I mentioned during yesterday’s review that I was torn as to which figure was my favorite of the wave.  After photographing this Retro Collection Moff Gideon, I’m no longer undecided.  This is my favorite figure of the bunch, and there are a couple of reasons for that.  First, Darth Vader is my favorite.  “Favorite what,” you ask?  Favorite fictional character.  Favorite villain.  Favorite root vegetable.  Favorite classic car.  Favorite flavor of ice cream.  Favorite everything.  The way the vinyl plastic cape curls around this figure and the obvious Vader styling cues of the character’s costume gave me strong nostalgia for the vintage Kenner Darth Vader figure.

The vintage Kenner Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight figure is my absolute favorite vintage figure.  Crud.  In the previous paragraph where I said Vader was my favorite everything, please mentally edit that to say “favorite almost everything”.  One aspect of that Jedi Knight Luke that I loved was the green lightsaber.  I know that style of saber was first introduced with the Luke Bespin figure three years earlier, but it really stood out fo me for that Jedi Knight figure.  Getting The Darksaber in that vintage Kenner style is the second reason this is my favorite figure of the bunch.  What makes it even cooler is that it’s not cast in solid plastic.  Instead it’s a translucent gray.

When I reviewed the VC180 - Moff Gideon figure, I said that the likeness was so uncanny that it could unlock Giancarlo Esposito’s iPhone.  The Retro Collection Moff Gideon could unlock the cell phone of a Muppet based on Esposito’s likeness.  It gives an impression of Moff Gideon, but that might be another case of these vintage facsimiles being too good.  The vintage Kenner head sculpts bore almost zero resemblance to the character and actor.  Anyone who recognizes THIS as Luke Skywalker would have to be certifiably insane.

Finally for you youngins, image 14 mimics the play pattern we had during the vintage era.  “Patchwork armor” Mandalorian never interacted with Moff Gideon, but it’s the only Retro Mandalorian we have.  Using the right character, but the wrong wardrobe is how we got through life. Bespin Luke in the Dagobah playset? Check.  Hoth Leia escaping Bespin?  Check.  Heck, the original X-Wing box has Tatooine Luke in the cockpit, and the TIE Fighter box used a regular Stomrtrooper as a pilot.  You really had to stretch the measly 96 figures we got.