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Well, that's a surprise. Making the rounds on social media is this Return of the Jedi The Retro Collection Kenner-style 6-pack form, allegedly, Hasbro and Kenner. You get the Emperor's Royal Guard, Gamorrean Guard, Wicket the Ewok, and Admiral Ackbar - all good figures. But what's super exciting is you also allegedly get Yak Face and a brand-new old-style Mon Mothma. This was supposedly posted by In Demand Toys, and has not been revealed in an official capacity as of yet. I hope it's real and real nearby.
Of note Yak Face is on a Return of the Jedi American-style cardback - and he was never sold on that. In North America (probably only Canada), he was the final Power of the Force coin-carded figure. Overseas, he was on a tri-logo cardback. This seems like a spiteful choice, I can only assume Hasbro is keeping the coins in their back pocket for something down the road.
Nostalgia is a powerful drug...
When POTF2 hit the pegs I was tickled to see Star Wars toys back at retail. I wasn't thrilled with the He-Man style of the figures but having a Stormtrooper that could turn his head was pretty radical. Part of me was just wishing that Hasbro would simply pick up where Kenner had left off.
I've never been into the Retro figures at all, largely because I craved more photorealistic sculpting, detailed paint apps, and super-articulation. After seeing this particular set, I'm kinda wishing I could go back and warn myself to hold off buying those hundreds (thousands?) of figures, stick to picking up vehicles, and wait until the Retro line shows up.
That Yak Face and Mon Mothma have really turned my head. I may have to get this set, dangit.
Heck, it's the reason we're
Heck, it's the reason we're here in the first place! Some of us, anyway. The older ones of us.
POTF2 was great - heck, I'd say it holds up pretty well as "toys" go, minus the ones that can't stand like that first Han Solo. But the old Kenner guys, minus some hand/accessory issues, just plain worked. If Hasbro shifted entirely to this format (hopefully not with the gusto we see in other scales) I'd be pretty gosh darned happy.
Seeing Hasbro finally give a Kenner figure wide US release that never really got sold here sets a good precedent. I hope they do it again. I like the Retro stuff so much I've cut back Black Series and that may soon get upgraded to Cut Out just because ultimately, they're not fun to play with at all.
Less IS More
I managed to dodge the 6-inch bullet after unsuccessfully dodging the Clone Wars bullet. I swore I'd stick with 3 3/4" but I've since narrowed my focus to OT and OT-adjacent stuff.
Kenner indoctrinated me into world-building from an early age (Mego helped) so I knew chances were slim I'd ever see most of what's been offered in the 3 3/4" line.
With the glut of new content, gone are the three-year breaks that give licensees a chance to do deeper dives. The only silver lining to the writers and actors strikes is that it's putting certain productions on pause, maybe long enough for Hasbro to strike a few chords they might not have if a new series was imminent.
Then again, with the way Iger is talking, we may get that pause anyway. Sometimes less IS more.