Bantha Skull’s Readers’ Choice ESB Vintage Collection Poll Results

Thank you to everyone who voted. The votes were pretty much emphatic. The top 5 were more or less set in stone from the jump. It was merely a case of jockeying for position. Only the "honorable mention" slot was a horse race down to the wire. Admiral Piett was the winner with over 15% of the total votes cast. That's saying something in a poll with 14 choices (i.e. each character starts out as 7% of the poll). Without further ado, here are the results in order.

As I look at these 6 figures, there is the basis of a strong brick and mortar viable case. Double up Lando and Fett, and you have the basis of a good retail 8-figure case. Obviously it's already too late to influence Hasbro's lineup choices for 2020, but hopefully they are on the same page.

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All you fanboys who were complaining about the fart jokes in The Phantom Menace need to remember that Star Wars has always been for little kids and is only intended for little kids. If adults enjoyed the films, that was merely an unintended byproduct. It's not for you! In The Empire Strikes Back when Admiral Ozzel fails Darth Vader for the last time, he chokes him to death with his mind in graphic fashion. You know. For kids! The result of this family friendly murder is that Captain Piett earns a battle field promotion to Admiral. Miraculously, he manages to survive the film unlike Ozzel and Captain Needa. Captain Needa's death via Force Choke was also unflinchingly captured in the film. KIDS!

Anywho, it may be splitting hairs, but we've never been given an Admiral Piett figure ever. Or have we? The miserable POTF2 figure was titled "Captain Piett", but the figure was wearing the Admiral rank badge. We would ideally like both, but the winner of the our Readers' Choice Poll is for Admiral Piett. A Captain Piett figure would be a cheap retool as a pack-in or store exclusive.

Hey, do you remember when Darth Vader cut off Luke's arm? FOR KIDS!

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You guys and gals had better buy this figure if/when it gets made. I personally think that Lobot toes the "boring" line so closely that I'd rather live with the OTC Lobot than risk a brick and mortar roadblock. But you have spoken. Not only did Lobot easily claim the number 2 spot on our poll, it actually threatened the number 1 spot. We could almost call this 1B.

The one big positive Lobot has going for him is that, in a theme that will repeat below, he's one of the vintage Kenner "Collect All 92*" figures.

*96

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This is a bittersweet situation. The bitterness is that an update to the swivel-elbowed 2004 VOTC Lando Calrissian is years overdue. The sweet part is that there is legitimate demand among the hardcore long-term collectors for an updated Episode V Lando Calrissian figure. When hardcore collectors are clamoring for a core character, it's good news for Hasbro. Core characters bridge the gap between the hardcore and casual collectors. Any figure that spans that gap has a good chance of brick and mortar success.

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2-1B has been released under the Vintage Collection banner (right HERE in case you forgot). The problem is that multi-pack utilized the then 14-year-old POTF2 sculpt. Making matters worse, it was from the POTF2 era when figure scale was seemingly randomized. The figure is now over two decades old and is taller than most modern figures. According to Wookieepedia, 2-1B clocks in at just under 5'10". Tall, but not that tall. If you want to get really into the weeds, the POTF2 figure measures roughly 4 1/8 inches. By comparison, modern figures based on the 6ft tall Harrison Ford come in at 3 7/8 inches.

Where this figure gets additional appeal is that 2-1B was also part of the vintage Kenner "Collect All 92*" era.

* 96

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Recapping the original poll write up, "Bespin Escape" Leia is Hoth Leia minus the vest, exchanging dress boots for the snow boots, and wearing looped pig tails. Even if you were to remove the vest from your Vintage Collection Hoth Leia figure and perform a head swap with the Vintage Collection Bespin Gown, you still haven't replicated this exact load out due to the boots. This isn't just a minor wardrobe change, either. Princess Leia wears the "Bespin Escape" look for the majority of the third act of The Empire Strikes Back. We have been given this figure once. ONCE! That was during the POTJ line in 2001. The Patriots didn't have any Lombardis then, and now they have like fifty. That's how long ago it was.

In a flip from the above mentioned 2-1B, that POTJ release is actually too small. It's tiny. It's also permanently action posed. We need a new one. As with almost every figure on this list, we've needed a new one for a long time.

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Here's a reminder that terms like "best" and "better" are relative, and only carry value based on the relative item. It's like saying something is the best original Hallmark Channel movie. It doesn't mean it's good. It just means it's the best piece of garbage out of a pile of garbage (I really hope my wife isn't reading this). Enter the Evolutions Boba Fett. It's the best super articulated Boba Fett we have, but it's not very good. It's highlighted by an inaccurately scaled and crudely executed removable helmet. In fact, it's so bad that numerous collectors have taken to using one of the recent 5POA Boba Fett figures for their display.

If Hasbro could combine the costume accuracy of the Evolution's figure, the properly scaled non-removable helmet of the recent 5POA figures, and modern Jedi-level-articulation, we'd be cooking with gas. No! Strike that. We'd be cooking with jet fuel. Hasbro would get a decade of mileage out of that proposed figure and it would always sell. Just like Vader.

Boba Fett narrowly edged out Helder Spinoza (the vintage Kenner Bespin Guard) and Lt. Sheckil (a.k.a. unmasked Boba Fett) for this honorable mention spot.

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