MAKE THE MAINS:  The Empire Strikes Back

There's a bad news / good news / bad news situation for Hasbro with respect to The Empire Strikes Back. The first bad news is that Hasbro is running out of retail-viable never-before-made figures from Episode V. Sure, if you're reading this, you'd likely be thrilled to get your hands on Lieutenant Sheckil, Treva Horme, and Corman Quien, but those wouldn't have wide appeal to the "normies" who are needed to make a figure a success. The good news for Hasbro is that some of the core Empire figures are in need of update, some of them desperately so. Core characters are usually the safest best. Even more good news is not all of them require 100% new tooling, which will be denoted as "new" here. The final bad news is that several of these figures exist in TVC 1.0, and Hasbro seems reluctant to update those figures no matter how badly they need it.

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Last 100% new tooling: 2004
Exists in Vintage Collection: No
Original 96: Yes
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: No
Requires 100% new tooling: Yes
Notes: The key to this figure being a Tier A "buy multiple cases" candidate is that Hasbro can't take any half measures. If Hasbro tried to use existing tooling, a Vintage Collection Snowtrooper would likely be met with indifference (as VC191 - Princess Leia (Endor) was). Give the Snowtrooper the full modern articulation treatment, and it will sell in bunches. Plus, like many other #MakeTheMains candidates, this lends itself to a natural second release in the deluxe line with the E-Web cannon.


Last 100% new tooling: 2007
Exists in Vintage Collection: Yes*
Original 96: Yes
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: No
Requires 100% new tooling: No
Notes: The Vintage Collection has been filthy with Boba Fett figures. VC09 was used for both Episode V and Episode VI versions, but they both stink out loud. VC186 - Boba Fett is finally a definitive version for Return of the Jedi, but we desperately need an equally definitive version for The Empire Strikes Back. The good news here is that some of the tooling from VC186 can be reused.

*Boba Fett does not exist in the Vintage Collection on its original Episode IV card. The problem is that the Kenner debut card features the pre-production costume, and really should not be used anymore unless the figure matches (i.e. Hasbro would need to make a pre-pro Fett). For any new Empire Fett, however, this should be viewed as an opportunity for Hasbro to come up with a new Boba Fett card. We have never had a Vintage Collection card depicting the Episode V armor. It would be a pretty big thing for carded collectors.


Last 100% new tooling: 2005
Exists in Vintage Collection: Yes
Original 96: Yes
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: Yes
Requires 100% new tooling: No
Notes: So much of the Boba Fett write up could be cut and pasted here. An Episode V/VI Darth Vader already exists courtesy of the VC08 figure. That figure stinks on ice. The open right hand makes me want to do murders. Fortunately, a lot of the ultra-definitive Obi-Wan Kenobi-based VC241 - Darth Vader (Dark Times) release can be reused. Once again, Hasbro could give us our first ever Empire-sourced Darth Vader card here. There are some epic filmouts that can be used.


Last 100% new tooling: 2010
Exists in Vintage Collection: Yes
Original 96: Yes
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: Yes
Requires 100% new tooling: Yes
Notes: VC04 - Luke Skywalker (Bespin) stinks. (I think the record is skipping.) Sure, that figure was fantastic in 2010, but time has not been kind. It's referred to as the "diaper Luke" due to the jarring use of early ball jointed hips. A healthy dose of the new G.I. Joe-style hips would solve that. Bespin Luke was released on a vintage style card back in 2007 as part of the second wave of the Vintage The Saga Collection figures. An all new figure was tooled for the aforementioned 2010 Vintage Collection release. Both featured what is known as the "walking" card, which irritated fans. They wanted the latter release used as an opportunity to get the vintage Kenner "looking" card into the modern line. A newly tooled Luke Bespin would be the perfect chance to make up for that missed opportunity.

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Last 100% new tooling: 2007
Exists in Vintage Collection: No
Original 96: Yes
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: No
Requires 100% new tooling: Yes
Notes: We need a Han Hoth in the Vintage Collection, and re-releasing 2007's Vintage The Saga Collection figure simply won't cut it. As with other "hood up/hood down" characters, the only way to properly execute a definitive Han Hoth is with swappable heads. Because of the Original 96 release, this figure has instant cache, but Han barely wears this costume. Once Luke is rescued halfway through the first act, he mostly transitions to "Bespin Han" with one quick pitstop as "Echo Base Han". The limited amount of screen time is what relegates this to a Tier B character.

Of course, Hasbro could get two releases out of the tooling. They could release once as the "brown coat" version to match the actual prop, and once as the "blue coat" version to match how it appears on screen.


Last 100% new tooling: 2011
Exists in Vintage Collection: Yes
Original 96: Yes
Original 96 alternate card opportunity: No
Requires 100% new tooling: Yes
Notes: This is a real tough one. The "good enough" crowd would likely have a cow if new tooling dollars were invested to upgrade VC50 - Han Solo (Bespin Outfit), even though it's needed. That is why this is in Tier B, but casual fans would gobble this figure up if they saw it in stores. Perhaps if the recently pipelined Episode VI Han Solo is definitive, some of the tooling could be reused to make a definitive Bespin Han Solo.

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