Archives: Action Figures

· 2 Comments

This is Amanaman.

This is Amanaman. (Vintage Amanaman)

This is Amanaman. (Vintage Amanaman)

Confound that Amanaman! Of all the trippy creatures born of the Star Wars universe, this guy has to take top prize. Supersized leech? Tempura with an attitude? Tricky to try and ID the inspiration behind Amanaman. Whatever the case, and despite the fact that actually seeing him on screen in the Return of the Jedi is nearly impossible without hitting ‘pause’, his twisted legend endures. A rare and truly awesome vintage action figure.

Buying Notes for Vintage Amanaman

Check out the current vintage Amanaman listings here.

Hunting down the vintage Amanaman is pretty straight forward affair. It’s just a figure and a staff, and one can predict with almost 100% certainty that any existing example that turns up on eBay will be in virtually mint condition. It’s true. Neither the figure itself or his staff were actually played with by anyone, ever. The downside is of course that as a member of the ‘Last 17′ crowd, he can be a bit pricey. Be patient. With a little luck and some determination you should be able to snag one for about 50 bucks.

Now there is one twist: Amanaman was originally packaged with a coin by Kenner. If that’s important to you it may add another $25 your total to make it happen. My advice would be to start with just the figure and add the coin later. If you’re unfamiliar with the Power of the Force coins try buying a more common and inexpensive one first. If you find it’s something to your liking then loop back around and get the coin for ol’ Amanaman.

Check out the current vintage Amanaman listings here.

j j j
· 2 Comments

One Step Ahead.

One Step Ahead. (Vintage Princess Leia Organa, Vintage R2-D2)

One Step Ahead. (Vintage Princess Leia Organa, Vintage R2-D2)

This one’s collaborative. Many thanks to r2witco of DBSW for contributing the excellent handcrafted backdrop. West Coast loves Star Wars!

j j j
· 3 Comments

Three-Way Tie for Nasty.

Three-Way Tie for Nasty. (Vintage Ree-Yees, Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage 4-LOM)

Three-Way Tie for Nasty. (Vintage Ree-Yees, Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage 4-LOM)

Maybe in future Olympics we’ll see some competition for Excellence in Unabashed Depravity. I’m sure I can scare up at least a few likely contenders.

j j j
· 6 Comments

In For A Pound.

In For A Pound. (Vintage Death Squad Commanders, Vintage Dengar)

In For A Pound. (Vintage Death Squad Commanders, Vintage Dengar)

Little bit of an issue with Dengar. For me he’s the poster boy of the barely-seen characters from the Empire Strikes Back that were made into toys for little reason other than snatching dollars from me and my brethren — the Star Wars Action Figure Maniacs.

Even as a snot-nosed 10-year-old kid I knew this vaguely to be true. Sure, I bought Dengar. But I remember being puzzled as to who he actually was. I’d seen the movie, but could not possibly place him in the story. Unfortunately there were quite a few more toys that fit this description, and attempting to fit them all happily within Star Wars playtime was a bit irritating.

But time heals everything. History has smiled on the Bounty Hunters. And Dengar, with his chubby tummy, his fetid wraps, and his junkyard knapsack, is loved.

j j j

Chewbacca Redux.

Chewbacca Redux. (Vintage Chewbacca, Vintage General Lando Calrissian)

Chewbacca Redux. (Vintage Chewbacca, Vintage General Lando Calrissian)

This is an evolving process. And looking back it seems that some early photos from last year were shorted by a lack of experience or imagination on my part. Mea culpa! So of course when the opportunity arises I like to take another shot at the ones that are really crying out for revision.

This is undoubtedly one of those situations. Today Chewie and Lando (an epic pairing) finally get some respect after suffering so long in total darkness. Sorry guys, I’ve been really busy.

j j j