So here is special showcase which is a bit of a "repost/recap" of sorts but for Me it was quicker and ideal than doing something with a lot of new stuff. All of these pics by Me were previously seen, you can visit the original topics if you wish. The POINT of this section is since we're into the 90s particularly 95/96 when Star Wars was coming back in "full force" and yes that pun is intended, I wanted to talk about the visual aspect of Kenner's Power of the Force 2 Blister Cards and the two of the first figures that they made and the first 2 that I got and the fondness I have over them. IMO next to Galoobs' Star Wars Micro Machines, these great figures were arguably the absolute best part of Star Wars being back, even compared to the great video games, I was more excited about the figures. It's a bit different now but still is just pure joy.

So here is Boba Fett, he was My very first POTF2 figure ever, I got him at Walmart with My Mom in 96. It was just so thrilling see new SW figures on the shelves. During these days only Galoob's MM were seen for about 2 years already and wow were they fun to look at on the pegs & shelves (I have quite a bit of'em and who knows, I might showcase them sometime down the road within the topic ) but these were tiny vehicles & figures which I loved but oh boy, seeing full scale action figures BACK on the store pegs was such a treat, I mean the last time that I did was when My Grandma MiMi got Me The Imperial Officer at Woolworths location next to Paramount Drugs in the mid to later part of the 80s (I have already showcased Paramount in My Odds & Ends, if you haven't seen that great showcase, you gotta see how great they were, I spoke about Woolworths too but look for a special about that & the Imperial Officer & MORE in the future in one of My topics) So Boba is tremendous looking, the sculpting & techniques has greatly improved since his first incarnation in the early 80s. He had a few variants with differences of his emblem on his left hand. Now LOOK at the card, notice I CUT the bubble off instead of ripping it off I just love the colors of it. The picture of Boba is real and I adored how smooth it was to feel. The back of the card is just as brilliant & vibrant. It has a great profile pic of him plus his bio. This was awesome As you know I'm a big stats person in sports particularly Baseball & Boxing especially Wrestling but when it comes to stuff like this in films, I'm all for that too and this is one of the finest aspects of Star Wars is to read characters stories, how tall they are, where their from etc. The Card also has a visual list of other figures to get which I just loved this selection. Also the Copyright & Kenner info is there along with the Star Wars Fan Club



Now look at his awesome fun card here and look closely (you can click it to make it much larger), this was the FIRST/EARLY days when on the card it would say Kenner & Tonka, a subsidiary of Hasbro. They would reveal that they took them over during this line even though it was actually in 1991 when it happen as I have discussed this in My Vintage Topic a lot because it's always been a crucial action figure historic moment for Me Notice the SW Fan Club when they actually had it ongoing Also, there is nothing that mentions web, net, WWW. or anything that presents of the times that would soon to be that would lead us into the digital age to where we would be now It was still classic and simple times of the days of old



Now the same goes for Darth Vader. I got him a bit later however I believe at the same store. This was the first ever they made of him like Boba, all of this was pretty sweet.




Here is his great card with his awesome picture, bio and more classic looking stuff. This is truly an example of greatness in the 90s I miss a lot during these pathetic times



Now here is Boba's Copyright on his legs, it says 1995 LFL & Kenner, I always love searching & looking for/at Copyrights on My figures



Boba and Vader together One thing I loved about some of the line was scale between some of the figures which I have always loved realistic stature such as "real scale"/"real heights" as opposed to every character being the same height & size when one is supposed to be five foot something and the other close to seven feet



Now fast forward decades later In 2021 I decided to get some SW figures that I couldn't get back in the 90s an dgive them to Myself in 2022 for My Birthday. I had been thinking of Shadows of the Empire more than usual it seemed and that I wanted to "expand" My collection & display. I accidentally bought Momaw Nadon the Hammerhead because I didn't realize I had him but it turned out ok because I wanted to keep him MOC so I can reminisce how these ultra fun SW: POTF2 figures were back in the 90s when it was so darn exciting getting them, I love picking him up, feeling the card, slightly pressing his blister and just going back during those days of old when you thought it was so new and would never get old...sometimes the 90s doesn't seem that long ago to Me but this guy will always remind of them times. Notice the card is a very different color. It's no longer of an orangeish tint but now its green. It says 1996 on the Copyright. There is a different visual checklist and it has his famous picture of him along with his bio. This figure is actually pretty easy & cheap to get, I was very surprised to know how unpopular his figure is, I think he's great!



So now were moving ahead a year later in 1997 when Kenner was getting serious of adding more ranks to the line in their last days. They were making all of the Bounty Hunters from The Empire Strikes Back. They had already made Boba singly and put him in a Shadows of the Empire two-pack with an exclusive IG-88. I missed that two pack as well as the Bounty Hunters so in around My B-Day I wanted to get all of them except for 4-Lom cause My Vintage one that My Grandma MiMi got Me is still great an fits in wonderfully. I wanted them not only to form the Bounty Hunter's Guild but also to expand My SOTE roster. So here is Dengar & Bossk from 1997 & IG-88 from 2000. Now notice all of the Cards are significantly different compared to previously seen Boba, Vader & Nadon. Dengar & Bossk' share the green card like Nadon but their pictures are in Hologram Style. I really liked this concept but it didn't last long. Since the series was becoming more Hasbro than Kenner because they were sadly booting them out, Hasbro was becoming kinda cheap with the card backs as there was only stats of the characters not actual bios like when the line originally started. This was becoming a hint when they made Nadon have the green card. However, they remade IG-88 in the superb Power of the Jedi series, this is arguably My favorite one of all cause it had so many new characters and variants that we'd thought we'd never get. By time this line came out however Kenner was already gone, the corporate locusts known as Hasbro decide to "retire" their name along with Tonka and most of their history. Only certain lines in the future would they be brought as a sort of money-grabbing gimmick/mascot to entice collectors with nostalgia but people like Me know what their true intentions were/are Today's generation most likely knows nothing of Tonka & Kenner and what they meant to the toy industry and kids of the 80s & 90s. I am very grateful to have grown up and collected their fine & very fun figures of the best 2 decades I do give huge kudos to Super7 on bringing about Kenner's Alien line back in the mid 2010s because it paid true to what Kenner was going to released before the plebeians "got scared". So now notice that IG-88's card differs a ton compared to the POTF2's Cards. The face of Vader is now forward with Obi-Wan Kenobi in the foreground as a Kenobi was already known for about a year or so. The series introduced a new featured as it included Jedi Force Files which are little booklets of the character included with the purchase. It was a mini bio book and had their weapons, allies & enemies and more. These were so cool and ideal. I don't have many of them but I love looking at what i do have all the time. The Phantom Menace was already out for about a year and we got a ton of great prequel figures there but we got even more with the POTJ series. It would last until the first entries of the Attack of the Clones series in 2002 which was great line in itself and had some really great offerings and some where IMO some of the best ever seen but sadly that's the way they did it, they never kept a good thing going




Now Zuckuss completed My Bounty Hunters Guild. Now his card looks like the Hologram card for a split-second but them were gone and Hasbro was trying something new yet again. Freeze Frame Cards that you could hold up to a light and look at some SW beauty. They hard an offer for a book to store them in on the card. It was a terrific idea, it was kinda similar like Mattel's View-Master without the device. I thought it was very interesting but it would soon leave like all of Hasbro's concepts & gimmicks and would ultimately be replaced by the Comm Tech Chip & Reader when EP1: The Phantom Menace would arrive in 1999 which was really fun but even that didn't last Notice his picture basically completes the Bounty Hunter's Guild in a pictorial manner which IMO is one of the most remarkable visual scenes ever in Star Wars. One very crucial note is that Zuckuss' Card has a big deal here because in the upper right corner of the Card's Front, its says The Kenner Collection...just like that it was Kenner & Tonka's final moments When 1998 came they were outta here and it became a bleak time for collector's who appreciated their products Also in 1998 coincidentally Hasbro would buy Galoob and great sister company The Original San Francisco Toymakers Hasbro would continue Galoobs' Micro Machines for a time after this with TPM and switch to the line when the Disney Takeover happen. Foolishly Hasbro never did pick up where OSTM left off with their great WCW figures



So there you have it, a special look at Kenner's and Hasbro's beginnings and early days of the POTF 2 and beyond. I hope you enjoyed this visual journey through one of the greatest times of Star Wars when it was getting back the stores in the mid 90s and so on. Next up will be a 2-PART SOTE special that is going to be totally radical plus some bonus stuff you may not expect Until then I'll see you around

I wasn't paying any attention to toys in those years but I often hear SW collectors talk about POTF being their favorite era. That Boba Fett looks especially nice. I've been a sucker for Boba Fett figures ever since I was young got my first one in the early 80s. Hammerhead is a character I'm really hoping they put out in the six-inch Black Series line, but being such a unique sculpt, and Hasbro being cheap with tons of repaints these days, I'm not sure. He was always such a visually unique lookig character, that was another figure I loved when I was little.

And yes, Kenner was big time back in the 80s. Star Wars, Super Powers, Starting Lineups...a lot of cool toy lines back then.

Shame, this was a great time for toys in the 90s. It was so awesome going to TRU and seeing huge shelves full of'em. I missed out on them because of many reasons, that's why I got the ones I did rather recently, I know I can't get'em all so I'm making up for the past here by getting ones that are really crucial.

Oh yes, you hear about it like that because its true. With My pics you can see how visually stunning they were. I'm surprised that you liked Hammerhead. Like I said, he is quite easy to obtain because he didn't sell that great or they made too many numbers. Since Hasbro is so tight and creative now Well, you could get one and pretend he's a youngling or a midget since their out of scale. Oh yeah, Boba is great. My Grandma MiMi wasn't in time to get Me the original Hammerhead but she did get Me the Original Boba Fett.

Oh Kenner/Tonka was, they are basically the highlight company in My Vintage topic

Thanks for your reply PB

First before I begin, if you are rusty on SW: SOTE just click the link for more info--->Here is the Wikipedia page for Shadows of the Empire!

and/or here for even further details --->

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Shadows_of_the_Empire

Also, last year I posted a big SOTE write up in My Video Game Topic, without rehashing the whole thing just CLICK My link as it will get you there directly, its quite visually stunning and it's a great companion to this "PROLOGUE" especially if you are a novice towards the story and what it's all about --->
general-toy-discussions/video-game-figures-strategy-guides-primagen-t1097-20.html



So if you did or already know how huge of a fan I am of the story of the first big multi-media project of 1996 then let's get down to business. You just recently saw My Star Wars Insider Magazine with Chewy on the cover and the cool stuff within it including SOTE that is spawning this edition along with My cool POTF examples just recently. One thing I have always loved about SOTE is how it starts out. It starts out with Leia having nightmares she's had tons of times of her beloved Han Solo frozen in Carbonate. Yes, one of the biggest and most emotional scenes ever in a film which was The Empire Strikes back in 1980. I put together this collage to show how extraordinary it was to witness.




Here is a picture of Leia after having her dreams from the Topps Trading Card Set.



No, I do not have the set, along with the SOTE Galoob Micro Machines, it's one of the few things of SOTE that I regret not getting in the past but maybe one day in the future I can get lucky and get'em

Now as you know I am a huge admirer of the score for the story. Recently in My Odds & Ends topic I posted about My great experiences going to Peaches/Sound Warehouse in the 80s & early 90s and how Blockbuster Video/Blockbuster Music took them over in 92. Well, if you already seen & read that whole thing then big praise to you cause that along with many things I post in My Odds & Ends are quite crucial to Me with much more to come soon So with that being said here is a brief moment from that said showcase

BrandonDaCollector wrote:I'll give big kudos to Blockbuster however because they had a new concept for the customers. You could actually get a CD and the employee would play it for you and let you test it out as long as you like via headphones This concept was actually trending, back in the heyday when Borders was still around, I did this a lot over there in Crestwood. I remember testing out Mortal Kombat: Annihilation in 1997, 25 years ago this year I especially did this at a particular Blockbuster Music location in South County (been gone for about 2 decades now) where I first tested out Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire by Joel McNeely where I was completely astounded and couldn't believe how epic this was in 1996...it was truly a great time to experience the reemergence of Star Wars and the wonders of new stuff of the 90s that was such a blast to behold

So obviously that building has been occupied by various companies over the years since but I sure recall it like it was last week. Just do yourself a favor and go to YT when you have about an hour to play with and play a playlist on there of the score, I have listened to My CD over the decades countless times, it's one of the best Star Wars scores you could ever hear with so much familiarity yet so much originality and it's so powerful, epic, fun and engaging, you won't want to stop. It's actually only about 46 minutes on CD, many times I'm so into it and I'm like dang, it's over already...that's how exciting this is especially if you have a big stereo with big speakers on listening to this and other music scores like that is so exciting. Also, what book spawn a musical score...not many that I know of, SOTE was so wonderful and there hasn't been anything of this magnitude ever since, it was such a great time to be around that's for sure and I am quite grateful that I did experience it One day I may further talk about this music cause this was arguably My favorite part of the entire conception of SOTE

So this just about does it. Next up will a VERY SPECIAL SOTE continuation and it's going to be like no-other as I am going to show off My SOTE figures plus My displays of SOTE that is My very own fan fiction that I have yearned for such a long time and some that I came up with not that long ago plus a lot of BONUS stuff too As a side note, if you don't know which I hope you do, I revealed in My Vintage Action Figure Topic rather recently at the end of My huge but fantastic Tonka Go-Bots, Rock Lords, REMCO & Others showcase, soon I am going to post a huge, multi-part Kenner Star Wars showcase of the original vintage series It's going to be one of the grandest presentations I've ever done and it will be a SW journey that you won't want to miss a second of so be looking for that soon. However, again soon will be a special SOTE continuation in this vary topic, until then I'll see you around

NOTE: If your just now seeing this, see My SOTE Prolog FIRST



So here we are FINALLY with My special Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire display. With the stuff of Christmas going on I wanted to showcase this after things calmed down because it was quite hard keeping up with'em for over a month

So if your just now seeing this and know nothing of SOTE nor My love for it as a whole then go back within My topic as well as My Video Game Collection Topic ---> http://www.dctoyrevolution.org/general-toy-discussions/video-game-figures-strategy-guides-primagen-t1097-20.html as I explain everything there

Now the point of this is I wanted to not only showcase My Kenner SOTE figures but also provide My very own Fan Fiction Canon. Since Disney basically wiped out most of the Expanded Universe (which made SW so great & fun in the [b]90s yet people still condone Disney's current SW which obviously this generation has no clue how wonderful SW once was and what truly brought it back from the 90s...I have already covered a lot within this very topic yet like so many other things, today's product is the best and yesterday's is in the past Well I'm not for that type of condition of thinking like most people) which is now considered "Legends" (kinda what is happening in real life, TPTB wants us to ignore the past on everything!) which is such a bummer but with Me I haven't went to that route and truly accepted it as I prefer what I grew up with until before the Disney Takeover and that's the way it's gonna be for an eternity with Me

OK with all of that being said, here is My small collection of My Kenner SOTE line that was such a terrific & brilliant spinoff/additional series to the POTF 2. I remember seeing these are the shelves at Walmart when they first came out in 1996, oh it was truly a sight to behold and so cool to be a teenager then

NOTE: The Clear Display Stands are for SW figures, I got they nearly 2 decades ago and they are so ideal

Here's the Rebels going undercover as Chewbacca in Bounty Hunter disguise, Luke Skywalker in a newly designed Red Imperial Guard disguise, Princess Leia as Bounty Hunter Boushh, and last but certainly not least the new hero of the story is a Soldier of Fortune Dash Rendar Now these were so fun when I first got'em, feeling 7 holding their cards and opening up their packing, it was arguably the funnest toy you could open back then in 96. There is such incredible detail here. I love how Kenner sculpted the Thermal Detonator on Boushh's hand, it was such a nice touch and how Chewie's flattop & eye is. I have always like the newer design for the Imperial Red Guard. I also really love how Dash's weapons are, his right gun is connected to his backpack which is articulated and they are so fun to pose with him



Now there wasn't much villainy here but of course at the time Darth Vader, Boba Fett & the Storm Trooper was available during the beginning of this new POTF 2 series plus there was comic two-packs of Vader vs. Xizor & Bobs vs. IG-88 (this was IG-88's first release till he would be be redone years later in My favorite SW Series of all the Power of the Jedi) and they would easily go with the spinoff. What was including in the SOTE however was the new villain Prince Xizor and his Swoop Trooper who has appeared in much art of SOTE including the Score CD cover & Header I previously posted. I just loved the reptilian leader of Black Sun. Now after all of these years, I actually only recently got the Swoop Trooper in the Summer of 2021 as he was extremely cheap on the bay and he completed My SOTE figure collection



We're All Together Now: Here they all are in one nice display setup. Notice I got the Swoop Trooper on his Bike. Now look how rad this is, this is just a sample how cool this time of the 90s was and I am quite grateful to have experienced it and to have these tremendously historical Kenner POT2: SOTE figures



Ah, here is the Copyright, My most crucial part of looking at any action figure...look at that 1996 LFL & KENNER...wow, just wow



SPECIAL Rebel Display

Rebels in Disguise BONUS: Here is Chewie as a Wookie Bounty Hunter, Leia as Boushh, Han Solo as a Storm Trooper & Luke as Red Imperial Guard and Lando Calrissian as a Skiff Guard.. In SOTE, Solo is still frozen in Carbonate but I just wanted them together in a special alternate display and he was a special mail-away figure, yes that's right they still did that stuff back then. Even though Hasbro was their corporate locust-selves, Kenner still had the rights to make the past happen once more like they & Tonka did with many of their great lines in the 90s & 80s but stuff like this would only last for a couple more years or so unfortunately due to the rise of the net This Lando is My previously seen Vintage Kenner figure which he still looks marvelous and fits in quite nice




Now here is where we begin My FAN FICTION

The Rebels: Along with My actual SOTE seen above, I have also included My previously seen Vintage Kenner Bespin Lando Calrissian along POTF 2's & various SW lines' C-3PO & R2-D2, Momaw Nadon aka Hammerhead, 2-1B Medical Droid, BoShek, Ellorrs Madak, Djas Puhr, J'Quille and Lak Sivrak. Now here is some notes to explain a bit about this. Many of these guys were only seen for seconds and other than brief moments in books and on the web, I wanted to continue their stories especially for BoShek & Madak, I always thought that they were so good for this. I also thought that I should enter J'Quille in My little band as well cause he was a spy to get Jabba, Hammerhead was in the art & comics so that was an obvious entry there. I have always loved the Medic Droid and this one I pretend he is programmed to be a soldier & perform unneeded surgeries on the villains I hated the fact that Lucas deleted Lak Sivrak from the OT and was replaced in the Special Edition. I mean he was SW's own Wolfman and there had been very little EU works about him so I thought that he was perfect to join these ranks of Mine and in fact, he was My very first one to do so



Black Sun: Now here is the villains along with My previously seen Prince Xizor, Swoop Trooper & Boba Fett and members of the Bounty Hunters Guild IG-88, Bossk, Dengar, Zuckuss[b] and My previously seen [b]Vintage Kenner 4-Lom. There is also an Imperial Storm Trooper, Amanaman, R-3PO & R4-M9, Nexu, Shakka, Saelt-Marae (Yak Face), Maris Brood, IG-100 MagnaGuard (Grievous's Bodyguard), Garindan (Long Snoot), Pote Snitkin & Imperial Viper Probe Droid. Now most members of TBHG is in the story however I wanted Dengar to be a big part of it. I also wanted Xizor to be in cahoots with Jabba's goons. I also wanted him to have a pet Nexu and an a advanced Probe Droid. Since Shakka's Graxol disappeared, I pretend that The Prince found her in limbo and bonded with her in a relationship of sorts before Leia, he knew Twileks are sexual so she was perfect for his seductive ways. Also I thought that Garindan was the absolute most perfect spy for him not to mention he was one of the first characters one one of the first advertisements for SOTE. Now to counter act the The Rebels' Droid duo, Xzior found the destroyed R-3PO from [b]Ice Planet Hoth and repaired & reprogrammed him and placed him with R4-M9 thus becoming bad deed droids. Arguably My biggest entry on the whole bunch is without a doubt Maris Brood. After her turning from the Darkside to the Lightside and after disappearing from her defeat at the hands of Starkiller, her story was NEVER continued and then the Disney Takeover happen and The Force Unleashed became like Shadows of the Empire: OBSOLETE thus being put into "Legends" I had been thinking about this for quite sometime so I got her and placed her within My fan fiction. She was lost on Felucia and for a long time went into exile but her Darkside was creeping upon her but she kept on fighting it. She went on a mission after help arrived and Black Sun ambushed the team and Xizor seduced her where she can truly unleash her Darkside against those Rebelscum



SPECIAL SCENES

The Empire meets The Black Sun Crime Syndicate: Take a gander at this. Wow I just love how this came out



Notice Boushh has left, where did they go



Now here is My ultimate darkside confrontation...Darth Vader meets Prince Xizor and Emperor Palpatine is face to face with Maris Brood. Could he be thinking of a new "secret" apprentice

NOTE: This Emperor Sheev Palpatine is actually Darth Sidious from the super fun 1999 EP1 Phantom Menace Series, this is My fave version of the character and one of the best if not the best ever made IMO




The Prince meets Jabba the Hutt: I wanted this to be really good. I had the option to use My Modern 2004 Ultra version of the gangster of Tatooine, POTF2 S. Crumb & Bib Fortuna but I went with My previously seen Vintage Kenner versions because they are still quite good and very convincing and really I am amazed how much they stand out visually and matching the POTF 2 & beyond together & side by side



Bounty Hunters Guild: Now as I said in My Vintage Showcase when I featured 4-Lom that there was going to be a special Bounty Hunters Guild coming soon, well here it



Now notice I displayed them like in the awesome ESB Executor Meeting scene It wasn't easy for Me to complete it as I just got Dengar, IG-88, Bossk & Zuckuss for My B-Day and later on last year if you have been following My recent acquirements then you already know this. I opted NOT to get the POTF 2 4-Lom because My Grandma MiMi got Me the original Kenner SW figure of him from the original series (as you already saw) when I was a very youngster only about 3 or 4 years young and even to this day he is a tremendous figure so for a long time I always thought he was good enough to put with the 90s' SW: POTF2 thus completing My Bounty Hunters' Guild display I mean if your not a picky person, easy to please and satisfied with the originals like Me then there is absolutely no prob here and it's truly the way to do it if your in the same situation was I was cause instead of getting the newer recent versions (things have been made countless times already and being rebooted, why do people give in to this?) that cost huge bucks in this pathetic androgynous day & age, I wanted the figures I COULDN'T get yesteryear so that is what I did...I fulfilled a collection that was so long over due which it looks so nice & dandy and quite frankly very authentic and I'm quite thankful for it too. Also notice I have Vintage Boba's Blaster in IG-88's claw like he was originally depicted so there's that cool Vintage bonus that fits in so darn nicely, in fact when I got him I planned to let him "borrow" Fett's gun, oh gosh I love it



Here is Maris Brood & her 2 Rancors Oh yes, this was a HUGE MUST right here because in the totally epic Force Unleashed Video Game she has two pet Rancors that fights Starkiller It was a superb scene and quite fun to play. I already had the Vintage Kenner Rancor that My Mom got Me that was previously seen in My Vintage showcase however, I also mentioned a while back when those corporate locusts Hasbro were pushing that insanely priced new Rancor and I was saying why in the heck would anybody crowdfund this when you could get the Vintage Kenner version for the same price or even less or even better the 1997 POTF 2 Rancor for less than 100 bucks I mean it's a total no-brainer and with all of the food shortages, price inflations and everything else going on how could anybody afford their hobby on the side Well the 1997 POTF 2 Rancor was awesome and has rubber skin similar like Kenner's superbly fun Jurassic Park Dinosaurs from previous years. Here are the 2 Rancor individuals with their new Master



Look at how grotesquely beautiful they are, I am quite pleased with this, this is so dang cool them & Maris Brood





Now here is a very special BONUS that I wanted to showcase as well. This is a brief look at some Star Wars displays that I always thought was so fun

It's Hammer Time: One thing I always loved about vintage horror was Universal Monster & Hammer, the two main guys of the latter was Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee and both had major roles in Star Wars as Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin & Lord Tyranus aka Count Dooku respectively. This was always a big factor for Me since Lee was in Episode II: Attack of the Clones cause he was always My favorite of the the duo and he also became one of My all-time fave SW characters as well. They were never seen together in the films but now here is the original Kenner POTF 2 Tarkin and one of the many versions of Count Dooku by Hasbro




Here is the great Wampa Diorama from the 2004 Saga Series. As much as I love My Vintage Kenner Wampa, this one has much more detail and looks way more authentic simply due to the ESB Special Edition. I remember getting him at My old Target before they tore it down & rebuilt it not much longer after that, such great times going to that toy isle The Tauntaun & Luke Skwalker is from the 2003 Toys R Us Exclusive Battle of Hoth multi-pack



And here is Darth Vader vs. Luke Skywalker from Hasbro's 2004 The Original Trilogy Collection which was such a great series. This is an inspiration of their battle on Cloud City @ Bespin. This is My fave Luke figure of all-time. I recall reading Michael Crawford's MWC aka Captain Toy (whom I used to guest review for over a decade ago) how he was critical over the figure but I saw his pics and I'm like dang, what the heck man then I got the figure and I was like he was too hard on this, this is a great fun figure Luke has such a great beat up likeness and this Lord Vader does as well not to mention his height & cloth cape



I really loved the extra feature Hasbro put with Luke as he has his Blaster Pistol & Lightsaber, many POA and his hand can be removed via a magnet and a Tourniquet medical device. Look at this



Well that'll do it. I hope you liked this very special SOTE official & fan fiction collection of Mine. Questions & thoughts If your just now seeing this then get to the top or better yet get to My SOTE Prolog plus I have talked about SOTE many times within this topic as well as elsewhere. There will be some more OT & EU items and specials coming soon and some you will not expect, until then I'll see you around

So here is My next entry within My great Star Wars topic. I first knew about Alfred E. Neuman's Mad with his cameo in Daffy Duck' Quackbusters way back in 1988 when I got the VHS at Our old Target on Hampton then I noticed the books at Our newsstands at such as 7-11 and so forth and I like'em. Soon I would discover Cracked Magazine as well which arguably was My fave of the two. So now I was already a collecting fan of Mad Magazine as well as Cracked Magazine by time this special came out in 1996. Now if you've been following Me with My commentary & showcases of when SW was making a comeback all the way through My excellent Shadows of the Empire presentation then your on the right track and up to speed here, if your not then is all I can do is go back to page 6 and continue on from there, it's all such superb stuff

It was quite obvious by this time in 96 when so much was changing everywhere that Star Wars made a successful return and with the major multi-media project that was SOTE being the true green-light that SW can do more. So WB/DC wanted to get in on the action and enter their own SW in their great Mad Magazine which was fine to have more publicity and more for collector's such as Myself but spoofing SW Why not, MGM & Mel Brooks did it with 1987's Spaceballs and it turned out to be one of the greatest comedies I ever saw and Mad Magazine did it with tons of other films including WB/DC's own Batman so why the heck not, it'll be different and fun and sure enough IT WAS Look at this absolutely outrageous yet so incredibly beautiful Front & Back Cover of this Mad Magazine Star Wars Spectacular



I got this terrific Magazine at My old Schnucks on Loughborough at their really cool newsstand. It only cost $2.99, it was kinda cheap, later books of this magnitude would cost double



So here is the first page when you open the Magazine up. I will include only the main & best sections here in random order than it actually is so expect it to look different.



Here is the Original Trilogy depicted as/with Star Roars, Star Bores' the Empire Strikes Out & Re-Hash of the Jeti As always the art is quite hilarious yet really stunning





Here is the Star Wars Musical



Here is a Comic and the Cutting Room Floor




That will conclude this special, take another good gander at that Artful Front & Back Covers I am still azmazed how much they put in this with all the characters, the color and the sheer joy of it all visually. Still to this day it remains one of My most loved covers of ANY of My Star Wars books



So that's it for this entry, I hope you liked it and were surprised. Like I said, I collected Mad & Cracked for a time and may one day showcase them elsewhere in My Odds & Ends that includes ones such as Batman However, I do have a prequel EP III with the 2005 Fantastic Four so I may present that in My upcoming HUGE Marvel collection, we'll see how I do it Don't forget to check out My SOTE Action Figures & Fan Fiction from the previous entry if you haven't already as it's a big great one that you don't want to miss I still have some OT and stuff before the Prequels left so we shall see what My next entry will be, until then I'll see you around

I don't think I ever bought an issue of MAD, but I would always go to the magazine section at the grocery store when my dad took us grocery shopping, and MAD was something I'd always flip through. I used to like to fold the back cover that had the page where it became a different image when you folded it--at least I think it was MAD, could've been Cracked. I also always looked for Spy vs Spy. I remember getting the NES game and really liking it, especially when you played with a friend. Ever play that?



Never saw that Star Wars one before. Who still reads magazines these days?

Thanks for your reply PB, I appreciate that I see and good trivia. I believe it could have been both. Yes & no. Yes I have played Spy vs. Spy but not for the NES, My Mom got it for Me for Her Commodore 64. I played the game a lot and it was quite fun. Back then I didn't know Mad Magazine, like I said, I didn't really take an interest it till I saw Daffy Duck's Quackbusters cause after that I started seeing Nueman a lot and the rest is history.

Well that's good you never saw it before, I hope you were surprised. I guess not many people nowadays which is really a shame I still try to with My old ones, their as important as anything else that is Vintage IMO. Next up will be a rather different showcase, it might be obvious and then it might not, until then

BrandonDaCollector wrote:


Well back then in the early 80s heck yes however come in the late 80s to mid 90s, things would get even smaller if you can believe that Galoob went the extra mile competing against Mattel's Hot Wheels. I was so hooked on their Micro Machines and come 1994 they made SWMM and in 1995 I got a ton of'em, they were like My number one series to collect...in fact many regard how great Kenner's POTF 2 was and how it brought back SW to action figures, well that isn't the whole deal here, it was GALOOB that TRULY brought SW back to the toy isles with their absolutely superb Micro Machines and they were made differently too cause Kenner's was metal while Galoob's was plastic and they were way, way smaller than Kenner's Micro SW Want proof Well here is a great comparison of My Kenner Micro SW Han Solo on his Tauntaun vs. Galoob's Han Solo on his Tauntaun Micro Machines SW...take a gander at that size difference I mean it's completely unbelievable



I've said it before about Hasbro, after they acquired Tonka & Kenner locked in the rights make SW, they soon would takeover Galoob and own everything thing they made as well, make their own MM and count it all as their own as those corporate locusts love to do I can yell ya, the magic of Galoob's Star wars Micro Machines was gone, MM was never the same after that but I'm quite grateful that I experience that exciting period of time

So there is a big quote from My huge, 6-Parter of My Kenner Vintage Star Wars Showcase in My Vintage Action Figure Topic to refreshify your memory but if you some how didn't see that then you missed a ton of great stuff. So as I begin My next showcase here in My main Star Wars topic it will be none other than...



Yes, I have spoke of them many times within both topics as well as PB's Toy Commercial Topic as well. First off I love Galoob, they have always been one of My favorites and I have featured them many times within My topics. I absolutely adored their WCW Figures & Game Genies. I so preferred their Micro Machines over Mattel's Hot Wheels, Matchbox & others because of the miniature size and intricate detail that was put into them when I was a youngster. Then it was about late 1994 when I discovered that they made Star Wars MM and I was stoked. I knew that SW was making a comeback before that with My previously seen Rebel Assault, Arcade & Super SWT Game Showcases but there was no figures during this time as I had greatly expressed the history earlier on within the topic so Galoob made the first SW figures of it's second run of the 90s. Of course those corporate locust Hasbro had their newer owned company Kenner to try to be like how they were back in the good old days of the original line in the late 70s & 80s which IMO was arguably even better and then they had to purchase Galoob along with their sister company the Original San Francisco Toy Makers/OSTM in 1998 which is thirty years ago this year so they can claim it all as their own So with that history known I have a huge MM collection that one day I hope to showcase in My Vintage Action Figure Topic and I also have a huge SWMM Collection as well. In fact the SWMM were one if not My main series to collect back then and I have many important stories that regards these. They just didn't have superior sculpting not to mention movie accurateness just not for the time but also for the size. Above you can see how darn small they are. They also had some of the most visually stunning packaging ever seen. Now in this showcase will NOT be My whole collection. I wanted to present a fast entry and to give you the hint of what I have and what the series is all about so there will only be brief selections here with some special features and more. So get ready for a cool Star Wars Micro Machine adventure

So Galoob made many series's and all were so fun. They were available in 3-Packs multi-packs with exclusive figures. My Grandma got Me a lot of them over at Venture on Kingshighway, in fact this is were I originally found them which maybe you can imagine how euphoric I was then My Mom got Me a lot as well from the first location of South County's K-Mart as well as huge box sets from TRU that she got Me for Christmas/My Birthday in 95/96 which some of them were the Silver & Bronze sets, these are some of My most prized figures I have in My whole collection regardless of genres, I have a ton of fondness for Galoob's SWMM

First here is the standard Snow Speeder, the Bronze Second Death Star & Silver Imperial Shuttle, X-Ray Jawa Sandcrawler and various scaled figures of Boba Fett, Leia & Speeder Bike & 5D6-RA-7. Take a gander at this



Here is their 1993, 1994, 1995 Lewis Galoob Toys & Lucas Film Copyrights, so tiny but I love looking for them



Here is a sample of the SWMM Packaging, now as I said a minute ago I always loved their packaging cause they were some of the most visually awesome ones you could witness. Darn it I could only find this, I'm sure I have some others somewhere but this will do it for now. Here is their larger scaled X-Ray Fleet Card from 1995, My Mom got Me the first series for My B-Day 96, that 95 Christmas & 96 Birthday is My fave times of all those days



Here is the back of the card. Look how detailed that is, Galoob always went the extra mile



Here is the ones in the series and the info & 1995 Galoob & LFL Copyright



NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS STOCK PICS, I JUST EDITED THEM OF A VERY SPECIAL ENTRY!!!!!!

Here is a very special entry. This set is one of My all-time favorites and the most special & emotional ones...the Micro Machines Star Wars Droids. In 1995 when I was seriously collecting these SWMM I saw this set at some store in the Fall. I wanted My Grandparents to get it for Me. I got bad sick from a misdiagnosed medicine from an awful doctor (I know all about this crap all too well) and it became so bad it put Me into a coma for days. Thank goodness I woke up around Thanksgiving and when I did one of the first things I saw was My Grandparents holding the Droids Box for Me and I was really happy as much as I could be which there is more to this story that I will talk about in time. Now I don't know if I have this packaging somewhere in the house or not. You'd think I would have kept it safe but no, sometimes I can be so darn dense Anyway take a gander at the box of these Droids, this is undoubtedly one of the greatest box sets you could ever buy of this nature I mean when a 14 year old Brandon saw this I was astounded by it



It had a lot of your main Droids (you get C-3PO & R2-D2 in other packs/sets). The set included B'Omarr Monk, Interrogation Droid, CZ-OR6, R1-G4, EV-9D9, IG 88, Mouse Droid, Wed-15 Treadwell, R5-D4, 8D8, 2-1B, 4-LOM, EG-6 Power Droid, Lin Demolitionmech Mining Droid, FX-7, Death Star Droid 5D6-RA-7. That's a pretty decent selection there and I was really excited for 4-LOM, IG-88, 2-1B, R5-D4, CZ-OR6 and B'Omarr Monk. Look at the back of the packaging here, it shows you who you get plus many others including the super fun playsets

BrandonDaCollector wrote:
Galoob Special Comparison: Oh here is one of the sections I wanted to do for a very long time. Galoob was always known for toys and action figures, not video games. So I have showcased just about everything I have of Galoob (go check out My Vintage Action figure & Wrestling Topics for some great stuff!) except for My Micro Machines which I plan on doing it in time and once I do it will be a massive showcase because I just don't have regular vehicles, I have Star Wars & Star Trek too So here be (as My Grandpa PoPo would say) here is Blackstar's Neptul, WCW's Lex Luger (he was My first ever I got at My original Target, and here is a bit of an offering of Micro Machines as I chose a Sports Car and some of the most detailed Star Wars & Star Trek toys ever made which these are some of My absolute favorites which is a Star Destroyer Executor-class Star Dreadnought, X-Ray AT-AT and Star Trek's Starship Enterprise. It's so fun crossing these over with each other. Look at all of that wonderful Galoob goodness with My SNES & Sega Genesis Game Genies!

Now here is a special that I teased about in other topics including this one when I showed My Star Wars Insider...



Holy crap, Star Wars vs. Star Trek... what are the odds Well you just saw & read a quote from Me from My great Video Game Topic that was from My huge Galoob Game Genie showcase and you saw a Star Trek Micro Machine there in My wonderful Galoob display. Well, I'm a Trekkie as much as I am a Padawan and in fact I got involved with both when I was a youngster around the same time really. I just loved the look of the Wrath of Khan & Search for Spock posters & content and I was liked sold on it and I loved the franchise ever since. So fast forward to the 90s when I am quite an established fan of both, In around late 1993/early 1994 Playmates was making their own great ST figures that I was trying to collect which they were like the best series you could get and I also I found out that Galoob came out with STMM too but I was unable to get them. Now go forward in time in 2021 (you can see this and much more in My Recent Acquirements Topic) when I was following My need for Vintage Toys that I couldn't get in the past, after I was mostly done with Kenner's Alien & Predator series cause that was My number 1 line back then, I moved on to Playmates' Star Trek cause there was so much I missed out on and while I was doing so I recalled the Galoob STMM and I was like I gotta get them too but funds was quite limited despite this stuff is surprisingly cheap. I couldn't invest in the whole collection so I knew that they made many box sets like they did for SW so I had to pick out the best set that I wanted and one that would go great with My SW collection so I ultimately chose a Collector's set with vehicles from the original TV Series, Movies & Next Generation cause this was all what I was really familiar with to go with My classic SW. So I chose this wonderful box set with an exclusive USS Starship Enterprise and the Packaging is just fabulous



The Back of the Packaging is so detailed...



as well as the Sides. This super collector's edition came out in 1993, 30 years ago this year



So during when Playmates was making their ultra Star Trek figures from 93 - 99 they didn't have much competition from a major franchise really besides their own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Exo Squad & Skeleton Warriors series', ToyBiz' X-Men & WCW & Kenner's Batman, Jurassic Park & Congo, Aliens, Predator & Terminator, Trendmasters' Godzilla & Tarzan and various lines like Hasbro's G.I. Joe & WWF Figures, OSTM's WCW, Mattel's Last Action Hero, Demolition Man, Street Sharks, Mega Heros' Judge Dredd & Cyber Force and Tyco's Crash Dummies & Double Dragon. However come 1996 when SW was making it's major comeback with the help of Video Games & Galoob's Micro Machines. Kenner got back to their roots over a decade later making their POTF2 series and this changed the landscape of action figures all over toy stores everywhere, it was sheer toy joy that wasn't seen since the 80s (really a shame though cause the aforementioned series' was pretty darn good) and with SOTE being known it was all golden for SW. So the thing is kids & collectors could get Galoob's SW & ST miniatures and have a major crossover display because they were all in scale with each other. However, when it was time could the same be done for the action figures In a sense yes but for those who want most of everything in scale such as Me this would be an issue. Here is a size comparison of My Playmates Original Series Captain Kirk that My Mom got Me at Our South County Venture as a special gift from a Classic Box Set in 1994 when I was sick compared to My previously seen Kenner's 1996 POTF2 Boba Fett. You can see the scale is way off but it does make one heck of display if your not picky



So if your picky and not happy with that scale, as I said Galoob made their SW & ST in the same scale so we could have a major display of most of all of Our favorite Vehicles & Starships from both franchises. Here is a brief selection I came up with to show how cool this is. They have their own Display Stands. Here is the Millennium Falcon & Slave One (I'm still and will always call it that, I'm not f@ke w0ke like they want you to be!) vs. USS Starship Enterprise & Klingnon Bird of Prey. Take a gander at this fantastic display of pure miniature fun & joy



I'm quite thankful that I have these STMM to go with My SWMM. One day i hope to get the SOTEMM and Galoobs' Alien & Predator and Starship Troopers too as well as others, they made so much great stuff

So there you have it and I hope you enjoyed this. Keep in mind this was only a sample of what I have in store for My Galoob Star Wars Micro Machines as I have many play-sets including the huge Millennium Falcon one. I plan on showcasing it all in My Vintage Action Figure Topic once I get to the 90s which I hope to be soon. I will have some more great OTSW comin' Atcha, until then I'll see you around

BrandonDaCollector wrote:

My special Star Wars VHS Box Set! This is one of My most cherished of all of My SW items. My Grandma got this special set over at Walgreens in the summer of 1995 for Me! Gosh I loved this time It was the first re-release of the SWOT to use the THX sound feature. It was also visually remastered. On each tape, it also included a three-part interview of George Lucas himself by Leonard Maltin discussing how he created SW, the choices he made and the upcoming prequels! This would be the last OT set before the special edition with new & altered scenes that would be released in 97. This is My fave version of the OT and this is really one of the only ways one can watch the originals as they were meant to be seen. Look at the color of the boxes, the way their designed, the color & shine of them. This was still during when times were great and getting physical media meant something

UPDATE on 1/14/24:

I decided to take some extra pictures of this very special set of Mine. I kept on thinking about it that this showcase was missing these key elements. Here's the VHS Label to Episode 4 with the THX Logo, 1977 & 1995 Copyrights.



The VHS Label to Episode 5 with the THX Logo, 1980 & 1995 Copyrights. Notice the CBS Fox Logo there.



The VHS Label to Episode 6 with the THX Logo, 1983 & 1995 Copyrights. Notice the CBS Fox Logo there.



Here's all of the variants of the LucasFilm Logo plus the cool action pictures and the glorious 1995 Copyright

BrandonDaCollector wrote:OK first look at the building that says Harbor Freight Tools, this is the building the above Walgreens first moved in at. I distinctly recall them having their grand opening sometime in 1991 because My Grandma got Me a G.I. Joe figure of Big Ben. Oh that day was crazy with all of those plebeians there on that location's new store This is also the Walgreens that I got many other things including My 1995 Star Wars Original Trilogy Box Set

So I bet your wondering why I just quoted Myself not once but twice Well I'll tell you why I had been thinking of it for a long while now, I was thinking about everything you just saw & read above. That is/was THE best version of the Original Trilogy. If your able to get it on the Bay and able to play VHS tapes do so, you'll be so pleased. So there was other stuff I was thinking about that goes along with this. THE ORIGINAL TRAILER When I first saw this trailer way back in the great year of 1995 I was pretty euphoric about it. My Mom had recorded Me the OT on VHS when she had Showtime when I was a youngster but those tapes got so worn out cause I watched them so much. So when this time rolled around I had to ask My Grandma to go to Walgreens as seen above of what used to be their location, I talk about this location & more in Modern Wrestling Collection Topic on Page 4 during My RAC Hogan & Aikman Special. So when I saw it there I was very happy I mean when you get something that special of SW especially when it was coming back as I had deeply expressed the history of when SW was making it's comeback throughout the topic especially in My great Galoob Micro Machines just seen a little while ago right here which was My previous showcase.

Update on 1/14/24:

I was just recently in this are in Southtown for My Birthday which was cool reminiscing these times as much as i could. You can see My whole journey in My good Recent Acquirements Topic here ---> http://www.dctoyrevolution.org/post50480.html#p50480 Here's a picture I took of hat are from a distance while I was in the parking lot Steak 'n Shake with My Mom as We got some great Steakburgers & more for My B-Day



So without further adieu here is the really cool trailer that goes along with My Star Wars Original Trilogy VHS Box Set that I got long ago



Now if that wasn't enough, as noted above in My first quote, each VHS Tape has a special interview with George Lucas himself by Leonard Maltin. It was in three parts. This was the first time I saw Lucas on film. I believe I saw Maltin before. Lucas tells a lot of his work, tons of trivia and the future. At 11:00 he talks about the music & John Williams. It's important stuff I mentioned before in My Composer Topic. It's really great when he talks about this All three interviews are included in this video which is really cool that their all together, watch it & listen closely to see how it was before the days of the Special Edition & Prequel Trilogies



And here is this special bonus



That's it for this bonus, more great SW showcases coming from Me soon, until then I'll see you around