Tag: The Vintage Collection

Recommended music: Weezer – El Scorcho

For this #StarWarsSaturday, we’re back inside Echo Base during The Empire Strikes Back because I skipped right by this character’s first appearance a few weeks ago. 😄 From the Star Wars The Vintage Collection, it’s a Dak Ralter!

Rebel pilots and gunners have now boarded their ships, and other troopers have arrived at their battle stations, positioned for the impending ground assault. The shield has opened, and the ion cannon has fired, and “the first transport is away”…

“Everyone cheers at the announcement, which echoes through the hangar.
Luke turns and walks on, heading toward his snowspeeder. His gunner,
Dack, a fresh-faced, eager kid, is glad to see him. They climb in.

DACK
Feeling all right, sir?

LUKE
Just like new, Dack. How about
you?

DACK
Right now, I feel like I could take
on the whole Empire myself.

LUKE
(quietly, strapping
in)
I know what you mean.”

…

This Dak figure is actually one that Hasbro included in their 3.75″ Black Series line in 2014, while The Vintage Collection was on a five-year hiatus. I’m considering it to be a TVC figure as it’s just a repaint of the 2010 Vintage Collection release. The only difference I can tell between the two figures is that the paint of the face seems to have gotten an upgrade from the 2010 version, but you can’t really tell here, as Dak always has his helmet on during the film, and you can’t really tell that the face looks like Dak actor, John Morton. Morton also stood in for one scene as Boba Fett when Jeremy Bulloch wasn’t available, but again, the helmet really covered up his face.

Speaking of upgrades, this newer Dak figure (that I’m showing the top 15% of 😄) is a huge improvement from the 2002 Power of the Jedi version. Sporting an accurate flight suit, this figure comes with 14 points of articulation, allowing him to be easily fit inside the snow speeder. The figure also comes with a blaster and a blaster rifle, not that you’d ever need those. The helmet is removable to reveal a unique pilot head sculpt with a tight flight cap, but don’t be surprised if the snug helmet and chin strap have scratched Dak’s face after removal.

The Empire Strikes Back turned 45 years old this year! I “figure” there’ll be a new Episode V figure to share here for the rest of the year. Happy 45 years of ESB!

#ActionFigurePhotography
#EmpireStrikesBack45
#ESB45
#ToyPhotography

Recommended music: The Who – Baba O’Riley

For this #StarWarsSaturday, we’re staying near a snow trench outside Echo Base during The Empire Strikes Back. From The Vintage Collection, it’s another Hoth Rebel Trooper!

Rebel pilots and gunners have now boarded their ships, and other troopers have arrived at their battle stations, positioned for the impending ground assault. The shield has opened, and the ion cannon has fired…

A Rebel officer lifts a pair of electrobinoculars to his eyes. Through
the lens, he sees a very close view of a giant Imperial snow walker. He
adjusts the view, which then zooms back to reveal three more of the
ominous battle machines. Small flashes of yellow fire billow from the
guns of the lumbering snow walkers.

This unnamed Rebel Trooper is one that Hasbro included in the 2022 Hoth Echo Base Soldier Troop Builder 4-Pack. This is another example where the facial likeness does not match up with any previously named troopers seen either on screen or behind the scenes. However, he’s a great addition for some variety in your Rebel army.

This figure comes with 14 points of articulation, allowing him to be easily posed in and around the snow trenches on the Hoth battlefield. The figure also comes with a blaster, a blaster rifle, a pair of goggles, and a hat. The goggles easily fit onto the hat, but they also need the hat to hold them in place on the face.

The Empire Strikes Back turned 45 years old this year! I “figure” there’ll be a new Episode V figure to share here for the rest of the year. Happy 45 years of ESB!

#ActionFigurePhotography
#EmpireStrikesBack45
#ESB45
#ToyPhotography

Recommended music: Frank Zappa – Apostrophe’

For this #StarWarsSaturday, we’re finally back outside Echo Base during The Empire Strikes Back. From The Vintage Collection, it’s another Hoth Rebel Trooper!

Rebel pilots and gunners have now boarded their ships, and other troopers have arrived at their battle stations, positioned for the impending ground assault. The shield has opened, and the ion cannon has fired.

A thin horizon line cuts across the bleak landscape. Small dot-size
objects begin to appear on the horizon, moving in the direction of the
Rebel base.

This unnamed Rebel Trooper is one that Hasbro included in the 2022 Hoth Echo Base Soldier Troop Builder 4-Pack. I wish I could say this was Micha Even from the Battlefront: Twilight Company novel, but he’s not that close to the artwork. While the facial likeness does not match up with any previously named troopers seen either on screen or behind the scenes, he’s a great addition to your Rebel army.

This release is excellent, with 14 points of articulation, allowing him to be easily posed on the Hoth landscape. The figure comes with a blaster, a blaster rifle, a pair of goggles, and a removable hat. The goggles fit easily onto the hat, but do not stay on the face without a hat holding the strap in place.

The Empire Strikes Back turned 45 years old this year! I “figure” there’ll be a new Episode V figure to share here for the rest of the year. Happy 45 years of ESB!

#ActionFigurePhotography
#EmpireStrikesBack45
#ESB45
#ToyPhotography

Recommended music: Gary Portnoy – Cheers Theme

Tonight, we’re still in Echo Base with another #StarWarsSaturday from The Empire Strikes Back. From The Saga Collection, it’s Bren Derlin!

Do you recognize that mustachioed Major who commands that the shield doors be closed for the night while Han was still out in the frigid conditions of Hoth searching for Luke? Well, it’s none other than John Ratzenberger, who you likely recognize as Cliff Clavin, the Boston barfly and postal worker from the long-running TV series, Cheers.

Ratzenberger never traveled to Finse, Norway, along with many other Rebel Troopers to shoot his scenes as they all took place inside Echo Base and were filmed on sets in London.

The Major Derlin figure was first released in 2006 during the Saga Collection, then was given a slight repaint the following year (pictured) for an ultimate battle pack in The 30th Anniversary Collection. For this Battle of Hoth set, he was no longer named, just labeled as “Rebel Officer.” The figure is a pretty good likeness of the character, and the hat is molded onto the head, as he never needs to set it down to order a drink from Sam, Coach, or Woody. 😛 The swivel elbow articulation feels a bit dated now, but he can successfully put his hands behind his back when breaking the news to Leia.

“Your Highness, there’s nothing more we can do tonight. The shield doors must be closed.” – Bren Derlin
[Leia nods]
“Close the doors.” – Derlin

#EmpireStrikesBack45

Recommended music: Seven Mary Three – Cumbersome

For this #StarWarsSaturday, we’re still in Echo Base during The Empire Strikes Back. From The Vintage Collection, it’s NOT Hoth Rebel Trooper, it’s Cal Alder!

After Han sets back out on tauntaun to search for Luke, there are no signs of life outside the base reported by either man or droid, when this unnamed Rebel Lieutenant reports in to his Major:

“Sir, all the patrols are in. Still no…still no contact from Skywalker or Solo.”

So, the reason I’m calling this figure “Cal Alder”, and not the one that others have labeled as Cal from the 2022 Hoth Echo Base Soldier Troop Builder 4-Pack, is because actor Jack McKenzie’s face is actually shown on the cardback of this 2011 release.

The figure is labeled as “Hoth Rebel Trooper (Echo Base Battle Gear)” for two reasons. First, the vintage figure in the outfit was labeled the same way. To confuse matters further, the vintage ESB cardback incorrectly shows a different character in different gear. Secondly, the character was credited only as “Deck Lieutenant” in the film, and didn’t receive the name “Cal Alder” until being included in an  expansion set of the Star Wars Customizable Card Game in 1996.

This Cal is a pretty simple figure with good paint applications, a blaster, and removable goggles. Hasbro later used this figure as a base for their army builder 4-pack. While those figures feature removable hats, the hats look oversized compared to Cal’s sculpted head. Also, even with 11 years to correct their mistake, they still copied over the gray on the gloves (these should be all white, even the vintage figure got it right), and the black on the boots (these should be gray with white straps)😛…

“Your Highness, there’s nothing more we can do tonight. The shield doors must be closed.” – Bren Derlin
[Leia nods]
“Close the doors.” – Derlin
“Yes, sir.” – Cal Alder

#EmpireStrikesBack45

Recommended music: Tigran Hamasyan – Levitation 21 

On this #StarWarsSaturday, we’re still in the Echo Base command center during The Empire Strikes Back. From The Vintage Collection, it’s Tigran Jamiro!

I know you were expecting Cal Alder, but he’s gonna have to wait until next week. After Han sends out the unnamed deck officer (Tamizander Rey) ordering him to go find out where else Luke may have checked in, this is the result of that scene:

“Sir, Commander Skywalker hasn’t come in the south entrance. He might have forgotten to check in.” – Tigran Jamiro
“Not likely. Are the speeders ready?” – Han Solo
“Uh, not yet. We’re having some trouble adapting them to the cold.” – Tigran

[and shortly after]

“Your tauntaun’ll freeze before you reach the first marker!“- Tigran
“Then I’ll see you in hell!“- Han

Hasbro released Tigran as a party of their Hoth Echo Base Soldier Troop Builder 4-Pack) and while he was not labeled by name, he’s clearly the trooper who looks like Freddy Mercury.😛

#EmpireStrikesBack45

Recommended music: Hans Zimmer – Tick-Tock

For this #StarWarsSaturday, we’re in the command center in Echo Base during The Empire Strikes Back. From The Vintage Collection, it’s Hoth Rebel Trooper!

After Han discovers that Luke has not checked in following their recent scouting mission, he takes his frustrations out on an unnamed deck officer and (while continuing to point) orders him to go find out where else Luke may have checked in.

While that deck officer character received an Expanded Universe name of “Tamizander Rey,” no Hoth troopers ever get name-checked on the figure cardback, so I’m having him stand in for Rey here. This TVC Hoth Rebel Trooper, released in 2011, is also not based on the 1980 THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Rebel Soldier (Hoth Battle Gear) figure either. Instead, his cardback shows another Rebel Trooper, also only named offscreen as Cal Alder. For Cal’s story, you’re gonna have to tune in next week.😄

“Has Commander Skywalker reported in yet?” – Han Solo
“I haven’t seen him. It’s possible he came in through the south entrance.” – Tamizander Rey
“It’s possible? Why don’t you go find out? It’s getting dark out there.”―Han

#EmpireStrikesBack45