Ranking The Vintage Collection #MakeTheMains

We've previously covered the main characters from each of the fist six movies in the Skywalker Saga that are in desperate need of updates (newer media figures aren't dated enough to be up for consideration). If you want a recap, here are the lists:

• The Phantom Menace
• Attack of the Clones
• Revenge of the Sith
• A New Hope
• The Empire Strikes Back
• Return of the Jedi

But the priority from those sources is far from equal. I think two are approaching white hot criticality, and one is actually fairly stable at this point. Here's my opinion of where they stand:

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This one is borderline ridiculous. Of the Tier A mains from A New Hope (Luke, Han, Leia and Ben), only Ben has had a newly tooled figure in the last decade and a half. THIS IS FOR SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC CHARACTERS IN POP CULTURE HISTORY. Hasbro to their credit has started addressing the problem with the pipelined Princess Leia (and the assurance that she is just the start of the process), but they need to get to the rest quickly. This process can't drag out for years. Even though these characters are evergreen, the collectors who will buy them by the pallet (raises hand), are rapidly aging out of the hobby (raises hand).

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As with A New Hope, Revenge of the Sith non-Clone main characters and 100% new tooling are separated by more than a decade for the most part. Final Duel Palpatine did get a newly tooled figure in TVC 1.0. Episode III Anakin hasn't had a 100% newly tooled figure since 2005. That's borderline outrageous. The base Episode III Obi-Wan tooling is only slightly younger, dating to 2007 (but it's still getting ready to take its driver's test). Can you imagine a wave anchored by an all new Ep 3 Anakin and Obi-Wan?

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TVC 1.0 was kind to The Empire Strikes Back with the tooling budget. We did get 100% newly tooled figures of Leia (x2), Luke, and Han. The problem is that the Luke and Han have aged terribly. We have never had a good Episode V Boba Fett. The Evolutions mold was iffy from day one. Add in the fact that an iconic army builder, the Snowtrooper, needs and update, and The Empire Strikes Back is nipping on the heels of A New Hope and Revenge of the Sith in terms of priority.

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The Phantom Menace got its own wave in 2012. And the source has been treated as radioactive since, for somewhat valid reasons. That 2012 launch wave is the primary suspect in the TVC 1.0 murder case, but, as usual, blaming the source is ridiculously broad for an answer that is much more nuanced. That wave featured only one 100% newly tooled main character in Darth Maul, which wasn't well received at the time. It included two somewhat gratuitous repacks with Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, both of which would have benefitted by new tooling even in 2012. That sunk the wave more than the source. A dozen years later, and the need for 100% newly tooled figures of all three has only gotten more urgent, and add in a Theed Battle Padmé.

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The reasons for Return of the Jedi being so far down on the list are twofold. First, the most pressing need for a main character has been met with VC280 - Darth Vader (Death Star II). Second, two other mains, Han Solo and the Biker Scout, have had incremental updates recently that, while not definitive, really damages the market for all new sculpts of those figures. Too many fans will consider those two releases "good enough" to justify new tooling investment (and it kills me). On the flip side, Episode VI could start creeping up the priority list as the Luke figures we have are beginning to age out of definitive status.

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Check out the Tier A characters in our Episode II Make the Mains article. We listed three Tier A characters: Jango Fett, Phase I Clone, and Count Dooku. Do you ever get the feeling you're being watched? Just kidding. Even people who say things like "Hans Solo" would have known those figures are priority updates. Hasbro didn't need Bantha Skull to say it. So the Tier A's are taken care of, but it kills me putting Attack of the Clones this far down on the list because I desperately want an all new Mace Windu. In fact, I need to go update my March Madness Top 25.

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So that's what I think the priority order is. What says you? You know where to sound off.

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