On Friday the 1st of May, Hasbro held a live stream on their Hasbro Pulse Facebook channel hosted by Patrick Schneider and Eric Franer. The 55 minute show was a mix of unboxing of product that is about to hit shelves - mostly around The Child - as well as reveals for the Star Wars lines for Autumn 2020.
In the Black Series there are two new figures joining the Autumn wave and sitting alongside the already announced figures Teebo, Admiral Ackbar, Darth Vader from Empire and The Mandalorian in Beskar armour. The first of these is a do-over for the Imperial Stormtrooper with new sculpting and articulation. This is designated as the Rogue One Trooper but also matches what we see in The Mandalorian - albeit this one is a bit too clean. I'd wager on a weathered Mandalorian version in due course. The 2nd figure is another Phase 2 Clone Trooper, this time round the Kamino Clone Trooper from the Kamino Security Force. This is an interesting choice vs the various other Clone units, might it signify a release of Shaak Ti is upcoming also?
The Carbonized line will get a new Darth Vader, re-purposing the upcoming Empire Strikes Back Vader sculpt. The metallic coloring on this figure is a darker blue and inspired by some of the original Ralph McQuarrie Vader designs.
There will also be a number of new Vintage carded items in the 40th Anniversary line. The Han Solo in Carbonite, from the very first SDCC exclusive set back in 2013, will be packed on a Vintage Card with the display stand. This is also exclusive to Amazon.
There will be a two pack of 4-LOM and Zuckuss. Both will be individually carded on Kenner inspired cards and inserted into an outer box. To reflect the original Kenner line, the figures are mis-named. The figures are also repainted in what the Hasbro Team are calling the Kenner Decor line (as started with Boba Fett last year). 4-LOM certainly has lighter eye tone while Zuckuss is a lot lighter in the brown like his Vintage counterpart. This too is an Amazon exclusive.
The feed gave us the long awaited reveal of the Luke Skywalker from Dagobah. He will be part of a two pack along with a brand new Yoda figure, rescaled correctly to sit in the training harness. Yoda will have a second head sculpt, sculpted to look like he is concentrating on raising up the X-wing.
Luke will feature alternative hands, with the second set allowing him to be posed (apparently unaided) in the single handstand position.
This Deluxe release is available at most retailers with a release this Autumn. Like the Probe Droid, the box is a hybrid between the Black Series - with logo's for the 40th Anniversary utilised on the box front as well as a tramline round the figure window.
The other piece of 6 inch news of any note was about the Archive collection. Hasbro have rested this in 2020 as the 40th Anniversary figures serves the same purpose in terms of re-releases of figures like Bespin Luke and Lando with the face print decor.
The Archive series will return in 2021 and the line up will be determined by a Fan's Choice vote running over the next 2-weeks. The main Fan Sites will be involved in preliminary voting, with the final votes via Hasbro Pulse from the 15th of May. The choice will be one figure in the Archive line, but I would guess the vote will help shape other re-releases.
Keep an eye on Gamestop in the US for May the 4th where more Gaming Great figures will be revealed.
The only reveal in the 3.75 inch Vintage Collection was Luke Skywalker in his Stormtrooper disguise. This is the same figure released last year as part of the three pack.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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