The Hunt Is On - The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" Wave 15 Figures Found

Wave 15 saw the realistic 3 3/4" debut of two Clone Wars characters I'd been aching to add to my collection for many years: Fives and Hondo Ohnaka. I managed to secure both via an EB Games preorder for $29.00AU ($30.85NZ) and $25.00 ($26.60) respectively.

These are an absolutely phenomenal pair of figures - the release of which is perfectly timed, given that 2020 saw the climactic conclusion of the Clone Wars animated series. Donning his ARC getup, Fives comes with the standard super-articulation as well as a pivoting rangefinder. He's also replete with accessories: a removable helmet, removable pauldron, removable backpack, blaster, blaster rifle, and two blaster pistols. One thing that often bugs me about heavily accessorised figures is that I can't make full use of their equipment. Often they can only be displayed with one or two items, while the remainder get relegated to the bottom of a drawer. Not so with Fives. He's capable of donning his entire loadout (his blaster clipping into his backpack and his pistols slipping into working holsters) without look overencumbered. It's enormously satisfying.

Hondo, on the other hand, comes with nothing more than a single blaster pistol. But the phenomenal sculpt and paint app more than make up for this. While technically donning his Galaxy's Edge attire, Hondo can just as easily be used to flesh out a realistic Clone Wars display - which is precisely what I have in mind for him. My only real disappointment is with the frustratingly neutral expression on his face. It lacks the trademark cunning and charisma of this character. Sculpting him with a broad, charming grin (and, perhaps, including his pet Kowakian monkey-lizard) would have made this otherwise great figure absolutely perfect.

The Hunt Is On - The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" Wave 14 Figures Found

Wave 14 of the Vintage Collection provides us with another sampling of redecos from across the saga - this time featuring characters from The Phantom Menace, The Clone Wars, and Return of the Jedi. Three of these figures were on my hunt list: VC27 Wicket, VC92 Anakin Skywalker, and VC103 Obi-Wan Kenobi. I recently picked up the entire trio courtesy of Mighty Ape for $20.80 each.

The latter two of these figures mark the only realistic Clone Wars depictions of Anakin and Obi-Wan in the 3 3/4" line. While they were originally released back in 2012, distribution was poor, and - as a result - the pair often went for a hefty price on the secondary market. It was therefore a great call on Hasbro's behalf to give us a second chance to pick up these figures. The addition of Photo Real face treatments is simply an added bonus. Each figure comes with the expected super-articulation and both lit and unlit lightsaber accessories. The pair will go great alongside the realistic Ahsoka Tano I picked up back in 2017.

I had already managed to pick up this Vintage Collection Wicket on the secondary market. But while he came with his cowl and spear from Return of the Jedi, he had been missing the additional accessories that - in my opinion - absolutely make this figure: an entire alternative outfit inspired by his appearance in the Ewoks cartoon series. Now, however, I have a second Wicket to keep perpetually dressed in his animated attire!

The Hunt Is On - The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" Wave 13 Figures Found

Wave 13 of the Vintage Collection is indeed an unusual one - featuring a disparate mix of figures from A New Hope, Rogue One, and The Clone Wars. Of these, there were only two figures that made it on to my hunt list: VC167 Power Droid and VC168 Clone Commander Wolffe. Last week, I received both via EB Games for $24.99AU ($27.08NZ) each.

While Wolffe saw a 2015 Black Series release in his cold weather gear, this is his first release in his traditional armour. A removable helmet has also been added, revealing a Photo Real likeness of New Zealand's very own Temuera Morrison.

Nevertheless, the real highlight of this wave is the Power - or 'Gonk' - Droid. Despite his popularity with fans, the Gonk Droid has only received two single-carded releases in the twenty-five-year history of the modern figure line - the most recent of which was all the way back in 2006. I missed him then, and have regretted it ever since. Fortunately that's now been remedied. With a removable upper 'shell' and two independently articulated legs, this figure gives us everything we need in a Gonk figure. He'll go great alongside my Jawa and other sandcrawler droids.

The Hunt Is On - The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" Wave 12 Figures Found

I was unsure whether the latest 'Fan Channel Exclusive' Vintage Collection repack wave would make it to Australian shores (it ultimately did, thanks to EB Games and MightyApe), so I pulled the trigger early and picked up the three figures for less than RRP on the secondary market.

Wave 12 of the Vintage Collection sees the re-release of four highly sought-after figures. While I was able to give the C-3PO a miss, I did pick up VC04 Luke Skywalker (Bespin Fatigues), VC47 Lando Calrissian (General), and VC50 Han Solo (Bespin Outfit). All three figures feature Photo Real face treatment - though with varying results. While Lando and Han look great, there's something slightly... off about Luke's appearance. This tends to be a common issue when Photo Real is applied to older headsculpts (compared with the outstanding accuracy that can be achieved when Hasbro apply Photo Real to a specially-designed sculpt).

I missed Han on his first release back in 2011 - so it's great to finally fill that gap on my Empire shelf (though, admittedly, his goggles and welding torch were immediately donated to better kit out my Hoth Leia). Luke, on the other hand, provides a welcome update to my 2010 Vintage Collection version of the figure, while Lando does the same for my 2016 Black Series version.

The Black Series 6" The Child

As a dyed-in-the-wool 3 3/4" collector, I've largely avoided releases in Hasbro's larger-scale 6" Black Series line. There are the occasional exceptions, and my continued impatience with Hasbro's failure to release (or even announce) a Child for the 3 3/4" Vintage Collection line has driven me to dabble in the Black Series once again - recently picking up their version of The Child for $20.00AU ($21.34NZ).

Coming in at only 1.1", The Child may just be the most adorable Star Wars figure yet created by Hasbro. Despite his diminutive stature, he still manages to boast an impressive seven points-of-articulation, featuring ball-jointed feet, ball-jointed shoulders, swivel wrists, and a ball-jointed head. He also comes with three accessories: a frog, a bowl of bone broth, and the Razor Crest control lever knob he's so fond of playing with. These tiny accessories come packed in their own clear acrylic display case - an absolute necessity if you hope to avoid losing that near-microscopic lever knob. My one bone (broth) of contention is that the The Child is largely incapable of interacting with these accessories. You'll need to use some kind of adhesive if you want him to have any chance of holding either the hold either the bowl or knob in his hands.

The only other downside of this figure is the lack of additional accessories. Considering that he sells for close to the price of a full scale Vintage Collection figure ($20.00AU versus $24.99AU), Hasbro really could have included a little more plastic. The glaring omission is, of course, his pram. This needn't have been much - just a single sculpted piece of egg-shaped plastic atop a transparent stand - yet it would have added enormous play- and displayability options for little additional cost.

Despite being created for the 6" scale, this version of The Child seems entirely compatible with figures from the 3 3/4" line - as pictured above. In fact, let's consider the math. The 6" figure line is based on an assumed scale of 1:12, meaning that a 6 foot tall character will be sculpted at precisely 6 inches. Wookieepedia lists the Child's height as 16.1", meaning that an accurate 1:12 figure of the character would be around 1.3" tall. Consider instead the 3 3/4" line, with an assumed scale of 1:19.2. An accurate Child in this scale would instead be 0.8" tall. At 1.1" tall, this Child figure is actually somewhere between these two scales. He's slightly too small for a 6" figure, and slightly too big for the 3 3/4" line.

Given this, it seems that Hasbro really missed a trick here. The fudging on the scale of this version of The Child means he could easily have been marketed for both the 3 3/4" and 6" lines. Unfortunately, by labelling him as purely a Black Series figure, Hasbro may have excluded many potential 3 3/4" customers. Indeed, even I had decided to pass on this figure until my wife had a hunch about the scale and encouraged me to pick one up all the same. I now realise, however, that he is an absolutely adorable must-have for collectors of both lines.

The Hunt Is On - The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" Wave 11 Figures Found

Yes, they're finally here! Almost five months after the The Mandalorian series debut, we finally have the chance to own characters from the show in Hasbro's legacy toy scale. Wave 11 of The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" line includes VC164 Cara Dune, VC165 Remnant Stormtrooper, and VC166 The Mandalorian, and I was recently able to nab all three for $24.99AU ($26.51NZ) a piece.

Honestly, I was a little concerned as to whether I'd be able to get my hands on these. EB Games is now the only brick-and-mortar store in Australia stocking the Vintage Collection, and tends to receive only a case or two of each wave. Online purchasing had been similarly dire, with previous waves only being sold by random assortment. It's for this reason that I've been resorting more and more to the secondary market for new releases. Then EB Games went and did something wonderful: starting with wave 10, their online store began listing new releases by individual figure. I was able to preorder all three figures shortly after they were listed online, and couldn't have been happier to see them finally arrive last week.

First up is the Mandalorian himself, decked out in his early-season pre-beskar armour. He comes with everything you'd expect: his trademark pulse rifle, his sidearm, and a nicely-sculpted shoulder cape. The sidearm fits snugly into a working holster at his hip, and the rifle clips onto his back through a very nifty attachment. As you'd expect with any Vintage Collection figure, the Mandalorian is brimming with articulation - allowing you to pose him in just about any way you can imagine. The paint app is on point, with his beskar helm getting a very nice dirty metallic finish that - in this collector's opinion - rivals that of the larger (and more expensive) 6" figure.

But as sought-after as the Mandalorian might be, he's by no means the star of this wave. That honour goes to Cara Dune. In fact, she may be one of my favourite figures yet in the Vintage Collection line. I simply cannot convey how impressed I am by Hasbro's job in capturing this character in plastic. The sculpt and articulation work together beautifully to create a figure that is equally wonderful as both a toy and a display piece. The pièce de résistance is the Photo Real treatment of the face - what I think is the best usage of the technique yet seen in this scale. Gina Carano's likeness is captured perfectly, right down to the tiny Rebel Alliance emblem on her cheek. It's a staggeringly accurate amount of detail for a figure that's less than four inches tall.

Rounding out this wave is the Remnant Stormtrooper. For some time now, Hasbro has been telling us that the financial viability of the Vintage Collection line rests on future waves featuring a healthy number of repacks alongside new sculpts. And if Hasbro has to rerelease figures, then this is precisely the way to go about it. They've taken the utterly perfect Vintage Collection Rogue One stormtrooper mould, dirtied it up, and - hey presto - created a 'brand new' figure that we'll all lap up. Not only that, but it's precisely the kind of character that - because of its army-building potential - is likely to sell in even higher numbers than either the Mandalorian or Cara Dune.

Indeed, it seems that Hasbro still hasn't fully realised just how lucrative this approach can be. A Mandalorian-carded rerelease of the Vintage Collection Death Trooper would sell just as well, as would a dirtied up version of the Black Series Biker Scout. Heck, pack him with one of those white Legacy Collection speeder bikes, and you'll have the makings of a set that will fly off shelves - all without spending a single penny on a new mould.

Until then, this trio will have to suffice for my 3 3/4" collection of Mandalorian figures. Fingers crossed we'll see some more representation as season 2 draws closer.

The Hunt Is On - The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" Wave 10 Figures Found

I was lucky enough to find a small assortment of the Triple Force Friday wave of Vintage Collection figures at my local EB Games. Sadly - and somewhat predictably - the next wave (Wave 10) proved much harder to find. There were three figures from this wave on my hunt list: VC150 Princess Leia Organa (Yavin), VC162 Sith Trooper, and VC163 Shadow Trooper. While I finally managed to find the Sith Trooper at retail, I had to resort to the online secondary market to secure the other two.

As usual with The Vintage Collection, this wave provides us with another excellent trio of Vfigures. Leia is an upgraded of version of the (previously Walmart exclusive) Black Series figure from 2015 - now with improved articulation and that wonderful Photo Real face treatment. The Sith Trooper, on the other hand, is an entirely new figure and represents (only) the sixth 3 3/4" figure we've received from The Rise of Skywalker. Featuring phenomenal articulation and a unique pair of weapons, he'll make a great addition to my First order forces.

Rounding out the wave is the Shadow Trooper. While technically a new figure, he is in fact a clever repaint of the Rogue One stormtrooper with the addition of a pauldron. He comes as something of a surprise - being sourced from Legends gaming material - but a welcome one, to be sure. In fact, if Hasbro needs to pad waves with repacks of old sculpts to keep production costs down, then this is exactly how it should be done.

Now I've got this wave in hand, my 3 3/4" collecting is apparently going to quieten down for a while. Other than a trio of new Mandalorian figures coming in April and a handful of Photo Real upgrades towards the end of year, nothing else has yet been announced by Hasbro. It could be that they're waiting to show off a slew of new products at next month's New York Toy Fair. Ordinarily, however, such announcements are preceded by all kinds of leaks and rumours through the usual channels. But this time around, there's nothing. It's no secret that Hasbro's current Star Wars license expires this year - so I suppose we'll just have to hold our breaths to see if their twenty-year affiliation with the brand is set to continue.

More Loose Legacy Collection and Vintage Collection 3 3/4" Figures

It's been rather quiet on the collecting front since Triple Force Friday. During the lull, I've turned my attention back towards filling gaps in my collection of super-articulated 3 3/4" Original Trilogy figures. Last week I was finally able to remedy two glaring omissions: The Legacy Collection BD34 Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi and The Vintage Collection VC27 Wicket.

Released in 2008 and 2010 respectively, these figures still represent the definitive version of each of these characters. As such, they now tend to go for a pretty penny on the secondary market. Fortunately, I happened to chance across both at close to their original RRP - a great deal for a great pair of figures!

The Hunt Is On - The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" Exclusive Luke Skywalker and Yoda Figures Found

Along with a smattering of new Vintage Collection Rise of Skywalker figures on Triple Force Friday, Hasbro has continued churning out updated versions of several older Vintage Collection figures. Among these are a new Yavin Ceremony Luke Skywalker exclusive to Walmart and a Dagobah Luke and Yoda exclusive to Target. It's unclear when - if ever - these figures will turn up on Australian shores, so I was rapt to be able to nab the trio on the secondary market for less than RRP.

The Walmart exclusive VC151 Luke Skywalker (Yavin) is a repaint and Photo Real update of the Black Series #5 Luke Skywalker I picked up in Houston back in 2013. The Dagobah Luke and Yoda are similar updates to the Black Series #21 Luke Skywalker #22 Yoda from 2014. Luke has again been given the Photo Real treatment, while Yoda has received additional articulation and a new (more accurate) head sculpt. These two figures come in a Target exclusive "Cave of Evil" three pack - though I have no interest in the third (Vader with Luke's face), so I was incredibly happy to be able to pick up the Luke and Yoda on their own.

While some might grumble about the arms on the Dagobah Luke, this really doesn't bother me. They make perfect sense once you pair him with Yoda and his backpack.

As far as I'm concerned, all three figures are excellent improvements on a trio of already great sculpts - giving us definitive versions of Yoda and of Luke in these two iconic outfits.

The Hunt Is On - The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" Tatooine Skiff Found

I usually tend to focus on smaller-scale releases from the Micro Machines and Action Fleet lines when adding vehicles to my collection. That being said, I do occasionally pick up some of the more exciting 3 3/4" vehicles - particularly where they provide interesting ways to enhance the display of my figures. The brand new Vintage Collection Tatooine Skiff ticked those boxes and more.

Given the spartan distribution of previous Vintage Collection vehicles in this part of the world, I wasn't entirely sure if we'd even see the Tatooine Skiff in my neck of the woods. Fortunately, EB Games put the Skiff up for preorder back in August, and stock arrived just in time for Triple Force Friday.

Retailing for $80.00AU ($85.58NZ), the Tatooine Skiff gives you an enormous amount of bang for your buck. Replete with features, and treated to a gorgeous weathered paint job, this vehicle is a worthy successor to the previous - and only - sculpt of the skiff that debuted all the way back in 1985.

So where do we start? All of the necessary elements are there, including ball-jointed steering vanes, swivel control handles, and a retractable boarding 'plank'. But the skiff goes further than this, including a number of features not seen on-screen. There are eight weapon clips for assorted electrostaffs and vibro-axes, along with an opening weapons storage compartment in the centre of the vehicle. Additional storage can be found under the removable forward deckplate, along with some exquisite engine detailing under similar deckplates in the rear.

Hasbro's smartest addition, however - and the very thing that lifts this from a simple toy to a premium display piece - is the inclusion of a stand. Two transparent pillars mounted on a piece of sculpted sand dune hold the skiff aloft. But it gets better. The mounting points on the skiff hinge, allowing the vehicle to tip precariously just as when Lando fell overboard. Swap out the standard railing for the included 'battle-damaged' railing, and you can perfectly recreate this exact scene from Return of the Jedi.

Vehicle releases from the Vintage Collection line rarely fail to disappoint, and the Tatooine Skiff is no exception. There's really nothing more we could have asked for from a 3 3/4" version of this iconic vehicle!

The Hunt Is On - The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" Wave 9 Figures Found

With The Rise of Skywalker receiving no dedicated 3 3/4" line, the Vintage Collection is now our exclusive source of action figures in the classic scale. Fortunately, Wave 9 of this rebooted line hit (some) stores on Triple Force Friday, giving us a phenomenal quintet of characters from the final film in the Skywalker saga.

While quantity may be lacking (the number of 3/4" figures hitting stores for a new Star Wars product launch will usually be well in to the double digits), the quality certainly isn't. With continually improving super-articulation and the advent of Photo Real faces, each wave of Vintage Collection figures seems to be surpassing the quality of its predecessors. The same trend continues with this wave.

First up is the Knight of Ren, a character (or, rather, one of six similarly named characters) that most of us have been dying to add to our collection ever since 2015's The Force Awakens. After such a long wait, it's satisfying to see that this figure has been given the love and care it truly deserves - from the muddy weathering to the finely picked out detailing on its armour and included (vibro-?) ax. Most pleasingly, Hasbro opted to sculpt the soft goods in rubber, a decision which allows this Knight of Ren to maintain its dynamic silhouette. While fabric detailing can be nice, it's still largely hit-and-miss - often looking stiff and unwieldy at this scale (see, for example, Darth Malgus).

Next is Rey. Coming with a comprehensive collection of accessories (a satchel, her blaster pistol, her staff, and both ignited and unignited versions of her lightsaber) and featuring a phenomenally accurate Photo Real face treatment, this Rey is easily the most perfect rendition of this character at this scale.

More mysterious is Zorii Bliss; a character about whom we still know very little. Still, one thing is clear: her look is both iconic and straight-up Star Wars. Zorri comes with two beautifully detailed - almost flintlock-like - blaster pistols and a pair of working holsters.

The Sith Jet Trooper is another figure whose role in the saga is yet to be revealed. Nevertheless, he makes a fantastic addition to the collection of any trooper completionist like myself. His bulked-up weaponry and integrated jetpack make him stand out from previous designs, while still drawing strongly from a heritage that includes the First Order Stormtrooper, Praetorian Guard, and even the Imperial Assault Tank Driver. He comes with two different blasters, and the same holster 'clip' that we've seen on other First Order troopers.

Poe is the sole repack within this wave - though labelling him as such doesn't really do him justice. He first debuted in the Walmart-exclusive Black Series line back in 2015, meaning that for many people (especially those outside the US) this rerelease represents the first attainable version of a super-articulated Poe. He's also had quite the makeover since 2015 - with a brand new paint app and a Photo Real face treatment that much better matches the appearance of Oscar Isaac. Poe comes packed with a removable helmet, his standard-issue sidearm, and a working holster.

All up, this is a great first dabble in 3 3/4" The Rise of Skywalker characters. But a Star Wars saga film - let alone the final film in the series - needs more coverage than this. Let's just hope that there are far more characters on their way!