2011 "Best Of" The Vintage Collection

[Brian]

I figured it was about that time again, always fun to read what everyone enjoyed the most from the past year.  A lot of good stuff from the vintage collection - from basic figures to new or updated beasts/vehicles.  I have to go back and look at the list to remember everything that came out this year, lots of nice stuff.

[Scott]

Let's go with the following catagories:

Best Figure
Best Vehicle
Best Exclusive
Best Multipack

[Matt R.]

Best Figure - Walrus Man
Best Vehicle - Y-Wing Fighter
Best Exclusive - The Search for Luke Skywalker
Best Mulitpack - The Search for Luke Skywalker

[Jesse James]

This'll be a lot more difficult than Clone Wars.

[Dressel Rebel]

I don't think I got any vehicles or multipacks this year.  My wife got me the taun-taun pack as part of a Xmas gift I think.  Anyhow:

Best figure: Gamorrean Guard

Top 5 runner-ups to best figure:

Rebel Fleet Trooper
AT-RT Driver
Fordo
Zam Wesell
Bom Vimdin

[Greg]

Best Figure: ARC Trooper Commander
Most Underrated Figure: Kit Fisto

Best Vehicle: Y-Wing, I guess? Not many choices...

Best multipack: Target 3-pack with IG-88, Bossk, and Snowtrooper

Best Exclusive: SDCC Death Star set

[Jeff]

Best Figure - Bespin Han Solo (like there was any chance I'd pick something else ).   Runner ups = Bom Vimdin, RFT, Echo Base Rebel, Gamorrean Guard.

Best Vehicle - Um, none?  I think the only ones I bought were the Y-Wing and B-Wing upgrades and while they were nice, they were mainly minor upgrades and fancy box purchases. 

Best Exclusive - Search for Luke Skywalker.  The Han could have been a little nicer, but seemed like a good buy for $25 in this day and age.

Best Multipack - Indiana Jones "Lost Wave" SDCC Box Set    Can I count that?  If not, then I'll pick the TRU Battle over Endor 4-Packs.

[Brian]

It is tough to narrow this list down, really a lot of good stuff coming out of the Vintage Collection, and not really many "stinkers" which is nice.

Best Figure - Bespin Han Solo (like Jeff, this is one I've been looking forward to for a long time).  Runners up - Gamorrean Guard, Bom Vimdin, Rebel Fleet Trooper, Admiral Ackbar, Wicket, Luke Skywalker - Jedi Knight, Zam Wessel, Captain Fordo, Echo Base Trooper, Ponda Baba

Best Vehicle - I don't remember much aside from repacks/repaints, but I'll go with the Target Exclusive Landspeeder.  I really liked the previous (Saga) version, and this only improved on that.  I also picked up the Y-Wing, which was nicely done as well.

Best Exclusive - Just to not double up, I'll go with the Target Vintage Taun Taun.  The price stunk compared to the multipack (which is next), but the combination of a brand new Taun Taun (my favorite beast) and the spiffy vintage packaging puts it up there for me.  It could have been $5-10 cheaper and it would be even better.

Best Multipack - The Search for Luke Skywalker.  Obviously, a much better value than the single Taun Taun, plus you get a couple of decent to nice figures.  Can always use more Hoth Rebels, and the Han was alright too.  Pretty good value overall too.

[Darby]

Best Figures:

Bespin Han Solo
Captain Fordo
Echo Base Trooper
Ponda Baba
Bom Vimdin
Phase 1 Clone Trooper (by far the most underrated figure of the year)
Kit Fisto
AT-RT Driver
AOTC Padme
Rebel Fleet Trooper

Best Vehicle - Didn't buy any, so.

Best Exclusive - Search for Luke. 

Best Multipack - Endor sets were pretty sweet.

[Diddly]

FWIW I'm only counting Waves 4-9 as 2011 figures, as I found ROTJ (wave 3) in 2010.

Best Figures - Zam Wesell, Peasant Anakin, AOTC Clone, Bespin Han, Fordo, Bom Vimdin, Rebel Fleet Trooper, Ponda Baba, Echo Base Trooper

Best Vehicle - Didn't buy any

Best Exclusive - Search for Luke Skywalker

Best Multipack - Republic Commando set (or Indiana Jones Lost Wave)

And just for kicks:

Best Repacks - Legends Spacetrooper, TIE Fighter Pilot

Worst Exclusive - Death Star Trench Run

Worst Figures - Stormtrooper, Utapau Clone

Worst Wave - Wave 5

[Phrubruh]

Best Figures:
Captain Fordo
Bom Vimdin
Kit Fisto
Rebel Fleet Trooper

Best Vehicle - Didn't buy
Best Exclusive - Search for Luke. 
Best Multipack - Didn't buy

[Scockery]

Best Figures: I'll post my list when I actually find all the figures released in 2011. (Never saw Zam Wessel, "Fordo", Echo Base Trooper, Bastila Shan, Wedge and Ponda Boba).

So, I won't be posting any best figures list.  Bom Vimdin was nice, though.

Best Vehicles: Didn't buy any...since I don't collect starfighters per se and that Landspeeder was overpriced.

Best Exclusive - Search for Luke Skywalker, which I didn't get yet...they are probably all gone now! Whoops. I got a Battle of Endor pack, but hated the TIE PIlot because his shoulder was so loose I could flick it around in circles. 

Best Multipack - Force Unleashed, for at least having new characters that otherwise would not have been made...finally making the Republic Commandos right better is nice, but they could've gotten right back when but cheaped out on the Scorch mold. The Target 3 -packs were dullsville.

Worst Figure: That I bought, Groucho Marx General Lando second . That I didn't buy: fake Medal Ceremony Han Solo and Escape from Death Star Luke. 

Most Pointless Repack: Commander Gree beats out Super Battle Droid by having no changes. ROTJ Boba Fett comes in third, while another reissue of VOTC Fett, it would be foolish of them not to milk all the money they can out of Snake-Eyes  Batman Boba fans. Keyan Farlander has minor changes, but they could've done more...make him blonde. Not accurate? Heck, the character isn't canon! And neither of those rebel commandos are onscreen actors, either.

Best Repack: Legends Spacetrooper, the last non-vintage carded repack nod fans will get for who knows how long...

[Dressel Rebel]

Worst Figure: That I bought, Groucho Marx General Lando second . That I didn't buy: fake Medal Ceremony Han Solo and Escape from Death Star Luke. 

Not possible.  It's the ROTS clone Utapau or white period end of story, or the yellowed stormtrooper helmets too.  The Han doesn't really qualify because if you just take the medal off of it, it is the best regular Han Solo figure we have ever gotten period in terms of Harrison Ford likeness.

[Jesse James]

Disagree completely on that...  I passed on that Medal Han completely, first because it's inaccurate for what it was supposed to be, but second because I simply don't concur on that likeness.  I'd go with scockery on putting him up there on the worst list.

Lando I thought was nice though...  not the best likeness but a good figure overall.

The Clone helmets clean up so I can't agree they're "the worst".  If anything I rather liked the Stormtrooper, actually.     The Clones were easy passes because I just had enough of the old SA one to not care I guess, but to me that Han was just bunk.  I prefer VOTC over it personally...  The Clones weren't high on my list by any means, but since the helmet cleans up I don't hold the discoloration against it ultimately.

[efranks]

I didn't single out a mulitpack but here's what I picked for my Best list this year:

Best Figure: Bastila Shan - All new, Fans' Choice and if you got one with a good paint job, excellent figure.  By the way, the Gam Guard technically came out in 2010, I picked him tops last year.

Best Vehicle: Mandalorian Gunship - All new, holds a bunch of figures and it's a unique design we haven't seen before.  Runner up was the AV-7 Mobile Canon.

Best Exclusive: I picked the Lego Padawan Menace, not a toy, this year.  But I almost picked the Star Tours Travel Agency from Disney.  Five figures, four of which were new characters, and basically three new droids plus the accessory.  When matched with the Ambush set that accompanied it, and with the Starspeeder that just came out, it's a really well planned out set of toys.

Best Multipack: I don't single out mulitpacks but the Disney set could fit here also.  I kind of like the TRU Force Unleashed set.  The two Navy Commandos are cool, Phobos isn't bad and Starkiller looks pretty good, even though I understand some people had a problem with him vs his game appearance?  Not sure, I thought he was a good figure and that's what I cared about.

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