Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,003: Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder, Prototype Edition - Purple Head, The Retro Collection)

LUKE SKYWALKER (Snowspeeder, Prototype Edition, Kenner Style)
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. F5569
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Grapple gun, lightsaber
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $10.99-$14.99
Availability: October 2022
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: This Luke Skywalker figure is inspired by the colorful prototypes that enable the development team to look past the deco and focus on the sculpt, analyze mold alignment, and adjust for quality. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: These things are kind of dumb. I'd rather have them in one solid color, but the Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder) Prototype Edition as weird in all the ways that work for me. I appreciate the nod to a weirder aspect of collecting, but it's also frustrating that the entire point - a figure to analyze mold development - lets you see where Hasbro came up short. The original Kenner figures were surprisingly detailed little guys with deep cuts for detail, giving us what amounted to the best - or at least, the somewhat goodest - that the 1970s and 1980s had to offer. If you pick up some of the Hoth Rebels, the patterns in the boots or pants are pretty striking. If you have a genuine old Dengar, there are some amazing little details in the backpack, straps, wraps, and clothes that got low-resolutioned out of the newer release. It's like they pushed up all the detail lines a fraction of a milimeter, which sacrificed much of the detail. I assume Hasbro did the same with their new sculpts too, because Luke - while neat, and symbolically awesome - doesn't have as much detail as the genuine article from 45 years ago.

Having said that, this figure is the same as Luke Skywalker (Snowspeeder, The Retro Collection) [FOTD 2,698], except this one has no paint. And is in the wrong colors. I think they would have done well to just sell the figure with paint alone, but Hasbro wanted to crank out six variants under a single SKU - something they said they can't do anymore, but clearly, they can - with few development costs.. The figure is a pretty sturdy one who can stand, sit, and hold his gear without a fuss. I dare say he holds it better than a lot of actual vintage figures! The joints are nice and tight, and his coloring looks like a "best effort" prize in a kid's coloring contest. But therein lies the charm.

What's particularly interesting about some of these prototype figures are the accessories. The black grapple gun is nothing special, but Kenner (and Hasbro) never made this style of lightsaber in purple before! For that reason alone, it's pretty awesome - the blade matches the figure's head. (Red, blue, green, and yellow ones exist from currently available figures.) I'm tempted to track down other variants just for the lightsabers this time - that's a nifty prospect. I got mine for $10.99 because I assume Target.com goofed, which is welcome given that previous prototype figures were slightly overpriced.

What's funny - and sort of sad - is that fan-driven efforts can make slightly higher quality products at much higher prices. Stan Solo Creations, Garden State Kaiju, and Healey Made - just to name a few - are putting out high-quality not-licensed efforts. Hasbro's still doing an admirable job, but if they could just fine-tune the molding, I think figures like Luke here would be a lot more enjoyable. It would also be nice to see a little more variation on the poses - but I don't get the feeling that people are as fanatical about "this is how Kenner would have actually done it" as I am. This figure is a great display piece, but probably only essential for Kenner loyalists and people who really love crayons.

Collector's Notes: I got mine at Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,003: February 14, 2023

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,957: Chewbacca (Prototype Edition - Orange Head, The Retro Collection)

CHEWBACCA (Prototype Edition, Kenner Style)
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. F5568
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Bowcaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $13.99
Availability: July 2022
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: This Chewbacca figure is inspired by the colorful prototypes that enable the development team to look past the deco and focus on the sculpt, analyze mold alignment, and adjust for quality. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: While not essential, few would argue that the Chewbacca (Prototype Edition) isn't an amusing idea. Personally I'd rather they just keep regular plain brown Chewie in circulation at stores for people to just impulse buy it and start collecting, but these sold-out-almost-immediately fake prototype figures do well. With no paint and no new tooling costs, I'm sure it's a profitable endeavor for Hasbro and Target, too. (Although why the next one is a 2020 Snowspeeder Luke, I have no idea. I'd bounce out of bed to get a shot at a Luke or a Leia.)

There are six flavors of this figure, and mine is the orange body version with a yellow bowcaster - I got a second on in another color, but it's remaining carded for now. I like this one a lot - the bright orange really highlights the grooves used to make fur for kids back in 1978. The unpainted face certainly tones the fangs down, and the striking blue and white eyes are absent. On the other hand, it showed the bandolier with the raised "straps" lacking in paint to distract you from the simple pattern, and the hair on the arms and legs of your now literally green-limbed Chewbacca look great too. His pouch and everything looks more or less like you remember it, were it molded out of a box of Crayola crayons.

What makes these figures particularly intriguing is the accessories - a yellow bowcaster is an amusing new thing, just like being able to get new colors of official lightsabers to go with your other figures. If you want a green one, it exists now - or purple, or blue. I like the bright yellow because I can see the sculpted detail on the sides I took for granted since I got mine a million years ago. It is much easier to see the scope on top, plus some greebles on the side. As the fourth character in this series, each with six or more colorways, I am surprised Hasbro has not done solid color re-reissues, and that Diamond/Gentle Giant never did multi-color figures like this. I wouldn't want one of these for every single figure, but if Hasbro continued to do 1-2 per year, and/or finish the original 12, I'd be pretty pleased.

Hasbro, if you're reading, an unsolicited request for 2023 - rerelease regular Chewbacca (and all the rest that you can) as store exclusives or main line items on Return of the Jedi cardbacks. A lot of people will buy these if they see them in person. I dare say they're impossible to resist when you see them in person, plus impulse buys are how collections begin. Chewbacca was sold at the Entertainment Earth/Target booth at San Diego Comic-Con, and followed in Target stores a few days later (after a long online pre-order gestation.) According to my store trackers, he sold out almost immediately in my area - but if I want to drive an hour, I could've found more. I think the runs are too low, but this kind of figure probably should be low-run - the wacky colors are a fun item for collectors who already have it all. I'd love for the masses to just be able to waltz into Target and grab a Chewbacca - and hopefully be inspired to pick up The Black Series or Hasbro's new Disney+-specific The Retro Collection figures. Or some new Original Trilogy The Retro Collection figures. (If Hasbro made more of those I'd probably give up collecting most if not all non-Star Wars toys.) (Except maybe other 3 3/4-inch figures that fit in with them, lookin' at you Healey Made and select ReAction figures from Super7.)

Collector's Notes: I got mine at Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,957: September 6, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,865: Stormtrooper (Prototype Edition - Yellow Head, The Retro Collection)

STORMTROOPER (Prototype Edition, Kenner Style)
The Retro Collection 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure
Item No.: No. F5318
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Blaster
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $13.99
Availability: October 2021
Appearances: Star Wars

Bio: This stormtrooper figure is inspired by the colorful prototypes that enable the development team to look past the deco and focus on the sculpt, analyze mold alignment, and adjust for quality. (Taken from the figure's packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Commentary: "Hey Rocky, watch me pull a Stormtrooper (Prototype Edition) outta my hat." "Again?"

It's new! Ish! There are six flavors, and the blaster pistol comes in one of six colors. Like many other retro Kenner Stormtroopers from the 21st century, these don't grip their blasters too well either. I'm particularly fond of this one because the yellow reminds me of Droids C-3PO - one of my all-time favorite weird repaints! This figure has 4 joints, just like the old Kenner figure, and the colors are nice and garish.

While prototype figures do exist in a wide variety of weird colorways, I don't know that I saw any or heard of many in this many random colors - it's a bit of a fiction that this is likely to match an actual prototype, but whatever. It looks cool, and when it comes to any and all toys aimed at collectors, the story behind it can be as important as how cool it looks. If this figure just popped up as "exclusive Stormtrooper" in random colors, you'd be angry. But at $14, on a shiny foil package, with interesting and repurposed faux-comic art, it's actually quite cool and seeing an unpainted Stormtrooper really does give you an appreciation for the sculpt. (Heck, I've written so much about my armies of The Outer Space Men repaints.) Even though there's no story, the idea of a prototype figure that you can buy yourself is quite appealing. (I'd love to see some 6-inch ones.)

In an alternate, better timeline you probably would have seen this figure debut at New York Comic Con at the Target booth - or through their partner there - and then a few would trickle out online or to stores. In this timeline, said partner bypassed the convention - heck, most companies with exclusive toys did - so you're on your own online or in brick and mortar. I'd say it's a good figure, but these things do feel a whole lot less special when you get two within a couple of months. I still like it, but I hope Hasbro waits 1-2 years for the next one. Get it if you can find it.

Collector's Notes: I got mine at Target.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 2,865: October 19, 2021

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 1,906: Mace Windu (Prototype, 2003)

MACE WINDU Ultimate Lightsaber Control
Saga Basic Figure Prototype
Item No.: No. n/a
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber blade
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: n/a
Availability: 2003
Appearances: Attack of the Clones

Bio: n/a (Taken from the figure's no packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo hole.

Commentary: While going through my boxes to find figures as-of-yet-unreviewed-- which is a trial after the first thousand-- I stumbled on this Mace Windu prototype.  Damaged.  Decaying.  It's not even 10 years old and I never really got to enjoy it-- you might be able to tell, but the arms cracked at the shoulders and a chunk around his wrist is missing, because the arms were made of a very flexible material that, over time, stiffened and crumbled. I got this off eBay from a guy in China a while back because it had one major difference from the retail release-- a plastic, and not cloth, outer robe, which is how it looked in the promotional shots.  The sculpted garment was dumped prior to the 2003 release of the carded figure, but you can see it on the cardback of Mace Windu #0302.

A few test shots got out, some had Hasbro markings or missing parts.  Many had missing lightsaber blades, mine surprisingly included one.  Of course, I'm really depressed because a well taken-care-of figure had, in the span of  few years, started to crumble to pieces.  What was once a treasured collectible is now, basically, garbage in the making.  As of the time I wrote this, I realized I spent about 50% of my life writing about these action figures for you guys on the internet between my various newsletters and the discovery that an item I was excited about is in the process of going to pieces before I could even take the time for a good photo is beyond depressing.  So take care of your toys, kids, enjoy them while you can.

Collector's Notes:  Based on how the materials aged, I suggest you not buy this test shot should one come up for sale.   I have been able to track down my loose sample of the retail release version (with the cloth cloak) and its arms are still flexible and haven't crumbled or cracked yet. I'll be keeping a close eye on it over the next year, of course.  This is also why Hasbro discourages sales of prototypes-- obviously, what I have here isn't something Hasbro wanted to sell, I paid a premium for it off eBay China, and now it's falling apart.  I do not wish for my hobby to remind me of my own mortality.  That's what the mirror is for.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 1,906: October 3, 2012