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| Part III |
Here are the final four
entries to round out the best modern 12 back Star Wars action figures. If you’re
late to the party Part I is here, and Part II is here.
Darth Vader
At the time of A New Hope you’d be forgiven for
thinking that Darth Vader was the big bad of Star Wars, but as the saga
progressed that title went to the Emperor, and Vader’s redemptive arc gave Return of the Jedi the emotional push it
sorely needed and became the fuel for the Prequels. I still get shivers down my
spine when watching his revelation in The
Empire Strikes Back, and I must have seen it hundreds of times. It’s easily
my favourite moment of cinema.
This version of ol’ Darth
is from The Anniversary Collection of
2007, and originally came packed with Obi Wan’s vacant cloak, following their
lightsaber duel at the end of A New Hope.
This figure was far better than the VC08
version I recently sold, but I wouldn’t consider this the current definitive
Vader – for that honour goes to VC93.
Stormtrooper
The nicest thing about
looking at these A New Hope figures
in isolation is that the story starts and stops there. With the original 12
backs there weren’t even sequels, let alone prequels, and that’s why this
Stormtrooper, from 2004’s Original
Trilogy Collection is the definitive version for me.
Rocking 14 points of
articulation, an excellent sculpt and an appropriately sized blaster, the best
bit about this guy is that if you remove the helmet, all you get is a ball
joint. Maybe the helmet is a bit on the small side, but the less that clones
infect the OT the better.
Ben Kenobi
After having half a
film to shine Obi Wan Kenobi gets relegated to an expositionary role for the rest of
the OT, but by then his work is done – Luke has been more or less sufficiently
mentored, and his final sacrifice allowed the Falcon crew and Princess Leia to
escape. He may have been old, but he went out like a champ!
This Obi Wan is also
from the A New Hope Blu-ray
Commemorative pack, and is based on the 2008 Legacy Collection release. It’s a very good iteration, capturing
his wizened look rather well. The force-using finger pose makes him slightly
awkward holding his lightsaber and the cloak is extremely billowy, but those
are the only cons on an otherwise fine figure.
Jawa
Finishing off the
original 12 backs was the diminutive Jawa, the desert scavengers that bought
the droids back together and got slaughtered for their efforts. The character
of these guys, by which I mean their seeming enthusiasm and peculiar language,
really helps bring Star Wars to life.
These are the first aliens/indigenous life forms that we
encounter, and their successful appearance is the springboard needed to
completely sell the film. By the time Luke arrives at the droid sale, we’re
already invested in the world.
This Jawa is an
incomplete version of the 2009 Legacy
Collection edition. It should come with a blaster for the bandolier
holster, but sadly that was lost by the original owner. However, in its
original condition this is still the finest Jawa you can find.
And so the Jawa wraps up the modern 12 backs. It's been fun photographing and profiling these figures, and with this set it also marks the first time that I've actually fulfilled a collecting focus. Other than maybe getting all the accessories, and the VC93 Vader, these figures are all I need as far as A New Hope collecting goes. It's nice to be able to say that this collection is finished.
This series couldn't have been made without the amazing review database over at Jedi Temple Archives - be sure to go take a look for yourselves, and thanks for reading!
