2019 Kenner Retro Collection - Star Wars

[GrandMoffNick]

Well, the pre-orders at Target.com are already pre-sold out, so there's definite interest.

Or they went with the oldest trick in the book and made the number available for preorder small to create the illusion of more interest than there otherwise would be, which then generates interest.

Only reason I want em……...

[Rob]

Be as sarcastic as you want, but it’s marketing 101 to create an artificial shortage at first to build hype.

[GrandMoffNick]

Be as sarcastic as you want, but it’s marketing 101 to create an artificial shortage to build hype.

I get that. Would be a little surprised if Target did that on their own over one line of Star Wars figs or if Hasbro did it to Target on an initial shipment for that purpose. But again, just my thoughts. I like garbage.

[McMetal]

I have to agree with Rob on this one. I would have been all over these if they were new characters not offered in that style before. But I have zero interest in repacks. And I dont have any carded Vintage stuff, all mine is loose. But this bothers me because for example Leia's original vintage blaster loose is still worth a premium on eBay. Once these hit the market it really makes it easier for unscrupulous sellers to take advantage of people.

Offering all new stuff would have avoided that problem, IMO.

[GrandMoffNick]

Sorry can't help myself. I see what you're saying, but how many of these things is Hasbro making? And are unscrupulous ebay sellers really going to be buying these in bulk and flooding the market with remake Leia blasters? I just think some of us are exagerating a bit here.

[CorranHorn]

Sorry can't help myself. I see what you're saying, but how many of these things is Hasbro making? And are unscrupulous ebay sellers really going to be buying these in bulk and flooding the market with remake Leia blasters? I just think some of us are exagerating a bit here.

Leia blasters can go for up to $100 now, so yeah if these retro weapons are hard to distinguish from legit vintage, you can bet there will be a lot of buying in bulk by unscrupulous dealers

[GrandMoffNick]

Sorry can't help myself. I see what you're saying, but how many of these things is Hasbro making? And are unscrupulous ebay sellers really going to be buying these in bulk and flooding the market with remake Leia blasters? I just think some of us are exagerating a bit here.

Leia blasters can go for up to $100 now, so yeah if these retro weapons are hard to distinguish from legit vintage, you can bet there will be a lot of buying in bulk by unscrupulous dealers

Guess I'm glad I've never been in the market for a vintage Leia blaster.

[Pete_Fett]

Leia blasters can go for up to $100 now, so yeah if these retro weapons are hard to distinguish from legit vintage, you can bet there will be a lot of buying in bulk by unscrupulous dealers

Anywhere that I can see a pic of what Leia's blasters look like - I have a plastic bin that is loaded with vintage figure weapons - maybe if I find an extra of that figure's gun I can score some fast money to pay for some new stuff I want!

[Brian]

I kind of get both sides of this Retro Kenner line, although the timing seems weird. Would have made more sense during the 40th year, but oh well. Still looking for more details on everything. Is it limited to just these sux (plus Tarkin)? One site I was reading today mentioned that but I haven't seen it elsewhere. Is it exclusive to a particular retailer (or online?), or is this a mass item. If so it just seems like things are overlapping a lot. We have the basic line (which didn't get a mention again?), the TVC (which I thought was already the retro throwback, limited line), the Galaxy of Adventures stuff, and now these. Not to mention two 6" lines with Black Series and Archive. It is just a lot, and it makes you wonder if they are phasing something out.

All that said, I do like what we have seen this weekend. Personally, I hope to grab the retro Kenner stuff, particularly Tarkin (more figures like that please). I don't have any vintage carded figures, and won't ever be able to afford them, so these appeal to me for that reason. Plus, I love the vintage line, and the overall "toy" aesthetic there. Curious to learn more.

Favorite news is the TVC stuff, like the rumored Skiff (now confirmed), and the surprising Jabba playset. I really REALLY hope this isn't super difficult to find since it got sent to Wal-Mart. Our local store simply doesn't get SW exclusives lately, and is kind of a dump to even go into. I would rather they just cut out the middle man and went straight online (at EE or elsewhere). Looks pretty cool though.

[Nicklab]

Now that I've had a day to digest the news and get a better sense of what this particular sub-line represents?  I will save my ire for more important things.  Does this line really draw me in?  Not really.  Is it a nice little interesting sub-line to do?  I guess, especially for people who were never able to get the original vintage figures back in the day.  Add in the board game with Tarkin?  And it comes across as maybe being a little better thought out than I initially realized.

I want to see if this sub-line has legs or if Hasbro is genuinely committed to making this something of a one-off.  Because I take issue when mainline releases like The Vintage Collection or The Black Series start losing peg space to novelty items.

[EdSolo]

I think the line is neat from a nostalgia standpoint.  I remember the rereleases way back when POTF2 was starting.  I too would be worried about vintage fakes now.  I love the look of these, but I have the vintage counterparts loose and I have been trying to sell of my carded collection, so I can't see myself picking these up.

Now the Tarkin figure on the other hand, that I would like to have just because he never got made in the vintage line.  The new playset is calling my name as well.  However, I really want to downsize my collection.  It is a daunting task.  I have only managed to sell my orange card figures and my purple card SOTE figures.  I have had a listing for the green card POTF2 and my freeze frame figures and haven't gotten any hits yet.  I have so much in totes that I really can't bring my self to buy something new even though I really like the look of it.  Of course I foolishly signed up to buy the Barge...the playset lover in me just couldn't pass it up once it was fully funded.  If they decide to make a Death Star playset next through Haslab, I think I will just pass out.

[Darth_Anton]

I bet I'd feel a heck of a lot different if I had a more pristine vintage collection. A majority of my vintage figures are in pretty great shape, but there are some faded figures (namely Blue Sanggletooth and the ANH Leia and Stormtrooper,) and a missing accessory or two (namely a black Imperial Gunner Blaster and maybe a the proper black Luke Stormtrooper blaster) and I haven't found justification to replace just yet since they aren't cheep. Only Vintage figure I don't own is a Vinyl caped Jawa.

[Mister Skeezler]

Is this a part of the Vintage Collection or a whole new collection?

[JediJman]

I'm really disappointed in seeing this line.  I do like the nostalgia of it, and I think everyone agrees new figures like Tarkin are a nice offering.  Its also a nice alternative for those that don't have a lot/any vintage stuff.  That said, this is pretty crummy for those that spent a lot of time & money tracking down a vintage collection.  Sure, it has the potential to reduce prices, but I'm more bothered by the added confusion and frustration it will cause.  Its already challenging to identify some of the repro stuff, especially over the net, many times because the seller just doesn't know what they really have.  There are still some variations that I'd like to track down and this will make it that much harder to know what I'm getting.  If you're someone who cares about the authenticity of the originals, which I do, this really kind of craps on them.  It also makes the vintage stuff a little less meaningful to me if they can just re-release mostly the same thing 40 years later.

I'm sure I will end up getting these and maybe I'll like them more when I do.  But it's kind of a kick to the gut right now. 

[Jeff]

Is this a part of the Vintage Collection or a whole new collection?

It is part of the Vintage Collection in that it's aimed towards collectors and on Kenner-style cards, but I do not believe they will have the VCxxx numbering on them.  Like a TVC sub-line.