When Using Dated Tooling Is Perfectly Acceptable

The use of old tooling to make the VC281 - Han Solo figure has caused me to react in a way that I'm not proud of. It's mildly affecting my mood, which is stupid. I'm probably going to bring it up as a non sequitur in an argument at some point. Someone will cut me off in traffic, and I'll scream out the window:

I'm sick and tired of all you idiot drivers around here, and Hasbro cutting corners on Original Trilogy core characters!

Hey, I never claimed to be mature or particularly well balanced. Anyway, I get nervous that Hasbro has viewed these situations as binary in the past. The classic case was the reaction to the planned Vintage Collection re-release of the 2007 Thirtieth Anniversary Collection (TAC) 30-34 Darth Revan figure. It feels like in response to the ensuing backlash, Hasbro has eliminated all figures prior to TVC 1.0 for repack consideration in TVC 2.0. We all know that the answer is much more nuanced than simply placing a hard stop on the timeline. The nature of the character in terms of what posing is required in our collections is a much bigger factor than some arbitrary date. Releasing 2007's TAC 30-26 CZ-4 in TVC 2.0 with updated paint applications would be pretty danged cool. Re-releasing 2010's VC04 - Luke Skywalker (Bespin) today would be atrocious.

The same thinking goes for using dated tooling for kitbashes or "partial retools" in TVC 2.0. In my opinion, "dated tooling" is anything that predates the following modern articulation:

• Barbell hips
• Double ball-and-socket head/neck joints
• Rocker ankles

It should go without saying that swivel anything is right out.

Kitbashing any of the following character classes using such dated tooling in 2023 is going to result in fan backlash:

• Core heroes and villains
• Jedi and Sith
• Troopers

There are obvious exceptions in those broad categories too, but this article is already getting too long to do that deep dive here.

On the flip side, I would cheer if Hasbro used dated tooling to bring us background, secondary, and tertiary characters that would otherwise never see the light of day.

Core characters are the staple of any action figure line. Those are the ones that even the most casual fans will purchase. Han Solo should have a very low bar for new tooling dollars in any given year, but Barada is increasingly becoming a long shot. Therefore I would be absolutely fine if the swivel hips and non-rocker ankles from VC56 - Kithaba were used to create one. Heck, that Kithaba was just re-released and no one complained.

We as a community understand having to accept reasonable compromises to get figures that have a more limited market of hardcore collectors. I know 100% new tooling for Yotts Oren is never going to be approved. There's a better chance of Mary Swanson getting romantically involved with Lloyd Christmas. So if the upper legs of an older figure need to be used to make one, it's a tolerable part of the equation. That's when it's understood that corners need to be cut, but never with Han...or Luke...or Leia...or...

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