I Hope the Blurrg is Just the Beginning of Creatures in TVC 2.0

One of the downsides of doing the photo galleries here is that the figures that populate some of the shots come from my displays. It takes a while to set up those displays and then they have to be dismantled to a degree so that the member figures can be leant to the photo studio for the diorama shots. To shoot the Blurrg and Cobb Vanth galleries, my Mandalorian display was savaged. This is primarily because the Razor Crest, which I needed for the Blurrg gallery, is at the back of that display. So everything in front of it had to be broken down to get access.

That display sits directly behind me when I'm at my desk, and we have a pretty big livestream coming up this Sunday. I can't have that shelf looking like a K-Mart toy section, so I began the process of reassembling it. I'm not very carreful about tracking the accessories while I'm photographing. I sort of just put everything on a table and worry about marrying the correct weapon with the correct figure later. That's a problem for future Chris! In the stockpile of weapons from the Blurrg-o-Vanth photography, I ended up with two stranded Amban sniper rifles with visibly different paint apps to the stock. I needed to know which one went with the Arvala-7 Mando, so I navigated to the Vintage Collection Creatures menu. That presentation is starkly barren (boy that was a lot of writing to get to the point of this article).

We all know that there have only been two creatures in the entire ten year combined history of TVC, but seeing that presented visually is impactful in my opinion. We've had exactly one creature in each phase of TVC. The reason for the lack of them in TVC 1.0 is likely due to the fact that for most of its run, the boxed items tended to lean on vintage Kenner counterparts. The Kenner creature segment wasn't exactly robust. If memory serves, it consisted of the Dewback, Tauntaun (2 variations), and the Wampa. Towards the end of TVC 1.0, the boxed items did break free of the Kenner restriction, which means TVC 2.0 should be free to go wherever it wants in the creature segment. But until the Blurrg, it hasn't. Hopefully that's a trend that will be changing now.

I would very much love that Dewback to make an appearance in the Vintage Collection. As I mentioned recently, I was absolutely mesmerized by the Kenner Dewback when I was a kid, and that packaging is absolutely iconic. I remember having my dad spray paint a backpack from the Hoth Survival kit black so I could make a Sandtrooper to ride the beast. Does that make me the first customizer in history? I can't prove that. Of course it can't be disproven either, so by the rules of the internet, I'm saying yes. The Bantha feels like another natural. I've said many times that the Kenner "should-have-beens" are the things I personally find the most exciting in the Vintage Collection. I'd also love it if the some or all of the Geonosis arena beasts made it into the lineup. How cool would the Acklay look in TVC packaging?

Of course, new media would need some love. The Mudhorn springs immediately to mind especially since it's Din's sigil. But where this would really get fun is if a long-standing itch could get scratched. Geonosis is one of the best populated segments of our collections, but it has one glaring omission for which Mr. nomadscout has been perpetually campaigning. The Orray would make the perfect addition. That fact that it wasn't part of the Episode II line offerings is puzzling to this day. If feels like it would have been right in the pocket for what Hasbro was doing in terms of media support at the time. We got this for The Phantom Menace:


How an Orray with cart and Geonosian Warrior for Attack of the Clones wasn't a spiritual successor to the Falumpset remains a mystery.

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