Figure Sources I’m Burned Out On

Posted by Chris on 06/08/23 at 07:05 AM Category: Vintage Collection

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Sometimes I get on the community as a whole for not communicating clearly with Hasbro. The classic case of this is how we (again collectively) overstated the magic of the Vintage Collection card and it's ability to sell existing figures. We know what happened there. On the flip side, we were quite clear in our disapproval of Carbonized figures, and it appears those have been nipped in the bud. It's just natural that "don't wants" are easy to communicate because it's pointing to something tangible. Wants are often too vague. With that in mind, here are four figure sources that I'm tiring of (and one before it's even released). I'm not speaking for the community. This is just how I feel personally.

ARC Troopers That Aren't 327th Star Corps

For SDCC 2020, Hasbro introduced the 501st Legion ARC Troopers Special Action Figure Set. This marked the return of rocker ankles to the Vintage Collection, so it was reason to celebrate. Most fans realized immediately these were "pre-packs" and would be available eventually as single carded releases. Over the course of the following two years, Hasbro did just that. We got VC172 - ARC Trooper Fives (2020), VC176 - ARC Trooper Echo (2021), and VC250 - ARC Trooper Jesse (2022). Between the Echo and Jesse releases, Hasbro launched a trio of Battlefront II ARC Troopers using the same mold with VC235 - ARC Trooper (Star Wars: Battlefront II), VC236 - ARC Trooper (Lambent Seeker), and VC237 - ARC Trooper (Umbra Operative). I was already bored with the source at this point, and to date I still haven't opened a Jesse, but Hasbro wasn't done. They're currently rolling out a trio of Clone Wars based ARC troopers once again using the same mold. In the United States, we already have VC274 - ARC Commander Havoc, and we're awaiting VC276 – ARC Commander Colt, and VC282 – ARC Commander Blitz. The latter two have already been reviewed by our buddy Tim from Bossk's Bounty HERE.

I'm officially burned out on this source with the exception of a potential Episode III based 327th Star Crops (Commander Bly), but I wouldn't want those figures to use this mold. The somewhat undersized sculpt and hard plastic kama are deal breakers in 2023 and beyond. I would want the 327th based on the new VC269 - Clone Trooper (Phase II) mold.

Clone Wars Figures That Aren't Savage Oppress

When I say "Clone Wars" I mean both the "2D" Genndy Tartakovsky series and the "3D" The Clone Wars series. Combined, I feel like it's one of the most heavily represented sources since 2020 beaten out only by Mandoverse and OT figures during that span. As we know, many of the latter were either straight repacks or minimal effort retools. In TVC 1.0, Clone Wars figures were a novelty. We had the unofficial 2D Commander Fordo with VC54 - ARC Trooper Commander, and the 3D VC92 - Anakin Skywalker, VC102 - Ahsoka, and VC103 - Obi-Wan Kenobi. All four have been re-released in TVC 2.0 in one form or another. In addition to those four re-releases, we've had or will have an additional twenty figures from this source since 2020 (more if you lump in Bad Batch figures). That's a lot of attention payed to animated shows that aren't nearly as watched as live action. Aside from Savage Oppress, which I doubt we'll ever get, I'd vote for resting the source for a little while in favor of more pressing needs.

B1 Battle Droids Based On VC78

Okay, I'll admit that this is a category that I was worried would grow out of control, but it seems Hasbro is showing restraint. As part of the old "Fan Channel" waves, they re-released the VC78 - Battle Droid sculpt in TVC 2.0. They then quickly followed that up with two more releases based on that sculpt with the Gaming Greats VC193 - Heavy Battle Droid, and the Genndy Clone Wars based VC216 - Battle Droid. I was worried that we'd start seeing rapid fire B1 Battle Droid repaints, but, so far, 2023 has been B1 free. I'm not opposed to lots of flavors of Battle Droids. I'm just opposed to the continued use of VC78. It was never very good, in large part because the on-screen design is near impossible to translate into a sturdy super articulated 3.75" action figure. Unless technology advances to the point where a B1 figure can perform a two handed weapon grip, I hope Hasbro throws the source in the vault.

Book of Boba Fett Tuskens

This one is purely preemptive. None of the figures have been released in the United States yet, but Hasbro has already hit the source hard. The Tusken Warrior is getting a single carded release and also a Target exclusive Deluxe set with a Massiff. Four more of the tribe are coming via a Pulse/Shop Disney army builder pack. That should be enough. I know some will want the Tusken youth, but that would require new tooling, and there are much more worthy sources. My main concern is that Hasbro will start to trickle the army builder Tusken Raiders into single carded main line releases. That would definitely be going to this well too much in my opinion.

Please don't misconstrue this entry. Hasbro deserves a ton a credit for getting us all these figures in a tight window. This is what we want. What I'm saying is don't undo a good thing by milking the source.