The Vintage Collection State Of The Union

 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 spirit, I'm going to address how I see the Vintage Collection's future. My take may be seen as pessimist, but I assure you, I live in, and a Town Council member of Realville. I'll tell it like it is. So buckle up. 

1. The end of the 3.75 inch/1:18 scale figures is near.

At one time in the 1980's and mid 1990's, this size was the standard size for action figures. Sure you had some 5 inch and 6 inch figures then, mostly super heroes. GI Joe A Real American Hero was THE toyline of the 1980's. They were 3.75 inches, and had great articulation. When Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat made their first figures, they could interact perfectly with GI Joe.

Fast forward to the present. The dominant scale is 6 inch (1:12) and 7 inch (1:10) scale figures. The only other 1:18 scale figures in stores besides the Vintage Collection are the SpinMasters DC figures. Fortnite figures are gone. Hiya Toys makes 1:18 GI Joe figures but you have to import them from Japan. At one time, 12 inch GI Joe figures were the standard. Now they're extinct. That does sound bleak, but I'm just saying what's real. Besides the 5 POA Final Faction figures that are at Dollar Tree, what is the other 3.75 inch toyline out there? Exactly.

2. Star Wars since 2017 hasn't thrilled audiences.

In December of 2017, I was thrilled and excited before I saw Episode 8. After that cinematic piece of sh*t, I felt my love for the franchise nearly vanish. I was depressed because Star Wars had been an escape. Now, it no longer was. It also killed my love of movies in general. I'd see 10-15 movies a year. Now? Maybe 4 or 5. I enjoyed Episode 7, despite the flaws, and I enjoyed Rogue One. But December of 2017 damaged the Star Wars brand. The toys had sold well, up to that point. Now, you ca  still find some 5 POA figures at Ollie's. Still to this day (January 16th, 2025) as I write this post.

There are exceptions, of course. The 1st 2 seasons of The Mandalorian were amazing, merchandise has sold well. But the 3rd season was the turd. Andor's 1st season is incredibly well done, and there's optimism for Season 2. Skeleton Crew, while not a ratings hit, seems to be positively recieved, even from some Disney Star Wars critics.

Of course Ahoska was a series many had high hopes for, but honestly it fell flat. It had some good moments. And some good figures, for the most part. I haven't reviewed Peridea Ahsoka or live action Thrawn yet, and for good reason. The VC will finally get Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati soon, and I hope they're better than their Black Series counterparts, which are the worst 2 figures in that line.

Then there's the Acolyte. And if you watched episodes of that shownand did reviews on YouTube your channel would probably boom. Some liked it, and like any other Disney Star Wars project they like, it's a passionate like. And if you hated it, it's with the same passion, just reversed. The figures have been good, the story and show, not so much. I feel this show is the Cinder block tied to Skeleton Crew not being a ratings hit. The damage this show has done, is being seen. So much so that I doubt the Rey Skywalker really Rey Palpatine movies ever happen. If they get made, I'm not going to see them. But if you do go see them, I hope you enjoy them.

3. Hasbro has forgotten what a collector line is.

Lack of paint apps aren't just a Star Wars thing. Recently Hasbro showed off the Studio Series Age of Extinction Optimus Prime, which looks to have a severe lack of paint apps in the robot form. I don't collect GI Joe Classified, but from what I've seen they aren't skimping on paint apps for those figures. Of course, Hasbro owns GI Joe, so there's that bit for you.

The Vintage Collection isn't a kids line, it's an adult collector line. At nearly $18 a figure, taxes mostly included, VC collectors expect to get our money's worth. Collectors complained about the lack of weathering on the E-Wing fighter, which I argued wasn't needed since it was a "new" fighter. But close ups of its appearance in the Ahsoka series showed some weathered detail. Ouch. While I have yet to open The Ghost, there are some complaints on the lack of weathering detail on that ship. If paint apps are skipped on deluxe figures like Cobb Vanth and IG-12, who are priced near to a Black Series figure, it's a problem. In this case raising the price doesn't make sense if paint apps are skipped on the $25 figures.

4. Creatures and vehicles and playsets are giving the Vintage Collection some life.

The Blurrg is an amazing creature. And once I'm done with the Ghost I'm reviewing it here. The E-Wing despite the lack of paint apps has been a well recieved ship, in the same vein as Mando's N1 Starfighter. A future Howler creature is coming, and the Streets of Mos Eisley playset can compliment the Cantina, or if people didn't back it, have something Cantina adjacent. The Imperial Light Cruiser Playset has some similar qualities to the Tantive IV Playset. As much as collectors gripe, Hasbro has done a good job here. I'm optimistic about the future of this part of the VC.

5. The Vintage Collection has no real brick and mortar retail presence.

I wanted some good news before bad news again, but I can see the writing on the wall. Target has stopped carrying the VC, save for the deluxe Cobb Vanth. Wal-Mart stores carry the VC, but you have to go to different stores. One store may have it, another one may not. Gamestop carries figures, but like Wally World you have to drive around as some stores have shrunk their toy space. With brick and mortar retail shrinking, the VC has a few options. Making this a Hasbro Pulse only line could be a possibility. Mattel has done this with MOTU Origins, and it isn't great. Letting Entertainment Earth, BBTS and Amazon get in the game would be the best way, in my opinion to keep the line going. But that's the way I am seeing it at this moment.

6. The VC misses out on new figures.

When a show comes out now, the VC is often left in the dark as the Black Series gets all the new stuff first. THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE! I'll admit, getting Acolyte figures as the show was out was a nice touch, but Hasbro in the past would often have 2 waves out when a show debuted. The Clone Wars line from 2008-09 had that. Same with pre-Disney era movies. Whatever the holdup is, it hurts the line. See Cobb Vanth, and possibly Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati being slow sellers because of this. Wave 1 could be characters we see in the trailers, then wave 2 could be some new characters seen as the show wraps up the season. In an ideal collecting environment, we'd already have those characters out a long time ago.

7. There is a reason to be optimistic.

The ANH Luke has been reviewed online and on YouTube, and the reviews are positive. It's not only sold out on Hasbro Pulse, but also Amazon. I can't remember the last VC figure to accomplish that feat (maybe the ROTJ Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker figure did that, maybe?). There is hunger for main characters, and this one appears to be done right. I'll be able to judge for myself in a few weeks when mine arrives. Not to mention the Cantina, and all the goodness in the works for the return to Tattooine. It gives me some hope that the upcoming ANH Mains are going to be of excellent quality in terms of sculpt and articulation. I'll judge the paint apps when I see the figure.

8. Hasbro, keep this in mind:

A. Mains need to be all new sculpts. No kitbashing.

B. The only kitbashes should be aliens, Imperial or Rebel officers, etc.

C. Scale is important. Live action Thrawn being shorter than Rebels Thrawn is UNACCEPTABLE!

D. All Vintage Collection collectors want is an equal share of the pie. If the Black Series gets 8 new figures, so should the VC.

E. There is no more passionate customers than VC collectors. Want proof? Read the comments on BanthaSkull articles. Or on other collecting site comments on Vintage Collection figures. We have passion, we even have some money to spend. It's as simple as that.

F. Getting new collectors is ESSENTIAL. The 90's kids who grew up with the POTF2 era figures and Prequel Trilogy are untapped potential for the VC. Look at how well Clone Wars figures sell, and even Count Dooku. While I love and prefer the OT/True Expanded Universe/Mandalorian era, I do want PT era figures too. Nothing wrong with a kids line (the new Epic World of Action line looks AMAZING, with added articulation), that can be the foot in the door.

I'm just calling things like I see it. This should be taken as constructive criticism of Hasbro, and the current state of the VC. Thanks for reading! Please share this link on your social media accounts so I can get more readers. Special thanks to Chris and Nomad at BanthaSkull for allowing me to post this link in the comments!

(I hope to start taking pictures of The Ghost this week. We have a potential snow day down here, so I should have time to get this done)