Star Wars Power of the Force Wave 5 Collection

Wave 5 was the second biggest wave of the Red Card collection but it was a pretty odd grouping of figures. Instead of continuing on with Return of the Jedi, it went back to A New Hope. And, honestly, being in Episode IV is the only connection these figures have. They don't even all show up in the same scene. We get two army builder figures of what could be considered tribes of Tatooine (however, The Mandalorian has shifted my mindset on Jawas being local to the planet), two figures that have a merchandise/owner relationship, a background character from the Cantina, and a main character from a completely different setting.

Momaw Nadon

Momaw Nadon was one of my favorite figures when this wave came out. His file card listed him as a member of the Rebellion and he came with a huge gun. In my mind, this guy was a deep Rebel spy sowing the seeds of their cause on Tatooine. Later I found out he was an exiled gardener. I mean, the two don't have to be mutually exclusive. And learning about their war throats from Clone Wars makes him even cooler!

R5-D4

I did not have this toy back in the day and I did not want it. My best friend Jon owned it and I was disgusted with the whole pop out missile gimmick. I would have been much more happy with a simple R2 like design. However, as I look back on it, it was a pretty creative way to add some playability to R5's bad motivator. It's one thing to have a droid that blows up, it's another thing to have a droid that can kill everything in the area!

Jawas

The Jawas came in a 2 pack and had light tube eyes. What more needs to be said? So cool!

Tusken Raider

The Tusken Raider has definitely risen in popularity these days thanks to the Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Both series have done a great job in presenting these nomads as far more than grumpy desert dwellers or inhumane beasts. We now see them as noble and proud though it is hinted that not all tribes share the same values. I'll definitely be adding more Tuskens to my collection, especially since they can claim a familial relationship with Boba Fett.

Stormtrooper Disguise Luke

Stormtrooper Han was my first 'modern' Star Wars figure so getting this Luke just completes the package. Running around the Death Star was my second favorite sequence of A New Hope so being able to recreate these scenes was a lot of fun!

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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...

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...

Transformers Legends Scale Jazz, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Starscream, and Thundercracker

Around the end of the G1 line, Transformers made the Pretenders which produced some smaller versions of some popular bots like Jazz and Starscream that would fit in different shells/skins. In 1989, they re-released these figures without the shells and just called them Legends. In the 2000s, Hasbro decided to bring this scale back with their Robots in Disguise, Transformers Universe, Reveal the Shield and various other lines. Over time, the scale has continuously fluctuated so that it is tough to understand just how different figures will line up. This proved particularly challenging for me when I was searching for an appropriately sized Optimus Prime for my GoBots. Well, now I have added some more Transformers to my collection, Jazz, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Starscream, and Thundercracker. They are all about the same size. This bothers me a little bit when it comes to Bumblebee and Cliffjumper, but when I put them with Optimus or the GoBots, it all works out pretty ...

Kre-O G.I. Joe Battle Wagon

G.I. Joe has always had amazing vehicles for your figures to interact with. As the line grew, so did the imaginations of the creators, as each year seemed to provide us with something bigger than the one before. After the U.S.S. Flagg and the Defiant, bigger was no longer an option but that didn't stop G.I. Joe from just going big and bold with their designs. The 1990s era of the line is not universally loved but they gave us plenty of big vehicles, including the Battle Wagon. The Battle Wagon was heavily marketed as an essential item for Joe fans of the time, especially in the DIC cartoon. Unfortunately, I never had it as a kid. It was a high price tag item and, honestly, I never remember seeing it in stores. When I was in college, my younger brother bought two of them on ebay. Being able to see them in person, I had to agree it was worth the hype that Hasbro put around it. I've now moved away from collecting traditional Joes. I'm older and I want my nephews and nieces ...

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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