My Top 5 Non-Vintage Collection Items

Posted by Chris on 04/13/22 at 07:05 AM Category: Top 5

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I love the Vintage Collection like no other, but some of my favorite items come from outside that banner. One thing you will note from my list is that the memories associated with an item are as important to me as the quality of the item itself. Preserving memories is the primary reason why I collect. I'm a sentimental sap, and my collection fuels that. Nothing connects me to the time more than the collectibles of the ear. So here goes.

1. Theater Edition Luke Skywalker

We were talking about this figure in the comments yesterday, and I can remember the day this figure came out like it was yesterday. I took the day off from work (i.e. I took leave) and waited in line all day to make sure I was among the first fifty people in line for the 7PM showing of the Return of the Jedi Special Edition. I am so fond of this because it represents such a celebration of my two loves: Star Wars movies and Star Wars toys. My affection for the Theater Edition Luke is despite the fact that the figure inside the blister stinks and is identical to the POTF2 main line release of Jedi Luke. This was strictly a special card to celebrate the ROTJ SE opening day. Sadly, I no longer own a Theater Edition Luke, and even worse, it's near impossible to find one today that still has the bubble attached, and even if you do, it's on a ticking clock until is separates from the card. I may look for a high quality resealed example.

2. Death Star Briefing Set

The 2006 San Diego Comic Con is considered by many to be the modern line's Woodstock moment. Those who did not get to experience the reveals in real time will forever be envious of the those who did. It wasn't so much just the quality of the surprise reveals, but also the fact that many of them were available to order immediately (a rarity at the time). For me the highlight was this Death Star Briefing set. Being able to get all the officers seated around the Death Star conference table in one fell swoop was a dream come true. Again, the figures themselves leave a lot to be desired today. I would absolutely love it if this type of thing were revisited if Hasbro ever tools a definitive Imperial Officer buck.

3. Saga Collection Imperial Shuttle

This was the second release of the Imperial Shuttle in the modern line following the FAO Schwartz exclusive in 2002, but not only was this Saga Collection release much more accessible as a Target exclusive, it was $40 less expensive. That's right. The later release was 40% cheaper. Take THAT, inflation. This was Target's Black Friday weekend limited time offer. Yes, there was once a time when a big box retailer viewed Star Wars toy as a viable loss leader to get shoppers into the store to do their holiday shopping. Misty water colored memories...

Jabba's Throne

Incredibly, we had to wait 15 years into the modern line to get our first Jabba's Dais. In fact, the early modern line was cruel when it came to the subject of Jabba in general. Hasbro kept giving us the version we didn't want. The first release was based on the wretched Episode IV Special Edition appearance. The second release was based on Jabba's appearance in The Phantom Menace. The third release in the 2002 "Saga" Ultra line finally gave us a proper Episode VI Jabba, but it only came with the railing. It wasn't until this 2010 offering that we finally got the whole package to include a super articulated Oola figure (which is likely never going to see re-release).

Ephant Mon

Repeat after me: This will NEVER happen again. I don't mean that we will never get something like Ephant Mon in the line again, but we will NEVER get a figure this massive as a basic figure. If something this epic happens again, it will be in an Ultra Deluxe Super Mega expression at a cost of four times the basic figure price. If you were lucky enough to find the "Saga" 02-45 - Ephant Mon figure in a store, the MSRP was $5. That's it. Not surprisingly, log jams in the retail pipeline prevented this case assortment from hitting big box retailers in any significant numbers. As a result, a lot of it later ended up at KB Toys on clearance. This will forever be the most epic entry in the modern line's basic figure lineup.