Where Is Ponda Baba, Hasbro?

So far it has been confirmed that there are or soon will be five Vintage Collection re-releases in the Black Series 3.75” line.  We at Bantha Skull wholeheartedly support this as many of the figures were underserved.  The only figure we take exception to is Dak Ralter, but Hasbro’s heart was in the right place with that one.  They simply didn’t drill down far enough to see that the secondary market demand for that figure has more to do with the Vintage Collection card than the figure itself.

That aside, a very basic search on Ebay using the collection number (VC##) and name reveals fairly narrow supply of the five candidates:

• VC100 Starkiller - 6 available
• VC69 Bastila Shan - 9 available
• VC07 Dack (sic) Ralter - 10 available
• VC96 Dath Malgus - 28 available
• VC94 Imperial Navy Commander - 35 available

No exactly scientific, but good enough for our purposes.  Loose samples were excluded from the count.  Starkiller has the shortest supply with only 6 carded figures available.  But where the heck is Ponda Baba?  There are only two US carded figures on Ebay using the search method I described.  The market needs a second chance at this figure whose appearance in a New Hope leaves an indelible mark on most of us.  With Mosep Binneed now confirmed, we can’t have a sizeable portion of the collection community missing a cornerstone of their Cantina display.  They’re not going to buy the obscure character when they’re missing a key piece.  There is a “Special” vintage analog into which Hasbro could slot a Ponda Baba re-release if a spot in the basic lineup cannot be found.  But lets get the lead out on this one, Hasbro.  The market needs another shot at this outstanding figure.