Twisted.

Twisted. (Vintage Death Star Droid, Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage Bib Fortuna)

Twisted. (Vintage Death Star Droid, Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage Bib Fortuna)


There are dozens of groovy creatures from the original Star Wars trilogy that still hold up well in the sci-fi movie genre 30 years later. Among the top of that heap is Bib Fortuna. Mammoth skull-born tentacles. Red eyes all aglow with malice. I can’t say there was anything like him before or since Return of the Jedi. Happily, Kenner took great care to make a faithful representation with their 1983 figure. The sculpt and paint are sweet. The removable vest and twisted staff are right on point. But let’s face it, it’s the imitation suede cloak, unique to this figure, that really puts vintage Bib Fortuna over the top. Yo, high five Bib!

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Scum/Villainy

Scum/Villainy. (Vintage Blue Snaggletooth, Vintage Squid Head)

Scum/Villainy. (Vintage Blue Snaggletooth, Vintage Squid Head)

You need some dirty work done on Tatooine? You call these guys.

The Blue Snaggletooth and Squid Head figures both live pretty large in the vintage Star Wars collection. First, the blue Snaggletooth has reached legendary status among collectors due to his scarce numbers. In case you don’t know it already, this figure was only sold as part of the briefly available Cantina Adventure playset. So unlike the red, short-stature Snaggletooth that sold throughout all three early Star Wars films, the blue Snaggletooth is an extremely limited affair. These days this figure typically fetches north of $100 for a loose example in good condition, making him easily among the top 2 or 3 most sought-after Star Wars action figures. Is he all that? From a collectibility standpoint — yes, definitely. From a cool-figure standpoint, well it’s not all that different than the red Snaggletooth. Just taller. Oh, and where the red Snaggletooth has those rad beast feet, the blue version has silver moonboots. Yeah, a little nerdy I’d say. Anyway, if you want to spend that kind of dough, take care to see that it is truly in great shape before you buy. The Blue Snaggletooth is notorious for worn paint on boots and hands.

The vintage Squid Head figure on the other hand is far from rare. What he lacks in that department he makes up in an awesome detailed sculpt and accessories that are over-the-top sweetness. A great way to throw around five bucks on eBay.

Buying Notes for the Vintage Blue Snaggletooth

Check out the current listings for the vintage Blue Snaggletooth here.

The Blue Snaggletooth is a highly-coveted vintage Kenner figure and therefore fetches higher prices. Depending on the condition, you can expect to pay between $70 and $140. That’s a fair amount of ka-ching so by all means pay close attention to what you’re getting into.

Some things to watch for:

The Blue Snaggletooth boots came painted silver. Not uncommon to see heavy wear in this area as (I’m guessing here) that silver paint didn’t have much staying power. So look closely at that.

He should also have a black Han Solo type blaster.

Check out the current listings for the vintage Blue Snaggletooth here.

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Jailbreak!

Jailbreak! (Vintage Lando Calrissian Skiff Guard Disguise, Vintage Leia Boussh Disguise)

Jailbreak! (Vintage Lando Calrissian Skiff Guard Disguise, Vintage Leia Boussh Disguise)


Deeply critized for its shortcomings, the plan to rescue Han Solo from Jabba’s palace was pretty much a disaster from the word ‘go’. At least we’ve got some kick ass action figures to show for it. So I’ll say no harm, no foul.

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Nikto & Weequay.

Nikto & Weequay. (Vintage Nikto, Vintage Weequay)

Nikto & Weequay. (Vintage Nikto, Vintage Weequay)


Or, alternately titled “Bad Cop, Worse Cop”.

Despite being straight-up ugly to the core, these two Jabba the Hutt cronies rate all high marks in my book. Great details. Sophisticated color palates. And they both tote that groovy vibro axe thingy (which, although not proven, is likely the coolest weapon in the vintage line). Also Weequay has the rare distinction among the vintage figures of possessing the ability to hold his weapon with both hands, not just one. Yeah, pretty rad.

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Pilots.

Pilots. (Vintage Nien Nunb, Vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot)

Pilots. (Vintage Nien Nunb, Vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot)

By the time the Return of the Jedi action figures surfaced in 1983, the Kenner designers were really starting to get their chops sharp. But let’s face it, the über-cool pilot/creature Nien Nunb must have presented a tough challenge for even the most seasoned among them. In the end they came up with a pretty rad figure, but by no means a direct hit. I think the best way to define their shortcoming is this: when it comes to Nien Nunb, there’s just no such thing as too much jowel.

Buying Notes on the Vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot

Check out the current vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot listings here.

Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot was a toy sold by Kenner from 1978 to about 1985. So there were (and still are) great numbers in circulation, and a fair number of these are still in excellent shape. But keep a few things in mind when tracking one down on eBay.

The Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot action figure probably had more paint applied to it in the production process than any other vintage Star Wars action figure. Face color, facial features, helmet details, vest, chest panel, hands, leg straps, boots. The guy has paint details everywhere. Be sure to see plenty of photos showing that the paint all looks good.

This was an action figure in the true sense of the word. Luke Skwyalker X-Wing Pilot was played with extensively by little kids in the 70s and 80s. If the seller hasn’t already declared that the joints are tight in the auction description, you definitely want to ask before bidding.

Lastly, the figure’s weapon is the Han Solo pistol type of Kenner blaster. Don’t forget: repro accessories suck. Make certain that it’s authentic if possible. You can check out the Imperial Gunnery for some excellent reference on the topic.

Feel free to add any more thoughts on this in the comments section and drop me a line if you get into trouble!

Check out the current vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot listings here.

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Into The Woods.

Into The Woods. (Vintage Biker Scouts, Vintage AT-ST Driver)

Into The Woods. (Vintage Biker Scouts, Vintage AT-ST Driver)


The Biker Scouts from Return of the Jedi were probably my favorite part of that movie. And the original 3.75″ figure from Kenner nailed just about every detail of their badness from head to toe. The AT-ST Driver is nice, but could’ve used a little more love. For whatever reason the sculptor decided to give him a tiny helmet and an extra pudgy face. Not exactly a flattering combo.

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Night Rally.

Night Rally. (Vintage Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight, Vintage C-3PO)

Night Rally. (Vintage Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight, Vintage C-3PO)


The vintage Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight figure has a cape that’s leaves a little something to be desired. With Luke’s face and body drowning in its excess, it’s more like a tent than anything else. So hiding the cape was my motive for going with such restrained lighting on this shot. I have to say I dig the results.

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The Emperor.

The Emperor. (The Emperor, Emperor's Royal Guard)

The Emperor. (The Emperor, Emperor's Royal Guard)

The vintage Emperor and his Royal Guard are among my favorites. If you can still find them in good shape, the red capes of the Royal Guard figure are great design worth checking out. There’s a waist cape as well as the shoulder cape, and they’re both miraculously attached to the figure in a permanent way that I still can’t really understand. Nothing was spared in the detailed sculpt of The Emperor. And with his yellow-eyed piercing stare, he’s got an evil edge making him worthy of his name.

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Triple Witching.

Triple Witching. (POTF2 Boba Fett, Ralph McQuarrie Concept Boba Fett, Vintage Boba Fett)

Triple Witching. (POTF2 Boba Fett, Ralph McQuarrie Concept Boba Fett, Vintage Boba Fett)


It’s difficult to believe that Boba Fett, a character with only 4 or 5 lines of dialogue, remains to this day one of the most popular characters in Star Wars mythology. How? I think there’s only one reasonable explanation: the dude had one killer outfit. And a killer outfit deserves a killer action figure, as demonstrated here by three versions of the Boba Fett action figure spanning nearly 30 years. The version at left from the mid-90’s has some nice details, but I can’t really get beyond the ridiculous barrel-chested thing (Kenner did this for all the figures in that line). Front and center is the strictly awesome Ralph McQuarrie concept Boba Fett from the 30th Anniversary Collection. But it’s the vintage figure at right that will always be most dear to me. I’ve known it since it first arrived on my doorstep through a free mail-in offer in early 1979.

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