Collectibles > Original Trilogy Collection

Vintage Original Trilogy Collection: Overall Impressions?

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Brian:
Although the majority of us have likely not found the entire VOTC line quite yet, it does appear they are starting to make their way through the retail system.  This was probably one of the more anticipated and talked about Star Wars lines in quite some time, and from what I have read it seems to have brought a lot of casual or old collectors back into the game.  Of what you have (or have seen pics of, in person, etc.), what are your impressions of this line?  Did the figures meet your expectations?  Are they the "best ever" incarnations of these figures, in these particular outfits?  Which were hits, and which were misses.  Also, if you don't think the VOTC versions were the best of what we've seen...which previous versions top them?

A New Hope Wave Found: 4 of 4

Luke Skywalker - not too bad, but probably not one of the stronger figures.  The cloth cloak seemed unnecessary, but at least it was a different take on the farmboy Luke.  The articulation was nice.  I wouldn't say it was worlds better than previous farmboy Lukes overall though, but parts did seem pretty good.  Maybe a wee bit too short.

Obi-Wan Kenobi - again, not terrible, but not particularly impressive either.  I think I've gotten mine into a position where the bulky cloak at least looks decent, and the additional articulation is nice (no knees though?), but I wouldn't say that it is that huge of an improvement over the POTJ or recent Spirit version from the OTC.  Also, the fact that he has the "old style" lightsaber with no "flame effect" at the base kind of bothers me.  Minor quibble though.  Average figure, probably not worth $10.

Princess Leia - Pretty good figure.  Sure, the face sculpt isn't 100% accurate, but its probably as good as any past ones have been.  Better articulation than all previous versions.  Otherwise, not a huge difference between this one and the Commtech versions.  That said though, this is probably my favorite version of the New Hope Leia, pretty easily.  A solid figure, not spectacular, but solid.

Han Solo - Wow.  My favorite figure of all time I think.  Han and Chewie are my favorite characters, so that might have something to do with it too, but this figure to me is pretty much perfect.  The vest isn't a seperate piece, but that is really the only minor quibble with this figure to me.  I think this is easily the best Han Solo figure we've seen, and makes a solid Commtech Han Solo look quite dated.  A template for the future of well articulated figures.

Empire Strikes Back Wave Found: 4 of 4

Yoda - Another favorite character of mine, so I was really looking forward to the figure.  It is a nice figure, and I really like the vintage "nods" of the soft goods cloak and snake, but the soft goods doesn't sit quite right on mine.  Plus, as has been pointed out by Jesse I believe, the belt isn't on the outside of the cloak, like the vintage figure.  I do like the VOTC Yoda overall, but I almost think the OTC version is a better overall likeness.  My VOTC Yoda just looks a little....chubby or something.  Good figure though...$10?  Not sure.

C-3PO - Although I can appreciate the vac-metallized work on this, I was fairly unimpressed with this figure when I found it.  As with all of the VOTC, I am happy to have it, but it definitely isn't worth $10.  I think the part that bothers me the most about this figure is the face sculpt (at least on mine).  He almost has a "puckery" look to his face/mouth, if that makes sense.  I guess I was more impressed when I finally found the repack of the MMC version this year, I thought that figure was a more impressive 3PO.  Plus, the obvious flaw of more articulation too.  Again, some of the other areas of sculpting, as well as paint/metallize work, are impressive...but this figure could have been much better I think.

Lando Calrissian - I was happily surprised with this figure.  I guess it wasn't one I was really psyched and thinking about a lot, but when I found it I thought it ended up being one of the best of the line that I have seen.  The cape is a little better detailed, the articulation is very well done, and overall it is a solid figure.  Some minor complaints would be the head sculpt (POTJ one seems a little more accurate), and the lack of ball joints on the elbows (which is a running theme in this line).  They did it with Han, and it worked great, would have liked to see it here.  Otherwise, this is a very good version of the "other" smuggler, and capable of more than one pose (like the POTJ version)

Darth Vader - Another favorite of mine, and a great figure.  I like how it turned out.  The only problem I really have with it is again the ball jointed elbows, but I guess it doesn't hurt this figure too badly.  The sculpt is nice, the soft goods worked pretty well (at least on mine), and the fact that we got a lit and unlit saber was a nice bonus.  I would say this is the best Vader we've seen so far, but it could probably still be improved upon a little bit.  A terrific figure though I think.

Return of the Jedi Wave Found: 2 of 4 (Missing Chewbacca, Boba Fett)

R2-D2 - A nice little figure, and Hasbro did a little extra with things like the pop-up sensorscope, removable third leg, and the "gadgets" panel to make it something different.  The "chrome" dome might not technically be accurate, but it looks nice, and is another nice nod to the vintage figure.  We've seen quite a few nice R2s over the years, and this is another nice take.  The recent Jabba's Sail Barge figure might be a better R2 overall, but I don't have any complaints about this one personally.

Stormtrooper - One of the best of the line.  It took the very popular and well liked Commtech version, and improved upon it.  Finally, a super articulated version of the best army builder in the Star Wars saga.  Ball sockets everywhere you look, the stormie blaster, and a good sculpt.  Best version ever.  Only drawback (as with the whole line), $10 a pop.  Tough to justify army building with that pricepoint.

Chewbacca - I haven't found this figure yet, but outside of Han it is my most anticipated of the line.  From the pictures that have come online within the past week or two, it looks amazing.  Likely the best Chewie ever.  The Cloud City version is also nice, but this one looks like it will be even a little better.  Although it seems to be missing peg holes in the feet, i do like how they gave him the "sasquatch" feet.  I don't have it yet, but judging from pictures, it is second only to Han with me.  Really hope I can find one (and that everyone else can too).

Boba Fett - Haven't found Fett either, but from the pictures it looks to be a great figure as well.  We've been wanting a "super articulated" version of this character for quite some time, and it looks like Hasbro has delivered on that.  From the pics, the color of the jumpsuit seems a little bit off, and overall the accuracy of the figure might be beaten by the great 300th Edition Fett.  But, that figure is pretty much stuck in one pose.  In some pics online, the head looks a little big, but I have seen that people who have found him say that isn't the case.  He'll probably be a bugger to find int he stores though.

Sorry for the excessively long post, I was just curious to see what everyone thought of this line overall.  Do you think they were worth the $10 a piece?  I'm not so sure.  Although I think the line is great, and I really like the vintage packaging, I think we've seen somewhat comparable figures at the $5 price point, and in some cases better figures at that price.  The packaging (star case) was neat too, but I would have gladly given it up to get these figures for $5-$7.  Overall though, this is definitely the most excited I have been about a Star Wars figure set in quite some time, and overall Hasbro seems to have delivered.  The $10 price point really hit me though, and it did seem like a lot to pay for the figures.  That said, I'd like to see more figures done in this style (well sculpted, well articulated, at least close-to-definitive versions), and hopefully we'll see more of this in the future.  It does seem like these could be done (minus the spiffy packaging) for a lower pricepoint though.  I really like being able to have definitive versions of the main characters, who can be posed either neutrally, or in action poses, determined by us...not by the sculpt.  Figures that either are, or come close to, being the best versions ever of the characters to me are: Han Solo, Darth Vader, Stormtrooper, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, Princess Leia, and Boba Fett.  The latter part of the list could still be improved upon a little, but they seem pretty close.  Anyways, what are your thoughts?  Did the VOTC live up to expectations?

Muftak:
An interesting idea. I'm game. I typed mine up after reading Msonab's premise, but without reading his reviews (to keep my reviews clean). A lot of my analysis lines up with Mosnab's, but htere are some interesting differences

From the beginning, a line of ten-dollar action figures was a hard sell to me. I thought, packaging aside, they had better be some darn nice figures to warrant the 100% markup. I'm an opener, the packaging means nothing to me whatsoever--even the OTCs, I just rip 'em open and throw 'em away. I have seen all of the VOTCs (At one time, in one store, even.) and I have come home with seven of them. First, I'll go through the ones I didn't buy, and why:

Obi-Wan--I really liked the looks of him at the store, I still pick him up and look at him when I see him. He looks great in the package. But the pictures I've seen of him around have turned me off to buying him at the ten-dollar price--he's just not as fully posable as he could've easily been, and the soft goods didn't work well. If there's a clearance/deal/repack somewhere down the road for cheaper, I may yet get him. There aren't any great Obi-Wans, he's as close to the best Obi-Wan there is, but still terribly flawed.

Yoda--I passed on Yoda at first sight. The robe is ugly, the face is ugly. All he has going for him to me is the accessories--the snake and the flute necklace are nice, but not enough. I don't need a Yoda with sculpted little green legs to feel like I have the best Yoda. OTC beats him on everything, so I bought two of that instead.

Threepio--I don't like the Coin/Hall of Fame/OTC version of this figure that a lot of folks tout as the best Threepio, but I like the VOTC one even less. It simply doesn't look like Threepio. The detail is there, but the proportions are lacking. The lack of articulation on the "ultimate" version was a let down (I almost wrote a smack in the face, but that's a little overboard I think.) that my view of the figure never recovered from. I still have not seen a definitive Threepio action figure, but I feel it's only a matter of time.

Boba Fett--This is another figure I've gone around and around with myself about. On the one hand, I really want a good posable Fett, and this is it. On the other, the buckethead is just too big for me, it's not good, it doesn't please my eye. The gauntlets, also, are too bulky for my taste. and, in the end, he has the ROTJ colors. I'd prefer correct proportions in the ESB colors, and so I'll stick with the 300th version as my "definitive" Fett.

Artoo--Let's face it, asking ten dollars for Artoo is always going to be a tough sell. Sometimes asking five dollars for him is a bit of a stretch. Hasbro did what they could with him (removable 3rd leg, removable tools that look accurate) but in the end the chromedome and lightpipe eye just turned me off. It doesn't beat Bartoo as the Artoo in my collection.

Okay, so that's the misses. Here are the hits:

Han--The first figure I picked up. I did not like the ultra-realistic look of him when I first saw pics last winter, but the figure came out much better than it looked. This Han beats the Commtech version so easily, I almost wince when I look at that old version now. This is the high-water mark for human characters thus far.

Leia--At first I passed on Leia, but reviews and pictures on the web brought me around. The cloth skirt is a bit of a distraction, but the fact is it allows the figure to use the leg articulation to the fullest. The cut elbows could've been a failure, but her shoulders are sculpted so that you can swap shoulders and armpits to effectively straighten out the arms or bend them to cradle her gun. The face is good--the least ugly Leia we've gotten (to be as harsh as possible--I actually think it looks kind of cute.)

Luke--I never planned on buying Luke. I don't like the soft goods. They always fail to please my eye. But when I saw this Luke at the store, I realized it could work. I had to bunch the tunic way together in the back, and tuck his collar under, but he looks good. Again, it was necessary to use the soft goods this way to include the articulation. Luke can lean, squat, sit, and pretty much contort to any pose you want, even more than Han, really. About the hardest thing to have him do is put his arms up over his head, the sleeves kind of shrink up on him (though I guess the costume would flop down like that too.) I don't expect to ever get a more posable Luke.

Vader--Ah, Vader. I knew I wanted Vader as soon as I opened Han. All this articulation would work for Vader. And even though his ankles don't bend, his elbows are cut joints, and his cloak is cloth, I still love Vader. The cloth cloaks are the best soft goods of the line, they have a nice flow to them. Vader's arms look okay either bent or straight. The removable saber hilt is something I want to see in all Jedi figures, and really takes this Vader from great to outstanding, even with the glittery chain not working well.

Lando--I thought I would pass on Lando as well but wound up buying him. His arms don't go straight like I'd like, but otherwise he's Han's match as far as articulation perfection. His cape is better that the POTJ version (something I would've doubted was possible a year ago.) But the best thing about Lando? His shoes. Man, I love Lando's shoes!!

Stormtrooper--I have a large army of CT Stormtroopers (thanks to the fan club store, who sent me double my order and promptly went out of business) so I wasn't really looking forward to an upgrade, just based on the fact that I had a large army already. Add on top of that I didn't expect ot ever see one of these, as I've yet to see a SA Clone, and my interest was middling. When I found it I was happy, and became only more so when I popped it open. This is the top of the line for Star Wars figures, it really is. There is no real flaw, even the unorthodox holster tickles me in its look and uncompromising design. You can't beat this Stormtrooper. I, who had hemmed and hawed about ten dollar figures, who already owned so many stormtroopers some of them haven't found there way out of the little white mailer boxes, I wound up buying a second one. Because it was that good.

Chewbacca--Again I didn't think the Saga CCC Chewie could be much improved upon, short of adding the ability to straighten his arms. I prefer the ESB slicked back Chewie hair-do over the Mechanic "blow-dryed" look as well, so a ROTJ Cheiwe was of low interest. How wrong I was to doubt what more could be done. With my VOTC Chewie, I have been able to pose him like no other--I've even had him standing on one foot, punt-kicker style (and without peg-holes, that's saying something for this figure's ability to balance.) To top it off, this is not "ugly" articulation, it's well hidden. Again, the best done alien figure ever. Period.

So, at the end of the day, I have to say the VOTC line won me over against all my better judgement. At this point, if Hasbro said they were cutting back Star Wars figures to only doing twelve of these types of figures a year, even at ten dollars a pop, I would be happy. Getting these ultimate versions has really been worth it.

Scott:
I'm going to wait until I have all 12 before giving my overall thoughts, there are some definite hits and misses though

Darth Broem:
I only have the first wave Luke, Han, Kenobi, and Leia.  I think Han is the standout of course.  Kenobi's cloak is too puffy.  Leia would have been better with a hood up feature.  I would have liked to have had her own gun seen in the film.   Luke is pretty good for the most part.  They can never make a good head likeness but it will do. 

Overall I really like them despite a few negatives.  The articulation puts them over the top for me. 

I can't wait for the others! Well except maybe C-3PO, but I'll still get him.

SilverZ:
My opinion on the 12 figures falls right in line with what you guys have been saying. I'm pleased overall.  Even when you consider the duds, if I were to think about VOTC as a "new" line of Star Wars figures, it's a great lineup that is very well executed. To me, 3P0 really is the only one that outright fails as a figure of the caliber they aimed to achieve. So I'm not redundant, I'll just summarize my opinion into three categories:

Definitive:
Chewbacca
Han Solo
Stormtrooper
Boba Fett
R2-D2

Good with Faults:
Lando
Luke
Leia
Darth Vader
Obi-Wan
Yoda

Failure:
C-3P0

And the differences between a Definitive figure and a Good one are minor, like the color of Yoda's skin, the lack of ball-socket joints on Lando's and Vader's elbows, missing pegholes on Leia, and Luke's height. Pretty good, if you ask me, for a new line.

I'd like to see them move ahead with this concept in the future and drop all the extra packaging to try to get these to around a $7.99 pricepoint. Ditch the Starcase idea, and even the vintage card, and do new OTC-like retro packaging, maybe in a smaller plastic box instead of a standard card.

If we got 12 figures a year at this high of a quality I'd be really, really happy.

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