I also agree with you on Hasbros failure to make the hands or weapons correctly. Why is it that a huge corporation like Hasbro misses the mark but Smith Lord Creations can hit the mark dead on?
If Hasbro continues the line I hope they produce some figures we never got back in the day like Biggs, Wedge, Rebel Troopers, more cantina aliens and such
Great post and love your channel! Growing up we collected all the vintage Star Wars figures, and some of the vehicles (we could afford). My parents also bought us the vintage Fisher Price figures and those vehicles, and we would often use things from that line to bolster our Star Wars toys. For the figures, we would use the roll up sleeping bags that you could roll up and they would slide up the figure's legs and be positioned on their legs. They worked great with both the Hoth and Bespin Luke and Han Solo figures (as well as others). We could store the weapons by sliding them in on the side of the backpack. When it came to holding the guns our mom would use her glue gun to put a glue "dot" on the inside of their hands to hold the gun. Not a perfect solution but it worked. We also used the Fisher Price green 6-wheeled ATV or Jeep or whatever it was. It was used to carry other equipment that we had from other toy sets. Truly awesome times in the 70's with those figures!
I might get the Chewbacca figure only because my wife's childhood Chewbacca figure survived into adulthood only to get chewed up by her mom's dog. I would get a new one for her. We still have the chewed up Chewey.
William themoviefan the average median income in 1978 was $10,556, so yes a $1.50 action figure made sense. The average income in 2019 is $56,526. A $10 action figure nowadays is actually on the low end of pricing. Why in the world would Hasbro sell a Retro Figure for $5 when they know they instantly sell out at $10. I’m not an economics genius, but that makes sense to me.
@@scoobacca Well, remember that $10,556 is 1978 was the same as $41,460.00 today. So it really wasn't that different in terms of consumer income, when inflation is added. Materials were cheaper then for toy companies, as well, so the production costs were lower - and toy companies like Kenner also had a philosophy of massive distribution and low prices - put a ton of product out there at affordable unit prices and the volume of sales increase. Hasbro's philosophy seems to be the exact opposite - depressingly low distribution to stores, but priced high. As a kid who grew up in the 80's, toy aisles are just ghost towns now - there are maybe 3 or 4 figures for each line, if you're lucky. In the 80's, when you went into a toy aisle, there were dozens upon dozens of figures from every line and wave. Toy aisles were just insane with product.
Bought some retro figures - completely agree with your review - the worn out card backings are just cheesy and I can’t understand how in 2019 Hasbro can’t seem to manufacture a figure that can hold a blaster. Also, thanks for the review, I promise, no more requests until after Robotech! You guys rock!
Why couldn't it have been called Batman & Robin FOURever? ;) Great video. Glad you compared these new "retro" figures with Hasbro's earlier 90's attempt, and even the original figures themselves. Very informative. Thank you.
IMO these are great. I remember a time when people said they wanted these and now everyone on the hater-wagon. I got mine on release day for 10 a piece and I regret nothing lol I also don’t plan on taking them out of the packages, so the guns falling out means nothing to me. They look good on the wall in the man-cave lol 🍻
As someone who had these figures when they were new and no longer has them, I love these. I hear you that the weapons do not stay put...but I wouldn't know as I am keeping them in the package. These are the closest I can get to new carded "retro" (I hate that word personally) Star Wars figures without putting my house and car up for sale. They are new, unopened, and as far as my eyes look just like what I had when I was a kid. And for $10 each (well, at the time I picked them up). That works for me.
Thank you for sharing! I wanted to reach out and share my experience with Star Wars vintage collecting. I couldn't find the right video to post my experience, so forgive me for posting here. Collecting Star Wars is fun for me. It was never about about investing. And now that I'm much older, I'm grateful for the many, many newer figures from Hasbro and vintage figures I find usually on eBay. I am also grateful for reproduction weapons for vintage Kenner figures because now I have the luxury of "replenishing" my vintage figures from when I was 8-10 years old. Just to share, I was 7 when Star Wars first came out in 1977. For the holidays in 1977 and my birthday, January, 1978, there were no figures. But my Dad bought me a black t-shirt with a Darth Vader iron on on front and R2 and C-3P0 on back. And my birthday cake had R2 and C-3P0 decorated on it. I was thrilled! He also bought the Star Wars soundtrack which contained a beautiful, classic Star Wars poster that I put on my bedroom wall. And I remember vividly seeing Star Wars action figures for the first time in a mall in the summer of 1978. I immediately bought Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and 2 Storm Troopers. (I chose very early on to focus on mainly the primary characters and build troops, meaning a later total of 5 stormtroopers.) One month later, I bough a Luke Skywalker in K-mart. Each figure was US $1.99, a dream for an 8 year old boy. My grandfather had given my sisters and I about $10 each to buy toys at that time. My memory and happiness then and now are priceless. Most Sincerely, Matt
As I sit here watching UA-cam on my Apple iPad and listening on my Beats headphones, I just can't understand why RetroBlasting has such a bias against the selfless Hasbro Corporation. I mean, I'm just a normal guy wearing Van's shoes, Levi's jeans, American Eagle flannel and a Nike t-shirt trying to learn about a new toy line. It makes me want to get in my Toyota Camry and drive to the nearest Chik-fil-A and drown my sorrow in an ice cold Coca-Cola. I just hope the people at RetroBlasting remember that our corporate overlords love us and deserve our obedience. This comment was brought to you by Mentos, the Freshmaker!
When I was a kid with the original Kenner figures, my parents would superglue the weapons into the hands so I didn't lose them. Clearly Hasbro consulted with my mom and dad on this Retro line.
As a fan of these I can only say keeping them on cardback was the way to go. I'm happy to have perfect representations of vintage figures. I guess we will see you review more of these when Wave 2 comes out! Great video!
Oh boy have I wanted to get this off my chest, when these came out, as a retro loving college student who doesn’t like to spend twenty bucks or more for a figure line (black series) that I can’t even find in stores ever, these were a perfect idea for me, I’ve always wanted the retro figures and now affordable reproductions would come to store, but surprise surprise, I should have known with my black series experience. I have not seen a single one of these retro figures in stores at all, ever, I figured hey atleast like the black series they might have some pegwarmer figures I can get but no... not a single figure and these have been out for what like three years now? I wanted to give hasbro my money, for the first time I actually wanted to army build, but alas I guess I never learn with hasbro distribution or whatever causes this
While I am not too thrilled about these figures myself the one good thing I see about them is they make an excellent base to start if you want to make your own custom figures
I like modern hasbro star wars figures. Superior look, superior articulation, superior weapons. But I feel like a lot of people complain cause they aren't the original kenner ones they had as kids. I feel like maybe people let nastalgia get in the way of seeing a good toy
$5 a figure? Well, that would be a charm! Here in Germany you pay 160$ (140€) for all 6 figures. That's 26$ per piece. With such prices it would be almost worth it to fly to the USA, to buy a little more and to put the difference into the ticket :D. Anyway, what I don't like is that the cardbacks are in a used look. So the cards look like they shouldn't look like. What you said about the hands and the weapons shows once again how little Hasbro thinks about such things. That doesn't affect me as much, because I won't unpack the figures either. As always, a very nice contribution from you about "Star Wars" ... and what they could have done better. :D
Oh wow that Batman Forever/Batman and Robin thing just blew my mind. Never thought of it that way before! I have yet to see any of the single carded Retro figures in any of my local Targets. Just got two Tarkins, one to open and one on the card. Gave my extra board game to my five year old nephew and he loved it.
I was such a huge Star Wars fan from 2005-2015 and always wanted to get my hands on the original Kenner figures. The only way it was attainable was through the Kenner classic collection four pack but I think I’m gonna have to go for the Hasbro retro collection thanks to this video!
Noticed this too with Hasbro's modern transformers- to get a great toy have to wait for third party companies to produce stickers and or new parts to add to the toy , as the out-of-box robot is usually under painted, full of gaps and few accessories, compared to the G1 robots.
I am not a sheep that agrees with everything said on UA-cam channels. But you are spot on this one! I bought these for my 4 year old son so he could enjoy the toys I did when I was a kid. And all I have been doing is putting the figures blasters back and back and back in there hands. Hasbro totally missed the mark.
I went to THREE targets the day they came out and only found ONE box of six figures. And that was all they had for the whole store! I wouldn't even have gotten those if they hadn't been stocking them and if I hadn't come prepared with the DCPI #. I also got five of the six figures loose on eBay. I love them because for me it wasn't about the construction quality or materials they are made out of, it was about the nostalgia and recapturing the feeling of buying the originals and all the memories and feelings I had about them. That is something more elusive and harder to quantify and to me well worth it. Thanks for the review though.
How are you guys the new retro collection, I might look at them in Canada if they come here but I will get more action figures from 1978. Have a great weekend. Much love
I’m typing this in mid rant of yours Michael, AND I COMPLETELY AGREE! This is the type of stuff I’d say to myself OR my wife and daughter (as they shrug because only I care that much for toys in our home).
I actually just picked up the complete Empire Strikes Back Retro Collection set for $30 on Facebook Marketplace. They're pretty cool to have. Especially since I'm not a die hard collector, so I don't really go out of my way to get the actual vintage toys anymore.
Everyone has a different take on particular words. For me 'retro' is anything old from my life (such as Kenner Star Wars figures) while 'vintage' refers to even older stuff of past generations (like a 1930s Flash Gordon ray gun). :)
I remember buying my first five Star Wars figures with a ten dollar bill my grandmother gave me. That was in 1978. Each figure was $1.98 and my dad helped cover the few cents of tax left over from the ten. $1.98 each. Think about that and think about the price some of the carded figures demand with collectors.
For as long as I can remember, I have loved SW. But I was too young for the original Kenner line. By the time I was old enough in 1985, SW were no longer in the stores. Living in rural Illinois, I never encountered the Kenner toys. All the kids my age were into He-Man, GI Joe, or Transformers. But I still wished I had not missed out on the glory days of Kenner SW. Second hand markets were not an option for me. Fast forward to 1995, I am now a teenager with a modest amount of disposable cash. And what do I see back in the stores? Power of the Force 2. Those were the first SW figures I ever held in my own 2 hands. Even with all the flaws that came with that line, it is what got me into collecting SW. Once Hasbro corrected themselves and put out better sculpts I had no need to collect the old Kenner line since there was so much new stuff that interested me more. If Hasbro can not even make retro figures that properly hold their weapons, I have no interest collecting this line.
If I remember correctly my cousin's Star Wars Luke's hair was that color. I had the Bespin Luke with brown hair and thought his looked strange. In the original 1982 version of Poltergeist the little girl has a Star Wars Luke in her mouth before the storm scene and his hair is that bright color.
i will say from 2009-2012 hasbro make some kickass star wars toys. I have a shit ton of them from when i was younger, as well as original figures from the 70’s and 80’s
I love Big Head Han! It was small head that looked funny to me. And it was Hasbro/Target that saved my money. My Target on May 12th said they weren't slated to get them, then later they only had a Chewbacca on the Father's Day display with 30 VC Hans in stormtrooper outfit.
My favorite farmboy face sculpt is the original 3-Line HK - just something about that sculpt and face paint seems perfect to me. It may be that, subconsciously, it feels right, as it was the first Luke I ever had and some part of me recalls that - but aesthetically and proportionally, it just looks best to me, out of all the variants.
I think these could be cool, but I agree they need to fix a lot. The worn edges need to go along with the flimsy card backs and language and safety warnings that take up half of the back of the card. If you go to Hasbro’s website you can contact them and tell them about all of these issues, I have several times and I hope more do.
Great review. I was mildly interested in this set when it was first announced but I have basically stopped buying any Star Wars products save the occasional loose figure (still working to re-complete my ESB figure set). Got a sealed classic edition four pack on ebay last Christmas on ebay for $18 (!) and was quite happy with the puchase - THAT is the price that these figs should sell for (~$5 each). The fact that Hasbro is also selling repro Transformers for far too much ($8 for Bumblebee, a figure that should be also $5, max) tells me they are selling nostalgia, not a quality product. Which means they are basically competing with eBay, not other toy makers or actual competition for our dollars. For pete's sake, they are selling a repro Optimus for $50! WITHOUT the trailer! May buy Tarkin when Target clearances it (which I'm pretty sure they will - there's tons of them in my local store, not selling). Have the original board game already...
I wish I could get one to take a look at my target was clueless when they would be on the shelf. When they did hit the shelf they put them in men’s clothing in a father’s Day display three weeks before the holiday. They sold out in less then two days. hasbro do you want my money I know you need it
Had a feeling there'd be a catch 22 with these things, glad I didn't make the effort to get them after all. Though I have the vintage ones I totally would've bought these too but they seem like a huge letdown, and I feel the only reason we're getting these is to gear up for the next movie. If there's people out there that like them, cool, but I can't shake the feeling that those that thought these were a good idea or a good alternative to tracking down vintage might have second thoughts now. Hasbro can make good vintage Transformers reissues, why was this so difficult? I get they most likely have different teams working on these things, but I just feel this was more a missed opportunity than anything. Just my two cents.
I could see this to some extent, but the whole not being able to hold their guns is an absolute embarrassment. The whole point to me of having a reproduction version is that you're free to take it out of the package & mess around with posing it, but I think Michael is right that they thought no one would take them out.
Ryuko E. Lee when you put it that way (that they thought no one would take it out of the package) makes it really seem a quality control problem, or a "lets make a quick buck" problem. In reality, I hope they don't correct these issues for those who went to the ends of the earth to collect the originals.
Thank you for this video. I have been on the fence about these. I was aware of the issues with the blasters and flimsy cards but was going to buy on eBay anyway because I really want these, but the prices being double retail or more I just never could bring myself to pull the trigger on them. Now hearing from you they might release again in the fall I think I'll wait.
Don't know if it's the editing, but there's a Ferris Bueller vibe when you're addressing the camera (e.g. "But I digress.") I think it's great, intentional or otherwise.
You know what really grinds my gears? Exclusives. I. Fucking. Hate. Exclusives. Oh its not the figures that are bad, in fact my Walgreens ML Thing is one of the best figures from last year, but you see, the problem with exclusives is that they tend to be hard to find, and always tend to go up for high prices online. I fucking hate exclusives because sometimes they are a simple variant of something you own, like say a Storm Collectibles Bloody Goro (I don't own any storm collectibles, but my point still stands) which usually means you don't need the figure, but other times, they are an important character who should not be released in that way. You want a Marvel Legends MCU Vision? Too bad, he was only available at toys R Us. You want any of the Kenner Retro Collection of Star Wars? Too bad, Only at Target with poor distribution. You want a Marvel Legend Corvus Glaive? Well, looks like my Black Order will be incomplete, because one of the most important members of that team was only available at Walmart, and my fucking walmart never stocks crap, so guess what? I may have to keep searching online for one for decent price, and the set he is in is now in triple digits. And don't get me started on SDCC exclusives (except for the ones that end up being released later, they're fine with me). Well anyways, it pisses me off to always see exclusives that should be everywhere, like this retro collection, so much so that if I ever do become a creator of media, I'll make it abundantly clear that there are to be NO EXCLUSIVES IF THEY MAKE TOYLINES OF MY WORK, because I want it so that everyone can get them for a reasonable price. I needed to vent. Great review.
I was initially excited about these - being able to recapture that feel as a kid on a toy hunt. I have been able to only track down 4 of the 6 loose and the Tarkin/game (great distribution, multi-national-multi-billion-dollar-corporation). While I think they are a little better than the 1995 pack release, I am in agreement with you, Michael. Toys that can't hold their weapons/accessories??? Pretty sad.
AMEN Michael!!!! You read my mind completely on this!!! Please save your money people these are not worth the plastic they are 3D printed from!!!!! I have all my originals and that's enough for me!!!!!
I got a few Mandalorian ones less than a year ago. Where? Dollarama, Canada's dollar store. Cost me 5$ each (it's Canada, everything's more expensive in a dollar store). I didn't get them out of nostalgia, I was born in 2001 and the first figures I got dated from 2009. I only got them because where else could I find them at 5$ instead of their usual 25$?
An entertaining review, but I'm not interested in retro recreations of the 3 3/4" action figures. I MIGHT be interested if they did repros on the die-cast vehicles of the era (I was an unusual child in that I actually favored those and the Micro Collection over the standard figures.) I just acquired a die cast Falcon and Star Destroyer- complete WITH the little plastic Blockade Runner- in beautiful condition and now feel inspired to collect the rest!😁 (I don't suppose I could talk you into a review of THOSE?)😉
0:25 Wait, that's the ghost command play set behind Vader. When were you able to find that holy grail? Have I just never noticed it before? Anyways, belated congratulations on finding it.
I wish we lived in a time where figures sold for 5 bucks again.
Ash Rudel in sweden a normal small one is 20$… I mostly just get stuff when I’m stateside.
@@kerberos623 My condolences.
Just go to “5 below” they got black series and other Star Wars digs for 5 and under lol just sayin
@@darthbrolo Yeah, if you want Rogue One dirty leftovers.
Ash Rudel lmao yup that’s very true....but they 5 bucks lol
I also agree with you on Hasbros failure to make the hands or weapons correctly. Why is it that a huge corporation like Hasbro misses the mark but Smith Lord Creations can hit the mark dead on?
...there's a little Dark Helmet in all of us.
I just glued my Han Solo blaster in his hand
Because unlike Kenner of old, Hasbro can’t honestly say “we really do care”
If Hasbro continues the line I hope they produce some figures we never got back in the day like Biggs, Wedge, Rebel Troopers, more cantina aliens and such
Great post and love your channel! Growing up we collected all the vintage Star Wars figures, and some of the vehicles (we could afford). My parents also bought us the vintage Fisher Price figures and those vehicles, and we would often use things from that line to bolster our Star Wars toys. For the figures, we would use the roll up sleeping bags that you could roll up and they would slide up the figure's legs and be positioned on their legs. They worked great with both the Hoth and Bespin Luke and Han Solo figures (as well as others). We could store the weapons by sliding them in on the side of the backpack. When it came to holding the guns our mom would use her glue gun to put a glue "dot" on the inside of their hands to hold the gun. Not a perfect solution but it worked. We also used the Fisher Price green 6-wheeled ATV or Jeep or whatever it was. It was used to carry other equipment that we had from other toy sets. Truly awesome times in the 70's with those figures!
I might get the Chewbacca figure only because my wife's childhood Chewbacca figure survived into adulthood only to get chewed up by her mom's dog. I would get a new one for her. We still have the chewed up Chewey.
Chewedbacca
$10 per figure?!? I remember buying the originals in 1978 for $1.50 !!
William themoviefan the average median income in 1978 was $10,556, so yes a $1.50 action figure made sense. The average income in 2019 is $56,526. A $10 action figure nowadays is actually on the low end of pricing. Why in the world would Hasbro sell a Retro Figure for $5 when they know they instantly sell out at $10. I’m not an economics genius, but that makes sense to me.
@@scoobacca Well, remember that $10,556 is 1978 was the same as $41,460.00 today. So it really wasn't that different in terms of consumer income, when inflation is added. Materials were cheaper then for toy companies, as well, so the production costs were lower - and toy companies like Kenner also had a philosophy of massive distribution and low prices - put a ton of product out there at affordable unit prices and the volume of sales increase. Hasbro's philosophy seems to be the exact opposite - depressingly low distribution to stores, but priced high. As a kid who grew up in the 80's, toy aisles are just ghost towns now - there are maybe 3 or 4 figures for each line, if you're lucky. In the 80's, when you went into a toy aisle, there were dozens upon dozens of figures from every line and wave. Toy aisles were just insane with product.
The original retail price for these figures was $2.49. Adjusted for inflation, that's $9.78 today.
$1.50 in 1978 is $5.89 in 2019 according to inflation calculator
Great review. I have heard rumors about the figures not holding the weapons. I am so glad you addressed this. Thank you!!!!
In a way a stormtrooper that can't hold his gun straight is sort of accurate.... heh heh
He can't hold it at all.
Lol
Vader with filmnations ghostbusters command center at the background!! We demand a review!
I thought that was the Weebles Haunted House.
Bought some retro figures - completely agree with your review - the worn out card backings are just cheesy and I can’t understand how in 2019 Hasbro can’t seem to manufacture a figure that can hold a blaster.
Also, thanks for the review, I promise, no more requests until after Robotech! You guys rock!
Mike, I can't thank you enough for doing this for me. Thanks, man. This was very helpful for innumerable reasons.
Why couldn't it have been called Batman & Robin FOURever? ;)
Great video. Glad you compared these new "retro" figures with Hasbro's earlier 90's attempt, and even the original figures themselves. Very informative. Thank you.
IMO these are great. I remember a time when people said they wanted these and now everyone on the hater-wagon. I got mine on release day for 10 a piece and I regret nothing lol I also don’t plan on taking them out of the packages, so the guns falling out means nothing to me. They look good on the wall in the man-cave lol 🍻
Congrats for actually getting a hold of these
Hahahaha "Tell me why a bootleg from China...!" Lmao 😂
I love your review videos. They offer so much good information.
This video is why I love Retroblasting...well done.
I'm just buying the Retro collection for the memories they rekindle as I lost my Star Wars figures as a child.
As someone who had these figures when they were new and no longer has them, I love these. I hear you that the weapons do not stay put...but I wouldn't know as I am keeping them in the package. These are the closest I can get to new carded "retro" (I hate that word personally) Star Wars figures without putting my house and car up for sale. They are new, unopened, and as far as my eyes look just like what I had when I was a kid. And for $10 each (well, at the time I picked them up). That works for me.
Thank you for sharing! I wanted to reach out and share my experience with Star Wars vintage collecting. I couldn't find the right video to post my experience, so forgive me for posting here. Collecting Star Wars is fun for me. It was never about about investing. And now that I'm much older, I'm grateful for the many, many newer figures from Hasbro and vintage figures I find usually on eBay. I am also grateful for reproduction weapons for vintage Kenner figures because now I have the luxury of "replenishing" my vintage figures from when I was 8-10 years old. Just to share, I was 7 when Star Wars first came out in 1977. For the holidays in 1977 and my birthday, January, 1978, there were no figures. But my Dad bought me a black t-shirt with a Darth Vader iron on on front and R2 and C-3P0 on back. And my birthday cake had R2 and C-3P0 decorated on it. I was thrilled! He also bought the Star Wars soundtrack which contained a beautiful, classic Star Wars poster that I put on my bedroom wall. And I remember vividly seeing Star Wars action figures for the first time in a mall in the summer of 1978. I immediately bought Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and 2 Storm Troopers. (I chose very early on to focus on mainly the primary characters and build troops, meaning a later total of 5 stormtroopers.) One month later, I bough a Luke Skywalker in K-mart. Each figure was US $1.99, a dream for an 8 year old boy. My grandfather had given my sisters and I about $10 each to buy toys at that time. My memory and happiness then and now are priceless. Most Sincerely, Matt
Why is Luke's hair NEON GREEN for the retro collection figure? It was bad enough being yellow but that is just silly!
Well, I guess you could say he's getting ready to audition to play a certain clown in the future. Hehehe.
Great video! Exactly the comparison I was hoping to see.
It makes me laugh how serious you guys are about such things but then again, I am here watching and it's great lol.
As I sit here watching UA-cam on my Apple iPad and listening on my Beats headphones, I just can't understand why RetroBlasting has such a bias against the selfless Hasbro Corporation. I mean, I'm just a normal guy wearing Van's shoes, Levi's jeans, American Eagle flannel and a Nike t-shirt trying to learn about a new toy line. It makes me want to get in my Toyota Camry and drive to the nearest Chik-fil-A and drown my sorrow in an ice cold Coca-Cola. I just hope the people at RetroBlasting remember that our corporate overlords love us and deserve our obedience. This comment was brought to you by Mentos, the Freshmaker!
When I was a kid with the original Kenner figures, my parents would superglue the weapons into the hands so I didn't lose them. Clearly Hasbro consulted with my mom and dad on this Retro line.
Thanks for another great video Mike.
As a fan of these I can only say keeping them on cardback was the way to go. I'm happy to have perfect representations of vintage figures. I guess we will see you review more of these when Wave 2 comes out! Great video!
I have a bad feeling about this
Oh boy have I wanted to get this off my chest, when these came out, as a retro loving college student who doesn’t like to spend twenty bucks or more for a figure line (black series) that I can’t even find in stores ever, these were a perfect idea for me, I’ve always wanted the retro figures and now affordable reproductions would come to store, but surprise surprise, I should have known with my black series experience. I have not seen a single one of these retro figures in stores at all, ever, I figured hey atleast like the black series they might have some pegwarmer figures I can get but no... not a single figure and these have been out for what like three years now? I wanted to give hasbro my money, for the first time I actually wanted to army build, but alas I guess I never learn with hasbro distribution or whatever causes this
I found one (Leia), once, at Target. She was already on clearance, the first and only time I saw any of these on the pegs! And yes, I check often.
While I am not too thrilled about these figures myself the one good thing I see about them is they make an excellent base to start if you want to make your own custom figures
I like modern hasbro star wars figures. Superior look, superior articulation, superior weapons. But I feel like a lot of people complain cause they aren't the original kenner ones they had as kids. I feel like maybe people let nastalgia get in the way of seeing a good toy
$5 a figure? Well, that would be a charm! Here in Germany you pay 160$ (140€) for all 6 figures. That's 26$ per piece. With such prices it would be almost worth it to fly to the USA, to buy a little more and to put the difference into the ticket :D.
Anyway, what I don't like is that the cardbacks are in a used look. So the cards look like they shouldn't look like.
What you said about the hands and the weapons shows once again how little Hasbro thinks about such things.
That doesn't affect me as much, because I won't unpack the figures either.
As always, a very nice contribution from you about "Star Wars" ... and what they could have done better. :D
It's the Star Wars Retroblasting collection!
Oh wow that Batman Forever/Batman and Robin thing just blew my mind. Never thought of it that way before! I have yet to see any of the single carded Retro figures in any of my local Targets. Just got two Tarkins, one to open and one on the card. Gave my extra board game to my five year old nephew and he loved it.
I wonder what Broken Vader will say if/when Hasbro releases a 12" Star Wars retro figure collection!
In the guitar world we call pre-aged stuff "relics." But at least the cases are usually new...
I never understood that whole thing with reliced guitars, but people buy them like crazy.
Thanks guys for this honest review
I was such a huge Star Wars fan from 2005-2015 and always wanted to get my hands on the original Kenner figures. The only way it was attainable was through the Kenner classic collection four pack but I think I’m gonna have to go for the Hasbro retro collection thanks to this video!
I WANT THAT SUPER ORKO 3 shirt!
John Calcano google super orko 3 tshirt. Inthink teerepublic have it
Noticed this too with Hasbro's modern transformers- to get a great toy have to wait for third party companies to produce stickers and or new parts to add to the toy , as the out-of-box robot is usually under painted, full of gaps and few accessories, compared to the G1 robots.
I am not a sheep that agrees with everything said on UA-cam channels. But you are spot on this one! I bought these for my 4 year old son so he could enjoy the toys I did when I was a kid. And all I have been doing is putting the figures blasters back and back and back in there hands. Hasbro totally missed the mark.
I went to THREE targets the day they came out and only found ONE box of six figures. And that was all they had for the whole store! I wouldn't even have gotten those if they hadn't been stocking them and if I hadn't come prepared with the DCPI #. I also got five of the six figures loose on eBay. I love them because for me it wasn't about the construction quality or materials they are made out of, it was about the nostalgia and recapturing the feeling of buying the originals and all the memories and feelings I had about them. That is something more elusive and harder to quantify and to me well worth it. Thanks for the review though.
How are you guys the new retro collection, I might look at them in Canada if they come here but I will get more action figures from 1978. Have a great weekend. Much love
This why I come here! Wonderful job!
I’m typing this in mid rant of yours Michael, AND I COMPLETELY AGREE! This is the type of stuff I’d say to myself OR my wife and daughter (as they shrug because only I care that much for toys in our home).
Glad I waited to see the reviews...
thanks retroblasting for the honest review of the figures
I actually just picked up the complete Empire Strikes Back Retro Collection set for $30 on Facebook Marketplace. They're pretty cool to have. Especially since I'm not a die hard collector, so I don't really go out of my way to get the actual vintage toys anymore.
They temp my inner 6 year old self but I just can pull the trigger. Thanks for an honest review.
Just coming back to laugh at how Hasbro said they’d release this on a wider scale. Two waves later and there’s far and few in between.
Everyone has a different take on particular words. For me 'retro' is anything old from my life (such as Kenner Star Wars figures) while 'vintage' refers to even older stuff of past generations (like a 1930s Flash Gordon ray gun). :)
Well now I've got till August-September to decide whether I should cancel my preorder of these figures.
that Super 7 ReAction figure looks just like you, Michael!
If they didn't have the huge retro collection badge covering the card back artwork, I'd have bought them all.
Han with big head is fine for me. It reminds the one I had as a kid.
I'm still getting these if I can find them. Because not all of us can afford the original figures.
I agree. Give me my originals anyday over these
That luke and I look great to me as stand alone toys
I remember buying my first five Star Wars figures with a ten dollar bill my grandmother gave me. That was in 1978. Each figure was $1.98 and my dad helped cover the few cents of tax left over from the ten.
$1.98 each. Think about that and think about the price some of the carded figures demand with collectors.
TALK TO EM MICHAEL!!!! ✌🏼
Where did you find out that these would be back in stores for fall? I have been trying to get them but scared of eBay prices
For as long as I can remember, I have loved SW. But I was too young for the original Kenner line. By the time I was old enough in 1985, SW were no longer in the stores. Living in rural Illinois, I never encountered the Kenner toys. All the kids my age were into He-Man, GI Joe, or Transformers. But I still wished I had not missed out on the glory days of Kenner SW.
Second hand markets were not an option for me. Fast forward to 1995, I am now a teenager with a modest amount of disposable cash. And what do I see back in the stores? Power of the Force 2. Those were the first SW figures I ever held in my own 2 hands. Even with all the flaws that came with that line, it is what got me into collecting SW. Once Hasbro corrected themselves and put out better sculpts I had no need to collect the old Kenner line since there was so much new stuff that interested me more.
If Hasbro can not even make retro figures that properly hold their weapons, I have no interest collecting this line.
I heard that first wave of the 2019 retro collection has been Re-released in a six pack box set this year. But did Hasbro fix the blaster issue?
Is Luke's hair really fluorescent yellow?! He looks like a novelty highlighter!
If I remember correctly my cousin's Star Wars Luke's hair was that color. I had the Bespin Luke with brown hair and thought his looked strange. In the original 1982 version of Poltergeist the little girl has a Star Wars Luke in her mouth before the storm scene and his hair is that bright color.
Great video, I didn’t mind the price, I had a coupon!
i will say from 2009-2012 hasbro make some kickass star wars toys. I have a shit ton of them from when i was younger, as well as original figures from the 70’s and 80’s
That Tomb Raider collection!
Great Video.
I don't even like Star Wars, but I watched your video.
I love Big Head Han! It was small head that looked funny to me.
And it was Hasbro/Target that saved my money. My Target on May 12th said they weren't slated to get them, then later they only had a Chewbacca on the Father's Day display with 30 VC Hans in stormtrooper outfit.
My favorite farmboy face sculpt is the original 3-Line HK - just something about that sculpt and face paint seems perfect to me. It may be that, subconsciously, it feels right, as it was the first Luke I ever had and some part of me recalls that - but aesthetically and proportionally, it just looks best to me, out of all the variants.
I'm still waiting for the "wider release" of these 2 years later! 😆
I think these could be cool, but I agree they need to fix a lot. The worn edges need to go along with the flimsy card backs and language and safety warnings that take up half of the back of the card. If you go to Hasbro’s website you can contact them and tell them about all of these issues, I have several times and I hope more do.
loved the bighead han
Why did they keep Luke's Lightsaber yellow?
For a Retro collector it amazes me how you have missed Battletech toys.
I'll keep my original figures. Hasbro can keep their retro ones.
I just bought these six months ago, hopefully Hasbro made improvements on them. I haven’t taken them out of the package yet.
I "fixed" the weapons issue by replacing them with repro weapons, which have better color (especially the lightsabers) and fit perfectly.
Great review. I was mildly interested in this set when it was first announced but I have basically stopped buying any Star Wars products save the occasional loose figure (still working to re-complete my ESB figure set). Got a sealed classic edition four pack on ebay last Christmas on ebay for $18 (!) and was quite happy with the puchase - THAT is the price that these figs should sell for (~$5 each). The fact that Hasbro is also selling repro Transformers for far too much ($8 for Bumblebee, a figure that should be also $5, max) tells me they are selling nostalgia, not a quality product. Which means they are basically competing with eBay, not other toy makers or actual competition for our dollars.
For pete's sake, they are selling a repro Optimus for $50! WITHOUT the trailer!
May buy Tarkin when Target clearances it (which I'm pretty sure they will - there's tons of them in my local store, not selling). Have the original board game already...
I wish I could get one to take a look at my target was clueless when they would be on the shelf. When they did hit the shelf they put them in men’s clothing in a father’s Day display three weeks before the holiday. They sold out in less then two days. hasbro do you want my money I know you need it
00:47 ... THAT SPITFIRE, THOUGH! What brand, dare I ask?
I spy an Ultimate Soldier 1:18 Spitfire in the background!
Had a feeling there'd be a catch 22 with these things, glad I didn't make the effort to get them after all. Though I have the vintage ones I totally would've bought these too but they seem like a huge letdown, and I feel the only reason we're getting these is to gear up for the next movie. If there's people out there that like them, cool, but I can't shake the feeling that those that thought these were a good idea or a good alternative to tracking down vintage might have second thoughts now. Hasbro can make good vintage Transformers reissues, why was this so difficult? I get they most likely have different teams working on these things, but I just feel this was more a missed opportunity than anything. Just my two cents.
Which version from each figure do you recommend a collector like myself should get?
Those guns never fitted in my original vintage versions either so pretty authentic to my mind
Maybe Hasbro did these "mistakes" on purpose to allow people to more easily tell them from originals?
No
I could see this to some extent, but the whole not being able to hold their guns is an absolute embarrassment. The whole point to me of having a reproduction version is that you're free to take it out of the package & mess around with posing it, but I think Michael is right that they thought no one would take them out.
Ryuko E. Lee when you put it that way (that they thought no one would take it out of the package) makes it really seem a quality control problem, or a "lets make a quick buck" problem. In reality, I hope they don't correct these issues for those who went to the ends of the earth to collect the originals.
Thank you for this video. I have been on the fence about these. I was aware of the issues with the blasters and flimsy cards but was going to buy on eBay anyway because I really want these, but the prices being double retail or more I just never could bring myself to pull the trigger on them. Now hearing from you they might release again in the fall I think I'll wait.
Don't know if it's the editing, but there's a Ferris Bueller vibe when you're addressing the camera (e.g. "But I digress.") I think it's great, intentional or otherwise.
You know what really grinds my gears?
Exclusives.
I. Fucking. Hate. Exclusives.
Oh its not the figures that are bad, in fact my Walgreens ML Thing is one of the best figures from last year, but you see, the problem with exclusives is that they tend to be hard to find, and always tend to go up for high prices online. I fucking hate exclusives because sometimes they are a simple variant of something you own, like say a Storm Collectibles Bloody Goro (I don't own any storm collectibles, but my point still stands) which usually means you don't need the figure, but other times, they are an important character who should not be released in that way. You want a Marvel Legends MCU Vision? Too bad, he was only available at toys R Us. You want any of the Kenner Retro Collection of Star Wars? Too bad, Only at Target with poor distribution. You want a Marvel Legend Corvus Glaive? Well, looks like my Black Order will be incomplete, because one of the most important members of that team was only available at Walmart, and my fucking walmart never stocks crap, so guess what? I may have to keep searching online for one for decent price, and the set he is in is now in triple digits. And don't get me started on SDCC exclusives (except for the ones that end up being released later, they're fine with me). Well anyways, it pisses me off to always see exclusives that should be everywhere, like this retro collection, so much so that if I ever do become a creator of media, I'll make it abundantly clear that there are to be NO EXCLUSIVES IF THEY MAKE TOYLINES OF MY WORK, because I want it so that everyone can get them for a reasonable price.
I needed to vent. Great review.
I was initially excited about these - being able to recapture that feel as a kid on a toy hunt. I have been able to only track down 4 of the 6 loose and the Tarkin/game (great distribution, multi-national-multi-billion-dollar-corporation). While I think they are a little better than the 1995 pack release, I am in agreement with you, Michael. Toys that can't hold their weapons/accessories??? Pretty sad.
Thank you Michael, I have two sets, lol!
True man, if it was $5 I would buy one of each
Marcelo's Toy Room no action figure has cost $5 since 1995-1997. I wish I could still buy a car at 1995 prices, but that’s not reality.
@@scoobacca sad but true
I’m hoping for las 17, sold mine in hard times and I miss them!
AMEN Michael!!!! You read my mind completely on this!!! Please save your money people these are not worth the plastic they are 3D printed from!!!!! I have all my originals and that's enough for me!!!!!
I got a few Mandalorian ones less than a year ago. Where? Dollarama, Canada's dollar store. Cost me 5$ each (it's Canada, everything's more expensive in a dollar store). I didn't get them out of nostalgia, I was born in 2001 and the first figures I got dated from 2009. I only got them because where else could I find them at 5$ instead of their usual 25$?
An entertaining review, but I'm not interested in retro recreations of the 3 3/4" action figures.
I MIGHT be interested if they did repros on the die-cast vehicles of the era (I was an unusual child in that I actually favored those and the Micro Collection over the standard figures.) I just acquired a die cast Falcon and Star Destroyer- complete WITH the little plastic Blockade Runner- in beautiful condition and now feel inspired to collect the rest!😁
(I don't suppose I could talk you into a review of THOSE?)😉
Does wider scale mean there are more figures comming?
0:25 Wait, that's the ghost command play set behind Vader. When were you able to find that holy grail? Have I just never noticed it before? Anyways, belated congratulations on finding it.
Blu tac solves the weapon holding problem.