My Personal Top 5 Most Wanted Vintage Collection Vehicles

Okay, for the purposes of this discussion, the Death Star is an environment/playset and not a vehicle (even though it technically is). Also, "beasts" are not vehicles either, so no Blurrg. Just vehicles. Also, this is my list. "Shelf installable" is important to me, so you won't find the U-Wing or Ghost here. Those vehicles take up too much volumetric space. Most of us already struggle to display the BMF, and I'm not eager to add more display challenges to my collection.

Got it? Let's go!

---

1. Sandcrawler

The Sandcrawler might be my collecting white whale. I have never owned one. The vintage Kenner one was too expensive for my parents to justify. The modern Previews exclusive release irritated me. It already carried a high premium as an exclusive and it was compounded with expensive shipping. They eventually hit Hot Topic, but not the lone store near me.

The Sandcrawler has appeared in two movies and was prominently featured in season one of The Mandalorian. This would have to be a HasLab to be done right, and it's hard to envision that happening. I may never own one, and don't tell me about the weird Disney Parks exclusive one. It's nonsense.

---

2. Y-Wing Fighter

This is another vintage Kenner trauma for me. I may have the timeline a little wrong here, but I remember hoping I would get the Y-Wing for Christmas '83. I didn't. After the holiday break, my teacher asked me if I got everything I wanted. I told her that I was already planning to ask for the Y-Wing for Christmas '84, but the "kid" era of my Star Wars collecting came to and end that year. I never got the vintage Kenner Y-Wing.

Unlike the Sandcrawler, I've been able to get several of the modern Y-Wing releases, so that itch is a little scratched. But the current releases, which are based on the vintage mold, stink. It's undersized with sagging landing gears. We need an all new Y-Wing.

---

3. Mandalorian Swoop Bike

The fact that we don't already have this tells you that something isn't right in Denmark. A Swoop Bike would be sourced from Star Wars's hottest property. It would interact with Star Wars' two hottest characters. Finally, unlike the Razor Crest, it should be deliverable at an accessible price point. So why don't we have this already?

It's a point that's been beaten to death, but The Vintage Collection needs some sort of product line between the $15 figures and the $50 Adventure Sets. A Swoop Bike would be a perfect starting off point. My guess is that Hasbro knows they can't meet the pricing expectations of collectors. With a pack-in figure, this would probably approach $40.

---

4. Lambda-class Imperial Shuttle

As with the Sandcrawler, a new Imperial Shuttle could only be done via HasLab. The HasLab wish list is getting pretty crowded. Unless Hasbro starts picking up the pace, these are nothing but fantasy items.

The Shuttle is the cornerstone of the ultimate army building scene. I've mentioned before that the vintage Kenner Shuttle box is what kicked my army building mania into overdrive. The vehicle received a prominent revival in season 2 of The Mandalorian. Like the Y-Wing, the vintage Kenner-based Imperial Shuttle no longer holds up. It's undersized and the wing mechanism is wonky.

---

5. Darth Vader's TIE Advanced X1

When the return of The Vintage Collection was announced in 2017, this was my immediate top vehicle priority. New media has caused it to slide down my list considerably. That's actually a good thing. New media's higher visibility is more marketable. But Darth Vader's TIE is the biggest vintage Kenner gap in the TVC vehicle lineup.

That Kenner vehicle wasn't close to accurate. It was just a TIE Fighter with angular wings. Kenner said, "like you know the difference, you short idiot." The POTF2 Vader's TIE got more accurate, but the proportions are just off and it includes unnecessary play features that impact the aesthetic. We need an update to this vehicle.

Who knows? Maybe this iconic ship will show up in the Obi-Wan series and Vader's TIE will reclaim the number one spot on my list.

---

So here's the odd thing. This isn't just my top 5 list. It's my list, period. I can't think of a sixth vehicle that I'd be eager to add to my collection.

---

comments powered by Disqus