Power of the Force (1995 Toyline)

It's been 27 years since the Power of the Force 2 was first released, so it feels a bit redundant to even make this thread but lately, I've been researching and obsessing over all the figures released back then, and to be honest, I don't really know why because in the 27 years since, better and more articulated figures of the Original Trilogy characters exist, in The Legacy Collection or The Vintage Collection and many other lines released by Hasbro. I didn't grow up with any figures from Power of the Force 2, so I'm not nostalgic for them like a lot of others. I don't even really have that many in my collection at the moment. Back in 2016, I bought a mint on card Stormtrooper in the red packaging. Never opened it. However recently I bought a Zuckuss that was released later on during the Power of the Force line, so he's not as buff as the earlier figures. 2 days ago, I ordered a red card Stormtrooper and Darth Vader that I intent on opening when they arrive. I fully plan on buying more POTF2 figures soon, especially the Boba Fett figure, it looks really awesome. I wanted to make this thread to discuss all my thoughts on POTF2 figures, but I also want to hear other people's stories, especially the ones that lived through that time and experienced the hype for these figures in real-time.

 

Yeah, compared to everything we've gotten since, it's almost comedic to look back and see all those professional wrestlers cosplaying as Star Wars characters! But boy, did that line work. They were always sold out in my local shops. I remember seeing them in a catalogue and methodically saving up my pocket money for a Darth Vader and the deluxe Snowtrooper, the one with the E-Web, but my parents ended up having to get them ordered in special. I also recall going on an extended school trip and using all of my souvenir money to buy a Sandtrooper and a TIE Fighter Pilot, simply because I could never find them back home. I was very lucky to get a Boba Fett, though, as well as an Obi-Wan, a Chewbacca, and several Luke variants. I like to think I'd have gotten more, but my attention was divided by Micro Machines and Action Fleet playsets. This all happened in that magical period between the Special Editions and The Phantom Menace. I was ten.

Flash forward a couple years and there was a lot of excess stock floating around. I remember picking my Grand Moff Tarkin out of a bargain bin. Some figures are quite easy to find in decent condition nowadays, and for a fair price, too. Unfortunately I don't have any of mine any more, but I'll always have the memories!

 

Tarkin was a big one along with the Sandtrooper, Mon Mothma, Rebel Fleet trooper etc as this was their first ever figure!

Looking back on this line does reveal its deficiencies (too muscle bounded), but for me it has a little nostalgia. I was a poor college kid so my mom was the one who made a few purchases, mostly for my 5-6 year old nephew. We got the POTF2 Mellennium Falcon, X-Wing with Luke, Chewbacca, Lando, Walrus Man, Garindan, Mon Mothma, Leia Cermonial gown, Tie pilot, Vader inside a mini Death Star. It seems we skipped the red card releases and by '97 before SEs were released, the hype began to build collector wise. I still remember going in the basement and finding the Han with Jabba SE pack and Ronto with Jawa two pack and Sandtrooper with Dewback set stacked away for Christmas 1997 or '98.
I befriended a legend of a toy dealer and one of his best stories is based on those 90s POTF2 line and how he would meet a guy who was selling by the pallets at a parking lot somewhere. He would buy boxes and boxes and resell them for profit. These were hot figures as it had been 12-13 years since the original Kenner line.