Star Wars Black Series

I mentioned before that last year I decimated my Black Series collection. My goal was to get things to a more manageable level, to get used to not having EVERYTHING, and boil it down to the things I love the most. There were many, MANY hard cuts to make. My goal was representation for the key elements of the OT. I just set up my remaining figures in my new display and I'm pretty happy with it.

Top shelf is the main cast. Everyone's reason for being here is self explanatory. I guess you can get away with not including Tarkin if you're only going with the most essential of SW characters, but I love Cushing so much and this figure is flawless for the price point. I decided, regardless of their multiple outfits, I could only do one each of Han, Luke, and Leia and the fact that Hasbro just rereleased really good/probably the best versions of each of their ANH looks, I may as well go with these. Stormtrooper represents all imperial forces--Snowtrooper, Scout Trooper, etc, sadly, didn't make the cut (as I said, HARD cuts were made).


The figures on the risers represent the planets our heroes travel to throughout the trilogy--Tatooine, Hoth, Endor. If I find a Wompa for a price I'm willing to pay, I may replace the Hoth trooper (as great a figure as he is) just so I can get indigenous representation. I love that Tebow was the first Ewok they did because Tebow was the only vintage figure I owned as a kid. The only other Ewok I would spent $30 on would be Chief Chirppa (my brother's only vintage figure). Lando represents Bespin. Boba Fett, of course, represents the bounty hunters (hey, look, they did a high-quality figure at a standard price point), Greedo represents all cantina aliens, Gamorrean Guard all Jabba goons, and Akbar the Rebel Alliance. In the case of Gamorrean and Akbar, there really was no other choice. Both figures are incredible, as good as they can be for the price, and I personally think each costume is an 80s practical effects marvel. Yoda represents.......um, not sure, I guess he's not really essential for a SW display.


Scout trooper was kicked off the speeder in favor of Luke and Leia. I could get away without this, I guess, but I love the scene in the movie and it's a really nice looking piece. Emperor is flanked by the only two prequel figures I own and I really love this trio. (Also, all three actors are in one of my favorite Halloween movies, Sleepy Hallow). These represent me letting go of purist BS and throw some fun stuff in once in a while. Jar-Jar was actually kind of a hard cut. They did a really good job on his figure. I had a pretty decent Jedi army going but I had no space for it.


Sandtrooper was kicked off the Dewback in favor of Kara Dune, baby Yoda and The Mandalorian. Mando season 1 was my favorite piece of Disney SW (willing to change my mind on that once I see Andor season 2).


So there you have it, my remaining Black Series figures with my justification for slashing my collection down to less than half of what it used to me. I'm proud of myself, proud the the collection, and look forward to the day I can do the same thing to Marvel and DC.

That looks really good. I'd much rather have a Hoth trooper in that spot than a wampa — or maybe a tauntaun. An Andor fig will fit nicely in that bottom shelf ...

Seeing the Leia Hologram table makes me sad they never did that again. Also, somehow, in all the Hologram figures last year, they didn't make Leia, of all characters. Seriously?

I have a Ben Kenobi-shaped hole on my shelf right now that I need Hasbro to hurry up with the new version so I can fill it (baby Ewan is keeping the spot warm). I'm tempted to buy that SDCC set at this point - at the new prices, it's only a $40 accessory. (I'm joking. I hope.)

I also have zero Tuskens, which is super weird for me, but I just don't have room! See:



And that's not even all!



I like George as the Stormtrooper repping the legion.

I like your poses. Though I'd have kept the Biker Scout hanging on to the speeder in some fashion. Also - I see the Black Ranger next door - is he the only one?

GrumpyMatt said:

I worked the midnight sale for Episode 1, one of my last days at TRU. One of the most ridiculous, gross things I've ever witnessed. (If only there had been cell phones in 1999.)

I'm not exaggerating when I saw we had a backroom full of cases of figures. Pallets of them. Hasbro sent so much for that night and the early weeks of release. Despite stressing this to the roughly 40 people waiting in line outside, they still rushed in like starving refugees when the doors opened and tore into the figures. There was pushing, there was yelling. A few of them were ripping the J-hooks full of figures from the peg board and throwing them into carts which they'd push to some solitary, dark corner of the store to sort through.

It was amusing/disgusting to watch. I only bought two things that night, a Darth Maul and the Action Fleet jedi transport from the beginning of the movie. I remember I was pissed they raised the prices for everything with the new movie.

I bought most of the figures later that summer when everyone was marking them down to clear out stock.

I can't remember taking part in a midnight sale for AOTC but I do remember grabbing a bunch of figures at Walmart the Saturday morning after.

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Was in high school. Didn't do anything midnight, but did skip the afternoon classes to hit Wal-Mart and it was fully stocked, but a wreck. Had no issue picking up the core cast.

I wish the rest of PoTF was that easy. The Slave Leia chase was a coming of age movie in itself.

My episode 1 War story is going to the actual screening. I did not do the midnight but the early evening of the official day. Friend of mine's older brother was the manager at our theater, and we had free passes.

They had run continuous showings since midnight, and I think I was at like the 7: 15pm. Still have that stub.

I had brought my Darth Maul and Obi-Wan action figures in my hoodie pocket, and because the line was so long just to even get in the theater, we were sitting down on the floor and I was playing with my action figures.

I clashed them against each other and I was doing an over the top Super Friends type narration for my friends, and of course Obi-Wan defeated Darth Maul, knocking him off of my large Coke to his death.

Which point a stereotypically large bald bearded Star Wars nerd guy in full bad Jedi cosplay stepped out of his place well behind us, marched all the way up to me, and screamed at me, "Don't ruin the movie for everyone else, asshole!"

We laughed at him, and everyone looked, but that was it. He went back to his place glaring at me.

Then I saw the movie and yeah Darth Maul gets knocked off something and dies.

So that dude spoiled it for me.

Schizm said:

I like your poses. Though I'd have kept the Biker Scout hanging on to the speeder in some fashion. Also - I see the Black Ranger next door - is he the only one?

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Yes, he is wedged into the corner because this detolf used to belong the Power Rangers. This is one of the Mega Sized 30 inch figures. I forget where I got him from but he is the only one I have. I guess they are pretty scarce, and they never did a Yellow or Pink. Would be pretty sweet to get some more, though. Not my pic.

GrumpyMatt said:

I worked the midnight sale for Episode 1, one of my last days at TRU. One of the most ridiculous, gross things I've ever witnessed. (If only there had been cell phones in 1999.)

I'm not exaggerating when I saw we had a backroom full of cases of figures. Pallets of them. Hasbro sent so much for that night and the early weeks of release. Despite stressing this to the roughly 40 people waiting in line outside, they still rushed in like starving refugees when the doors opened and tore into the figures. There was pushing, there was yelling. A few of them were ripping the J-hooks full of figures from the peg board and throwing them into carts which they'd push to some solitary, dark corner of the store to sort through.

It was amusing/disgusting to watch. I only bought two things that night, a Darth Maul and the Action Fleet jedi transport from the beginning of the movie. I remember I was pissed they raised the prices for everything with the new movie.

I bought most of the figures later that summer when everyone was marking them down to clear out stock.

I can't remember taking part in a midnight sale for AOTC but I do remember grabbing a bunch of figures at Walmart the Saturday morning after.

Click to expand...

I can imagine. Stories like this make my skipping morning class at art college seem tame by comparison. And yes, there was nothing anyone needed to be worried about. Every figure......EVERY figure was readily available from that day forward.

Really pretty shocking how different things are now where you're lucky to get movie toys that coincide with the actual release date. And if you do, it's like one case per store. And that's best case scenario. The last Star Wars movie didn't even have a toy line. Crazy to think how different things are.

altcunningham said:

I wish the rest of PoTF was that easy. The Slave Leia chase was a coming of age movie in itself.

Click to expand...

It sure was. I was a newly-licensed driver when those toys were coming out and all I did was drive around to TRU looking.

yojoebro82 said:

I can imagine. Stories like this make my skipping morning class at art college seem tame by comparison. And yes, there was nothing anyone needed to be worried about. Every figure......EVERY figure was readily available from that day forward.

Really pretty shocking how different things are now where you're lucky to get movie toys that coincide with the actual release date. And if you do, it's like one case per store. And that's best case scenario. The last Star Wars movie didn't even have a toy line. Crazy to think how different things are.


It sure was. I was a newly-licensed driver when those toys were coming out and all I did was drive around to TRU looking.

Click to expand...

Parents dropped my friend and I off at Regency Mall in Indy. There was the mall, TRU, Target, and a comic shop in a walkable circuit.

The climactic weekend after weeks of Action Figure Times "sightings" in the area went like this:

TRU clerk said they were all bought at open, which we missed by fifteen minutes. But an older collector told me he just came from Target and they had an end cap with her. Raced across the lot, through the mall, across to Tatget. Found two.

Victory.

Some older dude came up, saw them in our hands, looked at the end cap, ran into the aisle, swore. Stormed out.

Went to the comic shop.

Oh, that's where they all went from TRU. Priced to make you vomit.

And guess who was with the clerk behind the counter? Target guy.