The Lando System Revisited.
(Vintage Lobot, Vintage Bespin Security Guards, Vintage Lando Calrissian)

“Lando’s not a sytem (baby), he’s a man.”

This is a quick re-boot of an older shot that never quite tripped my trigger. This one’s an improvement but still not quite the elusive champ I’m after. For Bespin action figures, ‘At the Gates of Bespin‘ (the one with the duo of Twin-Pod Cloud Cars) is still my runaway favorite.

Hunting Solo. (Vintage IG-88)

A bounty hunter like IG-88 is truly as bad as they come. Heart of cold steel and wires. Never tires, never sleeps. And he has tiny little crab claws for hands (the better to clench his two blasters before he puts you away for keeps). Face it: you just don’t want to mess with this guy.

But mess with him we did.

There’s a surprising amount of love for IG-88 out there. People loved playing with him when they were kids, and they love him now. A rail-thin robot with no dialogue has captured the hearts of millions and even stars in his own awesome music video. Go figure!

Did you dig IG-88 as a kid? What was your favorite Star Wars action figure you played with back then? (I know, I know – you still play with action figures. We’ll get to that later!)

Bringing the Rebel Heat.
(Vintage Millennium Falcon, Vintage X-Wing Fighters)

HAPPY THIRTY FIVE YEARS STAR WARS! You’ve managed to keep me fueled with awe, inspiration, and the joys of youth well beyond what you, I, or anyone could’ve expected. Incredible that here in 2012 I find myself handing you down to my children. I expect that they will do the same for their children one day as well. Thanks for all the memories. Keep the fire burning.

(This shot’s one I’ve been thinking about for a while. Finally had time to put it all together today. A lot like the Hoth scene I did a while back, this is not one photo but several. Consider it my small tribute to the spectacular effects compositing that made the original Star Wars trilogy so exciting so long ago.)

Ree is the Magic Number. (Vintage Ree-Yees)

Kenner released around 100 different action figures between 1977 and 1985. I’d be hard-pressed to name one that has a more compelling sculpt, more attention to detail, and just generally more love poured into it than the diminutive Ree-Yees from Return of the Jedi. It’s ironic considering that the character had about 1.8 seconds of screen time!

Got a favorite character that might not be in the spotlight of popularity? Let me know in the comments.

Rebels on Ice.
(Vintage Snowspeeder, Vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot,
Vintage R2-D2, Vintage Han Solo (in Hoth Battle Gear))

The vintage Snowspeeder easily makes it among my top three vehicles that Kenner made for its 1977-1985 vintage line of Star Wars toys.

The Snowspeeder picks up points over it’s hottest competition (Millennium Falcon and the X-Wing Fighter) in its winning light & sound action. When you press the secret button beneath the Snowspeeder’s chassis, the long front cannons pulse with what appears to be moving light bursts, advancing from base to tip. And the accompanying sound is spot on with its own gyrating rhythm.

It’s a charming truth that the instructions included with the long-ago Kenner Star Wars toys boasted in large, bold, all-caps type this motto: WE REALLY DO CARE. And you know something? Judging by their Snowspeeder’s awesome design and construction, I really believe they did.

The Take-Down Two. (Vintage Admiral Ackbar, Vintage General Lando Calrissian)

Who do you call to lead a merry band of Rebels into battle?

Oh yeah: Admiral Ackbar and General Lando “Lady’s Choice” Calrissian.

That is of course if you want to kick some ass.

Doing Bib's Bidding (Vintage Bib Fortuna)

If I haven’t said it before I’ll say it now. The vintage Bib Fortuna action figure is approximately 100% creepier than the actual character from Return of the Jedi. I like that the guys at Kenner decided to give him some extra mileage in the blood-curdling department. No added charge!

Now before I sign off I’ll come clean. There’s an alterior motive for showcasing Bib today. You got it. I am brazenly and shamelessly plugging some current auctions I have going on over at eBay for three lovely vintage Star Wars action figures still sealed on their original 1983 cards. Presently going cheap!

The Final Sale. (Vintage Jawas, Vintage R2-D2)

Back to Black. (Vintage Darth Vader, Vintage Darth Vader's Tie Fighter with Custom Paint)

A couple of years ago I found myself on a roll scoring interesting finds from local sellers looking to unload vintage Star Wars toys from their storage. As is always the case in these situations you get some gems and you get stuff that’s seen better days (hey, nothing that’s vintage and Star Wars is junk, right?).

After a few of these encounters I found myself with four Darth Vader’s Tie Fighters from 1978. Three were in overall straight condition and one was just barely limping by, begging for either a noble burial or the breath of new life. Well after a good cleaning the path was clear: I would take the sucker apart and hit it inside and out with some matte black spray enamel.

The results are at least partially seen in the photo above.

The Snow Patrol.
(Vintage Han Solo (Hoth Battle Gear), Vintage Tauntauns, Vintage Luke Skywalker (Hoth Battle Gear))

Empire Strikes Back toys are always quick to creep up on my photo radar. They were the last toys that I really collected and played with as a kid back in the early ’80s.

What was the last bunch of toys you collected before rock ‘n roll and boys/girls took over?