My One Minor Disappointment With The Vader’s TIE Packaging…Maybe

I've been pressed into service on an emergency basis again today. Actually, double emergency. The only reason I checked my phone at 3:30 AM this morning was that my arm fell asleep, and it woke me up. I had a text notifying me that Mr. Nomadscout had binged on Little Debbie Nutty Buddies, and was feeling too ill to complete his review as a result. After an hour of deliberation, I decided to race the clock to see if I could beat the 7:05 starting gun. Unfortunately, the only thing I knew I could write without a lot of brain storming was this packaging article, and since at least half of you could care less about in-package collecting, this should do wonders for engagement (although CJ will assuredly spend some time mocking me).

Anyway, as you all know, the packaging aesthetic changed throughout the vintage Kenner run. The most obvious thing was the film logo at the top of the racetrack was updated as we progressed through the three movies of the trilogy. Additionally, the Episode IV packaging featured a double racetrack, while the packing for the final two installments received only a single racetrack. With respect to the vehicles, there was another feature that set the A New Hope packaging apart from its successors. The familiar name pill from the cards was brought onto most of the vehicle packaging as you can see on the original Kenner Darth Vader's TIE Fighter:


To date, the name pill has been used on the two Episode IV packaged vehicle in the Vintage Collection that also carried them in the Kenner era:


The name pill has even been preserved on the upcoming Landspeeder update, but there's a catch:


You will notice that the "front" mimics the Kenner packaging and has the name pill. The "back" is updated with a diorama shots, and ditches the pill for the stand alone block letters that became the standard for Empire and Return packaging during the Kenner run. I should also note that when Hasbro re-released the large wing TIE Fighter in 2018, it also had no name pill despite utilizing the Episode IV double racetrack packaging. But in that case, Hasbro was not attempting to mimic the Kenner packaging. With the upcoming Vader's TIE, being faithful to the Kenner packaging was the stated goal to the point of even retaining the floating Vader head, which some people find disconcerting.

Now, you may be asking why the heck do I care so much, especially when I've occasionally mocked the idea of recreating the Kenner packaging verbatim for items that have modern counterparts. Well it's because I'm from the Neon Decade, and nothing screams 80's like hot pink (or magenta) trade dress (even though the Kenner Vader's TIE is from the late seventies). I was hoping that element was retained for the TVC Vader's TIE. To be fair to Hasbro, it might have to do with the size of the updated Vader's TIE packaging. The name pill might not scale well (perhaps that's why it was ditched for the large wing TIE). Kenner also ditched it for the Millennium Falcon, so there is precedent. But maybe the unseen reverse of the new Vader's TIE packaging retains the pill similar to the Landspeeder, but I doubt it.

As stated in the title, this is an extremely minor disappointment for a very niche way of collecting vehicles. It's a bit like being a single away from hitting for the cycle, and getting a double in your last at bat. It would have been the cherry on top, and a solid anchor to my childhood memories. I also think it adds a lot of "pop" to the packaging. But it does nothing to take away from the giddiness I feel about Vader's TIE finally coming to TVC.

---

comments powered by Disqus