just prior to the movie – left you wondering just what the heck was going on if you, like me, were a kid whose only bona fida spoiler about Empire consisted of the TV commercials advertising the movie. … Read more
Well, “Shadows Of The Empire” sold, so why not? Actually, truth be told, I was more than happy to snatch up as many of the scarce Expanded Universe action figures as I could, while I never even considered the “Shadows” toys seriously. The Expanded Universe characters originate from the novels and comics that appeared in the early 1990s, and even a couple of figures from the Dark Forces video game. … Read more
These puppies were the beginning of my toy collecting fetish, all those 21 years ago. And now, despite the fact that I am allegedly an adult, they still sit proudly on a display shelf in my home.
By default, they’re also the best-known and researched line of toys in history, with the possible exceptions of Barbie. G.I. Joe and Hot Wheels, so I’m not going to waste space repeating the facts everyone knows so well, but just show off my collection instead. … Read more
