My Top 10 Vintage Collection Figures Of 2023

With yesterday's review of VC302 - Director Orson Krennic, reviews of the entire 2023 lineup is in the books, and before January 2024 (hooray for us). That means toady is the perfect time for a retrospective on the best of the Vintage Collection over the past 365 days.

Before we get into the list itself, I need to reiterate the title. This is my Top 10 list. There is a heavy amount of subjectivity involved in the "my" lists. I tried to temper it with some objectivity, in fact, compiling the list was bit of a tug of war between my subjective feels and my objective analysis. Each side won at different times as I was going through this thought exercise.

If you remember last year I only did a Top 5 list because I simply wasn't all that inspired by the 2022 lineup. This year, there is absolutely no way I could limit myself to only 5 choices. 2023 was a banger year for me, of course that was helped a lot by the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Return of the Jedi. Are you ready to get to it? Remember, this is my list. If you don't like it, make your own list (in the comments), lazy.

We're going to go in reverse order, and to ensure this article is so long that not even my mother would read it, we'll start off with a couple of honorable mentions.

---

There are a few things keeping the otherwise outstanding Paz Vizsla out of my top 10. As far as the figure itself, it's a little too clean, especially the shin armor. A dirty wash was needed here. The next items are decidedly "me" issues. First, I've lost a little interest in the character since we know his story is at its end. Second, I just don't get as excited for figures that come in a dull box and cost 70% more than a basic carded figure. We paid more for this Paz Vizsla figure than we paid for the "SOTDS" Cloud Car vehicle in 2010 when TVC 1.0 launched. Smoke that in your pipe, and shove it.

---

Yeah. Sorry, not sorry. I don't care that it's a gimmick. I don't care that it's overpriced. I don't care that you're suffering from "Fett fatigue". Seeing this card hanging on a peg at Target was the most exciting collector moment of the year for me. My heart leapt. I still get a thrill looking at this card hanging on my wall every morning. I get butterflies of excitement when I see people make social media posts finding this figure at Ross (of whichever discount store where it's now showing up). I'm a sentimental, nostalgic fool. I like me. Maybe you should stop being such a hard-hearted cynic.

---

If this list were the "Top 10 Figures I Was Looking Forward To In 2023", Darth Revan would probably be number one. Perhaps that's why I was initially disappointed in this figure. It's often the case when I'm highly anticipating a release. I build it up so much in my mind that a let down is inevitable. After a while, I learned to appreciate this figure's merits. I didn't want to split Darth Revan and Jedi Knight Revan into two entries since it's the same sculpt. Of the two, I think the Jedi Knight version is a little more aesthetically pleasing. The Revans fall to number 10 because of the lack of range of motion in the elbows, and the hinderance of the lower body due to the skirt and plastic molded lower belt.

---

This figure would be higher up on the list, BUT I DON'T HAVE A BLASTED THIING THAT I CAN DO WITH IT. I'm not Black Series collector. Rows upon rows of figures just standing there on a dusty shelf don't interest me. I set up scenes, man. There is no scene of Hunter that I want to set up that doesn't include the rest of Clone Force 99. But I do have to recognize a fairly stellar figure. I love the working sheath for the knife, and the fact that the DC-17m can stow in the backpack. It's G.I. Joe-esque in a good way.

It's tick animation-y, but the dynamic posing options lands Hunter in my Top 10 of 2023.

---

This entry is really here to honor the new Imperial Officer buck, of which Admiral Piett was the first. He blazed the path for seven more figures that followed. My only gripe about that is that it's only seven figures (with an eighth pipelined). As I've written in the past, I could rattle off a dozen named characters that I would love for Hasbro to release based on this mold. I could even name them on a live stream where I always draw a blank with names. Okay, that's a lie. I'd still draw a blank, but trust me that I want them.

The sculpt is very good, but not perfect. The lack of range of motion at the elbows really became problematic when this sculpt was used to make the collar-grabbing Motti. That issue aside, the fact that this Admiral Piett paved the way for some long awaited figures such as Thrawn and Krennic means it definitely earns a spot in my Top 10.

---

Once I realized this Pre Vizsla was going to be outside my top five, it demanded expanding the list to ten. This figure is too good to go unrecognized on any end of year list. I'm going to paraphrase a quote from my buddy Mr. Miko: This Pre Vizsla figure is all that things that it means to be "Vintage Collection". The deco and articulation to are top notch, and the accessory count (Dark Saber, blaster, jet pack and removable helmet) is decent. The PhotoReal paint applications to the head sculpt are bordering on uncanny valley. This was a much needed addition to our growing (and near complete) Clone Wars Season 5 Mandalore collection. This figure only raises one question: How on Earth can this Pre Vizsla, with it's intricate paint applications and assembly, be released in main line, but the upcoming Jango Fett necessitates the $25 deluxe expression?

---

So this is the first case where I had a tug of war between my objective ands subjective sides. I was struggling with the rankings of this Grand Inquisitor and Pre Vizsla above. I kept flipping the rankings back and forth in my draft. I think this Grand Inquisitor is an outstanding figure. It was one of only two 10/10 scores I gave in 2023 for the figures I personally reviewed. I was able to achieve all the poses I envisioned for the gallery, which always pleases me. The flip side is that this release wasn't a priority for me personally whereas Pre Vizsla was in my top 25 for March Madness last year. That figure I graded a 9/10. I decided that what I consider to be the better figure would be the tie breaker. Of course, that score is also subjective. So it's really quantifiable subjectivity versus abstract subjectivity. Regardless, the Grand Inquisitor lands at the halfway point on my list.

Buckle up. Things are about to get Return of the Jedi-tastic.

---

If you can't believe that Velken Tezeri is this far down on my list, I agree with you. What the heck is going on? This thing is rigged. I demand a full investigation! We've been stumping for Velken Tezeri for years, so you'd think finally getting that long lasting itch scratched would rocket this figure to number one. Well, the fact that the final member of the Prisoner Skiff comes in at #5 is not a fault of the figure. It's more a testament to the strength of the offerings in 2023. If we were still in the pre-information age, I believe this Velken Tezeri would gain legendary status similar to the Kenner Yak Face because it would only be known to the hardcorest of fans. But much to my daily chagrin, the internet exists so there's no chance of this obscure character flying under the radar. Regardless, it's still amazing that a "boring human" background character was made. Enjoy it, because I suspect it's the last one we'll ever see.

---

Taym Dren-garen lands on my Top 10 list for all the same reasons that Velkin Tezeri does. So how does one get ranked ahead of the other? Simple. I probably didn't know of Velken Tezeri until the early 2000's. Prior to TVC 1.0, it was silly to worry about the guys at the back of the skiff when we still needed (at the time) Kithaba and the Weequay Skiffmaster. Conversely, while I didn't know him by name, I knew of Taym Dren-garen since I was a kid. He's the no good crumb-bum that shot my hero Luke Skywalker. So if Velkin was an itch twenty years in the making, Taym was an itch forty years in the making. For that reason he gets tie breaker with Mr. Tezeri.

---

If recency bias tilts the scales toward the new, it simultaneously tilts them away from the old. That is why the Death Star II Darth Vader lands at #3 despite my certified status as a Vader fanatic. If I was experiencing the joys of this sculpt for the first time in 2023, this figure would probably be #1, but that rose bloomed in 2022 with the Dark Times Darth Vader on which this release is based. The lack of newness aside, this figure is outstanding. Look at that image to the left. If you glance quickly, you might thing that it's a picture of a life sized standee, and not a 3.75" action figure. Well done, Hasbro! It's a good thing I already made that image with the "#3" at the top because I'm psyching myself into changing this to #1 (but too lazy to make a new image). A definitive Episode VI Vader was a long time in the making. I'm thrilled it's finally here.

---

Okay, this is the most subjective entry on my list. Is Tessek the second best figure of the year? Probably not (but it is really good). The skin tone misses the mark, which is probably the biggest criticism. Original 96ers obviously hit the feels hard for us old heads, and Return of the Jedi alien O96ers hit the hardest. With the exception of Wicket, 1983 was the last year of collecting for me as a kid. Squid Head was the last Jabba's alien I truly remember getting. I was mesmerized by it, even if I had no idea where he appeared in the movie at the time. He goes in your barge. He goes in your Jabab's palace. He photobombs the Luke Jedi card. He's an O96er. Tessek has the most bonafides on this list. Nuts to my earlier statement. He deserves second place on my list without any qualifications.

---

If Death Star II Darth Vader is the down side of recency bias, this General Hera Syndulla figure is the upside. I just reviewed it last week, and I was blown away by it. The detailing. The sculpt. The pose-ability. The head sculpt. The paint applications. They're all top notch, and some of those things are synonyms. I'll admit that when a figure is easy to photograph, I tend to fall in love with it, and this Hera certainly qualifies in that category. It's effortlessly posable. If Mr. Nomadacout had photographed this figure, would it still be my number one? I honestly don't know. As a carded collector, I also have to admit that on-card presentation with the deep purple pill and figure background adds to my appreciation for this releases. It's stunning both on and off card. It's my numero uno.

---

Holy crud that was long. I should have split this into two entries. If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me.

---

comments powered by Disqus