2021 Vintage Collection Year In Review

So this article would have been better suited for New Year's Day, but it has been delayed due to holiday celebration followed by what was, at best, the worst case of the flu I've had in over a decade, and at worst a breakthrough COVID case. If what I had was a "mild" omicron breakthrough case, I am very thankful I never had the full blown thing. That was miserable. Anyway, it's time to look back on what 2021 delivered for the Vintage Collection. I'm going to give my favorites in four categories. Since Antoc Merrick's X-Wing was the only vehicle released in 2021, there isn't much to say on that subject. I'm only focusing on the figures.

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This category isn't for the best figure of the year, though the Electrostaff Purge Trooper certainly is a decent figure. It's not necessarily my favorite figure of the year. It's hard to describe what I mean by this category. I think the best way to explain it is that it's the subject matter that most excites me. While I love it when Hasbro delivers definitive figures of main characters from new media, it's what's expected. That's the bread and butter of any action figure line. It doesn't come as a surprise. When Hasbro unexpectedly delivers a little bit of a deep cut, on the other hand, my heart starts to flutter.

I've wanted Vintage Collection figures of the Purge Troopers from the moment I played the game in 2019. I expressed my incredulity over the omission from Triple Force Friday during the Toy Fair 2020 Q&A. I was beginning to think it would never happen. The game is no longer in the headlines. So I was thrilled to get this figure in 2021. Better late than never.

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This was an exceedingly difficult to make this determination. There were a lot of great figures in 2021. This nod could have just as easily gone toward VC202 - Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore) or VC206 - IG-11. Ultimately, this Lando Calrissian figure is just too perfect. The likeness is uncanny. The soft goods provide the intricate detail without sacrificing function at all. The figure strikes every pose it needs to. This is absolutely the star of 2021 in my opinion.

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This easily could have also taken the spot for the "Release That Made Me Happiest" category, but it's Boba Fett. C'mon. Eventually Hasbro would see the wisdom in sinking some new tooling dollars into an evergreen character such as this. Right? RIGHT? I had been campaigning for a new Episode V or VI Fett since the line relaunched in 2018. In fact, I will be forever critical for not having such a figure in the launch wave. Launch waves, which always over ship, need to be packed with bonafide sellers (not repacks of characters with on tepid fan interest). I worked my new Fett crusade into reviews in which it did not belong, like the one for the VC166 - Mandalorian figure. I worked it into reviews for which is was actually relevant, such as the one for the Villain Set. I love this figure so much that I have a Star Cased carded sample on my night stand, and my wife hasn't said anything about it...yet.

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Did you all know that I really wanted this figure made? I first mentioned it to Hasbro as Hascon 2017 as a possible mail away figure. We pitched it as an SDCC '20 exclusive HERE. In my latest "Top 5" list HERE, I had the Droids Boba Fett listed at #2. Please don't misconstrue this to be me trying to take credit. Guess who else was campaigning for this release. Ninety percent of the rest of the community! There was a lot of oars paddling in the same direction on this one. My personal advocacy has nothing to do with it. This Droids Boba Fett was probably supposed to be an actually 2021 release, but the ongoing global shipping crisis pushes it into the "announcement" category.

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So there's my takes. It's a highly subjective list, and there's surely going to be a lot of different opinions on this, so let 'em rip in the comments.

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