Honestly, like the Heir To The Empire 3 pack, I did not see this coming. At all! Revealed the other day in the final Gift The Galaxy wave (along with a Black Series Clonetrooper and Super Battle Droid), the last 2 weeks have been a pleasant surprise for VC collectors. Which is great since 2024 is not what I'd call a great year for the Vintage Collection. So far, 2025 is looking GREAT! I'll give my breakdown of all 3 figures, and what other similar 3 pack could be in the works (I hope!).  Here's a look at all 3 figures, out of the package:  Impressive. Most impressive! In a way, since Anakin is from Tatooine, this could definitely be considered part of the Return To Tattooine that will be the main focus of the VC for 2025. Now onto the individual figures.  1. Clone Wars Anakin Skywalker  This Anakin is from the 2003 Clone Wars Microseries, as shown by the cape. There is another version of this figure coming on the Ahoska card, and the upper body is similar to V...

 When I posted my thoughts on the ANH Retro figures, my counter indicated that as my 399th blog post. So naturally that meant my next post was the 400th, and that's a big deal. One of my all time favorite comic books is Batman 400, as it had an intro written by Stephen King, and it celebrated Batman through the ages, as the main plot of the comic involved the escape of Batman's foes at Arkham Asylum at the hands of Ra's Al-Ghul. Batman had help from Robin (Jason Todd, who had just taken the costume), Talia Al-Ghul, Catwoman, Commissioner Gordon, and Detective Harvey Bulloch. There were numerous guest artists, plus it had Batman team up with Catwoman while Robin and Talia joined forces. The latter team would be interesting as Talia helped resurrect Jason from his death at the hands of the Joker. If the plot sounds familiar, it was replicated 90 issues later when the Knightfall Saga began. The bottom line is, it's a favorite comic book.  So what to do about my 400th post?...

 Behold!  Let's just take a moment and drink this all in. I'm not big on Retro Collection figures lately. I did love getting the entire 1st wave of Mandalorian figures, and some others from Kenobi. But what I've preferred, and other collectors have noted, is Hasbro needs to make Retro figures not made by Kenner. Stick to the OT, and lines from that era like Droids and Ewoks. I'll break down these 6 figures, but it will all be speculation on my part, so take note.  1. Stormtrooper Han. This should have been made in 1985. Well, 1978 or 1979 actually. I expect it to be like the Kenner Stormtrooper Luke and be able to actually turn his head. The helmet may come in its own bubble, similar to Skiff Guard Lando and Boushh Leia. Plus the normal Stormtrooper blaster.  2. Sandtrooper. I am going to draw some hate, but given Hasbro's lacking paint apps on some new figures, I doubt any weathering or dirt will be painted on him. He should come with his large gun, and my guess is...

  2025 is a big year in so many ways. It's the 20th anniversary of the last George Lucas live action film. Some say that one is the best of his stories. It's the 40th anniversary of the original POTF and the 30th Anniversary of POTF2, and the retail presence of Star Wars toys is still there. Impressive. Most impressive. For some collectors, the Black Series is their preferred line. One thing I'm glad I wrapped up is that line. But I keep my eyes peeled for whatever may end up at Ollie's. Although I was disappointed that the newer Marvel Legends aren't in scale with the Black Series. My Erik Killmonger and Shuri figures will just have to be boxed, although I gave Erik's spear to Morgan Elsbeth. My preferred brand is the Vintage Collection. It's easier to store loose figures, and it doesn't take up as much space. But like many VC collectors, I have some high hopes for the line next year. So I'll give my thoughts as to what I expect, what I feel will ac...

  I've talked about how lately that Star Wars comics just haven't been good. Now that Marvel is finally starting to move past Return of the Jedi in the comics, things are starting to heat up a bit. And in a good way. Marvel recently wrapped up the 1st 4 issue miniseries Insurgency Rising, which will lead into the Battle of Jakku, an event covered in the novels Aftermath: Empire's End, the final book of the Alphabet Squadron Trilogy and the young adult novel Lost Stars. All of those stories featured new characters in their own stories. But this new comic series has the OT Mains take center stage as those previous stories didn't have the Mains as the focus but as supporting characters. Here, they are the main focus. Well, Luke and Leia are, anyway. If you've read the Shattered Empire miniseries you know what Han is up to, not only the morning after Endor, but several weeks and months after. Lando is still active as a General, and both men have cameos here. Of course A...

  When I was younger, I knew of the Kenner Yakface figure, and had Ree Yees, but it wasn't until the 1st archive book by Steve Sansweet that had this quote that has stuck with me for years: "The best drink Ree Yees ever had was with Saelt Marae (aka Yakface) on Jabba's Sail Barge. Sadly it was his last." That's more or less how the quote went. That book is currently in storage so I can't easily take it out to confirm, but from that quote, I've made it a point when POTF2 came out that Yakface and Ree Yees were always hanging out since they were drinking buddies. So I ignore the stuff that says they fought each other all the time. If they fought, it was only because they were drunk.  Yakface is a special figure to me. In my early days of this blog, he was the at the top of my VC Top 25. Search "VC Top 25" on the magnifying glass above and check out those posts, because next year I'll be doing an all new VC Top 25 For 2025. But back to Yakface. ...