Star Wars Collecting: The Best and Worst of 2006
Posted by: Big_E 12.27.06 12:01am
For the first time in seven years we were faced with the fact that there were no new theatrical movies coming for Star Wars. Hasbro and the other licensees, however, didn't miss a beat as they continued on with the huge success that was Revenge of the Sith. All the major manufacturers including Hasbro, Sideshow, Gentle Giant and Master Replicas brought out great items this year and we were all in line to buy them.

Sideshows first year with their license was a big one. Not only did we finally receive Luke Skywalker but they've gone on to deliver two versions of Anakin, Kit Fisto, Han Solo, Obi-Wan and Mace Windu. Not only that but they blew us away with their 1:6 scale Jabba the Hutt which was shown at San Diego Comicon!

But before I get carried away, let's get on with the good (and bad, unfortunately) stuff!

Best

Figure

  • C-3PO - I'm putting the Endor wave C-3PO (Saga Collection #42) on the top of the list. Of all the newly sculpted figures in the regular line, C-3PO was the best. Not only was he a huge improvement over all previous versions, he showed off a level of ingenuity by Hasbro that's too rarely seen. The hip, shoulder and head joints give this figure the ability to ape his screen counterpart. The articulated knees finally allow us to have a C-3PO that can sit and he does that well in the awesome Ewok chair that he's packed with. It's a shame that the 2004 VOTC C-3PO couldn't have been this figure. But, good for us, we save $3 to get this version. This is what we've come to expect from Hasbro, I hope they keep it up.
  • AT-AT Driver - I may be a little biased here, but just a little. This is probably the second best upgrade of an existing character behind C-3PO. From the articulation to sculpt to paint to accuracy, the AT-AT Driver was one of the nicest OT Imperials released this year not to mention one of the nicest figures.
  • R5-D4 - This is the same basic figure as the Early Bird R2-D2 (and VOTC) only with a new head. But, it's the best ever version of R5-D4 and an upgrade 11 years in the making. The fact that it's also a brilliant looking figure is just icing on the cake. With this sculpt and the R4-G9 body both available, Hasbro has all it needs to create all the awesome astromechs we could ever want. Rumors that the R4-G9 body will be made into an R2 next year almost makes me giddy!
  • Gragra - Goofy looking alien? Check. Cool accessories and a nice sculpt? Check. All that's needed for a shout out. Styled after a Tatooine alien seen in The Phantom Menace, Gragra has a decent sculpt, great paint apps and is a fun addition to the 2006 line of figures...and she can even feed your Jar Jar figures .
  • Mars Guo & Dud Bolt - Hasbro made up for some lost time with this 2-pack of Pod Racers. Both figures have great sculpts and wonderful paint applications making them both cool TPM aliens and nice additions to your collection.
  • Boushh - Boushh is an awesome update to the older POTF2 figure. With a removable helmet, thermal detonator and more accurate head sculpt, the 2006 Boushh figure is a pretty definitive version of the character.
  • Major Bren Derlin - Overall, Derlin wasn't an exciting sculpt and it didn't offer anything new in the way of accessories or articulation, but he does represent an original trilogy character that many fans have been asking for since the vintage days. The Hoth portion of The Empire Strikes Back doesn't offer a huge depth of character choices so Derlin made an exceptional addition to the Star Wars line.
  • Upgrades - There were several other upgrades to existing figures in 2006 including General Veers, Garindan, Momaw Nadon and a new character, Foul Moudama, based on a pre-existing sculpt. All cool, all deserving and all helped to flesh out the line and distract from the multiple re-packed figures and odd character choices.

Figure 12"

  • Anakin Skywalker - This was the second figure released (Luke being the first) from Sideshow and it's a winner. The detail on his arms is incredible. Incredible enough to give Sideshow a pass on the loose arm joints. The face paint, specifically the lips, was a little off but the overall look, tailoring on the clothes and number of accessories took this figure to a high level that Sideshow will forever have to live up to. The ComiCon exclusive Vader (Anakin with yellow eyes from ROTS) meant we got two shots at this figure and Sideshow got to pimp out their best work.
  • Darth Maul - Just sneaking in at the end of the year, Darth Maul is a home run by Sideshow. With an incredible paint job on an even more incredible sculpt, this is the ultimate in Darth Maul figures. Greatly articulated, the arms have been corrected for the short body after the Luke Skywalker earlier this year. The outfit is nicely detailed as are all of Sideshows figures. The accessories, including the double bladed lightsaber, take this figure over the top. If you only ordered one Sideshow figure this year, I hope it was Maul with Anakin just slightly behind.
  • Jedi - I could have easily loaded most of the Sideshow figures on this list but the Jedi seem to be the real hits of the line. It's partly because of the incredible detail on the outfits but the head sculpts are well done as well as all the accessories that were thrown in.

Vehicle or Playset

  • Republic Gunship - Please refer to the past, oh, three(?) articles as to why this vehicle is on the list. This year's Toys-R-Us exclusive came in an animated Clone Wars paint scheme that really took it up a notch. Having similarly painted 3" Titanium and Battle Masters versions out made it an even better year for the Republic Gunship.
  • The fact that there were vehicles! In a year without a movie the fact that there were vehicles released that weren't exclusive was a nice step forward. Target, TRU and some Wal-Mart stores carrying the $20 starfighter line was a nice surprise. Granted, most of them were repaints of the various Jedi Starfighter sculpts but we also got the Hailfire Droid and TIE Advanced. And who would have guessed at an AT-AT (TRU) and Shuttle (Target) in an off year like this?

Lego

  • Sail Barge - Finally Lego has stepped up and put out a playset that Star Wars collectors have wanted for years. Large, plenty of detail and mini figs all add together to make a nice set. Availability at retail was also a nice bonus as people didn't have to go through Shop@Home for this piece.
  • Star Destroyer - Although not as detailed as the Ultimate Collector Series Destroyer, this mini fig scale version makes for another fun playset from Lego.

Busts and Statues

  • Chewbacca - Large and in charge, Chewy just made it out before the end of the year. He's very detailed and the fur, always difficult, looks natural and makes for a nice bust. Put him on the shelf next to your Han Solo bust and you're one step closer to having all the major original trilogy characters.
  • Mara Jade - A Gen Con exclusive in Indiana this year, this bust looks almost exactly like Shannon McRandle who modeled for the character. The paint applications, which can easily knock a bust down a few notches, is perfect on this bust, the hair is well done and she's sporting her original jump suit and an ignited lightsaber!
  • Emperor Palpatine - This was kind of a sleeper this year. It's very detailed and has awesome paint apps. With his ignited lightsaber he makes a nice companion piece to the EP2 Yoda figure. He seemed to have snuck past some collectors and his secondary market price reflects that. Pick one up if you get a chance.

Non-Toy Collectible

  • Acme Character Keys - They debuted their first key at Star Wars Celebration III in 2005 and with the Shaak Ti that just arrived in December, we're now up to 11 keys in the line. Including the San Diego ComiCon exclusive Palpatine key, there were about 7 released in 2006. With a new partnership with Sideshow, we can expect to see keys into 2007 and perhaps beyond.

Best Exclusive

  • 501st Stormtrooper - Offered at the San Diego ComiCon, this Stormtrooper has a chest logo celebrating the 501st fan organization. The special packaging allows 501st Troopers to insert their own trading card and the accessories include an Imperial Logo symbol and a banner announcing the figure as the 501st Legion, Vader's Fist. Also sold on-line at HasbroToyShop.com in both exclusive and non-exclusive (without ComiCon logo) versions, this was one of the nicest exclusives ever, not just of 2006.
  • Mara Jade bust - Yes, it's a top bust but it was also exclusive. Relatively easy to obtain, it's a nice bust with great detail and sculpt.

Best Events

  • PSWCS - Other than the normal yearly conventions there wasn't a lot of things going on in the Star Wars universe this year. That's where local clubs and organizations fill in. It was another fine year being a member of the Pennsylvania Star Wars Collector Society. We had a great summer social in Harrisburg and plenty of on-line interaction. This year we also expanded our annual toy drive to include the Scranton and Wilkes Barre area with the help of Essential Comics. Next year for the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars there should be plenty going on though.

Worst

Figure

  • Character Choices - We had a lot of nice figures including new characters and much needed upgrades but there were also a lot of re-packed figures in both the regular Saga Collection line and two sub lines, Heroes & Villains and Greatest Battles. The problems weren't necessarily that figures were re-packed, it was the choice of characters. Obi-Wan, for example, showed up on the pegs at the same time in two different lines with different accessories but the basic figure was the same. Although holiday shopping cleared things out, there were still odd choices. Multiples of Vader being possibly the worst, but C-3PO, R2, the Emperor and others all seemed odd this year.

Figure 12"

  • Luke Skywalker - Although I put Sideshow on the best list for 2005 due just to the announcement of their 12" line, the first figure from them was kind of a let down. Luke used a shorter body so that he'd be in proportion to the other figures to come, but his arms maintained their original length making him look kind of apish. The head sculpt wasn't bad but the choice of facial expressions left something to be desired. I guess we shouldn't have expected Sideshow to hit a home run the first time and it was a great start as far as outfit and accessories goes. Besides, all of the releases since then, including the improved arm length for Maul, have been consistently getting better.

Vehicle or Playset

  • Jedi Starfighter re-paints - I love the Revenge of the Sith Jedi Starfighter but after the fourth or fifth re-paint it's getting a little old. Although Hasbro did break out the Attack of the Clones mold to do Kit Fisto's JSF as a Target exclusive. All would be forgiven if Hasbro could see it's way to a hyperdrive ring!

Lego

  • Prices - There weren't really any bad sets this year. As a matter of fact, Lego improved on both the B-Wing and A-Wing sets that were previously released. One thing that did kind of suck, though, were the prices. Most of the nicer sets were very expensive including Boba Fett's Slave I (based on the previously released Jango set), Jabba's Sail Barge and the Star Destroyer. While there were some smaller sets like the V-Wing, it would be nice to see Lego have more sets available from $9.99 to about $25.

Busts and Statues

  • Blackhole Stormtrooper - Limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide, I believe this is the second most limited bust that wasn't a Christmas gift (the other being the SDCC Clone Lieutenant). Only 500 were released in the US and it was via Gentle Giant's less-than-stable web site. It caused a lot of controversy on the various forums and probably gave GG one of the worst black eyes since that Clone Lieutenant.
  • Re-done Characters - Although GG consistently puts out new characters, they're starting to go back to characters that have already been done instead of advancing the line. Clone repaints are one thing but Vader and Yoda have already been done twice and this year they announced a new Jango Fett. I wouldn't be surprised if a new Boba Fett is announced early in 2007 as that would complete their revisiting of the more rare early busts.

Non-Toy Collectible

  • I hate putting things on both the best and the worst but the Acme Archives Palpatine Character Key might rank up there as one of the worst items of the year. The fact that it was exclusive to the San Diego ComiCon wasn't a huge deal, the fact that it was limited to 500 pieces did kind of suck. With an edition size set before the line blew up, this is the most limited of the line so far. I was lucky to obtain one for a decent price but it also had another impact on the line, all keys since then have had edition sizes of 1,250 which might be high enough to kill some of the buzz on the line.

Worst Exclusive

  • Demise of General Grievous - This Target exclusive was a repack of a bad figure, included goofy fire accessories and ran about $13. The best part of the figure was the Hasbro clam shell it was packed in. The fact that it saw $3 clearance pretty much backs up the fact that it sucked.

Worst Events

  • DVD Release - Although fans have asked to see the original theatrical edition of the original trilogy, since the release of the Special Editions Lucas has said that they were the definitive versions of his films. Well, this year we got a new release of the SE films but a bonus disk also included the theatrical cuts with all their warts and 30 year old special effects. While the transfer looked good on DVD and it was awesome to see them again, my laserdisk rips probably could have been good enough. Instead of this release I'd have rather seen a huge boxed set in 2007 (which we'll probably still get anyway) that included all 6 films, all the extras that could be packed in and the original theatrical cuts.