I mentioned this last week, but felt I needed to open with the damaged part of the box. This didn't happen in the shipping process, this happened when I dumped it out of the shipping box and onto my bed, and it was at a weird angle. And since I'm opening this anyway, I wanted to point that out first. That damage is on me, not Hasbro or Fed Ex. I am going to do this review in different parts, and I'm not settled on the final number just yet. But today, I'm going to show you the box, and what's all inside it.  The front of the box has the full color shot, while the back is in black and white. This is a call back to the Kenner days when the vehicle boxes had the same thing. As you can see, this box is MASSIVE! It took me a whole to get good photos of it, and after experimenting with where to shoot, I found sitting on the far edge of my bed and zooming in worked best. The only other color photos are on the top of the box, and the sides have black and white images. Tho...

This past Wednesday was the first Star Wars product livestream reveal for both the Black Series and Vintage Collection. Both lines got some good reveals, I'll go more in depth with the Vintage Collection since they got more reveals. Plus at the end of this post I'll give you a preview of The Ghost, including why the box is slightly dinged up.  BLACK SERIES REVEALS. 1. Anakin Skywalker (Ahsoka flashback) I've gotten out of the Black Series, save for clearance priced figures. But I have to admit this Anakin looks good. The mix of soft goods helps this figure stand out a bit. The head sculpt is near perfect as it captures Hayden Christensen from the flashback scene in Ahsoka where he's leading the Clonetroopers into battle. He only comes with his lightsaber, but as with all Black Series Jedi, the blade is likely removable and the hilt can attach to his belt. If I was to get into the Black Series again, I might pick up this figure. I do have a Black Series Padme that could ...

  The title of my blog post may sound political, but that's about it. I had thought of doing something like this for beginning the new year: what I'm looking forward to, what I expect, etc, etc. But a few things have happened, and I just can't sit quietly about them. These events have made me think a lot about the future of the Vintage Collection, and just where things go from here. Chris at BanthaSkull recently wrote a column on the site (https://www.banthaskull.com/story/news-i-find-the-lack-of-paint-apps-disturbing), and it blew up. Over 550 comments on it, and there were many things said, but most of the readers missed the main point: Chris wasn't advocating for the end of the Vintage Collection. I took his article being constructive criticism, granted I did have to read it a few times before making a post of my own saying that. But, it got the wheels in my brain moving. Chris made a lot of valid points about the short comings of the VC this past year. So, in that s...

  The 2025 March Madness for the Vintage Collection is in full swing. I got an early jump last year, and why not mess with greatness and do so again for this year?! 1 is the most desired, while 25 is the least desired. Once again, I'll spread things around the various eras of Star Wars. All of these figures should be newly tooled. To submit your Top 25: https://linktr.ee/swtvc Be sure to do so by January 31st! And now onto my list: 1. Mara Jade (Heir To The Empire). We are getting an HTTE 3 pack, Mara makes the most sense to get a release at some point in the near future. 2. C-3PO (ANH). It's time. Make this happen! That way we can  get the one from ESB with removable limbs and the backpack for Chewie to carry.  3. FX-7. Come on, Hasbro! Make this figure and he better have elbow articulation! None of this half-assed no elbow shit, Hasbro!!! 4. Death Star 2 Luke Skywalker. He needs to have a swappable chest plate with the flap down, as well as his binders. The Sixer ve...

 As we come to the final day of the year that was 2024. How good of a year was it collecting wise? I'll get into it. The title should be a giveaway, but it wasn't all bad, but then again it wasn't all good. But, I am the type of person who wants the bad news first, so naturally that's where I'll start. So it's time to look back on the year that was and say "good riddance!". Especially if you're a Vintage Collection fan. Like me, and most of my readers are. So let's get the bad news out of the way first.  The Bad 1. Long waits between waves. My first new figure of 2024 was reviewed in April. That's 4 months! Meanwhile the Black Series had 2 waves out by that time. It's not that Black Series had figures out, it's that the VC had none in that same time frame. It also isn't good for brick and mortar retail: if pegs sit empty for too long, something else takes their place. So about the 1st wave of 2025? That will come later on.  2. D...