Look, I’m not arguing that the line is on its way back to 60 figures a year at $7.99 each. Those days are long gone and no amount of wishing will bring them back. But I’m also not of the opinion that we are on borrowed time and Hasbro is just waiting until the 50th to quietly close shop and leave us to choose between the Black Series or Seppuku.
I once started an article on this very site with this paragraph:
I'm not a very optimistic person. Sure, I'd love it if Hasbro keeps producing new super-articulated 3.75" figures for many years to come, but I don't have high hopes. The rumblings of 25 figures next year (including repacks!) is not reassuring. So, if we assume that things are in the process of winding down, what figures do we need to see before the end?
That was 8 years ago!
If you told 2018 CJ that we’d still be chugging along in 2026, he would have kicked you in the shin and stole your wallet. That guy was a jerk. So let's look at what's going well?
This perfect figure got an 8 here because of some nonsense about dorsiflection
Figure Quality
This is easily the most important point: Not only are we still getting figures every year, they’re pretty gosh darn fantastic. We all notice the things like Obi-Wan’s boots and Han’s wrists, but the past 2 years have given us some absolute bangers with face paint applications that push into uncanny valley territory.
Look! It's Captain Whats-His-Name! From the Star Wars
On-Time Media Support
Some of you may know that a new Star Wars movies comes out this week. One way you might now that is by looking at TVC figures in real life at a store. That’s right. We don’t just have announced preorders for Mandalorian and Grogu figures that will ship in September, they’re actually on store shelves (at participating locations). It’s no 1999 Midnight Madness, but it’s at least giving things a chance. And there will allegedly be some more announced next week to round out something approaching a base collection.
And it’s not just the movies. We had figures or Maul: Shadowlord shipping to stores while the show was on. Hasbro and LFL combined to badly miss the boat on the initial Mandalorian phenomenon, and they have not been great with the subsequent Disney Plus shows, but this is a good sign that they think TVC is worth having available.
Nobody expects the Geonosian Inquisition!
Deep Cuts
Mr. Nomadscount may stand up here and complain that things are being spread too thin, but personally the thing that has always excited me in the hobby is the oddball stuff. With the number of figures we get per year, I would not blame Hasbro if they stuck to the bread and butter of main characters and troop builders, but that would bore me terrifically too. Their willingness to push beyond that should be applauded. We’re getting things like shirtless Joruus C’baoth, Luuke, Chalmun, Labria, and The Orray. Plus they finally finished off the Rogue One crew with Baze and Bodhi which was seeming like something that would never happen. These are not the figures you put into production on a dying line.
Mr. Nomadscout is right about one thing. Uploading images is terrible
In Summary
This year looks to end with the rest of the Mando stuff and Battle of Geonosis support. Next year we get the 50th of ANH (with 2028 being the technical anniversary of our hobby). All good things come to an end, and we should all hope that we outlive this one. But we do this for joy and there's no reason we shouldn't enjoy the time we have left.
