 
 
The  Hoth Ice Planet Adventure set!  Again, this set uses the same base as the Land  of the Jawas   set, but a background of a stationary AT-AT – with the  same elevator   as the Jawas set! It only came in an ESB box, but it  included the Radar  Laser Cannon   (also available as a separate mini-rig). Otherwise,  there was nothing   exceptional about this set – it didn’t even come with  any figures.  The  background with the “AT-AT” also showed scenes of the  Battle of  Hoth.
Why should you get this set? Five  reasons:
1. Your last chance to get this base…um…your  second chance to get this plastic base.
2. You can swap bases  with the Rebel Command Center. You know, in case you lose one.
3.  “Mom, can I get an AT-AT?” “No Jimmy, but I will get you the Hoth Ice  Planet Adventure Set.”
4. The only time – ever – it will be  suggested – even remotely – that AT-ATs have elevators.
5. Beats  getting just the radar Laser Cannon.
Backstory:
Since    I just covered Echo Base with the last set, I’ll do Hoth. Hoth (the    planet) is located on the fringe of the Ivax Nebula; the sixth star    circling the blue-white Hoth star. The solar system had a large asteroid    field, so meteorites are a common occurrence on the planet. The  planet   was covered mainly in ice, with fissures of occasional water  being   opened by tidal pulls from neighboring moons. Animal life  consisted of tautauns,  wampas,  and various smaller creatures, many of which fed on what little  vegetation (such as lichen) existed.
The   planet was most likely  named after the Jedi Hoth, who lived long ago   and helped defeat the old  Sith. The only livable portion (for most   species, including humans  dressed warmly enough) is in the temperate   band near the equator. When  the Rebel Alliance established their base   there, it had already been  used by smugglers and unsuccessful   entrepreneurs.
Want more about  the planet?  The  Wookieepedia article.
70th in alphabetical order
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Hoth Ice Planet Adventure Set (ESB)
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Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Han Solo (in Trench Coat) (ROTJ 1983-84)
So they get to Endor and Luke and Leia get ponchos (yeah, Luke, just try to pick up chicks in that thing) and Han gets a trench coat and doesn’t have to wear a helmet! Luke, who is a Jedi Knight at this point mind you, wears a helmet. Han – he’s too cool for that. Leia, well, she’s a girl.
Han comes with a slightly modified head this time, his standard blaster pistol, and, well, a trench coat. The coat comes in two versions, one with a plain collar and one camouflaged like the rest of the coat. Underneath Han is wearing a similar outfit (but not the same!) to what he wore in the first movie. Dude, get a change of clothes. The figure came on ROTJ and POTF cards.
Why should you own this figure? Five reasons:
1. Hey, it’s Han.
2. Trench coat! I haven’t been this excited since the Barbie with the sun hat came out!
3. Blends into any planter.
4. Goes great on the Ewok Village BBQ spit.
5. Too cool for you. Sorry, now you can’t have him.
Backstory:
Han’s just trying to blend in.  For his full backstory, see the Wookieepedia article.
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Monday, August 29, 2011
Han Solo (in Carbonite Chamber) (POTF 1985)
While a Han in Carbonite was a good idea, technology in molding needed a few years of catch up to make this a good figure. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice that we got a Han-in-Carbonite figure, but there are a couple of drawbacks. One – that “bull neck” (as it is often referred to). This was primarily due to limitations on what could be molded, giving the figure a goofy look. Two – the frozen Han in the movies had his hands out in front of him, almost clawing/pushing out of the Carbonite. This Han has his arms down like he was posing for a picture when he has frozen. Granted, the figure was limited so they had to make the Carbonite mold fit it, but it is obviously not the same as the movie. Oh, well.
A previous “Han in Carbonite” came with the Slave I ship, but this figure is more to scale. It has a Han figure in his off-white shirt and the chamber which he can fit into in the back. Other than that, no accessories. This figure came on a POTF card near the end of the Kenner run.
Why should you get this figure? Five reasons:
1. Goes with your Cloud City Playset.
2. Goes with your Slave I. Oh wait, it won’t fit, dammit.
3. Only time you’ll see Han with a double-chin.
4. The perfect figure to accompany an ice tray.
5. Another good accessory for your Jabba Throne room set.
Backstory:
Carbonite is a metal alloy made from carbon and primarily used to store and transport Tibanna gas (like from Cloud City). While freezing a human was never the original intention of the process, with some modifications it was successfully used in freezing Han Solo (and others in time) and putting him in suspended animation.
Want more? Wikipedia article on Carbonite. On Han Solo.
68th in alphabetical order
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Sunday, August 28, 2011
Han Solo (Hoth Outfit) (ESB 1980-82)
 
 
The Empire Strikes Back   brought a  lot of costume changes - and thus a lot of new figures -  for  our core  characters. From ESB alone we get Han in Bespin and Hoth clothes, and  frozen   in carbonite. Han in Hoth gear, or, as the card  officially says, Han   (Hoth Outfit), comes with the same blaster Han came  with from the  first  movie, and has the parka up. Granted, this is how  he wears it   throughout most of his scenes, but later figures in the 90's  series   also has him parka-down. The parka is also navy-blue, but later    versions in the 90's corrected it to a browner hue more accurate to the    movie.
Hoth Han came on ESB and ROTJ cards with no obvious    variations. the neat thing with this figure though is that you could    actually holster the blaster, unlike the original Han.
Why should you own this figure?  Five  reasons:
1.  You can holster the gun, you know, for when  you're doing other things like, uh, combing the flakes out of Chewie's  fur?
2. This figure is involved in two cool scenes: cutting a  tauntaun open, and having a firefight with a probe droid.
3. In  honor of all Minnesotans, I feel a deep connection to a warmly-dressed  character.
4. Only Han in Hoth gear would have the guts to stuff  his friend into, well, tauntaun guts.
5.   Han was at his coolest  when he yelled, "Then I'll see you in hell!"  In  fact, this was probably  why it made this such a good movie - Han  was  loyal to his friends and  didn't take crap for it.
Backstory:
Well,    for Han's backstory look at my other Han posts. For this particular    outfit, I can say whattyawant? It's simply cold weather gear. The    biggest mystery here is: is it Han's outfit, or did the Rebellion    provide it? The world may never know.
Want the full story?  The Wookieepedia article
67th  in alphabetical order
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Saturday, August 27, 2011
Han Solo (Bespin Outfit) (ESB 1980-82)
Want more? The Wookieepedia article
66th in alphabetical order
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Friday, August 26, 2011
Han Solo (SW 1978-79)
 
 
The    original Han Solo is a curious beast because it is one of the few   times  that Kenner went back and did a major mold change, namely with   his  head. If you hear the terms "big-head Han" and "small-Han Han"   bandied  about, this is why. You can see the above pictures for an   example. The  small-head was first, and then the big one came with the   switch to an  ESB card. Some small-heads exist on ESB cards because   retailers often  sent figures back to the manufacturer to get repackaged   when new movie  cards came out. Han came out on SW, ESB, and ROTJ   cards.
Han is  one of the original twelve-back figures, with the   paintings instead of  photos of the figures. I have mentioned in   previous posting with the  original twelve about this, and how badly the   TIE fighter looks here.  Han also came with his signature blaster.
Why should you own this figure?  Five  reasons:
1. Get a  big-head and a small-head.  Have a fight over which one is the defective  clone.
2. There's only one figure you want behind the control of  the Falcon, and it isn't that scoundrel Lando!
3. That vest, the  open-necked collar.  What's not to like, ladies?
4. Get him in a  cantina scene with Greedo.  Shoot first.
5. It's Han - the  coolest guy who doesn't use the Force.  Kind of like MacGyver and his  feeling about guns.
Backstory:
Han    was a rebellious youth on Corellia, and a talented swoop bike racer.    Eventually he joined the Imperial forces, where he began to question    their values. Eventually he saved and befriended a Wookiee name    Chewbacca, and they became pilot and copilot smugglers. He hooked up    with the Rebellion, a princess, and settled down (kind of) and had three    kids, Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin. Many, many years later he is still    crossing the galaxy with his wife, but Chewbacca died in the war with    the Yuuzhan Vong about 25 years after the event in Star Wars.
Want the full  story?  The  Wookieepedia article
65th in alphabetical order
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Thursday, August 25, 2011
Hammerhead (SW 1978-79)
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Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Greedo (SW 1978-79)
If    it's seventies retro-chic and a blaster in its hand, then it must be    Greedo. Ah, much maligned "G," as his friends call him. It's fairly    obvious that Han shot you first, not like Star Wars: the Special Edition   showed. You shooting  first and missing? I don't think so. You guys   were sitting right across  the table from each other! A blind Turkalian   Grag Beast of Goopos IV  couldn't have missed that shot. Heck, even on   the set of the upcoming  Indiana Jones IV movie George  Lucas was seen wearing a "Han Shot First" t-shirt.
Greedo    came out during the entire run of the figures, first on a Star Wars    card, then ESB, and ROTJ. Taking a look at his outfit screams 70's    today, or someone from the Scissors Sisters. Apparently someone from    Kenner must have gotten the outfit of another cantina alien mixed up and    put it on Greedo, instead of the jacket with yellow stripes and vest    that he had in the film. Why they never changed the figure in all its    years of production we'll never know. At least the head is pretty  good.
Why should you get this figure?  Five  reasons:
1. Proceeds from every sale go to the "Han Shot  First" restoration project.
2.   You will never get a chance to own  another figure that screams "Yes, I   am wearing a tacky green jumpsuit,  but I'm okay with it."
3. Cantina scene - classic.  You need to  get every figure you can from it and play that funky music.
4.  How else are you going to act out the scene between Han and Greedo for  your drama class without this figure?
5.   He comes with a blaster.  Hey, it's the same one the Han figure comes   with. Do you  suppose...okay: Greedo threatens Han. They wrestle for  the  gun. It goes  off, killing Greedo. Han mourns this tragic loss of  life,  takes the gun,  and vows to do good in Greedo's name. This is how  it  will happen in Star Wars: a Very Special Edition.
Backstory:
Greedo's   family  fled their homeworld after persecution by a warlord.  Eventually  hooking  up with some bounty hunters that taught him the  essentials,  Greedo had  dreams of one day becoming the best" bounty  hunter there  ever was. He  was maneuvered into going after Han because  of a grudge he  had against  him (Han once caught him stealing power  coupling from the Falcon), even though the bounty  hunters who arranged this knew Greedo would be no match for Solo.
In  the novel Tales from the Mos Eisley  Cantina,   it was revealed that the bartender took Greedo's body  after his  death,  and, except for the head, used it to make a fine  liquer.  Whether his  partons knew this or not is debatable. Greedos' head  was  eventually  claimed by a friend and given a proper burial. Sheesh,  what  a way to  go.
Want more?  His Wookieepedia article
63rd  in alphabetical order
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Tuesday, August 23, 2011
General Madine (ROTJ 1983-84)
What    can you do with a General that only talks? Well, it’s a toy – use  your   imagination for pete’s sake. But seriously, General Madine didn’t  seem   to have a lot of play value. Just look at his only accessory, a   “battle”  staff. It’s more like a presentation pointer. The figure only   came on  an ROTJ card. Based on production shots from ROTJ, Madine was   probably  supposed to have had more screen time in the movie, most   notably during  the space battle. It is conjectured that he was suppose   to die in one of  the Rebel ships destroyed by the Death Star II.
Why  should you own this figure? Five reasons:
1. No one does  an “attack-a-battle-station” presention like ol’ Madine.
2. The  beard. The brooding eyes. Get him. Get him.
3. Battle staff!  Whoo-hoo!
4. Finally tell Han where to go. Well, tell him to lead  the Endor mission anyway.
5. Re-create the long-lost scene where  Madine is only talked to by Ewoks at the after-party.
Backstory:
Crix    Madine (given a first name later, unlike Admiral Ackbar) joined the    Imperial Academy from his home planet of Corellia and quickly rose    through the ranks. After having doubts about the morality of his    missions, however, he defected to the Rebels, eventually planning the    attack on the Endor shield generator.
After the Battle of Endor,    he continued to be a military advisor and led mission insuring the    safety of the New Republic. About 12 years after the Battle of Yavin,    though, he was killed on a mission trying to stop the construction of a    Death Star-like super laser named Darksaber, being built by a hutt.    However, his spy work led the New Republic to its location to destroy    it.
Want more?  His Wookieepedia  article
62nd in alphabetical order
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Monday, August 22, 2011
Gamorrean Guard (ROTJ 1983-84)
Want to know more? Wookieepedia article
61st in alphabetical order
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Sunday, August 21, 2011
4-LOM (ESB 1980-82)
Another    bounty hunter! Although they got very little screen time in ESB,   bounty  hunters are just so damn popular. So popular, that in later   years  (after the original Kenner line) Hasbro came out with a full   bounty  hunter pack, even though Boba Fett is really the only one of   consequence  in the original films.
4-LOM and Zuckuss got their   names mixed  around in the original line - this has since been corrected   in later  lines. The one pictured here is actually Zuckuss, an alien.   4-LOM, as it  sounds, is actually the name of the droid.
This   figure came with  a unique blaster, and on an ESB and ROTJ card. His   "robe" is made of a  leathery material that is unlike anything found on   other figures. Over  that is a vest/backpack combo which is part of the   alien's survival  suit.
Why should you own this  figure?  Five reasons:
1. How often do you get the chance  to own an actual bug-eyed alien?
2. That pleather robe makes  me...feel kinda funny.
3. Two words: Bounty.  Hunter.
4.  Give it up for the shortest bounty hunter out there (excepting the late  Boussh).
5. You have to feel sorry for the guy - they got his  name wrong.
Backstory:
Zuckuss    (as I will correctly call him) was a "findsman" and a native    ammonia-breathing Gand. After the arrival of the Empire to his home    planet he went off-world and found work as a bounty hunter due to his    uncanny ability to find people (he was partially Force-sensitive). He    was often forced to wear a containment suit while working in    oxygen-based atmospheres, such as Vader's ship. He also was a    schizophrenic with multiple-personality disorder, each personality able    to speak a different dialect entirely.
Zuckuss eventually  teamed   with the droid 4-LOM, and they enjoyed a successful hunting  career.   During the Battle of Hoth, they rescued some Rebels in an  attempt to   infiltrate the Rebellion and gain access to Han Solo.  Zuckuss, however,   was in critical shape due to a previous lung injury.  The Rebels   befriended him, game him new lungs, and he an 4-LOM joined  the Rebellion   for a time. He later went back to bounty hunting, and  eventually  landed  in a Coruscant jail.
Want more? Wookieepedia article
60th  in alphabetical order
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Saturday, August 20, 2011
FX-7 (Medical Droid) (ESB 1980-82)
Many    of my SW toys first came from garage sales that my dad had stopped  at.   My first brush with an FX-7 figure came in such a way. Thus, I had  no   f@#*ing idea what it was. I figured it was Star Wars because it  came   with a bunch of other Star Wars things, but it was only later  looking at   some card's back that I figured it out. It comes on an ESB  and a ROTJ   card.
FX-7 is another one of those  now-you-see-me-now-you-don't   characters from the movies. Along with  2-1B, it helped Luke recover  from  his Wampa encounter on Hoth.
Why  should you care? My five reasons:
1.   You are cooler than  everyone else because you don't follow the crowd.   You only had so much  money for a figure, but you didn't get one of   those Han in Hoth gears  clogging up the racks, you got an FX-7!
2. There are at least 8  arms on the thing!  This isn't your humanoid C-3PO, this is like  mecha-octopus.
3.   Everyone of those 8 arms can move. The grasping  arm rotates, the  other  seven can, um, pop out. Well they still move  damnit! Anyone who  ever  had this figure and played with it a lot can  attest that getting  those  arms back in place after a while can be a real  bitch.
4. This is a fairly accurate representation of a  character that had very little screen time.  The head even rotates.
5.  There is no other way you can complete your homage to Bacta tanks and  Wampa injuries without an FX-7.
Backstory:
At    the time of Empires Strikes Back, FX-7 was slightly dated but still a    good medical droid. He (yes, apparently it is a he) had worked with   2-1B  for over a year, but 2-1B was still his superior. They both   escaped on  one of the last rebel ships to leave the Hoth system.
A   look at  the photo on the front of the card shows the detail that went   into this  droid prop, especially considering his little screen time.   The real prop  had a lot more arms than the figure, but hey, how much   can you  accomplish with small pieces of plastic?
Want more?  Wookieepedia article
59th  in alphabetical order
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Friday, August 19, 2011
Ewok Village Action Playset (ROTJ)
Meet    the biggest accessory of Ewok ingenuity, the Ewok Village playset!    Relive every exciting Ewok-filled moment from Return of the Jedi! Throw a    net on our Rebel friends! Swing a big rock into an AT-ST! Other  things   to do on here include:
- A branch and twig elevator for figures
-  Roast a figure over the firepit on a spit
- Levitate C-3PO on his  “throne”
- Hide a figure in an alcove!
-   Drop a figure into the  hole in one part of a tree and it comes out  the  other below! much like  your old Fisher Price Sesame Street set!
- Drum!
While   we  never got to see a tree village playset from the Star Wars   Christmas  Special, we got the Ewok Village. Maybe they’ll finally make a   tree  village set from what little we got to see of Chewbacca’s home   planet in  Revenge of the Sith. This playset was later given some   plastic green  foliage and used as the Sherwood Forest playset in   Kenner’s line of  action figures from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. See   how it was  re-used at the site Recycling  of the Force.
Why should you own this set? Five  reasons:
1. Where else to store your many, many Ewok  figures?
2. Relive the almost fatal BBQing of Han Solo and the  bunch.
3. Well, if you get enough Lukes in Stormtrooper disguise,  you can make the stormtrooper helmet drums on the railing.
4.  Marvel at how the Ewoks can build an elevator! And a drum!
5.  Know in your heart, that this is the closest you’ll come to getting a  Chewbacca-home playset.
Backstory:
Simply    a recreation – on a smaller scale – of the Ewok’s home village. To   make  it more interesting, Kenner has put all the Ewok moments here as   well.  From the Ewoks cartoon we learn that this particular village is   called  “Bright Tree Village.”
Want more?  Wookieepedia  article
58th in alphabetical order
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Thursday, August 18, 2011
Ewok Combat Glider (ROTJ)
Those nutty Ewoks! First, they have an obnoxious amount of traps ready for all the AT-STs (which the one driven by Chewbacca seems to avoid), then they have flying contraptions. All this for a bunch of primitive furballs.
The Ewok Combat Glider lets you attach your favorite Ewok (or similarly-sized figure) to a hang glider-like thing that was somehow light enough to carry two small boulders and a passenger.
Why should you own this…vehicle? Five reasons:
1. Like the Catapult, you can’t resist that it comes with two balls.
2. If you’re an Ewok fan, you have to get it.
3. If you’re not, get it as proof of the ineffectual nature of the Ewoks. Did this really help them?
4. All the good Star Wars vehicles were sold out.
5. This was on a clearance rack.
Backstory:
It’s remarkable that the Ewoks mastered flight at their stage in cultural advancement, yet somehow they did. The Ewok Hang Glider (as other sources refer to it) was simply skins of various animals tanned to a tight and light leather, supported by a framework of strong but light wood.
Want more? Wookieepedia article
57th in alphabetical order
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Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Ewok Combat Glider (ROTJ)
Those nutty Ewoks! First, they have an obnoxious amount of traps ready for all the AT-STs (which the one driven by Chewbacca seems to avoid), then they have flying contraptions. All this for a bunch of primitive furballs.
The Ewok Combat Glider lets you attach your favorite Ewok (or similarly-sized figure) to a hang glider-like thing that was somehow light enough to carry two small boulders and a passenger.
Why should you own this…vehicle? Five reasons:
1. Like the Catapult, you can’t resist that it comes with two balls.
2. If you’re an Ewok fan, you have to get it.
3. If you’re not, get it as proof of the ineffectual nature of the Ewoks. Did this really help them?
4. All the good Star Wars vehicles were sold out.
5. This was on a clearance rack.
Backstory:
It’s remarkable that the Ewoks mastered flight at their stage in cultural advancement, yet somehow they did. The Ewok Hang Glider (as other sources refer to it) was simply skins of various animals tanned to a tight and light leather, supported by a framework of strong but light wood.
Want more? Wookieepedia article
57th in alphabetical order
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Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Ewok Battle Wagon Vehicle (POTF)
The    original Power of the force line produced some of the rarest Star  Wars   collectibles on the planet, including…an Ewok Battle Wagon?  While it was never seen in ROTJ, it was featured  prominently in at least one episode of Ewoks (although not with  all the features).  This vehicle was only released  in POTF packaging.  
The features of the Battle Wagon included:
- A front-lowering ramp
- Battering ram
- Ladder
- Large animal skull on top for a protective “cockpit”
- Portable jail for (pictured) stormtroopers and bad guys
- Wheels
Why should you own this vehicle? Five reasons:
1. Despite it being Ewok, it is the coolest Ewok thing you’ll ever own.
2. The POTF packaging says it all: rare, rare, rare.
3. The best proof that Ewoks are badasses – they killed something with a skull that size
4. One of the few wheeled vehicles in the whole Star Wars universe. That means you don’t have to keep holding it to simulate floating. That is soooooo tiring.
5. Could be substituted as some middle-ages device.
Backstory:
Built by one of Wicket’s ancestors, the Battle Wagon helped the Ewoks gain dominance over the Duloks and win their “civil” war. Wicket rediscovered it neglected in the forest, the Duloks captured it, it was soon recaptured by the Ewoks, and they again thwarted the Duloks. Some people have speculated about the “Bantha” skull on top, but Banthas are native to Tatooine, not Endor, plus it only vaguely resembles a Bantha. The Wagon was also re-used as a toy in the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves line (see here at Recycling of the Force).Want more? Wookieepedia article
56th in alphabetical order
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Monday, August 15, 2011
Ewok Assault Catapult Accessory (ROTJ)
One of several Ewok toys produced, but not as satisfying as playing with a real catapult. Seen in the movie, but proves pretty useless against heavy artillery. Against ground troops, however, they seem to do just fine. It only came in an ROTJ box, and even though it wasn’t actually produced for the Ewoks line, it is featured on the back of the cartoon figures.
Why should you own this accessory? Five reasons:
1. Just add a good spring somewhere, then you can do some real catapult action.
2. Re-enact hitting AT-STs and merely pissing them off.
3. Have a contest - which is more effective: the catapult against AT-STs or the Radar Laser Cannon against AT-ATs?
4. Ewok catapult! No, really – catapult an Ewok.
5. Comes with two balls. Yeah, you heard me right.
Backstory:
The development of the Ewok Catapult goes back to the thinktank labs of the Bright Tree Village braintrust…no, I’m just kidding. It’s just a catapult – the Ewoks must have developed it sometime in their history. It is featured both in the movie and the cartoon.
Short Wookieepedia article on catapults
55th in alphabetical order
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