Shadows of the Empire Wave 1

The arrival of Shadows of the Empire was huge and I was the perfect age for it. My friends and I started a Star Wars Club at school that year and we brought our newest figures to play with at recess. We all shared any new information we could with each other about the story whether from the comics, the book (which was a BIT outside of our reading level), or the video game. We loved it. I loved it. Especially the new characters. I really liked the idea of a Wookie Bounty Hunter and the specialized Coruscant troopers but what really resonated with me was seeing somebody who looked like me in Star Wars. Dash Rendar.

Now, in my almost mid 30's, my hair has settled into more of a strawberry blonde but as a kid, I had dark red hair. And as you could guess, I was teased about it all the time. Seeing someone with hair like me be a hero in Star Wars and look so cool doing it was a huge lift to my self esteem as I began to approach double digits.

I was also a fan of Prince Xizor. The seedy underside of the galaxy has always appealed to me in Star Wars. Learning about this high and mighty crime boss was thrilling.

And of course, everyone loved getting to see more of the awe inspiring Boba Fett.

I didn't have all of the figures as kid, but I definitely had the big three. Boba was in an earlier wave and I picked up Dash and Prince Xizor on the same trip to the store. I picked up what would be my first Leia figure not much later. Now, I'm more than happy to have the entire wave.

Comments

Toy Hax Toy Stage - Castle Dungeon - Masters of the Universe Background

If you have never heard of Toy Hax, then you have been missing out on something wonderful. This site provides repro labels, mainly Transformers, but also some of the best backgrounds for action figures produced. They have many sub sections, including Masters of the Universe. Each of their designs also come in various sizes to meet your choice of figure scale or type of shelving you utilize for displays. This post will look at the large size Castle Dungeon. The Castle Dungeon is obviously intended be a section of Castle Grayskull. From left to right, there is a descending stairwell, computer console, weapons rack, and prison cell. The cell features dark red eyes in a pitch black room. The floor pieces have to be purchased separately but they are a lovely representation of the stone of Grayskull's floors. I bought these to go with my MOTUC collection that I had in my classroom but I am pleasantly surprised that the large size works alright with the vintage figure...

Custom Kenner Super Powers/Toy Biz DC Superheroes Nuclear Man (Superman IV)

I'm an unashamed fan of Superman IV. It probably goes back to the fact that it used to air on TBS all the time when I was kid. It might also be because I'm a fan of bad movies in general (Masters of the Universe, Flash Gordon, Super Mario Bros. and Mortal Kombat, I'm looking at you). With all that in mind, I've always wanted a Nuclear Man action figure. I mean, c'mon, who doesn't want the guy who slammed Supes feet first into the moon?! As a collector of the Toy Biz DC Superheroes line, I noticed that it is decidedly empty on the Superman side when it comes to baddies. Earlier this year, I was able to pick up a custom Cyborg Superman. Well, now I am happy to say that thanks to 37 Customs I have added Nuclear Man to my Legion of Doom! "Do you know what this means, Uncle Lex? We're parents!" - Lenny Luthor Between the Kryptonite and Nuclear man, Lex is secure in his position atop the Legion of Doom. Twice the dange...

King Arthur and the Knights of Justice - Lord Viper

I recently saw a tweet that stated that the best things of the 90's were really just backwash from the 80's. I'm still not sure if that is true but it does come up here with King Arthur and the Knights of Justice. It didn't last long but I loved it, especially that theme song! Definitely brought back feelings of Boorman's Excalibur. Also, the Round Table and Suit Up moments felt a lot like M.A.S.K. The biggest connection might be Masters of the Universe. A lot of the same voice actors from the New Adventures of He-Man show up in this series. Garry Chalk, who played He-Man in the New Adventures and Man at Arms in the 200X MYP series plays our main henchman and leader of the Warlords, Lord Viper. Also, let's not forget the Black Wing/Stratos similarities: One further connection, is that Mattel also created the toys for the short lived series. The figures were close in scale to both the vintage line and the New Adventures. The Horde Slime Pit was ev...

Ubernerd, Beyond Loserdome

Search This Blog