The Star Wars vintage Kenner action figures changed toys and franchising forever. Sales of this line were so successful that it’s no surprise the fan nostalgia for these 3.75-inch figures in new packages is still as great as ever, 43 years after their first appearance in a pre-order campaign for Christmas 1977. Disney knows what its fans want, and so they have assembled two takes on a new round of action figures for the Disney+ series The Mandalorian–one with modern molds and articulation in vintage packaging, and the other with retro, classic Kenner style molds and articulation, housed in classic, mock-distressed packaging–plus original-style vinyl capes! IG-11, Moff Gideon, Cara Dune, Greef Karga, Kuiil, “Baby Yoda,” and Din Djarin, the man behind the mask. You can pre-order them now at Entertainment Earth and Amazon. Check them out:
With the return of Star Wars action figures in advance of the prequels, four of the original sculpts from the 1970s returned in a limited set in the 1990s (still sold via third party sellers at Amazon here), and Lucasfilm with its own changes over the years keeps finding ways of bringing them back with the Kenner logo via Kenner’s successor company Hasbro. The company even released a set of four figures: Luke, Leia, R2-D2, and Chewbacca, in an enlarged 12-inch collection, still available at Amazon here, and even a Cantina set, plus 12-inch re-creations of several other vintage figures, from toy company Gentle Giant, discussed over the past decade here at borg.
We previewed the latest return of the 3.75-inch action figures emerging from New York Toy Fair last year here at borg, six individually sold characters in “retro” packaging with mock weathering that made them different enough from the originals to dissuade people from selling them as originals. The characters were Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, and a Stormtrooper, with a never-before-released, new design of the classic five-points of articulation for Grand Moff Tarkin, available if you bought the re-issue of the original Star Wars board game. Learn more about those here.
Look for a Vintage Collection Din Djarin with removable helmet and The Child (and the infamous homemade ice cream churner he was transported in), exclusively through WalMart stores. Here are some images:
Other figures in the Vintage line include The Armorer and Moff Gideon (shown above). The initial release sold out within a few hours, but throughout the U.S. these still have appeared from time to time over the course of this summer. Entertainment Earth has just announced it is taking pre-orders for a set of all six figures for only $83.99 (price as of date of publication).
If Star Wars nostalgia is your thing, and you love The Mandalorian as much as we did, check out the links above for more information. Season 2 begins October 30 on Disney+.
C.J. Bunce / Editor / borg
