New retroline.......

The skiff looks interesting though - https://news.toyark.com/2019/02/16/toy-fair-2019-hasbro-star-wars-retro-and-vintage-collection-334638

Ian

Looks like Tarkin is an exclusive with the Escape from Death Star reissue board game

News from Rebelscum: (http://www.rebelscum.com/story/fron..._The_Retro_Collection_Presentation_183138.asp):

"Hasbro will be producing a new line of action figures based on the classic Kenner action figures. Like the Boba Fett released in The Vintage Collection, these figures are new sculpts and are just a bit bigger than the originals. The line will offer newer collectors an alternative to the vintage market prices and gives collectors of the original line some new figures to fill in a hole left when the collection (ended) in 1985!"

Also, I notice that the Toy Fair photos suggest that the weapons with these new figures are jet black and also look to be sharper sculpts than vintage originals:


So the answer to the discussion in this thread is that this new line is comprised of neither reproductions or reissues, but actually brand new sculpts! I must admit when I made my earlier post about the Classic 4-pack, I was forgetting about the rocket-firing 'vintage' Boba Fett figure Hasbro released a few years ago, which was a brand new sculpt made to look like the vintage original, albeit in a very slightly larger scale. If these new figures are similarly proportioned, hopefully it will assist collectors in differentiating them from vintage originals.

^ beat me to it.

These figures are going to be new sculpts. Here is closer look at the Leia blaster ... nothing to worry about peeps

Tarkin doesn't look right. It just looks like their other modern Tarkins, prob a previously used sculpt. And what is that fake edgewear all about? Looks ****ing **** :lol:

I knew this was a completely altruistic move by Hasbro. See they care about the people who want to collect vintage figures but can't afford them. They are not trying to cash in on the love of vintage by packing the most wanted unproduced figure, Tarkin, with a reissue boardgame no one wants. God bless you, Hasbro. :lol: :lol: :lol: :roll:

Deep, deep sarcasm aside, it's good to hear the weapons appear to differ notably from originals. From close up photos elsewhere online I can see some subtle sculpt differences too in the figures themselves. Good!

Now, Tarkin...not impressed to be honest. He looks more like Larry David sans glasses. If every nee character figure they make that they never made in the original line is bloody pack in or exclusive and looks like that...meh! Hasbro can keep them. This is clearly a cash grab exploitation of the older vintage collectors and I'm not falling for it. I'm pretty confident that someone else will make the unmade characters available at some point anyway.

I must admit that the fact these are new sculpts and slightly larger has made me a little more interested in them for having a modern version of the vintage line. With owning some Jumbo figures and last years Vintage packaged 6" this would probably fit in with another size variation for me.

That said though the Tarkin does look a little off and putting him in with the board game is a complete cash grab from Hasbro so I"m not sure I'll be buying into this.

If it doesn't effect vintage figures I don't really see the problem with it as those who aren't interested in them will just not buy them and maybe this will get a few more people out there into starting a SW collection of their own in some way.

Ian

I do hope that they will build in tiny paint and packaging irregularities to keep the varient collectors happy, :wink: and that the bubbles slowly turn yellow and then fall off! :lol: :lol: :roll:

Mini99 said:

I do hope that they will build in tiny paint and packaging irregularities to keep the varient collectors happy, :wink: and that the bubbles slowly turn yellow and then fall off! :lol: :lol: :roll:

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Hasbro bubbles have a tendency to do that 8) Based on the glue they use the bubbles will fall off by themselves within a year for that full vintage experience. :lol:

I have to say I love them so at odds with a lot of guys on here. I think they could just as well increase demand / interest for vintage as cause harm.

The different size/sculpt should mean capes and sabers wont be switchable with real vintage, which was my main concern. And I quite like the road worn packaging idea, in fact I think it would be quite cool if they all had a slightly different road worn look - torn off price tags etc :lol: . Better this than exact copies of the vintage mocs which could cause some confusion I guess.

Yes it's a cash grab in the sense that Hasbro want to make money, but it was ever thus, and nobody has to buy any of this stuff. And in a time where endor blasters are being flogged on eBay for 30 quid a pop, a line like this was inevitable, and maybe a fun way into collecting 'vintage' style for some newbies. I know I would have loved them a few years ago when I started collecting.

Not overly impressed with Tarkin, but in a strange way I think he does look like what I think he might have looked like if released in potf era - has more of a last 17 feel rather than the first 21, which I'd have preferred.

Retroblasting has just up loaded a video about these

They look cool, but so do many repro carded figures on ebay. If you decided to display them and a fellow SW fan asks a question about them what are you going to do, pretend they're 12 backs because Disney Hasbro holds the licence currently? No, you're going to say 'they're not originals but reissues, but they look great don't they?' But both of you know they aren't the real deal, so whats the point? We're not kids anymore, I don't play with SW figs. Its a big nostalgia fix for me. If I was kid now I'd probably prefer one of the better looking modern Tarkin's anyway.

Vintage Star Wars was produced between 78 -85 as toys for kids, everything else isn't. Everything Hasbro has produced since is with adult collectors in mind - the same kids only grown up.


Good luck finding these, I don't know if there's anywhere left in the UK that would actually stock these at retail anymore. Maybe Smyths Toys or Hamleys (TLJ figs were going for 14 quid each here!) but if the distribution continues the same way over the last few years its going to be online only. As someone who has recently got out of modern collecting for the 2nd time I really don't fancy getting into the Hasbro shitshow again where you have to pay well over the odds for figures you just can't find at retail. I can see this going down the same road.

The only figure we didn't get in the original line and they make it an exclusive with a board game? They're already making it difficult to complete the run and they're not out yet!

I agree with the general sentiment regarding the Tarkin figure. It looks off to me too. Yes it's a blatant cash grab, and I have absolutely zero interest in buying a new Escape the Death Star board game, however if the figure had been good enough, I would have. As it stands however, I almost certainly won't, and my reasons are simply that to me, the Tarkin just doesn't look vintage, because it looks too good! By that, I don't mean that it's a tremendous likeness, because it isn't; it looks about as much like Peter Cushing as Floella Benjamin. My problem with it is that the whole figure looks like it could almost be from the POTF2 line. It's too slick. It lacks the naive, almost child-like quality of most vintage sculpts, where realism and accuracy rarely troubled the sculptors. Incorrect colour schemes and clothing abound in the vintage line, scale accuracy doesn't really matter, and facial likeness is usually non-existent because it almost seems to be an impression of the character rather than a genuine attempt to capture a resemblance.

It's a great shame, but I think Hasbro needs to try quite a bit harder than they have with this Tarkin figure if they want to truly capture the look and feel of the vintage line in a brand new sculpt. Perhaps they should have taken inspiration from some of the brilliant custom versions of vintage figures out there which, in my opinion, knock the socks off their attempt.

Tarkin looks off, but that's the point isn't it? All the old figures look off to some degree and that's adds to the charm of them. For Tarkin to actually look like Peter Cushing it wouldn't be right and it wouldn't fit in with the other vintage figures.

I'm not too sure what to think about these. I guess I'd be up for grabbing new figures done in this style, it depends on just how big the size difference is. More cantina aliens would be great.

I wonder if that guy selling those Han Stormtrooper figures on eBay is in any way related? Could they be bootlegs from the new Hasbro molds? The timing seems a bit of a coincidence.

Reading through some of these posts it's just occurred to me that in classic Hasbro style they have completely done the wrong thing and missed a great opportunity. What they should have done is only produced the figures/characters that weren't in the Vintage line (as someone already mentioned) but in a very authentic vintage style and on the cardback they would have likely come on. Tarkin, Rebel Trooper, Han Stormtrooper, Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, Cantina barman, Imperial Spy (with the long snout), Bith band member etc etc etc. That's just listing a few obvious ones from Episode IV but across all three films there are tons that could be added to the original line. Just reproducing/reissuing all the ones we've already got makes no sense to me.

Robstyley said:

Reading through some of these posts it's just occurred to me that in classic Hasbro style they have completely done the wrong thing and missed a great opportunity. What they should have done is only produced the figures/characters that weren't in the Vintage line (as someone already mentioned) but in a very authentic vintage style and on the cardback they would have likely come on. Tarkin, Rebel Trooper, Han Stormtrooper, Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, Cantina barman, Imperial Spy (with the long snout), Bith band member etc etc etc. That's just listing a few obvious ones from Episode IV but across all three films there are tons that could be added to the original line. Just reproducing/reissuing all the ones we've already got makes no sense to me.

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Completely agree with you Rob, I can see how previously unreleased figures from the original line would appeal to both the vintage and modern collector but just don't understand why anyone would want another Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader etc.
From a vintage point of view we already have these figures, they were made in 1977, I wouldn't buy one produced in 2019 and put it in my current collection because it's modern, wouldn't that be defeating the object ? And from a modern collectors point of view these figures have been remodeled multiple times with different sculpts and articulation so why would you want an inferior made figure ? I thought that was that was the point with modern collecting that the characters have better detailing and sculpts because of the improvements in toy making, it seems like a backward step.

Vialli said:

Robstyley said:

Reading through some of these posts it's just occurred to me that in classic Hasbro style they have completely done the wrong thing and missed a great opportunity. What they should have done is only produced the figures/characters that weren't in the Vintage line (as someone already mentioned) but in a very authentic vintage style and on the cardback they would have likely come on. Tarkin, Rebel Trooper, Han Stormtrooper, Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, Cantina barman, Imperial Spy (with the long snout), Bith band member etc etc etc. That's just listing a few obvious ones from Episode IV but across all three films there are tons that could be added to the original line. Just reproducing/reissuing all the ones we've already got makes no sense to me.

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Completely agree with you Rob, I can see how previously unreleased figures from the original line would appeal to both the vintage and modern collector but just don't understand why anyone would want another Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader etc.
From a vintage point of view we already have these figures, they were made in 1977, I wouldn't buy one produced in 2019 and put it in my current collection because it's modern, wouldn't that be defeating the object ? And from a modern collectors point of view these figures have been remodeled multiple times with different sculpts and articulation so why would you want an inferior made figure ? I thought that was that was the point with modern collecting that the characters have better detailing and sculpts because of the improvements in toy making, it seems like a backward step.

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Exaclty! Which is why is just feels like a completely misguided and cynical cash grab to me. I'm sure this will be well received by some and they will sell to a degree, but it's just seems like a completely ****ed up opportunity to me. If they had done what Rob says, they would really be on to a winner. Ah well!

Well they're up for order in the Uk if you want them - https://www.staractionfigures.co.uk/E6255.html

Ian

StarWarsFan said:

Retroblasting has just up loaded a video about these

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Do you have a link to the video, I can't seem to find it!

Wow! So if the rough UK market value for the first wave is £54 (about £9 a figure), it would be around £1000 to get a full run, if by some miracle Hasbro actually sticks to the idea long enough to achieve it, plus you just know that certain figures will be exclusives or pack ins, as already seen with Tarkin. All in all it just seems like a very odd decision, and personally I can think of so many other things I could put £1000+ towards that would bring me a lot more happiness than these rather desperate imitations. Each to their own!