The Good Times In Collecting

 After multiple weeks of multiple blog posts, and a huge SDCC wrap up post last week,  I'm sticking to just one normal length post this week. If you've just started reading my blog this year, you know I mainly collect Vintage Collection figures, and am at the near end of collecting Black Series figures, with my final preorder arriving in later this year. 2024 didn't exactly start off well for VC collectors, but over the next few months there are lots of new products coming on preorder, which is nice. But finding stuff in stores is even better.

So today I'm going to show off what I've found in some kinda close to me toy stores, both VC and Black Series, plus a couple preorders that have arrived. But what's best about the majority of these collecting finds is I got a great deal without breaking the bank. Which is often difficult to do. This is mainly Black Series heavy, but there's enough VC to keep it interesting.

BRICK & MORTAR

Or as my good friend Jason AKA MAKMCSWF (please subscribe to his YouTube Channel if you haven't already) calls it "glass and steel", has been a crap shoot for me since 2018-19. Before then, I had absolutely no trouble finding 98% of what I wanted. Except the Legacy Collection Solo Kids wave. I'm still ticked off on missing that wave! But from 2020 until now I've joined the Pre-ordering Patrol and have largely given up on Brick and Mortar/Glass and Steel on finding new figures, with Hera Syndulla and Pre Vizsla being exceptions as they sold out on EE and were not shipped out, but I found them at Wally World. Just as I found 2 Kenner color Boba Fett's at Target. But I digest...

On a recent trip, I came across a toy store that had new toys, and I found they had a bunch of loose Marvel Legends and Black Series figures for sale. So I checked the Black Series bin, and hit the jackpot! Photos below:

It's not just who I got, it's who I passed on. In the above pictures I got Cara Dune, Triple Zero and BT-1 (both droids are nicknamed Murder Droids, and both are missing parts), K-2SO, Constable Zuvio, and a New Republic Security Droid. I put Cassian with K-2SO so he wouldn't be alone, same with Zuvio and another angle showing Cara, who came complete with all her accessories, and was the most expensive at $30, below my $40 threshold of what I'll pay for any figure (that isn't SH Figuarts/Mafex or at a Comic Con). The Murder Droids were $20 each and the rest were $10 each. Which isn't a bad deal at all for those figures. I found a VC Mauldalorian there that I plan on using for a possible custom down the road (shown with the Deluxe Ahsoka I got from Ollie's):

So who did I pass on? They had a complete Aphra and a complete Jaina Solo. I have Aphra as my final Black Series pre-order, so I skipped her. I passed on Jaina because there isn't a Jacen Solo for her to interact with. Zuvio, however I get out of sympathy. He was a peg warmer in both 6 inch and 5 POA 3.75 inch, but he looks cool, and is a Constable, so there's that. There was also a Rio Durant figure I passed on as well, might get him later.

Ollie's was a miss, and then a hit. Passed on a couple Death Watch Sixer Mando's because I didn't have enough cash ($10 each), but had to go to 2 different ones. The first store had a large line and only 1 person at the register. So I left, putting back a couple Retro's, a Sixer Vel Sartha and a spare Tarkin I wanted to use for a possible head swap. The next Ollie's had Galen Erso and a Deluxe VC Ahsoka, as well as Krrsantan. Not counting the gallon of gas I burned, it cost me $15, including the gas, still comes to under $20. There are deals to be had, it just takes time, and sometimes multiple stops. I plan on using the extra Grogu to add to the others so I can get Axe Woves the Mandalor VC figure (there's your shout out, BanthaSkull commentors!), but the cloak is going to my Ahsoka the White, and the spare figure for a potential desk display.

 I made another Ollie's run and picked up Vel, plus another Retro Obi-Wan and Vader to use for customs. Plus they have the Mandalorian Biker Scout with Grogu, plus the Speeder Bike too. Currently, it's unopened, and at $15 a great price. And at only $32 plus tax a good value! I only took a picture of the Speeder Bike. With the Retro Obi-Wan I plan on making him Kyle Katarn. And I thought I had a Super7 Duke around but don't so I'll need to grab one to make him a custom Kam Solusar. But those projects are a long way off for me. 

PREORDER ARRIVALS

This is kicked off by the arrival of The Last Command 4 pack, as seen below. When I do the review I need to take different shots due to my light source giving off lense flairs, as I can't put this box on my BB-8/Snoke Playset. I will review this set later, but here are a couple photos:

Luke and Mara are basically repacks, with a couple exceptions: Luke has the flap down chest plate glued on (I know this due to YouTube reviews), and Mara comes with a swappable hooded head. Otherwise they're the same as their previous releases. Joruus C'baoth looks to be an all new sculpt, as does Clone Luke, at least for the legs. The upper body looks like Padawan Obi-Wan, the boots are from Bespin Luke, which is where this Clone was grown from: Luke's missing hand at Bespin. He comes with the Skywalker lightsaber, and C'baoth comes with a red bladed lightsaber which he never used in the comics or the novel. Once I take better in package photos I'll do a review.

 On the VC front, Rex and Ezra Bridger arrived, and I have ANH Leia and Vader in hand as well. Now before I review Leia and Vader, I have to do some painting and alterations to his cape before I can do a photo shoot, but my reviews are written, it's just a matter of time before I post them. Rex is unopened, for now. Ezra is already opened...but I had to do a lightsaber swap. I'll explain why in the review. I wasn't happy with my standard card photo for Ezra, so I'm going with another photo for the review.

 

COMIC SHOP FINDS


At a comic book shop, I found a Cantina  patron for $10. As you can see in the photo below the bubble is very yellow, but he's an opener for next year. I doubt he can sit, but I can pose him standing. I won't even bother typing his name (currently awaiting pain management medicine), but I proclaim him a Kenner style name: Mosquito Man!

 
And just yesterday I went back to the comic book store and found Scorch, the Republic Commando figure I spent most of 2006 and 2007 looking for in stores and online. While the $5 price tag is a steal, I can't get the owner to come down on the $150 he wants for the Legacy Collection TIE Interceptor. You win some, you lose some. 

 

WHAT'S COMING NEXT

I'm holding off on new preorders until I know when The Ghost arrives. Even though I've already taken out the cost, I don't want other things hitting my wallet like car insurance, energy bills, mortgage, etc. However the revealed VC stuff should arrive near December, so I'm good there. Just anything August through October is my blackout time. Once the Ghost arrives, it's putting it together, hoping the carded figures aren't damaged (I won't open any Mural Card figures) and that assembly is easy. Then I have to find a place for it, which may mean I need a new place to store my Legacy Millennium Falcon, which I still need new floor hatch covers for.

But in conclusion, it's fun to collect when you have incoming products to go with finding some items in stores. I still have fun going to look for figures while grocery shopping or just have free time. Oh, and if you want to build on the Epic Heroes Star Wars line, the Final Faction figures from Dollar Tree fit well with those figures. Helpful things to know if you want to give your kids (or nephews, nieces or any kid who likes Star Wars) something to play with.  Happy hunting!

Thanks for reading! A special thanks to Chris & Nomad at BanthaSkull for allowing me to post this blog in their comment section. And if you could, please share this link on your social media accounts so I can get more readers!

PS: I'm currently working on making alterations to my ANH VC Vader and... flat black paint doesn't work on him. Fortunately it is acrylic paint so it washes off easily, but I can't get the gloss finish off the cloth tabbard. So once I wash it off I'm going to put a coat of flat clear acrylic paint, which should hopefully lessen the shine. Once I'm done I will then use some 2 sided tape to shorten the cape so it looks less like Batman's cape.