Hasbro's 40th Anniversary STAR WARS Black Series Action Figures Are Awesome!
This year Star Wars: A New Hope turns 40 freakin' years old. To celebrate, Hasbro is releasing a line of Star Wars Black Series action figures that pay tribute to the classic Kenner era of Star Wars toys.
The action figures were revealed at New York Toy Fair this past weekend, and not only do the figures pay homage to the Kenner figures, but so does the packaging they come in. There are 12 figures in the collection, and I have to own them all!
The first wave of figures that will be released this spring includes Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and R2-D2. They will cost about $20 each. They will later be joined by Chewbacca, C-3PO, the Death Squad Commander, a Tusken Raider, a Jawa, Darth Vader, and a stormtrooper.
In case you didn't know, these 12 characters are the very first figures that Kenner ever released in the very first line of 3.75" Star Wars toys.
According to io9, Hasbro will be offering a special version of Darth Vader for $40. This is described at the ultimate homage:
A recreation of the infamous Kenner Early Bird Certificate set, the empty cardboard box Kenner sold in Christmas 1977 to meet the furious demand for Star Wars toys after the movie’s surprise success. The original Early Bird certificate granted purchasers a voucher for figures of Luke, Leia, R2, and Chewie when they released in early 1978, and had a special cardboard display set to display the first 12 figures that would come out.
Of course, the Hasbro version won't come with an empty box. It will include a Darth Vader figure. The display set will be an exact replica, though, and will include both sides of backing from the original.
There will also be a couple of exclusive figures coming that include Luke in his X-Wing pilot gear, which will be available at this year’s Star Wars Celebration event in Orlando. Then there's the droid R5-D4, which will be available at Gamestop retail locations.
There's a lot of Star Wars action figure greatness coming this year! I need to get my hands on this entire set! You can see all the photos below!