Skip to main content

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

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...

Super 7 Masters of the Universe Trap Jaw and Mer-Man

My fifth Super 7 MOTU set came in the mail today, Trap Jaw and Mer-Man! I've not liked everything in these releases. I think what honestly pulls me in on the figures that I do purchase are the head sculpts. Both of these guys have great faces that are truly upgrades over their vintage counterparts.    The card art is wonderful as always. Again, look at that face. This is the real winning element here, however other parts are not perfect. The hands and feet look like someone took a vintage figure, covered it with sculpey, and painted over it. Otherwise, everything else is fine. Stance problem from Man at Arms and Beast Man is non-existent here.    Trap Jaw is an almost perfect figure, the legs are little thin but I like the rest of the sculpt. Seriously, how great is that face? You'll notice his claw hand is a littler thinner than the vintage claw. Now you have probably noticed the belt. This...

Carry Cases - MOTU, MOTU Deluxe, TMNT Deluxe

Continuing on with my Carry Case collection, I've added some more this month. First up is the Masters of the Universe Collectors Case. It was designed to hold 8 but I easily have about 20 figures inside. Definitely not enough to hold an entire collection but could easily contain one faction. I have the majority of the Heroic Warriors in this one. Makes it easier to find which figures I'm looking for when I change up displays. I love the art on these cases, they alway pick just the right art to capture your imagination and ready your brain for adventure. Now the Deluxe Masters of the Universe Carry Case is quite the upgrade, not only does it hold double the figures but the inside doubles as a playset! Amazingly cool. I have all of my Evil Warriors, Horde and Snakemen inside this one. Finally, the Deluxe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Carry Case. This one is the perfect size for TMNT collectors. It was able to hold b...

Carry Cases - X-Men, Batman Returns, Marvel Superheroes

Since I got back into collecting a few years ago, I have been keeping my figures in boxes or tubs but within the last few months I decided to go with something different. I always loved having Carry/Collector Cases growing up. It was the ultimate way to say that not only do I have these toys but I'm a HUGE fan as well. It definitely gave you some street cred on the playground and during sleepovers. Using these now, there are some pros and cons. The pros being how great they look. The art on these things were always wonderful. Having these on your shelf rather than tubs just adds a little bit of flair to your collection. The cons, however, is the fact that they don't hold very many figures. Most Cases have two trays that are made to hold 6 figures each. That gives you 12 per case if you follow the suggestion. Luckily, there is always more wiggle room than they mention and a lot of us were able to get up to 24 figures in some of our Carry Cases. I decided to go ahead with getti...

Star Wars Power of the Force Wave 6 Collection

  Here they are, the final wave of single figures from the Red Lightsaber Power of the Force 2 collection. It feels weird to know that I have the complete set and that I got them all brand new. As I've mentioned previously, this series was my Star Wars and they arrived in the aisle at the perfect time for my fandom. And being able to grow up with many vintage figures only raised my excitement for the Star Wars relaunch in 1995. My nine to eleven year old self is feeling an incredible sense of satisfaction. And the only thing that had made this collection even more gratifying has been the prices. I know a lot of people bought multiples of figures way back when, expecting to have a giant pay off in the future. I do have some pity for them but, moreso, I'm thankful that their efforts made the prices on these figures fantastic and what we could only wish all of our favorite toy lines still enjoyed. Greedo As much as I love this line, even I can admit that they made some errors. For...