It’s Hard To Believe The Modern 3.75” Line Is 27 Years Old

I stared my adult toy collecting life in 1993. My then roommate introduced me to the X-Men Animated Series that was airing at the time. It offered me an incredible nostalgia combination. Not only was it a Saturday morning cartoon, but it had an accompanying action figure line. It was such a strong callback to my childhood, which wasn't too far in the rearview at the time, that I was powerless, but it was really a substitute. What I, and seemingly every other collector, wanted was a return of Star Wars action figures. We were tired of looking at those Bend-Ems figures at KB's and thinking "what if.” It was only a few short years later when Kenner, now a division of Hasbro, revived the "Power of the Force" line, but it was so different from its 1985 predecessor, that fans hung a "2" designation on it (thus POTF2).

I still remember the first POTF2 figure I bought. It was Darth Vader, and it was the "long saber" variation which was the only one available at the time. I'll be honest, even though I was cognizant of the ridiculous beefcake proportions of the figure, it didn't detract from it at the time. Instead I was blown away by how much more detailed it was than the vintage Kenner Darth Vader with its cheesy vinyl cape that always tore at the arm holes. When I picked up that figure in 1995 I never would have guessed, in a million years, that I would still be collecting the line 27 years later. To put this in perspective, the vintage Kenner Lando was 15 years old when the POTF2 Lando was released (and the former seemed like ancient history). That POTF2 Lando was 26 years old when last year's definitive VC205 - Lando Calrissian was released. Am I the only one blown away by that?

For another dose of perspective, I was still 22 when the line came back out in 1995. So I've been collecting modern Star Wars figures for more than half my life. If you count the five years I collected as a kid combined with the fact that my memories start around four years old, the majority of my conscious life has been dominated by this one hobby. I think this is why the dark times from 2015 - 2018 were so sad for me. When the line was reduced to a few Walmart exclusives per year, it was like losing a piece of my identity. It was foreign to me to drive past a Target store without popping in, but that's where I was at the time. There was no point. 2020 wasn't much better from a Vintage Collection perspective. I’ll regret it when the hobby leaves me, but at the same time, I do have to consider how much longer I can stay active. I don't want to still be doing this when I'm cashing Social Security checks. (Or do I?)

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that this longevity wouldn't be possible without a constant stream of new media. While some of it has left me disappointed since 1999, the line would have been put to pasture a couple decades ago without it. But it also needs to be pointed out that over the course of three trilogies, two stand alone movies, three animated series and two live action series (so far), the 3.75" scale has persisted, and it's not just because of people in my age bracket who had the vintage Kenner figures. A lot of my contemporaries have felt that urge to move it. It's still around because it makes sense for Star Wars. It's how you get a Razor Crest.

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