main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Best screen representation in a figure?

Discussion in 'Collecting' started by Aaronaman, May 12, 2013.

  1. Aaronaman

    Aaronaman Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2013
    Which character has had the best figure in both the original Vintage Line and the current Vintage Collection?

    For me it has to be the Gamorrean Guard figure...the Vintage one looks amazing and the Vintage Collection figure just adds to the characters appeal.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    To me it's just the perfect Vintage/Vintage Collection figure combo available.
     
    jedi_barry_jones likes this.
  2. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2004
    I agree with you, Aaronaman. Kenner did a really nice job of capturing the Gamorreans in the original line, and Hasbro flat nailed it as your pictures show; though I do think the skirt is a bit too bushy and the "fur" a tad wiry.

    Not sure I can find the same type of synergy between old and new, but I will say that I feel that Kenner's best work in the original line came with a minor background character; "Squid head" (as it was called then).

    From the original Kenner line.

    A still of the character.

    Not only a great head sculpt, but a pretty screen accurate outfit as well. Not something Kenner had a great track record with when it came to background characters (See the original cantina aliens).
     
  3. Aaronaman

    Aaronaman Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2013
    Squid Head was/is a great character and some of Kenners best work but in saying that (besides the clothes) the Vintage Greedo has a great head sculpt and for some reason the Red Snaggletrooth figure always gets a prime spot in my display......
    [​IMG]
    .......hes a great fun little character and a huge improvement on some of the other Vintage line Aliens, Walrus Man looks rushed and cheap in comparision
     
    jedi_barry_jones likes this.
  4. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2004
    You're %100 right about the head sculpt of the vintage Greedo, and I actually meant to mention that in my post. It's spot on, and by far the best in the original SW run '78-'79, if not the best period (His funky space jumpsuit looks cool too, even if it's not technically accurate). Hammerhead is also really well done. Snaggletooth is deceptively simple, but when you really examine him he's got the nice detailed piping on his suit, the furry clawed feet and nice subtle detailing in the face. You'd think with his front and center appearance in the movie that Walrusman would've gotten a better sculpt him self, but it does look a bit 2nd rate compared to his fellow cantina mates. I do like his outfit though. It's very colorful and stands out well.
     
    Aaronaman likes this.
  5. Aaronaman

    Aaronaman Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2013
    Ive always wondered if the designers at Kenner thought that since Walrusman had such a big part in the movie that kids would want him regardless of what he looked like and that lesser characters who were barely on screen had to be a little bit more detailed so they'd be a lot more desirable when on display on the toy shelf?

    I also would have thought that by the time the ESB rolled round they would have been a lot better at capturing the right screen look for their figures and in most of them they did....Han in Hoth gear is a great figure but Bespin Han has always been one of my least favourite figures.
     
    jedi_barry_jones likes this.
  6. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2004
    I wouldn't doubt it. Kenner, like pretty much everyone else in the world I suppose, got caught totally flat-footed when Star Wars took off. They basically had to work much non-stop just to get the toys in stores by the same time the following year. That likely meant cutting a lot of corners, and picking and choosing where to focus their efforts. I'm guessing they saw certain characters as ones that would return unchanged in future sequels—Vader, Storm Troopers, C-3PO—and put a bit more effort in there to make sure they would hold up going forward. While Luke, Han and Leia would certainly return for any future movies, they would be wearing different outfits, which is maybe why their first figures could be considered a bit on the bland side. I'm guessing the aliens fared better than their human counterparts because they're just more interesting visually and the people at Kenner probably had more fun with them.

    I think the line got subtly better as it went along. Take the Bespin Luke for instance (See my icon :p). There's a lot of nice detail in there; folds, creases and wrinkles. It's definitely a step up from the Farmboy Luke IMO. By ROTJ they'd introduced soft goods cloaks and the sculpts and paint apps got even better.
     
  7. Aaronaman

    Aaronaman Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2013
    Bespin Luke is another of my favourites and was leaps and bounds ahead of the Bespin Han even poor Lando wasn't done much justice in his smiling first appearance haha Farmboy Luke was the first figure I got so he'll always be one of the best and looking at my collection now you're right about the aliens and later figures, Sly Snoodles is another figure thats a near perfect copy of her movie counterpart.

    For me the reason why the vintage line holds up so well now is because it was similar to the movies....it's like Lucasfilm and Kenner both thought 'hey it's not perfect but you get the idea of what we were trying to do' and they were both dead right.
     
  8. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2004
    [face_laugh] His smile is so big that if you get the version w/o the teeth painted in it looks like he's got a gaping maw!

    Yeah they did a nice job with the entire Rebo band actually. It's easy to forget about them since they were sold as a set and not carded separately.

    Well said =D=
     
  9. Aaronaman

    Aaronaman Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2013
    Sly Snootles was a great looking figure when produced for the Vintage Line but following versions have been a major let down....I really hope she makes an apperance in the Vintage Collection Line soon because shes such a cool alien and deserves a reboot.....I dont know why they decided to go more 'cartooney' with her instead of a more realistic version

    [​IMG][​IMG]

    ..........mind you shes faired a lot better than Droopy McCool his later figures are truely terrible!!!

    [​IMG]
     
    jedi_barry_jones likes this.
  10. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2004
    It's been a while since I've seen their latest plastic incarnations (That had to be somewhere back around the Special Edition releases, right?), but the Rebo band are looooong overdue for a facelift. With this being ROTJ's 30th anniversary, it would've been the perfect time.
     
  11. Aaronaman

    Aaronaman Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2013
    I got the 2007 version of the band and Max Rebo himself looks good but Sly and Droopy look terrible....I do have my fingers crossed a new more detailed version of the band so heres hoping haha

    And while I'm on the subject the vintage Amanaman figure could be put in to new packaging now and still look great on the shelf.......

    [​IMG]

    The Vintage Bespin Luke is a great figure but the Vintage Collection Luke is one of my favourites of all the fiugres I currently own.

    [​IMG]
     
    jedi_barry_jones likes this.
  12. Juke Skywalker

    Juke Skywalker Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 27, 2004
    - 2007? I'd say we're long overdue for a new Rebo set!

    - Agreed. The original Amanaman is an amazing figure. Waaay ahead of its time. If that was a hint of where Kenner was heading it's even more of a shame that's where the line ended.

    - The VC Bespin Luke is one of my favorites too (I have pretty much every Bespin/Dagobah Luke made since he's my favorite character and that's my favorite outfit). They nailed it. It's a huge improvement over the "Vintage Saga" version from a few years before.