11/10/2008

"Vintage" Star Wars Figures

Star Wars toys represent a toy zenith of sorts from my childhood. Sure, I had other toys from my childhood that maybe got more play, and if you ask me "what is the best toy you ever had?" I might not pick a Star Wars toy at first (Cobra Rattler, in case you're wondering.) However, when I look back at all the toys I had when I was little, I get quite a bit nostalgic and maybe even a little euphoric when I think about Star Wars toys.

Vintage SW 2

I didn't really have very many of the larger vehicles. No A-Wings, B-Wings, X- or Y-Wings. No Millennium Falcon, no Imperial Shuttle. I had Darth Vader's TIE Fighter and one Christmas I got my prized AT-AT and an AT-ST. But that was it as far as the more popular vehicles went. I also had a Bespin Cloud Car, but since it didn't really do much in the films I never really used it for much except maybe Princess Leia's personal ship (she let C-3PO ride shotgun.) I DID have quite a few of the Mini-Rig figures, like the CAP-2, MLC-3, INT-4 (which was my personal favorite because it looked like a flying AT-ST cockpit), MVT-7, and PDT-8, but they really gave off more of a Ralph McQuarrie vibe than a Star Wars vibe.

Vintage SW 1

No, the figures where were it was at for me. I loved them. There was a period there for a year or so where I got a new figure every Friday from my dad. Sadly, most of my Star Wars toys (as well as most of my other stuff) didn't survive what I like to call "The Great Garage Sales Purges." But a few did make it, the examples pictured here.

Vintage SW 3

I'm aware that there are endless possibilities for acquiring figures in better condition, replacement weapons and accessories, etc. but for some reason the idea never really appealed to me. I guess part of it is the fact that I can probably buy a better figure (one with elbows and knees and even ankles sometimes) for a cheaper price at retail, and part of it is that I'm not the same seven year old little boy that gleefully ripped open a Biker Scout in 1983 and felt like he'd just been given a million dollars. Yeah, maybe it would be nice to get some newer, cleaner figures that look like I just got them yesterday, but they wouldn't be MINE. They'd be some other kid's. Some jerkwad that kept all his toys in the package and wouldn't let his friends play with them when they came over. Oh, I've bought a couple more AT-AT Drivers to fill out my AT-AT's crew, but they're outranked by the one I got back in '81.

Vintage SW 4

So, here are the last vestiges of my "vintage" Star Wars action figure collection. They live in a zip-loc bag in the cargo hold of my POTF2 Millennium Falcon when I'm not trying to get them to stand up for a picture.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Loose legs on the Stormtrooper? I guess that's why he's sitting down. If I recall correctly he also has a large chunk missing from the back of his head.

Matt Booker said...

This is why I don't buy old g1 toys. (Cept maybe a cheap jetfire, jerkwad allowing.)

I wonder if the yellowed Stormtroopers were smokers...

And rofl at the robe-legs on Ben. :)

~Matt Booker

Heavyarms said...

@Jody, yeah, I wonder WHY the back of one of the Stormtrooper's heads is missing? (Battle damage, my ass.) The one sitting down has loose legs, and one of the feet is warped.

@Matt, no these are all from a smoke-free home. However, they are not from an ATTIC-free home.

Matt Booker said...

No, I meant that the Stormtroopers had been smoking when you weren't looking. ;)

And I just noticed the bit about the bag in the cargo hold. How big is that thing? o_0

~Matt Booker

Heavyarms said...

Oh, I get it. Well, you never know what the guys do when my back is turned. Maybe that's why my toy rooms always a wreck, they party when my back is turned.

POTF2 MF is the same size as the original Falcon toy from '79. POTF2 = Power of the Force 2 line from the mid 90s.

Matt Booker said...

I remember POTF, but I've not actually seen one of those in person. The stores around me had star wars figures, but rarely got anything bigger than a tie fighter.

I don't think I ever even saw an x-wing.

I had a few star wars figs, but they didn't have knees and elbows, which I was apparently obsessed with wanting on toys. I had a pretty kick arse Dash Rendar, though. Don't suppose they've made a better version of him?

(Shadows of the Empire got me started reading the extended universe novels. I never read all the ones I bought, but without a vcr and no movie theaters close by, it was damn fun.)

~Matt Booker