'Empire Strikes Back' 40th Anniversary Celebrations Continue With Even More 'Star Wars' Toys
This year marks the 40th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, and Hasbro has been celebrating by releasing a bunch of toys tied to the Star Wars sequel. They began with a series of Black Series re-releases in vintage-style packaging, as well as a new Imperial probe droid and snowspeeder scaled to the 6-inch action figures. Now the line of Empire Strikes Back 40th anniversary figures is expanding with a new wave that includes Boba Fett, Darth Vader, and more. Plus, there's an awesome new carbon-freezing chamber playset made for The Vintage Collection figures.
Empire Strikes Back 40th Anniversary Toys
Even though these figures are all re-releases, including the Hoth Rebel Trooper in the new packaging design that was recently revealed by Hasbro, it's the packaging that makes them truly collectible. Some of these figures have been very hard to find since being discontinued after their initial release, so it gives fans a chance to get their hands on them. Plus, it will be nice to have Luke Skywalker in Dagobah gear get re-released for all those collectors who already have Yoda and don't want to double up on him with the two-pack getting released in August.
Carbon-Freezing Chamber Playset
The Vintage Collection has become the primary way for fans to keep collecting the traditional 3.75-inch figures since the smaller scale toy line has otherwise disappeared. Thankfully, some incredible playsets scaled for those figures have been arriving regularly, and the trend continues with a carbon-freezing chamber from The Empire Strikes Back.
Featuring a Stormtrooper figure and a Han Solo in carbonite block, the playset allows fans to recreate the moment when Han Solo is frozen and taken away by Boba Fett. However, if you want to complete the entire scene, there's a second playset that you'll have to connect to it. We're not sure when that other playset will arrive, or if fans are just supposed to buy this playset twice to make it happen, but this is a great addition to the Vintage Collection.
Speaking of additions to the Vintage Collection, here are two more figures joining the line. Princess Leia in Bespin Escape clothing arrives in spring of 2021 and Chirrut Imwe from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will be on shelves in the fall. Both have superior face sculpts, which has become customary with the Vintage Collection now that 3D printed sculpted heads are the norm, though since they're smaller, they're not quite perfect. But today's Leia figures are infinitely better than any from the past, so we can't complain too much.
You can pre-order these figures now at Hasbro Pulse and Entertainment Earth.