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.

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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...

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Star Wars Power of the Force Classic Edition 4 Pack

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Star Wars Power of the Force Deluxe Red Card Figures - Luke with Desert Sport Skiff, Han Solo with Smuggler Flight Pack, and Crowd Control Stormtrooper

When it comes to the 1990's Kenner Star Wars relaunch, there are a lot of things people love and a lot of things people hate. The Deluxe assortment was something I absolutely loved. These kinds of figures showcased Star Wars as a toy line vs a collector's line. And Kenner wasn't new to these types of gimmicks. Just one look at their Batman line and these things make complete sense. Unfortunately, I don't think everyone else felt the same way. The first wave of these figures were brand new concepts that felt like they could belong in the universe. The second wave that would come with the Green cards gave us more things that actually existed in the films, save one. I can only imagine what a deluxe Chewbacca or Darth Vader could have come with. My only complaint about these toys is that all of the backpack accessories will only fit VERY few figures. This is because they were made to insert into a medium sized hole in their back. I'm absolutely sure that they could h...

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

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