Skip to main content

Star Wars Power of the Force Wave 1 Collection

 


I've always loved Star Wars. It was something that just always seemed to be a part of my life. I have mentioned before how I was able to benefit greatly from having older cousins who grew out of their need for toys and passed them down to my brother and I. With Star Wars, it was no different. We were given a good 30ish vintage figures as well as a well used Millenium Falcon that was missing quite a few pieces and we loved them. 

Just like we did with Masters of the Universe and other toy lines, whenever my brother and I had a chance to visit a garage sale or an antique shop, we looked for more Star Wars stuff to add to our collections. It was the late 80's and early 90's so there weren't really any other options.

Eventually, the Justoys Bend-Ems came out. We bought many of these but preferred the figures that were closer to the 3 3/4 scale. That Leia, 3PO, Yoda and R2-D2 filled some nice holes in my collection. The included Topps cards were very cool too.




Not long after, Galoob began releasing their Star Wars Micro Machines line. We gobbled this up as well but the 3.75 line was still the main toys for us when we wanted to play Star Wars. Then one summer, my Mom surprised me with a mail away figure that I had no idea was a thing: a brand new Han Solo as a Stormtrooper from Kenner. The day this thing arrived changed my life forever as it signaled to me that there were NEW Star Wars toys out there to buy and I didn't even have to scour antique shops to find them! And buy them we did. From 1995-1999, the Power of the Force Star Wars line was pretty much all I bought, besides the new G.I. Joes that popped up and a summer collecting the Lost World line. 

As the line began to focus more on the newly arrived Prequels and the figure sculpts began to "improve", I began to shift towards other things. Eventually, I passed my entire collection on to my younger brothers and was able to enjoy watching them experience Star Wars. Now, that we are all adults, our Star Wars toys are safely tucked away in my parent's basement awaiting the day that my niece and nephews discover them.

Recently, I became aware of how inexpensive the Power of the Force line was on the secondary market. I didn't just dip my toes in, I dove head first. I now have the entire first wave of figures and then some. I didn't stop there either as I also now have many vehicles I never owned like the X-Wing and the A-Wing. In fact, I've even begun building my own playsets out of cardboard like I used to when I was a kid! This has been a pretty fun ride this summer. In a way, I feel like I have reconnected with a part of me that I've missed for a long time. So let's see where this goes!



















As soon as I opened Leia, her shoulder crumbled! I was able to super glue some parts back into place for the pictures but I will be purchasing another one. Why not? They're cheap!




















And of course, the one that started it all.






















 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Toy Biz DC Superheroes Flash v2, Hawkman, Two Face

I started getting back into the DC Superheroes line early last year. Even though the Kenner Super Powers line is superior in a lot of ways, this line has a nostalgic value for me. Recently, I was able to add three more figures to my collection: Hawkman, Two Face, and the second version of the Flash! Version 2 is a HUGE upgrade over Version 1. V2 Flash doesn't rely on a wind up action feature so it actually has arm articulation. Now Flash can actually do some better posing... let alone throw a punch! V2 Flash also comes with a Quicksilver/Silver Surfer-esqe platform. It even moves forward on its own if you pull it backwards.  Toy Biz vs Kenner. The Kenner figure is obviously the better choice. Just one look at his weapon and his head sculpt and that is obvious. However, there is a dumb charm to the Toy Biz figure and I'm happy to have him. I really like this Two Face figure. He has a winding feature for flipping his...

Vehicle to Figure - Thunderclaw, Battle Hawk, Attack Squid, and Battle Ram Chariot

When the Classics line began in 2008, I immediately repurposed my vintage vehicles to go along with them. I also began to collect 200x vehicles. But now that I am veering back towards the vintage line, I wanted to see how they lined up. I am pretty happy with the results! Battle Hawk Battle Ram Chariot I prefer to use it with Hordak.  Room for Backup. Attack Squid I had also pick up a Thunderclaw in anticipation the Thundercats Classics line. Since that has never really picked back up, the Funko line goes well with it. Thunderclaw

Imperial Beasts Lot

When the vintage Masters of the Universe line came out, it was an out of the park, smash hit. Other companies wanted in on that MOTU cash so they produced similar toys for children to add to their collections. One of these companies was Imperial and two of their lines were Dragons, Knights, and Daggers and Robots, Lasers, and Galaxies. The box art alone were enough to tell children that He-Man would approve of these toys. Image from  http://mastersofthe80s.tumblr.com/post/147954847359 Image from  https://2warpstoneptune.com/2014/08/20/robots-lasers-galaxies-mammoth-marauder-imperial-1984/ As a kid I had a Mammoth Marauder and I loved it. Over the years, I was left with only the seat. Trying to find it online had proved torturous as fans had discovered their value and I refused to pay $100 for a rubber elephant.  Fate turned a new page for me this week, however, as one Ebayer decided to liquidate his massive collection of Imperial beasts. I decided to g...

Toy Biz Marvel Superheroes The Thing

Christmas time this year saw some great additions to my Toy Biz Marvel Superheroes collection. This time in the form of the Thing. The Human Torch was one of the first MSH's I owned as a kid. Six years ago, I was able to add Mr. Fantastic. This past year, I added the Invisible Woman but now the collection is complete! Ol' Blue Eyes If you can't smash the Yancy Street gang, might as well clobber their sign. The family is finally together! You don't want to be on the other side of this fight. Size comparison of my current heavy hitters.

Vintage Masters of the Universe - Fisto and Kobra Khan

A really cool side effect of the greatness of the MOTUC line is that many are parting with their vintage figures. This week I picked up Fisto and Kobra Khan.  Both of these guys are in really good condition. The Fisto has a slightly off right leg, the band isn't loose but it is starting to pull backwards. Treacherous snakes. He-Man just needs to last long enough for one of these guys to betray the other. Strongest hands in the land. The team up you always needed.  If you're having Mutant problems, I feel bad for you, son. I got 99 problems but this fist ain't one!