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Introducing GreenCardBack.com

Introducing GreenCardBack.com! #StarWars >>

After five and a half years – a long time by any blog’s standards – it’s time for Green Card Back to get serious.

That’s why it’s with huge pride that today marks the official launch of GreenCardBack.com.

Since late-2014, GCB has grown and improved as it’s charted the ever-changing fortunes of the Star Wars franchise. Now, with the sequel trilogy finally over, the time is right to upgrade the…

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Retro Collection, 2019

Accessories: Bowcaster Appears In: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi

Card Back: The Star Wars Retro Collection is inspired by 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from the galaxy far, far away!

Another vintage stalwart, 1978’s Chewbacca action figure was re-released for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and the 1985 Power of the Force lines. In fact, there wasn’t an updated version of Wookiee until 1995’s Power of the Force 2. This meant that Chewbacca was easy to come by even for a Johnny-come-lately like myself, and the Wookiee was a favourite throughout my childhood.

Emphasis on “childhood”. It’s been so long since I last saw the vintage Chewbacca action figure that I had all but forgotten the experience.

Good thing that Hasbro’s Retro Collection exists then, huh?

Even by the time I was playing with Chewie in the late ‘80s, the toy was already dated. A skinny, lanky and basic looking figure with the happy features of a Playskool doll, the vintage Chewbacca figure was a total product of its time.

That’s something that the Retro Collection version replicates beautifully.

Unlike Han Solo, Chewbacca’s proportions are more or less on point. His head does look a little too big, but that’s a consequence of the character design; as is the fact that he has no neck articulation.

As a 4POA figure, Chewie can stand, sit, march and swing his arms about. Yet the sculpt still has energy. It’s odd to say, but in hand, he feels like a coiled spring. You get the impression that if this Chewbacca figure was even a little bit articulated he’d be making full use of it, and then some.

The sculpted details of his coat are great; flowing lines that suggest his hair. Even though Chewie is only one shade of brown, the way the light hits the contours of the sculpt provides depth and variety to the colour.

Which brings us nicely on to the paint. As you would expect, the Retro Collection Chewbacca is moulded in brown plastic. He’s got white paint apps on his eyes, teeth and bandolier straps, blue dots for his pupils, a black splodge for his nose and a darker shade of brown for his satchel. The paint apps are decent, even if my sample is a little wonky-eyed.

Overall it’s simple, straightforward and effective – at least, for its time.

For accessories, Chewbacca comes with his bowcaster. While Kenner produced a decent iteration of the main body of the gun, they completely forgot the bow that gives the weapon its name.

C’est la vie. At least it was the right colour, which is more than Luke Skywalker could say about his lightsaber…

What I do like about the bowcaster is the hook that allows it to hang over Chewie’s arm. It’s the type of solution that wouldn’t sit well with fans and collectors today but means that Chewie’s right hand has a more natural open pose.

As I’ve mentioned since the very first announcement of the Retro Collection, Chewbacca was always a figure that I wanted to get, and as much to pair him with my vintage Millennium Falcon as anything else.

That said, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having this version of the Wookiee back in-hand once more. Yes, it’s a basic 1970’s vintage toy. But in an age where we focus on toys as hyper-detailed, screen accurate miniatures (something I’m not complaining about, in case you wondered), it’s a refreshing blast to putz around with something that is so clearly just a toy.

Whether on display on your shelf or co-piloting the Millennium Falcon, the Retro Collection Chewbacca is a lot of fun.

MTFBWY

The Chewbacca #RetroCollection review is live! Get your Friday Wookiee hit right here: Retro Collection, 2019 Accessories: Bowcaster Appears In: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, …

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Retro Collection, 2019

Accessories: Blaster Pistol Appears In: A New Hope

Card Back: The Star Wars Retro Collection is inspired by 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from the galaxy far, far away!

Unlike re-issued vintage Darth Vader, the Retro Collection Han Solo action figure doesn’t stir the emotions in any discernible way. In fact, this may be the first time I’ve even held a 1978 version of Captain Solo; it was 1980’s Han Solo (Hoth Outfit) that served as the defining Solo figure of my younger youth.

I only got Han to go with Chewie in the vintage Millennium Falcon – which means we’re going into this review as far as possible from the objectivity-eating claws of nostalgia.

Let’s get to it!

First things first – simplicity reigns supreme. The Retro Collection Han Solo is skinny, slight and about as basic as it gets.

The paint scheme is simple, with painted pink plastic for the head, torso and arms, and minimally painted black plastic for his legs. The paint apps themselves are generally clean, although the white of his shirt looks a touch patchy in places. The Corellian blood stripes on his trousers are a striking touch of colour on his otherwise monochrome garb.

Han has the classic/basic vintage 5POA stance of straight legs and arms at his sides, although he does come with a bent right elbow. This allows him to hold his gun in a pretty cool cowboy pose. Which is fun.

Sadly, that’s pretty much the good parts of the figure out of the way.

As a basic silhouette Han’s proportions aren’t right when you look at him. As far as I can tell that’s down to his legs being too short and skinny. This may have been a necessity to ensure that he fits into the Millennium Falcon (he does), but it means that Han doesn’t look amazing stood on display.

The reason for his odd proportions may relate to the figure’s variant past. The 1978 Han Solo was one of the first running changes of the line, with the first version having a smaller head. The Retro Collection Han Solo uses the newer large-head version of the figure, which ran up until the end of the vintage line. It might be that the smaller noggin worked better with his legs, and that’s what’s throwing his proportions off.

Whatever the size of the head, Han’s features are minimal, and you would have to be really projecting to make out any kind of resemblance to Harrison Ford. It’s to be expected of the era in which this figure was made, no doubt, but it’s still worth noting.

Finally, we arrive at Han’s Blaster Pistol. I’m impressed with the size, scale, and detail given the age of the design, and in that context, it’s a great representation of Han’s gun.

Yet (and as I’ve never owned a vintage 1978 Han Solo I have no idea if this is a problem unique to the Retro Collection or not), Han has a hard time holding it. The handle is that little bit too big for his hand, which means it’s prone to popping out and shooting off at high speed if you’re not careful.

There is a sweet spot, as you can see from these photos. Just take care when finding it!

It’s odd looking at an iconic figure like this with no emotional attachment. The Retro Collection Han Solo is definitely of its time, and it’s not a bad attempt at all. But again, it’s of its time.

As a kid, I always preferred the more detailed sculpts of the figures from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi to those that carried through from Star Wars. Comparing this Han Solo to the 1980 Hoth Outfit version doesn’t change my mind on that.

Even without the benefit of nostalgia, the Retro Collection Han Solo is a fun throwback piece to display with Chewbacca and the Millennium Falcon. And in that case, he’s doing exactly what he was made to do.

MTFBWY

Smuggler. Gambler. Deadbeat absent dad. It's the #StarWars #RetroCollection Han Solo review! Retro Collection, 2019 Accessories: Blaster Pistol Appears In: A New Hope Card Back: The Star Wars Retro Collection is inspired by 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing!

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Retro Collection, 2019

Accessories: N/A Appears In: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi

Card Back: The Star Wars Retro Collection is inspired by 1970s Star Wars figures and features original figure design and detailing! Continue your collection from the galaxy far, far away!

Reviewing a figure as classic as the original Kenner Darth Vader (which the Retro Collection Darth Vader is, for all intents and purposes) is more or less futile.

After all, this is the action figure equivalent of reviewing A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back. Many of you out there have at least one vintage Darth Vader in your collection and know exactly how you feel about the figure.

More than any other review, this is just a question of my own subjective view. And to set the scene for that we need to cut back to the 1980s, to a time when Star Wars meant… Brierleys.

A deep-discount nik-nak shop on Gold Street in Northampton, Brierleys was pure low-budget shopping – everything under one roof except the thrills. My mum took my brother and me in there pretty much every Saturday, and we used to love poring over the various toys on sale.

By 1987 I became enthralled with Star Wars. As I discovered the original trilogy on VHS, it was Brierley’s that led to the start of my very own vintage collection.

Large bins at the back of the store were absolutely loaded with various Return of the Jedi carded figures at prices that would make grown men weep today, and my brother and I built up a collection of Ewoks, Imperials, and Jabba the Hutt’s henchmen.

But one of the very first figures we got – along with the Emperor’s Royal Guard – was the vintage Darth Vader.

Vader lost his cloak and lightsaber fairly early on; in fact, I barely remember them being present at all. Yet the skinny, loose-limbed and paint scratched figure terrorised my makeshift Rebel Alliance right up until he was lost in one of my parent’s habitual toy purges.

The vintage Darth Vader has been surpassed by pretty much every 3.75” version since. The vinyl cape is bizarre and gives Vader an odd silhouette. The telescoping lightsaber is a fun gimmick that adds a flash of colour, but as it doesn’t retract all the way it looks like he’s always holding a mini lightknife. As mentioned the figure is skinny, lanky, and not at all the right stature for a Dark Lord of the Sith.

All of the above is objectively true – but then, objectivity is by definition incompatible with nostalgia. The Retro Collection Darth Vader is a fantastic memento to a long time ago, and that makes it worth whatever that feeling means to you.

MTFBWY

#StarWars Darth Vader (#RetroCollection) Review >> Retro Collection, 2019 Accessories: N/A Appears In: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, …

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The Retro Collection Hits Home

The #StarWars Retro Collection Hits Home... #ToyCollector #Kenner >>

There was a rare event this Friday evening at my local Asda.

It wasn’t rare that my wife and I were shopping there; no, that’s a fairly regular occurrence. The rarity was that we happened to be shopping at the same time that wave one of the Star Wars Retro Collection was sitting on the shelves, just waiting to be bought.

And so, the inevitable happened. Well, partially…

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"The High Republic" Launches New Era of Star Wars

#TheHighRepublic launches new era of #StarWars - announcement breakdown and thoughts here >>

No, we’re not talking about stoned Yoda.

Teased as “Project Luminous” back at last year’s Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm yesterday announced Star Wars: The High Republic.

A multi-publisher event, The High Republic is about the Jedi Order’s role on the frontiers of the Republic’s expansion. Lucasfilm is exploring this previously-untapped era through a range of novels, comics, and tie-in books.

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Thoughts on New York Toy Fair 2020

Thoughts on #StarWars at New York Toy Fair 2020 #NYTF >>

Normally, on the Sunday of New York Toy Fair, I post a round-up of Hasbro’s best Star Wars reveals. From the Vintage Collection to the 6” Black Series line to the perplexing Hyperreal and Retro Collection lines, there’s always been something to, at the very least, pay attention to.

At New York Toy Fair 2020 that’s just not the case. After the virtual no-show of products for The Rise of Skywalker

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Ahead of this weekend’s New York Toy Fair, Hasbro revealed yet another new scale in their latest bid to focus on selling anything other than what people actually want to buy.

The Mission Fleet line comprises stylized vehicles that come packed with 2.5” Playskool-styled figures. The gimmick of the line is that each vehicle comes with some kind of missile-firing action.

The first Mission Fleet lineup takes its cues from across the Clone Wars, the Original Trilogy and The Mandalorian, with the lineup comprising of:

Micro Vehicles:

Boba Fett

Phase II Clone Trooper

Ahsoka Tano

Chewbacca

Speeder Bikes & Walkers

Obi-Wan Kenobi with BARC Speeder Bike

Captain Rex with AT-RT Walker

The Mandalorian & The Child with Swoop

Starfighters

Anakin Skywalker with Jedi Starfighter

Luke Skywalker with X-Wing

Darth Vader with TIE Advanced

Hasbro also revealed the largest ship in the line, the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo.

As you may have guessed this suggests that there is a future working relationship in play for Hasbro and Star Wars – and at long last, we have confirmation that indeed there is.

Yesterday (21st February), Hasbro announced that they have extended their license arrangement with Disney for both Star Wars and Marvel.

From the press release:

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) and The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) today announced a renewal of Hasbro’s rights under its strategic merchandising relationship for major Disney entertainment properties Marvel and Star Wars.

Under the Marvel license agreement, Hasbro will continue to develop a wide range of toys and games for Marvel’s global Universe of more than 8,000 characters, including Iron Man, Spider-Man, Captain America, Black Widow and Black Panther. The Star Wars license agreement includes the rights to toys and games based on entertainment like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian, incorporating fan favorite characters such as The Child from The Mandalorian, affectionately known as Baby Yoda. The agreements are multi-year agreements.

The agreements cover entertainment released during their terms for the respective franchises, including all film and television properties as well as properties from Disney+.

Read More: Hasbro and the Star Wars License

And so, the saga of the Star Wars toy license renewal is finally resolved. My main hope is that, in light of the franchise’s lost dominance in the toy aisles, Hasbro has got themselves a much better deal this time around.

More pertinently I also hope that they can now start pulling out all the stops on a 3.75” toy line worthy of the franchise’s long history. With New York Toy Fair 2020 kicking off properly as I type this, we’re hopefully not far from a clear answer on that front as well…

MTFBWY

Mission Fleet is a mark of the future for Hasbro & #StarWars >> Ahead of this weekend’s New York Toy Fair, Hasbro revealed yet another new scale in their latest bid to focus on selling anything other than what people actually want to buy.

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Disney Doubles Down on Star Wars “Hiatus”

Disney Doubles Down on #StarWars “Hiatus” >>

On a shareholder earnings call this Tuesday (4th February) Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that, following The Rise of Skywalker, the Star Wars film series is officially on “hiatus”.

He added that “the priority in the next few years is television.”

This goes to show the mixed reactions between the Sequel Trilogy and The Mandalorian. Iger teased that as well as a second series for Jon Favreau’s…

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Kenobi: What We Know

#Kenobi: What We Know - a breakdown of the facts, the rumours, and what it means for #StarWars >>

As you’re no doubt already aware, the much-anticipated Kenobi series for Disney+ has this week been officially postponed.

The news, widely reported by Collider and The Hollywood Reporter, follows hot on the heels of rumours from last week stating that the production was in trouble, with lead actor Ewan McGregor supposedly on the verge of quitting over creative differences.

Now, Green Card Back…

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Star Wars Black Series Most Wanted: 2020 Edition

#StarWars #BlackSeries Most Wanted: 2020 Edition >>

It’s been two years since I last did a Black Series Most Wanted list (last year instead posting a “Most Appreciated” list to celebrate some of the great 6” figures Hasbro have released since 2013). In that time we’ve seen a lot of great figures released, with many of these owing their greatness to the introduction of photo real face printing.

But us toy collectors are a ravenous bunch – you know…

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Black Series, 2015

Accessories: Bowcaster Appears in: Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker

Card Back: A legendary Wookiee warrior and Han Solo’s co-pilot aboard the Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca was part of a core group of Rebels who restored freedom to the galaxy.

There are few characters more essential to a Star Wars action figure collection than the mighty Chewbacca. As listed above this version of the Wookiee appears in no less than six out of the 11 films, making a decent version a must.

The Black Series 3.75” Chewbacca from 2015’s Asda/Walmart exclusive line was re-issued last year with new paint apps in The Vintage Collection. Yet it was first released back in 2004 as part of the Original Trilogy Collection.

So with that age in mind, is this the quality rendition you’re looking for?

Click on through to find out!

Straight out the box you’ll find that Chewbacca looks fantastic.

Some reviews show the figure with yellow paint highlights that makes it look like he just got out of a trash compactor. My sample opts for lowlights instead, with a screen accurate dark grey-brown base with lighter brown painted sections on top.

It’s simple and well applied, particularly on his face. The lighter paint on the front of his head frames his face well, while dark brown details accentuate the depth of the sculpt.

Speaking of details, the sculpt and paint on Chewbacca’s face is superb.

While I appreciate using photo-real on human characters a release like this makes me wonder if I’ll ever need another Chewbacca figure again. The eyes are well painted with a crisp white base and even a touch of blue for his iris. His nose is a perfect rich black and his mouth, sculpted in an open “talking” pose features crisp white teeth and a painted tongue.

Chewie’s bandolier does the job. It’s cast in thin, light brown plastic and highlighted with lots of silver paint, which on my copy is thin and a bit sloppy. It’s not removable so there’s no way to recreate The Rise of Skywalker’s prison break scene without making a permanent alteration.

For articulation we are looking at:

Swivel head, wrists and hips

Ball jointed shoulders, elbows, torso, upper waist, knees, ankles

Chewbacca’s articulation is decent but not perfect. His head being a swivel joint makes sense given the sculpt of his neck beard (lol) so no complaints there. The ball jointed arms and torso give the figure some dynamic posing options.

It’s the swivel hips that show the figure’s age, and the lack of outward motion hurts Chewie’s posability. While in the films he often either stands or sits – something else the figure can do well – having the option to display him a little more dynamically wouldn’t hurt.

The ball jointed knees and ankles do help in this regard, and with a little twisting you can get some more active poses from your Wookiee. It’s just not as good as it could be.

Finally there’s Chewie’s sole accessory, his bowcaster. The weapon itself is decent, a good sculpt cast in a metallic grey plastic. It’s well detailed. The strap is a touch on the long side but it looks good when Chewie is holding the bowcaster with two hands, something he can more or less do with ease.

The problem with the bowcaster is the bow. Packaged as a separate piece it should plug in to the underside of the main body of the weapon; yet on my copy it sits loosely in there and falls out. A lot.

The solution would be to use superglue, which I’ll get around to doing. I’m always a little reluctant to permanently alter my figures, but in this case it’s only a matter of time before the part gets lost.

The 3.75” Black Series Chewbacca is a great figure for 2004 and an OK one for 2015. If all you’re going to do is stand him on your shelf and admire his appearance then you could do worse – but I’ll stop short of calling this release definitive.

5 years in the making it's the #StarWars Chewbacca (#BlackSeries 3.75”) review! >> Black Series, 2015 Accessories: Bowcaster Appears in: Revenge of the Sith, A New Hope, …

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Vintage Collection, 2018

Accessories: BlasTech DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol Appears in: Solo

Card Back: Celebrate the legacy of Star Wars, the action-and-adventure-packed space saga from a galaxy far, far away, with this collection of premium, highly-detailed 3.75” scale figures and vehicles.

Ah, the young Han Solo. It’s quite something how soon Solo – released in 2018 – feels like an artefact of a bygone era. Produced when Lucasfilm still felt untouchable, I imagine it would be quite interesting to watch again in the new post-Sequel Trilogy world. Will it still feel like a misfire? Will it feel like a missed opportunity for a TV series? Or is it just better left in the past?

I’ll tell you what, though – there’s something else that makes me want to watch Solo again, and that’s this Vintage Collection Han Solo action figure.

Click through and I’ll tell you why.

So let’s start with what we see, and that’s a great looking 3.75” action figure.

Even on the card you can see the strength of Solo’s costume design. The brown jacket with darker brown shoulder pads is faithfully recreated. It has a good bulk, sculpted pockets and even the small paint detail of his silver and red badge. It looks like a rank badge but to be honest I can’t even remember that detail from the film.

Han has a two-tone grey undershirt on his torso which meets a sculpted belt at his waistline. Below that he’s wearing his iconic navy trousers with the Corellian red blood stripe and knee high black boots.

The red stripes on his trousers are a great flash of colour, but it’s the holster belt that sets Solo’s appearance off. It’s an almost orange shade of light brown, with fine silver paint apps on the buckle, studs and weird canister thing that people in Star Wars tend to use.

Topping it off is his head. Solo was in one of the last waves before photo real paint apps became a thing for 3.75” figures. As such it doesn’t have the finesse that propels Hasbro’s recent releases into a brand new league, but it’s by no means without merit.

Whilst a touch on the gaunt side the sculpt generally captures Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo. If photo-real paint has raised your expectations for how action figures look then you will most likely be disappointed with Solo. But as someone who grew up with actual vintage Star Wars figures all I can say is that this is an impressive effort for the available processes.

Solo’s look is helped by how expressive he can be. Thanks to a simple ball jointed neck this figure captures a lot of the swagger, bravado and cluelessness of Han Solo.

Speaking of articulation then, what are we working with?

Besides the ball jointed neck we have:

Ball jointed shoulders, elbows, torso, hips, knees, ankles

Swivel wrists, thighs

Something interesting that I like about Solo’s articulation is the lack of a swivel waist. Putting his main upper-body movement in the ball jointed torso makes for more natural and dynamic posing options, with the jacket (a separate piece) covering the joint well.

Finally, let’s talk about Han’s solo accessory – his DL44 heavy blaster pistol.

This thing is small but beautifully sculpted and fits well in Solo’s posed right hand. It’s cast in a shiny grey plastic to give it a heavy metal feel, with a painted brown handle grip for detail.

One great thing with the blaster is how well it sits in Solo’s holster. It’s a nice, snug fit that protects the weapon and looks amazing in silhouette.

One last note about the holster. You can unplug it from Solo’s thigh to allow his right leg a natural range of movement. I didn’t discover this until writing this review, so as you can see from the pics, having the holster plugged in can cause difficulties with posing. Ah well. Maybe I’ll update with new pics one day.

As has been the case with Star Wars figures through time the aliens and helmeted characters often come off better in plastic than the humans. Han Solo is no exception – look at wave mate Enfys Nest for a comparison.

Yet that said, for a figure from the world before photo-real, the Vintage Collection Han Solo looks decent. I may still be on the fence about the film, but this is a figure that has a place in my collection.

#StarWars: Han Solo (The Vintage Collection) Review >> Vintage Collection, 2018 Accessories: BlasTech DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol Appears in: Solo Card Back: Celebrate the legacy of Star Wars, the action-and-adventure-packed space saga from a galaxy far, far away, with this collection of premium, highly-detailed 3.75” scale figures and vehicles.

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The Empire Strikes Black Series: New Vintage 6" Figures Found

#StarWars - The Empire Strikes Black Series: New Vintage 6" Figures Found >>

How’s this for a preview? On Saturday, US store Toyhideout announced it was selling the first wave of The Empire Strikes Back 40th anniversary 6″ Black Series figures – before the figures have even been officially announced.

And that’s not all we know. Click through for more unofficial announcements!

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The Mandalorian is an odd show.

It’s atypical of modern serialised entertainment, in that the bulk of the first series follows an adventure-of-the-week format. It’s full of deep cuts into the Star Wars lore that should be written off as “fan-service” by the shrill voices of the commentariat, yet instead gets a pass for being legitimate world-building. With Baby Yoda it brings the “cute” back to Star Wars in a way that blends seamlessly with the high-stakes action.

All good stuff. It’s not perfect, as we’ll get to further down, but with the first series complete it’s safe to say that The Mandalorian is the best new Star Wars media since Rogue One.

Read on to find out why – but fair warning, spoilers follow.

The concept of the series, set six years after Return of the Jedi, is simple.

A Mandalorian bounty hunter is assigned to bring in a child of Yoda’s species for the Imperial remnant. After the child displays force abilities and saves his life, the Mandalorian regrets his choice and takes the child on the run, making an array of friends and enemies on the way. Yet they can’t outrun the inevitable – all roads lead back to a confrontation with the Imperials…

Written like that you can see why this show would have gotten a green light – sounds pretty cool, no? Cutting straight to the chase, for the most part The Mandalorian lives up to what you might imagine.

Bring You in Cold

Yet it still took me longer than a lot of people to get on board.

“Chapter One”, the first episode, is a mixed bag. For the first half the tone is inconsistent and meandering, but once the action of the final act starts it feels like the story finds its purpose. The introduction of the child – AKA Baby Yoda – was a neat surprise, as was the Mandalorian’s decision to keep it alive.

The second episode, “The Child”, kept me on the fence. The Trandoshan fight was entertaining if a bit pointless. It wasn’t until the Jawa chase started that I realised the story was going way off from where I expected it to go – and that it was also tremendous fun.

With that I realised that The Mandalorian isn’t about the lore or the politics of the galaxy that I’ve come to love so well. It’s about the scoundrels, the lowlifes and the zany side-quest side stories that filled a hundred Dark Horse comic books.

The Mandalorian is the non-canon Expanded Universe realised.

Despite this the I still wasn’t completely on-board, and episode three, “The Sin”, showed why. The first half delved into the Bounty Hunter’s Guild, which was interesting, but when it came to expanding on the Mandalore culture it felt like the show took a sharp left into low-budget TV.

The second half improves drastically. The Mandalorian’s rescue of the child from the Imperial facility is intense and action packed, and his escape from town, thanks to the intervention of his clan, more than makes up for the clunkiness of their introduction.

This is the Way

Chapter four, “Sanctuary”, is what made the series for me. A compressed remake of The Seven Samurai, this episode engages in more world building, adds depth to the Mandalorian himself and introduces series favourite, former Republic Shocktrooper Cara Dune. I loved this episode from start to finish as it delivered the type of Star Wars I want to see – human, character driven, action packed and thrilling. If you only watch one episode from the series I would suggest you make it this one.

“The Gunslinger”, chapter five, is sadly the weakest of the series – and that’s due to the awful guest performances. There’s some terrible acting on show in this episode but even then it manages to pull off some nice touches – the return to Mos Eisley showing us Challum’s Cantina (under new ownership) and a handful of pit droids. It was also great to see a little more of Tusken Raider culture; again adding depth to the world we’ve seen.

From here the series picks up again and doesn’t stop. “The Prisoner” is the last standalone episode of the series and it’s a return to form, with the Mandalorian catching up with his less-than-savoury past and proving himself to be the absolute baddest of asses. The action is intense, the acting is… OK and the world building is on point. It’s a solid episode with high highs and X-Wings, making it a winner in my book.

The series closes with a two part story made up of “The Reckoning” and “Redemption”. With older characters coming back into the fray it feels like a true culmination of the Mandalorian’s adventures over the series, even as the stakes are raised with the introduction of Moff Gideon. At times heart wrenching, at others funny and awe-inspiring (that was not the type of R2 unit I expected on the river boat), series one ends in the best possible way.

By the end of Redemption I was sad for the death of IG-11, but not because I had grown particularly attached to the character – it was because it marked the end of Kuiil’s legacy on the show. I liked most of the supporting cast but Kuiil stood out for his nobility, and I was glad to see the Mandalorian honour him with a grave. That was a necessary tribute.

To Nurse and Protect

Still, my follow up thought was that Favreau and crew had managed to create these characters and make me care about them in a relatively short amount of time. On this basis I have every faith that they can create new characters of equal worth for season two.

With season two to look forward to, we’ve also now seen the proof that Lucasfilm know what they’re doing with the TV shows, which gives me confidence that the upcoming Cassian Andor, Kenobi and rumoured Doctor Aphra shows will hit similar heights of competence.

Kenobi itself is an especially exciting idea, as the entire series will be directed by Deborah Chow. The biggest criticism I could level at The Mandalorian is the inconsistency between each director’s episodes. That said, Chow directed both lacklustre episode The Sin and the brilliant The Reckoning, so maybe that inconsistency will still be a factor…

***

In summary The Mandalorian is a mixed bag of a series that seems smoother in retrospect. What I love about it is that it truly understands something that’s been lost in a lot of Disney media so far – Star Wars is weird. Absolutely bonkers. It’s just that we’ve all gotten so used to it that it’s harder to see.

George Lucas is an off-the-wall creative powerhouse and Favreau leans into that aspect hard. His work here does nothing to dissuade my opinion that he was the right man to tackle the Sequel Trilogy, but then that’s another story.

So, my opinion. It’s a solid B for execution, but for originality, world-building, intent, atmosphere and just being Star Wars, The Mandalorian gets an A. As mentioned above, it feels like the old school Expanded Universe, circa-1996, writ-large in live action. This is the Star Wars my friends and I imagined as kids and it’s so welcome to see.

On the evidence of The Mandalorian I can draw only one conclusion about Favreau et al taking the baton from Lucas and shepherding Star Wars into a TV-based future:

This is surely the way.

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The #Mandalorian: Series One in Review >> The Mandalorian is an odd show. It’s atypical of modern serialised entertainment, in that the bulk of the first series follows an adventure-of-the-week format.

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From Galaxy of Adventures to Jedi: Fallen Order Star Wars has had a banner year by the standards of any franchise – and that’s before we get to The Rise of Skywalker.

But that’s not to say that the last 12 months haven’t been a rollercoaster. With 2020 now just hours away let’s take a few minutes to reflect on how the year has gone for our favourite galaxy far, far away.

This is Star Wars: 2019 in Review.

January

Following the first December in four years with no new Star Wars film meant that January was a little quieter than we’ve gotten used to. Yet excitement for the franchise came in the form of Galaxy of Adventures, the new animated series on the Star Wars Kids YouTube channel.

These hyper-stylised short animations re-interpret key scenes from the Star Wars saga. They work perfectly as bite-sized chunks of the franchise and as trailers for an as-yet-unmade cartoon show and are suitable for kids of all ages.

If you haven’t seen it yet it’s well worth your time – here’s a sample to whet your appetite:

Read More: Galaxy of Adventures: Star Wars Reboot in Waiting? >>

February

The mid-February weekend is hands-down one of my favourite times of the year – and that’s all thanks to the New York Toy Fair.

This year Hasbro caused a splash with a host of new Vintage Collection reveals including (among many other awesome things) the Jabba’s Palace Adventure Set. Collectors have been asking Hasbro for play set environments for years, so this was a great announcement. I very much look forward to showing you what it’s like when I get mine from In Demand Toys next month.

We also saw the amazing anniversary card backs for The Phantom Menace Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul, but the real headliner was something that we’ve all seen before…

The Retro Collection is literally repackaged reproductions of vintage Star Wars figures. Crazy, huh? Maybe so, but they’re also incredible sellers. Just goes to show that collectors know what they like.

Read More: Star Wars at New York Toy Fair 2019 >>

March

The big news for March was the update to Battlefront II and the introduction of the brand new multiplayer mode, Capital Supremacy.

Taking place in the Clone Wars, this update allows players to fight as either Republic or CIS armies across a selection of Prequel-inspired locations, with the aim of capturing all the bases on the map before taking the fight to the enemy cruiser. It can be fast and furious or long and entrenched, depending on how equally matched the teams are; I’ve even had matches last over an hour.

It was one of a number of fun additions to Battlefront II’s multiplayer selection this year. The new version of Ewok hunt is probably my favourite though. Yub nub!

April

Star Wars Celebration in Chicago was the big news of April, and there was nothing bigger than the drop of the first trailer for The Rise of Skywalker – which in turn revealed the return of Emperor Palpatine.

There were a few choice toy reveals as well, including the Vintage Collection Luke Skywalker Jedi Destiny set. This fantastic three-pack, which I’ll be reviewing in 2020, shows just how good the modern Vintage Collection can be.

Read more about The Rise of Skywalker trailer drop here and read more about the Star Wars Celebration toy reveals here.

May

May started sadly with the passing of Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew. I met him once at a convention when I was a kid, and although I can’t remember too much of the encounter I’ve always recalled him as a friendly man in person. He may have passed the Wookiee mantle on to Joonas Suotamo in recent years but he’ll always be Chewie to me.

Beyond this sad news, May was dominated by the US 20th anniversary of Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace.

Seeing stills from the movie all around the internet and Darth Maul everywhere gave me a great nostalgic buzz, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the film again to celebrate.

June

The midpoint of the year marked the start of the promotional push for the new EA/Respawn game Jedi: Fallen Order.

As well as the cinematic trailer Lucasfilm also dropped a game play trailer, a ton of concept art and a brand new limited comic series exploring key characters from the era before the game.

This barrage of reveals did an excellent job of hyping the fan base.

July

The big news for July was Hasbro’s turnout at San Diego Comic Con.

While the number of reveals was down on NYTF and Celebration there was the headline grabbing launch of the Galaxy of Adventures toy line. These stylized, articulated 5” figures use the same branding as the Galaxy of Adventures YouTube animated shorts and launched with a lineup that spanned the OT and ST eras.

The big collector-friendly news was the release of the SDCC exclusive Black Series Sith Trooper, which became the first toy from The Rise of Skywalker to hit shelves.

August

2019 saw the return of Disney’s bi-annual D23 expo, and with it the return of a name we’d not heard for a long time… Ewan McGregor! The Prequel Trilogy veteran joined the stage to tell us all about the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+.

McGregor returning to the Kenobi role for some adventures between the PT and OT is something that fans have been asking for ever since Disney announced new Star Wars content – and if the actors’ admission that he’d had to keep his involvement a secret for years is anything to go by, it was clearly in the works behind the scenes for just as long.

Beyond the exciting Kenobi news, we also got the first trailer for The Mandalorian, the debut Disney+ Star Wars live action show.

And if that wasn’t enough, we also got a “D23 Special Look” at The Rise of Skywalker, featuring a glimpse of dark side Rey…

September

After a flurry of activity over the summer September marked a brief period of respite for Lucasfilm’s busy marketers – well, at least until the end of the month…

Lucasfilm put together a worldwide online streaming launch presentation for October’s Triple Force Friday, with actors from across the franchise coming together to unveil a load of new action figures and Lego sets.

Was the presentation cheesy and a little bit awkward? Oh yes. But if this kind of free-for-all event is the future of audience engagement then I’m all for it.

October

As well as Triple Force Friday (which yielded more Vintage Collection figures than first revealed) October also gave us the last big conventions of the year with New York Comic Con, Lucca in Italy and MCM in London.

Read More: Star Wars Black Series at NYCC 2019 >>

These shows also gave us a few more Black Series figures from across the saga, including a 6” scale Wedge Antilles. Good to see more heroes of the Rebellion getting their due!

October also saw the release of the then-Final Trailer for The Rise of Skywalker. It may have looked epic but it still wasn’t giving anything away…

November

November started off big with the release of Jedi: Fallen Order and didn’t look back.

An excellent addition to the saga, Jedi: Fallen Order gives us an engaging Imperial-era story with fluid and fun game play. I’ve almost completely beaten the game; as soon as I do you can expect to see a lot more about it up here.

Read More: Jedi Fallen Order on Green Card Back >>

Now, Jedi: Fallen Order is a big deal. Yet we were truly spoiled for choice in November with the launch of (almost) the biggest Star Wars event of the year – The Mandalorian.

Available in the US and a few other territories from November 12th, The Mandalorian is the first live action Star Wars TV show and it proved an instant smash hit. The space Western vibes, man-with-no-name lead character and a certain zeitgeist-grabbing child made it a popular addition to the Star Wars franchise.

December

November was a helluva lot to top. Good job Lucasfilm had the ninth and final film instalment of the Star Wars saga locked and ready to go!

The Rise of Skywalker has dominated the fandom for the last fortnight. It’s still playing in cinemas now so whether you’ve seen it one time or ten, you’ve still got time to add to your tally – get down to your local multiplex to get stuck in!

Read More: 5 Thoughts on The Rise of Skywalker >>

***

That’s 2019 in Star Wars, then. What are your highlights? Let us know in the comments below – and MTFBWY for the new year!

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It's finished just in time! This is #StarWars: 2019 in Review >> From Galaxy of Adventures to Jedi: Fallen Order Star Wars has had a banner year by the standards of any franchise - and that’s before we get to…

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5 Thoughts on The Rise of Skywalker

IMHO #TheRiseofSkywalker was long overdue. Read 5 thoughts on it right here >>

“Tempered optimism” is the best way to describe how I felt about The Rise of Skywalker before I saw it. As I posted last week, the act of seeing Star Wars on the big screen is always exciting; anything more than that is a bonus.

Since that midnight screening I took time to reflect on how I felt, read the thoughts of other fans and worked through my ideas. This process didn’t only warm me up for…