STAR WARS: THE
ULTIMATE ACTION FIGURE COLLECTION
By Stephen J. Sansweet
Out now from TITAN
BOOKS
Reviewed by Scott
Weller
You never forget
your first STAR WARS action figures: mine were back in the days of the original
and unaltered Classic Trilogy: See-Threepio and a non-cloth Jawa, brought by my
enthusiastic mum from the once fruitful British
Home Stores shopping chain one rainy Saturday in 1978. From there, holding
these two glorious characters in my hands, part of the original twelve figures in
three and three quarters inch frames, a love affair soon began with the
ultimate form of play acting- as my collection of plastic characters grew over
three years, so did my imagination in staging their epic adventures. And in
those long days between films- three painful years at a time- they were a
lifeline to mine and I’m sure many other millions STAR WARS universes: played
with, and played with, and played with. Mine were particularly kept safe for
reuse-and new adventures galore- within my soon Xmas gift Darth Vader
Collectors Case and easy access metal lunch box.
Flash forward to
2012, and its gotten to the point now where I sadly have no room or a big
enough wallet to buy the incredible range of HASBRO based figures available to
fellow STAR WARS aficionados, which have so admirably succeeded that original
range of colourful KENNER/PALITOY characters from so long ago, but I can at
least enjoy seeing the old and new diversity in printed form with this wonderful
guide of nostalgia witnessed within the pages of long time STAR WARS collector
en masse, archivist and ex-LUCASFILM Fan Relations expert Stephen J. Sansweet’s
exciting and packed to the brim new volume dedicated to the toy phenomenon, the
author happily far beyond his original analysing the commercial enterprise figures
of Wall Street to now charting the more emotionally rewarding plastic figure
universe of the classic and modern Trilogies collectible range.
Led into with a
nice potted history of the line and the birth of their incredible success for
KENNER toys in the 1978 market onwards (Oh, ho that Early Bird campaign would ultimately prove a genius idea!), to the
equally incredible and enduring success inherited by HASBRO from the nineties
onwards, and which remains one of the top five toy brands every year for both
children and their kidult parents!, STAR WARS: THE ULTIMATE ACTION FIGURE
COLLECTION is indeed an impressive and superior work to his previous, and now
highly rare vintage figure archive from 1999, THE ACTION FIGURE ARCHIVE, once
again using his highly knowledgeable and accessible writing style to take us on
a fine journey of celebration, alongside still-life images of the various
action figures-2,300 across 29 major product lines from 1978 up to early 2012-
and their accessories, better showcased here than before, especially the modern
figures of the last few years, what with their impressive attention to detail
and increased body frame maneuverability.
And its not just
the films that are so dutifully covered by the figure range-there are the many
characters brought to life from the multitude of spin offs, too, like the sagas
legendary deleted scenes, spin-off TV series, animation, computer games (like The Force Unleashed), and even comics
and book icons from such notable entries as the early nineties Shadows of the Empire series and
MARVEL/DARK HORSE series. Plus iconic conceptual and behind the scenes art work
from the likes of Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston (most notably in release
during the saga’s Thirtieth Anniversary). Even George Lucas made it to plastic
and card backing reality in 2002! I could only dream of such diversity of characters
back in the day as a child with those original PALITOY/KENNER figures and their
eight year duration up to 1985. STAR WARS fans really are well and truly spoiled
for choice these days. And good for them!
Rarities, special
purchase figures, limited editions, etc., are all fascinatingly documented and
photographed as part of the KENNER/HASBRO legacy. A lot of them revealing
fascinating behind the scenes origins and development stories, with clear
enjoyment and some occasional wry humour by Sansweet, as he also charts the
joys and perils of being such a dedicated collector. Changes and additions-both
deliberate and accidental- to the range over thirty years, which have made some
of the figures worth a small fortune to collectors, are also keenly highlighted.
Once again, alongside the figure images, Sansweet does a fine job assembling hundreds
of movie representative photos and artwork, including some very rare and
previously unseen shots. It must have been quite a hunt through the archives looking
for so many match-up images. Stephen, if you ever need help on that front, I’m
your man!
One of the best
aspects of the book is seeing the timeline of the figures and how so many of
the characters have changed, or become more or less a part of the range over
time. There are the main heroes like Luke, Han and Leia that are the
essentials, of course, but there have been other characters beyond them that
have equally made their important mark in STAR WARS collectormania. For a
start, with the Prequel Trilogy, I couldn’t believe just how many Clone Trooper
variations there have been in the last five or six years. And who knew there
were so many Jar Jar Binks figures out there? For an unpopular character he
obviously sells well enough for them to carry on making them. And talking of
treading a tightrope of a different kind, only the STAR WARS toy line could get
away with realising some of the more gruesome aspects of the filmed saga, like
Luke Skywalker with decapitated arm and bloody stump from EMPIRE, or Anakin
Skywalker legless and lava burned body remains from SITH! If Hans Christian
Anderson were alive today, he’d surely be pitching to HASBRO!
Picking up this
first class, 350-page tome tribute to the diverse, continuing action figure
range (of which Carrie Fisher may finally discover in its pages a Leia figure that doesn't look like Eddie Munster!), which has become such a joyous and fascinating obsession to so many
millions of dedicated fans worldwide, you’ll soon discover what a must-have
purchase it is in the way it recognises and charts such an amazing and enduring
aspect of STAR WARS history. Available in a nicely priced large format
paperback, it’s not just an invaluable research tool and aid for collectors of
the range to enjoy and use as the ultimate checklist, it’s also a helluva lot
of fun in general for readers and fans of all ages as we are whisked off once
more into our imaginations by George Lucas’s enduring and colourful character
packed saga.
AFICIONADO RATING:
An essential purchase, a box of delights, and an obvious labour of love for Sansweet. 4 out of 5
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