I used to buy loads of Star Wars figures then stopped for well over a decade. The last few years though, my eye has occasionally been caught by a random figure. Here’s every one I’ve bought in the last 3 years:
For some reason, I have always associated Gamorrean Guards (and Bib Fortuna) with my brother! I’m not saying I think they look alike, but when we were kids he got certain figures and I got others, and I think it’s possible that he got the guard in those days! These are of course the big pig dudes at Jabba’s palace from Jedi, and have always been a striking alien design.
This is a fantastic figure; quite possibly one of the very best Hasbro has made. It was not widely distributed either, and I think I got lucky finding one. I’ve got nothing but praise for this one.
This guy was discounted at a local grocery store, and if you’re wondering who Quay Tolsite is then join the club! I knew he was in (the film) Solo, but had to look him up to find he was a Pyke (his alien species) who ran the Kessel spice mines. That’s pretty much all that’s ‘known’ about him, which means he’s such a z-rank Star Wars character that even the expanded universe has ignored him 🙂
This is a good figure of a visually interesting character, but I wouldn’t have bought it if it wasn’t discounted. Like the film, most people could care less this guy exists!
Ewok figures – when we were kids – were very exotic! They were humanoid, but short and fat and their silhouettes were quite different from most of the range. I liked them but only ever had one since most of them came out at the very end of the original line and were poorly distributed (especially in Oz).
I bought Paploo here because he wasn’t another Darth Vader or Rey or Luke! It’s a decent figure with surprising articulation (says the dude who won’t open it!) although the paint could be better. But… it’s still just a slightly above average figure of a forgettable character, which once again raises the question of why they bothered making it!
IG-11 was the assassin droid with an amazing role in the first two episodes of The Mandalorian. This guy in no small way helped sell the show at least as much as Din Djarin himself, at least until Grogu showed up.
As a kid I loved my IG-88 figure and droid figures in general, and this one was a no-brainer buy when I saw it for sale yesterday. It’s a fantastically designed and painted figure especially for it’s small size. I almost wish I could open it…
Ah good old Sheev Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious, aka The Emperor. This was the dude that almost every single Star Wars film is actually about: he was behind the scenes in every film, pulling the strings of just about everyone. I’m a big fan of the character, and think some of the best scenes in the entire Star Wars series feature him.
This is a magnificent Emperor figure, showing him in the middle of his ‘zappy zap’ lightning attack against Luke in Jedi. He even comes with replaceable hands with lightning blasting from them! The face sculpt is amazing (his face is only about 6 mm high) and the paint application equally impressive. The only thing that could have made this better was if they made it an ascendant emperor version (from his fight against Reylo in Skywalker). Of the five figures here, this is probably my favourite.
I’ll end this with a wish. As I said I like droid figures, and there’s a few particular aliens that always catch my eye. But if Kenner makes a Jedi Luke in his black outfit from RoTJ with as good a face sculpt as Sheev here I’ll buy it as fast as that final scene in the last season of The Mandalorian brought a tear to my eye 😉
I believe I had IG-88 and you had Bossk. I never had a Gamorrean Guard.
I recall the sum total of our Star Wars figures as: Vader, Chewie, Snaggletooth, R2-D2, Hoth R2-D2 with the sensor thing, C-3PO the Bespin version with removable limbs, Yoda x 2, IG-88, Bossk, FX-7, 21B x 2, Jawa, Squidhead, Hammerhead, Luke Bespin fatigues, Imperial Commander, Nein Nunb, AT-AT Driver and at least one Stoomtrooper. We may have had Tatooine Luke or Kenobi as I remember their telescopic arm lightsabers. And perhaps an R5D4?
I remember laughing hysterically when we saw the size of the Wicket figure as it was tiny but still priced the same as other figures.