FAVORITE FIGS I remember so clearly watching Empire Strikes Back for the first time with my oldest brother. Shortly after watching the film, we went to Forbidden Planet in Union Square. As my brother dug around for some new books, we went to the lower level where they housed their action figures. Unbeknownst to me, the store had suffered water damage and was having a huge sale on toys with damaged packages. Upon this revelation, my brother told me I could pick up some figures. I excitedly ran over to the Star Wars section and grabbed two figures that would end up being two of my absolute favorites—Hoth Luke and a Snow Trooper. These two were then featured prominently in every subsequent gameplay. No matter what the situation, these two figures were in the thick of it. As some of my tastes started to vary and I began to branch out into other likes (wrestling most specifically) the tag team of Snow Trooper and a generic Storm Trooper became my Star Wars Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions. Luke became the running mate to Empire Han (far superior to giant-headed New Hope Han), but I didn’t receive him for another year or so (and then he was by far my favorite Star Wars figure). The above picture is my Snow Trooper and Hoth Luke. They may be a little worse for wear and have definitely yellowed over time, but the nostalgia I still feel when I look and hold these figures is real. —LV
THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THESE My current favorite line of action figures is Star Wars The Black Series. The first wave of these was released in 2013. I regarded these new larger figures with trepidation as Star Wars had dominated (and created) the 3.75-inch scale of figures, and I had quite the large collection of that scale. I started to see some pictures of these figures leak out, and I thought they looked great, but I still wasn’t sure if I’d be diving in. Then I saw them in person and was absolutely blown away. These figures are the best thing Hasbro has produced with the Star Wars license. They embraced the 6-inch scale which Marvel Legends revitalized. You could now have two of the most popular toy lines on the market in a consistent scale. I’ve selected four of my favorite Black Series releases which have origins in Empire Strikes Back. The first is Wave 2 Boba Fett. At this point it was the best release ever of this figure. Absolutely perfect sculpt. I still count Empire as Boba’s first appearance even if he was added into the Special Edition of New Hope. Second is my favorite version of Luke Skywalker which comes to us from Wave 3—Bespin Luke. Posy Dagobah-training Luke shows up in all his bravado to help his friends take on the big bad and my third featured figure (and favorite character in Empire) Wave 5 Darth Vader. First of all, I can’t believe they released 5 waves before releasing Darth. Second, this figure is perfect. I love everything about it. The last figure I wanted to feature from my archives was the most important new character to the story, Jedi Master Yoda. He was a series 6 release and easily one of the most sought after figures of the entire line to that point. With over 150 figures to date, this line shows no signs of slowing down. In fact they’ve started to remake some of their much older figures using their new “photo real” paint applications which makes these figure look even more like their big screen counterparts. The best line in all of collecting continues to get better and better. —LV
May 19, 2020 • Art
Department Weekly
9
