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Star Wars Figures – Return of the Jedi Part 1

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May 2023 saw the 40th anniversary of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. I went to see the film again in the cinema, with my family. As always, there was a tear in my eye watching several scenes in that magnificent movie, particularly at the end. I shouldn’t need to worry about spoilers, surely, but we’ll leave the detail obscure. Jedi may not be considered the best of the Original Trilogy, but it’s a fabulous film that concludes the storyline brilliantly.

I was ten years old in 1983. I’d seen both previous Star Wars episodes in the cinema, but this time I was a little older, and the excitement of a new instalment was building. I can remember much more about that build up, as I ravenously absorbed every picture I could find in any magazine, newspaper or television show for clues about the new movie.

The Marvel UK Star Wars comic had kept me intrigued, but I recall catching tantalising sights of new characters that excited me. Brief glimpses of Bib Fortuna, Admiral Ackbar and Biker Scouts. I couldn’t wait to find out more about them.

Of course the real anticipation was with regard to the action figures. Star Wars fans everywhere could not wait to see what new characters – and old favourites in new guises – we would get.

Some characters began to show up on promotional literature, but the first ROTJ figure I ever had (I think) was Admiral Ackbar. I won Ackbar in a Palitoy drawing competition: third prize (there were probably hundreds of third prize places). He turned up without a card and became an instant favourite.

The first character I bought off a toy shop shelf was General Madine, if I remember correctly. He looked like a cool new character who must have a big role in the new movie, being amongst the first releases. How wrong I was! Never mind, I always was a sucker for troops.

The main heroes now had cool new outfits. Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight) came equipped with a blaster and green lightsaber. Green?! All would be revealed… Luke also had a cool removable cloak. But the big news really, as revealed by the name lozenge, was that Luke was a Jedi. At last! A cool figure which I still have complete.

Princes Leia was in “Boushh Disguise”, including a removable helmet which was all very intriguing and looked great. Originally my sister bought all the Leia figures, I finally bought my own right at the end of the line in 1985. This meant that my own Leia Boushh is still in excellent condition.

Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard Disguise) is an absolute classic action figure. Great design, another removable helmet – he was an early purchase in this wave. I still have mine complete.

Nien Nunb, Lando’s co-pilot on the Millenium Falcon, is a great looking figure. The character design for the movie is fabulous, and it carries over well to the toy version. Another lifelong favourite!

Again, I loved the Rebel Commando figure, because I love to build up troops! Over the years I managed to add a few duplicates to my collection, as you can see here in my Ewok Village Playset display.

When the first wave of Jedi figures were released, the card backs tried to hide some of the new major characters: of course, I’m talking about the Ewoks. Logray, the Ewok Medicine Man, and Chief Chirpa were both “blacked out” on the reverse to retain some mystery. I remember my Mum suggesting using an ink eraser to gently rub away the black covering. Believe it or not, it worked – kind of. Two ghostly shapes could eventually be seen, which in retrospect vaguely resembled Ewoks. I still have the card somewhere, so one day I’ll prove it!

Logray and Chief Chirpa are both complete, and I’ve got duplicates of each to fill out that Ewok Village I mentioned earlier.

The only Imperial characters in the first batch of figures were two of the best looking of the whole range: the Biker Scout and Emperor’s Royal Guard. The Biker Scout is just an awesome design, add him to his speeder bike (sold separately, I’ll add photos one day) and you have an iconic 80’s toy from one of the best scenes in the film. Even his blaster is ace (still got the originals).

Likewise, the Royal Guard is amazing, a flamboyant flash of bright red amongst all of the white and black Empire troops. I remember being really disappointed (as many others were) that the Royal Guards didn’t have a bigger role in the movie. Sadly, the figures staff has not survived.

Finally, we get to another of my favourite subsets of Star Wars figures: aliens. Return of the Jedi had a plethora of weird looking creatures in Jabba’s palace. The creature designers really did a wonderful job, letting their imaginations run riot, creating these thugs for the Hutt’s throne room.

First up was Bib Fortuna, with those bewildering tentacles emerging from the back of his head. A great figure, Bib is a really good example of how far the toy moulding had come. Bib has a removable cloak (just leave it on, please) and a redundant staff. Another figure that is unmistakably iconic.

Next, the Gamorrean Guard. Not as clever a design as other Jabba goons to my eyes, but never the less a great figure. I added a couple extra over the years, complete with weapon, to build up the pig palace guard.

Ree-Yees (the name came from his “three eyes”) is another odd looking character. Still, the species design has remained popular enough to show up in later instalments. I still have the gold coloured gun for this guy. It’s very Flash Gordon.

Squid Head is a far better design – I mean, what a brilliant idea! He’s a great figure too, accurate features and lots of soft goods accessories that make him an absolute must-have. Cloak, skirt and separate belt all add to the finished look. I have at least one without all the accoutrements, just for use as a background figure.

Klaatu (now known by his original ILM production name, Wooof – I’m not going into that here!) is an all time classic alien design. The species was used multiple times on ROTJ and other Star Wars episodes/series since. Awesome looking character, nicely rendered with that fur skirt.

Finally, we have Weequay – possibly my favourite of Jabba’s goons in the film. He just looks cool – and mean, with that unique stance/hand position for holding his staff. Great facial detail, too.

There are a lot of memories regarding these wonderful toys, if you’ve read this far, thanks for staying with me. That’s enough info for now, I’ll be back soon with a Part 2 to examine the next wave of Return of the Jedi action figures. For now, enjoy these amazing toys, and May the Force be with you!

Please note: all figures are original 1980s Kenner versions. All accessories are original.

Masters of the Universe Toys – Part 2

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Recently at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub, I shared some photos of my Masters of the Universe toys.  Last time, we looked at the Heroic Warriors – He-Man and his good guy buddies.  This time, it’s time for the Evil Warriors to take a bow…  Yes, Skeletor and his evil henchmen!

For some reason or other, I only had a few bad guys when I was a kid.  That’s a bit odd, as in many ways the evil dudes are better designed and possess more interesting features.

The collection began with He-Man’s arch nemesis, the one and only Skeletor.  You remember him from the cartoon, right?  I still have the action figure from when he was first released, complete with power sword and staff.  Skeletor is such a classic creation and a pretty rad figure.

Skeletor’s two original aides, Beast Man and Mer-Man, were never part of my collection first time around.  I’ve added them to the group over the years from Comic Cons and collector fairs.  Both are in nice but not mint condition – however they’re absolute must-haves for any gang of villainous Eternia marauders.

Two other bad guys I did have as a kid were Trap Jaw and Tri-Klops.  Both of these characters are really cool concepts with great play features.

Trap Jaw, as well as having his movable jaw, also came with three accessories to place in his arm socket – a hook, a pincer and a gun.  Sadly, only my gun accessory remains – the other two mysteriously disappeared.  I replaced the pincer with one purchased from  eBay, but the hook eludes me.  Awesome toy, regardless.

Tri-Klops I owned as kid, but like Battle Cat (see previous blog) and Trap Jaw’s weapons, he went AWOL.  Bloody loft insulation workers, I say.  A few years back I replaced him with a pretty good quality eBay purchase, complete with sword.  This figure has a revolving helmet, so Tri-Klops can “see” out of different eyes!

Up next is Evil-Lyn: despite being little more than a re-paint of the Teela figure, this wicked witch is actually an interesting character.  No staff with her, as Evil-Lyn is a 21st centruy purchase.

Following Evil-Lyn we have another trio of bad guys – Jitsu, Whiplash and Clawful.  None of these three are complete with weapons as they’re second hand purchases.  In fact, Jitsu is also lacking his chest armour.  Great figures though: Clawful in particular is an ingenious, gruesome design.

Finally, the last picture features a further frightful foursome: Two Bad, Leech, Spikor and Kobra Khan.  No weapons, but a fun bunch of motley misfits with some wacky play features.  Kobra Khan fires water from his head!  Leech sticks to stuff!  Spikor is Spiky!  And Two Bad can punch himself in the face!

A wonderful bunch of toys that bring back happy memories.  Hours of fun can still be had battling Skeletor and his lackeys against He-Man and the heroic warriors.

However, a big gap in my collection is Faker – the evil blue He-Man clone.  Another example of Mattel re-colouring existing models, but I want him badly.  Know where I can get one?  Please let me know!

Masters of the Universe Toys – Part 1

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By the power of Grayskull!

Masters of the Universe exploded into popular culture – and my young, impressionable mind – to become one of the greatest toy lines of all time.  The characters and mythology of Eternia – built through toys, comics and an unforgettable cartoon series – has become a classic of popular culture.

The genesis of these toys has been documented elsewhere: I can thoroughly recommend the excellent documentary “The Power of Grayskull”, which you can watch on Netflix.

So here, I’ll take the opportunity to reminisce about the MOTU toys that I have in my collection – most of which have been with me since they were first released.

Prepare for full on, raw and dirty NERD MODE.

Let’s make things a little easier, and focus on just one selection of MOTU figures for now – the Heroic Warriors.

It all began with my purchase of the lead character: He-Man.  He looked so cool, very detailed for the time and a totally new size and type of design.  I was a dedicated Star Wars collector as a kid, so decided I’d buy just one MOTU figure, and that would be He-Man, of course.

But things never work out that way, and the main man would soon be followed by many friends and enemies.

The He-Man figure shown here is my original from the early eighties, complete with weapons (axe not shown) and in pretty good nick.

I never got any of the toy lines vehicles or playsets.  But I did buy He-Man’s trusty comrade, Battle Cat.  My young mind was blown by a hero who rode around on a giant green tiger!

The Battle Cat in the picture is not my original.  That one mysteriously went AWOL whilst these toys were stored in my parents’ loft.  This is a decent replacement that I picked up on eBay for an affordable price.

There are still no suspects for the theft of my original toy(s), other than the blokes who fitted some flooring in their loft a few years back.  Bastards.

Anyway, I mentioned He-Man’s buddies – and in the next pic you can see some of the earliest heroic figures to join He-Man’s quest.  Here we have Man-At-Arms, another original and complete.

There’s also Teela, who is complete though I forgot to photo her with accessories.  Teela was actually my sisters figure, who has found a home in my collection (sorry, Sian).

The next photo of Heroic Warriors includes Man-E-Faces, Ram Man, Zodac and Orko.

Zodac was the earliest release of these, though I only bought him recently (2019) at a Comic Con.  To be honest, I thought I already had him.  Zodac is only in fair condition; he’s a bit grubby and has no weapon.

I loved Man-E-Faces as soon as I saw him – a mild mannered actor, he was cursed by Skeletor to become a monster or robot at random.  Or something like that, anyway.  Turning the button on his head revolved Man-E-Faces to one of the three less desirable versions of himself.  Great character with loads of playability!  Bought him when he came out.

Ram Man was very familiar to viewers of the cartoon as he appeared regularly.  Portrayed as a non-PC in the modern age dimwit, he never the less had power as well as comedy value.  The figure came with a spring loaded leg feature to enable Ram Man to become a human battering ram.  Another I’ve owned since the dawn of time.

Orko was a figure I picked up much later, only a few years ago.  As the comedy side kick of He-man, and one of the major recurring characters in the cartoon, Orko was a necessary purchase – but one I didn’t get round to back in the eighties.

Finally, the remaining heroic characters in my collection are all ones I’ve purchased in later years – Moss Man, Sy-Klone, Fisto and Buzz Off.  I picked them up cheap and added them to my collection.

Whilst Buzz Off and Fisto are decent figures, Moss Man takes the Mattel staple of re-using existing parts to a new low: he’s just Beast Man painted green and given a furry flock effect.

There is one more pic: I couldn’t forget Prince Adam, could I?  My Adam figure was bought in more modern times, I never had him as a kid.  Unfortunately he’s missing his attractive waistcoat, but never mind – you can’t really re-enact the MOTU cartoon without this guy, can you?

Plus, removing Battle Cat’s armour gives us his fearless friend, Cringer!

Not a bad collection of Heroic Warriors – though the biggest gap is Stratos, who I thought I actually owned till I did a stock take recently.  I’ll keep an eye out for him…

I still love these toys, and they’re still played with – my daughter and I have been known to have a battle or two.

Next time, I’ll share pictures of the Evil Warriors – including everyone’s favourite skull faced villain, Skeletor!