Star Wars has always been about more than just the movies and TV shows. It has also been about the toys.
George Lucas offered FOX a great deal when he made the first Star Wars movie. He took less for the movie in exchange for allowing him to keep all merchandise rights.
No one in 1977 could have known how profitable the merchandising rights for a movie could be until Star Wars made Lucas a multi-millionaire. Toys, games, lunch boxes, and more hit stores and have remained best-sellers to this day.
Now, Star Wars is releases 50th-Anniversary action figures that take the original Hasbro designs and combines them with the new molding techniques for something that will be sought after by fans.
Stars Wars releases new action figure designs
On January 29, Hasbro released more figures to its Lucasfilm 50th-anniversary Black Series and Vintage Collection Star Wars lineups.
These include some big-time names like Kenner deco Ben (Obi Wan) Kenobi, Greedo, and Jawa figures.
Also released were characters from The Vintage Collection including Darth Maul and Ahsoka Tano from The Clone Wars.
There was also a new Black Series figure of an Elite Squad Trooper. This is from the new Star Wars: The Bad Batch animated series.
They are described as “a small group of highly skilled enlisted recruits that are tasked with neutralizing anti-Imperial insurgents throughout the galaxy”.
Darth Maul features the Mandalore crime lord as he appeared in the last episodes of The Clone Wars.The Ahsoka figure is from the same episodes.
They run only $12.99 each if pre-ordered from Entertainment Earth.
The Elite Squad Trooper is on pre-order now at Entertainment Earth for $20.99.
Star Wars Vintage Collection figures
The three Black Series figures feature characters from the original Star Wars trilogy.
This includes Ben (Obi Wan) Kenobi, Greedo, and a Jawa. Each of them are on a 6-inch scale with articulation, a retro paint job, and accesopries. They come in Lucasfilm 50th anniversary Kenner-style packaging but are Amazon exclusives.
This caused a problem, as both Obi-Wan and Greedo are unavailable right now and only the Jawa is available for $19.99.
Some figures from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Black Series were also added for $24.99 each, including Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu, Jar Jar Binks, and a Battle Droid.
The First 50 Years Vintage Collection Figures of Leia (Endor), Paploo, and AT-ST Driver are expected to arrive at WalMart later this year as well.