Home Alone (THQ)

Home Alone
THQ
1991

By 1991 Home Alone wasn't the kind of movie we personally wanted to see. In fact to date, we still haven't. Regardless, there's no denying that the film took the general public by storm, and skyrocketed young Macaulay Culkin into fame - Brief fame, but fame none-the-less.

Much like all child actors before him, once Mr. Culkin hit that magic age of...Well, whatever age that is...The public was done with him.

Though merchandise from the film wasn't all that common during its hay days, companies such as THQ did produce a limited amount of items, as did Tiger. We won't be looking at the Tiger items today.

Screaming Kevin was the first item. It was a smaller action figure which essentially would scream such as the character did in the film. We're not sure why you would want a screaming figure, but THQ has got you covered if you do.

Screaming Kevin

If you like your Kevin figures to do more than scream in your face, THQ also had you covered with a talking doll version. This particular version said numerous phrases from the film all with the pull of a string.

Kevin says things such as;

"I made my family disappear."

"Okay, come and get me!"

"You guys give up, or are you thirsty for more?"

and of course

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Talking Kevin

What's hilarious about the talking doll is that the mechanism inside is prone to breaking causing Kevin to sound like a chipmunk when saying his phrases. If you're looking to buy one on secondary markets, make sure to ask the question or you could end up with a squeaky one as opposed to a perfectly working one.

Prices fluctuate heavily with these items depending on the voice mechanism in the character working correctly or not. Mint in package Screaming Kevin has sold from as little as $5.00, and up to $50.00. Talking Kevin can range anywhere from $30.00 to $140.00.

Join us next time when we take a look at The Iron Giant!

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Kurt Cobain (NECA)

Kurt Cobain
NECA
2006

Kurt Cobain was the front man of Nirvana and one of the leading contributors to the grunge scene which exploded across the world in the early 1990's. Famous for his "deep" and poetic lyrics, Cobain is (arguably) considered one of the best song writers of that particular era.

During his brief musical career, Cobain penned hit after hit with songs such as Smells Like Teen Spirit, All Apologies, About A Girl and many more, soaring the band into superstardom success - Success which some say contributed to his decision to commit suicide in 1994. Though the band only completed three studio albums, their legacy lives on in numerous compilations, and live albums which fans still eagerly purchase today.

Between the mid and late 2000's, NECA was releasing a steady stream of rock icons, and included among them was Cobain. Two six inch versions, the Nevermind and Unplugged versions, were released as well as an eighteen inch Nevermind figure.

Nevermind

Unplugged

What's ironic about these figures is that it is our understanding that Cobain was never one for commercialism. We doubt highly that if he were around today that he would allow his likeness to be used for action figures.

18 Inch Nevermind

Regardless of where you stand with their music, there's no denying that Nirvana had and still has its fair share of loyal fans who loved the members of the band and their music. It's a tragedy that Cobain felt the need to take his own life, but in the end, he will live on forever through his music.

Join us next time when we take a look at Home Alone!

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Gangsta Babies (Mezco)

Gangsta Babies
Mezco
2008

It was kind of one of those "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should" moments in toy history. Gangsta Babies, though a nod towards Cabbage Patch Kids, more so resembled vicious little Garbage Pail Kids. The dolls were ugly, came with cliche names, and all and all sold pretty terribly to mass markets due to their unappealing nature.

The entire line consisted of four dolls; Rey Rey - From around the way way, a playa who is number one with all the shorties, Big Deuce - Who everyone knows is running things, Pookie - The green eyed baller and Benjino - A carrot-topped homie who is holding the fort down.

These days it's rather difficult to find these particular dolls on secondary markets. This isn't because collector's out there who bought them covet them so much that they're not willing to part with them, but rather because mainly nobody bought them to begin with.

Despite this "rarity", dolls don't sell for much, and even when they are made available often times don't sell at all. Your average doll will set you back between $15.00 to $20.00 mint in the box - Pretty sad when retail prices were twice that.

Join us next time when we take a look at Kurt Cobain!

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Playing with Logos

As of late I've been playing around with logo ideas here at The Toy Box. You may or may not have noticed that it has been frequently changing as I go from design to design.

During my inspired moments to work on logos, but not necessarily my own, I've dabbled a bit in other people's sites.

Had to do away with the original jigsaw puzzle background in the word "Jigsaw". It was driving me nuts that it kept turning black.

 

Chris came up with a great back story for Stunt Zombie. I really can't do it justice by explaining it to you. Head to his site here to read about it.

 

Robot Monster Space Super Hero's flag is designated by arrows that point in all directions - Because RMSSH goes where he want's to go!

As if I didn't have enough to collect, Action Figure Barbecue got me hooked on Funko's new ReAction Figure lines. As such, I thought it fitting to make a logo for him in the vain of said line.

I honestly have to admit that I really like the original Cool & Collected logo at Brian's site, and have always been a little envious of how simplistic in nature it was, yet at the same time was so sleek and, well, cool.

Just stumbled across .5 .Points .and .Proud! on the web via Action Figure BBQ's site. Great site! I've chatted with Tony before here in the comment section of The Toy Box, but never put two and two together to actually make it to his site. My fault.

This site was just begging for a Star Wars mocked up logo style.

What caught my attention on Action Figure Tactics site was the blurb about being brainwashed by the 80's. That was the springboard I needed to start having ideas pop for this one.

For as simplistic as this one looks, it was rather a pain to create.

Not that they're anything to get excited about, but if you're looking for a new logo design for your site, I may be able to help. Shoot me an e-mail, and let's see what we can come up with.

On a side note, the logos aren't very easy to see when you click on them. For some reason, Blogger is blacking things out. You can view them as they should be by holding the ctrl key, and clicking the picture to get a new window.

If your logo makes its way to this post, please, by all means, feel free to use it for your site. You can either save it directly from here, or e-mail me at thetoybox1138@gmail.com to get the original digital PNG file. Believe me, I'm honored if you like what you see enough that you want to use it for your site.

***UPDATE***

Found some new sites that helped fuel my creativity. Going to be uploading new logos here over the next little bit.

As Alexis says, "One can collect just about everything in the universe".

For the man who loves both Joes and Transformers

The Dark Crystal (Sideshow Collectibles)

The Dark Crystal
2002
Sideshow Collectibles

The Dark Crystal was an odd film for family friendly Jim Henson to develop back in the 80's. It was almost as if he was playing a joke on movie going patrons who had long since supported his kid themed shows such as The Muppets and Sesame Street. For whatever reason, Mr. Henson unleashed this dark film on unsuspecting children, causing much fear amongst their little minds.

Unless you've got pockets so deep that your hands never reach the bottom of your pants, you're probably not looking to get the original Aviva prototypes based on the classic Jim Henson film, The Dark Crystal - Not that you'd have much luck finding them anyway. Sadly, if you're a fan of the film, and want to find some of the few toy related items out there, you're most likely setting your sites on the still expensive, but more easily ascertained twelve inch dolls from Sideshow Collectibles.

When first released, Sideshow Collectibles sold each doll for $40.00 plus shipping directly from their website. Unfortunately if you want one these days, you're looking at spending anywhere from two to three times that.

Jen

The dolls are spot on depictions of their screen characters, and that in and of itself is a great reason to get excited about this series. The sculpt work and clothing is amazing - Particularly all the layers to the clothing. A feature that fans really enjoyed with the Kira doll was that it included her pet Fizzgig - Also screen accurate.

Kira

BONUS

The Dark Crystal
Aviva/Hasbro
1982 (Unproduced)

Okay, but let's be honest here. We really didn't want to talk about the Sideshow Collectibles dolls. No, instead it's these prototypes that really take center stage for this post. Yes, the SC dolls are fantastic, but these here...These are just vaulted nostalgia.

Way back in 1982, Aviva, a subdivision of Hasbro, contracted with Jim Henson to develop and release an action figure line based on the film. Though it's unknown why the plug was eventually pulled on the line, fans speculate that it was due to the film performing horribly at the box office.

Despite not going into mass production, a handful of prototypes were produced of both the basic and deluxe figures. Though it is unknown just how many in total were produced, to date there are two complete sets of the six carded basic figures, and two non packaged sets of the three deluxe figures confirmed to exist.

For those of you who have done a search for these particular figures before on Google, you've most likely seen these images before in the collection of Justin Kerns back in 2002. We've cleaned them up a bit, and presented them in our own layout, however the actual images are the property of Mr. Kerns.

As we mentioned above, six figures were initially planned for the line. These particular carded versions below are one of the two known sets. The bubbles are hand made, and attached to the cardback via staples.

Jen*Kira*Happy Pod Peasant*Skeksis

Aughra*Slave Pod Peasant

At the time of his original posting of the photos, Mr. Kerns was the known owner of ten of the twelve carded prototype figures produced (one full set, and four additional). At that time he offered the duplicates up for sale, so it is unknown as to who owns them at this point.

The cardback for the set was produced in black and white, and it is unknown if a color version would have been used for the final product. This particular version featured hand drawn images of the figures as well as directions for fitting the six crystal pieces together.

One crystal piece was packaged with each figure, and would have been packaged to the right of each figure with their included accessory.

Below are the three prototype versions of the deluxe figures. As we mentioned above, there are two complete sets known to exist. Unlike the basic figures, the deluxe versions are not known to exist in their packaging which would have been rectangular window boxes.

Mystic

Landstrider

Garthim

In all honesty, your chances of finding a set of the Aviva prototypes is pretty much non existent. You'd probably have more of a chance of winning the lottery, and it would probably cost you a fair chunk of those winnings to afford a set if you found them.

These items are so rare that even production photos have sold for as much as $750.00 for a set. That's right, not the actual toys themselves, but production photographs. To say there's a demand for The Dark Crystal toys is apparently an understatement, and an opportunity that someone out there should capitalize on. Perhaps with Funko's recent popularity with retro style figures, it's not so impossible to think that a line of retro designed The Dark Crystal figures could happen.

Join us next time when we take a look at Gangsta Babies!

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Extreme Ghostbusters (Trendmasters)

Extreme Ghostbusters
Trendmasters
1997 - 1998

Extreme Ghostbusters was an animated series set years after the original The Real Ghostbusters animated series. The premise of the series surrounds the concept that due to a lack of paranormal activity in the city the Ghostbusters have disbanded. Dr. Egon Spengler is the only remaining member of the team who has chosen to stay in the firehouse, monitoring the containment system and watching over Slimer. He makes his new living by teaching a class about paranormal activity at a local college.

When ghosts return, rather than call his old friends back into action, Egon instead seeks the aid of his small class of students to join him in his quest to once again bust the spooks. The only other returning familiar face was Janine Melnitz, the Ghostbusters original secretary who seems to have forgotten about Louise Tully, and picks up where she left off in her affections for Egon.

Though the show tried to be darker in its image with its rock/punk version of the original Ghostbusters theme, and dark under toned characters, it failed to really capture an audience and revitalize the franchise as Sony had hoped. The end result was only forty episodes with several unresolved story arcs, and character relationships.

Between 1997 and 1998, Trendmasters produced a series of toys based on the show, finding little success in the toy isles. Each Ghostbuster was represented in both a standard and deluxe edition, as well as a handful of ghosts. Unfortunately that's as far as the series got with the exception of the Ecto 1.

Well, let us backtrack a moment. That's as far as the series got in the USA. There were two more items produced and sold exclusively in the UK - The Ghost Blastin' Buster Bike and the Ghost Grabbin' Gyro-Copter. Not only are these two items incredibly rare, they're going to set you back anywhere from $50.00 to $1,000.00 to obtain depending on condition.

DELUXE FIGURES

Eduardo*Egon

Roland*Kylie

The series was fond of using bright neon colors for the characters, a style that was often used towards the tail end of the original Real Ghostbusters line from Kenner.

BASIC FIGURES

Eduardo*Egon

Kylie*Roland

GHOSTS

House Ghost*Mouth Critter

Sam Hain*Slimer

In terms of sculpt and design, the Trendmasters version of the Ecto 1 car is pretty spot on. It's hard to find fault in it at all.

VEHICLES

Ecto 1

Join us next time when we take a look at The Dark Crystal!

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Star Wars Bend-Ems (JusToys)

Star Wars Bend Ems
JusToys
1992 - 1994

How complete do you need your collection, and how much money are you willing to spend?

These are the two most important questions you need to ask yourself before plunging into the Star Wars Bend Ems line. For such a simplistic concept, we were floored by how many different versions of the same figure there are. Let's just say that fans of the original Kenner figures will sympathize with Bend Ems fans in terms of hunting down cardback variations.

We're not going one hundred percent in depth on this one in terms of pictures. We've captured the basics in terms of card variation releases, but as far as the various Topps trading cards that came packed in - We'll go into detail in the text, but not in the photos.

This particular line has a level of desirability to both action figure and trading card collectors. The reason for this is that (for the most part) each figure came packed in with a various promo card from the Topps Star Wars Galaxy Series 1 and 2 trading card series. These cards were only available with the Bend Ems figures, and some may even argue that they are more desirable than the figures themselves.

The series is broken down into a few categories. The first is 8 Backs, the second is 12 Backs, the third is 20 Backs, the fourth is Gift Sets, and last is Accessories. This is the best way to lay everything out in terms of tackling not only this post, but in hunting them down. We'll also include an additional section at the end which will show all the promo cards.

The first eight figures released were; C-3PO, Chewbacca, Darth  Vader, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2, Stormtrooper and Yoda. These figures are what have become known as the 8 Back figures. They are named as such because there are eight figures, and all eight are featured on the back of the card.

There are five known variations of the eight back card;

8A - This was the first card produced for the series, and as such is one of the most desirable versions for collectors. Its prominent features are the printed on hash marked rectangular outline which designated where the trading card would be packed in. In addition to this, it featured a "Bonus Star Wars Galaxy" crescent printed at the bottom of said outline. What's interesting about this feature, and what probably contributed to it being removed is that once the figure and card are packaged in, and a sticker version of the crescent placed over top of it, you couldn't see either features. An explosion bubble underneath the Star Wars logo reads "Limited Edition". This caused some confusion for buyers initially as it was questioned as to what was limited about it - The figure, the card, or both?

8B - This card removes the hash marked rectangular outline which designated where the trading card would be packed in, as well as the printed "Bonus Star Wars Galaxy" crescent. As mentioned above, once the figure and card were packaged, these items were no longer visible making them unnecessary to include, and also a cost saving measure to do so. A "Topps Star Wars Galaxy" crescent sticker was adhered to the front of the package just at the bottom right corner of the card. In addition, the item number and age restrictions suggestion text have been moved to the bottom right corner of the package.

8C - This card addresses the confusion of the "Limited Edition" explosion bubble by way of a new sticker explosion bubble reading "Limited Edition Trading Card" which was adhered over top of the original "Limited Edition" one.

8D - This card now has a printed version of the "Limited Edition Trading Card" explosion bubble on the package. In addition, the name of the figure inside was increased to a larger font to make it more legible. The back of the cards also feature a couple changes. The most obvious is that the blue boxes in which the characters were showcased has been changed to purple ones. The second is that the Chewbacca photo has been changed to a different image of the character.

8E - The most difficult versions of any of the figures to find are those released in the 8E card version. These packs did not feature a Topps trading card, and as such did not feature any explosion bubbles printed on the cards.

8F - The last known card variation for the 8 Back cards is 8F. This version once again incorporated trading cards into the packages. Rather than print all new cards, JusToys instead utilized the original "Limited Edition Trading Card" explosion bubble stickers from card 8C, adhering them to card 8E.

Below are the two known versions of the cardbacks themselves. The blue cards were utilized for cards 8A through 8C. The purple were utilized for cards 8D through 8F.

Now let's talk about the figures themselves.

It's key to note that there is a variant of C-3PO which was available. The original release featured the figure with two gold legs. The second release depicted a more movie accurate version of the character as one leg was replaced with a silver one. This version was released towards the tail end of the wave, and is only known to exist on card 8F. The 8 Back C-3PO figures are known to only come with Promo Card "O" from Star Wars Galaxy Series 1.

C-3PO - 8A Card

C-3PO - 8B Card

C-3PO - 8C Card

C-3PO - 8D Card

C-3PO - 8E Card

C-3PO - 8F Card

C-3PO (Silver Leg Version) - 8F

The 8 back versions of Chewbacca are only known to have come packaged with Promo Card "F" from Star Wars Galaxy Series 1. There are no known versions of Chewbacca on an 8F card.

Chewbacca - 8A Card

Chewbacca - 8B Card

Chewbacca - 8C Card

Chewbacca - 8D Card

Chewbacca - 8E Card

Darth Vader, known as Lord Darth Vader on the package was packaged with Promo Card "A" from Star Wars Galaxy Series 1. There are no known versions of Lord Darth Vader on an 8F card.

Lord Darth Vader - 8A Card

Lord Darth Vader - 8B Card

Lord Darth Vader - 8C Card

Lord Darth Vader - 8D Card

Lord Darth Vader - 8E Card

Luke Skywalker was packaged with Promo Card "G" from Star Wars Galaxy Series 1. There are no known versions of Luke Skywalker on an 8F card.

Luke Skywalker - 8A Card

Luke Skywalker - 8B Card

Luke Skywalker - 8C Card

Luke Skywalker - 8D Card

Luke Skywalker - 8E Card

Princess Leia was a late comer to the 8 back series (despite being planned from the start). As such, there are no known versions of this figure on an 8A or 8F card. She was packaged with Promo Card "J" from Star Wars Galaxy Series 1.

Princess Leia - 8B Card

Princess Leia - 8C Card

Princess Leia - 8D Card

Princess Leia - 8E Card

R2-D2 was packaged with Promo Card "C" from Star Wars Galaxy Series 1 There are no known versions of R2-D2 on an 8F card.

R2-D2 - 8A Card

R2-D2 - 8B Card

R2-D2 - 8C Card

R2-D2 - 8D Card

R2-D2 - 8E Card

Stormtrooper was packaged with Promo Card "D" from Star Wars Galaxy Series 1. The figure is only one of two known to exist on a 8F card.

Stormtrooper - 8A Card

Stormtrooper - 8B Card

Stormtrooper - 8C Card

Stormtrooper - 8D Card

Stormtrooper - 8E Card

Stormtrooper - 8F Card

The last 8 back figure released was Yoda, the Jedi Master. This figure was packaged with Promo Card "E" from Star Wars Galaxy Series 1. There are no known versions of Yoda, the Jedi Master on an 8F card.

Yoda, the Jedi Master - 8A Card

Yoda, the Jedi Master - 8B Card

Yoda, the Jedi Master - 8C Card

Yoda, the Jedi Master - 8D Card

Yoda, the Jedi Master - 8E Card

The second release of figures are known as the 12 back. This series saw a re-release of all eight of the original figures with an additional four. The new figures produced were; The Emperor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo and two versions of Wicket which we'll discuss more in depth below.

Now in addition to hunting down cardback variations, collectors are also faced with the question of, "Do I hunt down all the various trading card variations?" The reason for this is because numerous cards are known to have been packed in with each figure on varying cardback styles.

You will note in our photos that there are several more photos of characters not listed above. Many of these were released on the 20 back cards, but are captured in the photos to show the basic style of packaging they were made available in.

There are three known variations of the 12 back cards released in the US, as well as one foreign version. They are;

12A - This is the first style of the 12 back cards, and as such are the most desirable for collectors. The front of the card is identical to that of the 8D card. However, there are a couple changes to the back side. The most obvious is that now the cardback showcases all twelve figures in production. The second change is a more subtle one that many miss - Chewbacca has been flipped to now be facing the right as opposed to the left.

12B - This package does away with the fitted bubble, and replaces it with a more standard rectangular one.

12C - This package is identical to 12B with the exception that it does not include the "Topps Star Wars Galaxy" crescent sticker on the package.

12A-F - This is the foreign version of the cardback which is identical to that of 12A with the exception of an import sticker which is adhered to the back of the card.

Above are the two known versions of the cardbacks themselves. The first is the US released cards. The second is the import "foreign" version.

Now let's talk about the 12 back figures specifically. As mentioned above, there are numerous combinations of cardback/trading cards that have been found to exist. Whether or not this is all of them is another story - These are confirmed;

Despite fixing the issue with C-3PO's leg color, JusToys released both versions on the 12 back cards. All of the gold versions were released with the same promo card - "B". The silver leg versions have numerous cards packed in.

C-3PO - 12A Card - Promo Card B

C-3PO - 12B Card - Promo Card B

C-3PO - 12C Card - Promo Card B

C-3PO (Silver Leg) - 12A Card - Promo Card B

C-3PO (Silver Leg) - 12B Card - Promo Card B

C-3PO (Silver Leg) - 12C Card - Promo Card B

C-3PO (Silver Leg) - 12C Card - Promo Card O

C-3PO (Silver Leg) - 12C Card - Promo Card W

C-3PO (Silver Leg) - 12C Card - Promo Card X

Chewbacca - 12A Card - Promo Card F

Chewbacca - 12B Card - Promo Card F

Chewbacca - 12C Card - Promo Card F

Chewbacca - 12C Card - Promo Card N

Chewbacca - 12C Card - Promo Card O

Chewbacca - 12C Card - Promo Card Q

Chewbacca - 12C Card - Promo Card S

Chewbacca - 12C Card - Promo Card X

Chewbacca - 12C Card - Promo Card Y

Chewbacca - 12C Card - Promo Card Z

Chewbacca - 12C Card - Promo Card BB

Han Solo was released in two versions. The first has become known to collectors as the long face version. This figure can also be spotted by its vest which has no pockets. The second version is known as the small face. This version is easily spotted by the vest which now has pockets. Though he wasn't advertised with the 8 back series, the long face version of Han Solo was first found on an 8F card style.

Han Solo (Long Face) - 8F Card - Promo Card I

Han Solo (Long Face) - 12A Card - Promo Card I

Han Solo (Long Face) - 12A Card - Promo Card N

Han Solo (Long Face) - 12A Card - Promo Card O

Han Solo (Long Face) - 12A Card - Promo Card Q

Han Solo (Long Face) - 12B Card - Promo Card I

Han Solo (Long Face) - 12C Card - Promo Card I

Han Solo (Small Face) - 12A Card - Promo Card F

Han Solo (Small Face) - 12A Card - Promo Card N

Han Solo (Small Face) - 12A Card - Promo Card O

Han Solo (Small Face) - 12A Card - Promo Card F

Han Solo (Small Face) - 12A Card - Promo Card Q

Han Solo (Small Face) - 12A Card - Promo Card V

Han Solo (Small Face) - 12A Card - Promo Card AA

Lord Darth Vader - 12A Card - Promo Card A

Lord Darth Vader - 12A Card - Promo Card N

Lord Darth Vader - 12A Card - Promo Card O

Lord Darth Vader - 12A Card - Promo Card Q

Lord Darth Vader - 12B Card - Promo Card A

Lord Darth Vader - 12C Card - Promo Card A

Lord Darth Vader - 12C Card - Promo Card N

Lord Darth Vader - 12C Card - Promo Card O

Lord Darth Vader - 12C Card - Promo Card Q

Lord Darth Vader - 12C Card - Promo Card V

Lord Darth Vader - 12C Card - Promo Card Y

Lord Darth Vader - 12C Card - Promo Card Z

Lord Darth Vader - 12C Card - Promo Card AA

Lord Darth Vader - 12C Card - Promo Card BB

Luke Skywalker - 12A Card - Promo Card G

Luke Skywalker - 12B Card - Promo Card G

Luke Skywalker - 12C Card - Promo Card G

Luke Skywalker - 12C Card - Promo Card N

Luke Skywalker - 12C Card - Promo Card O

Luke Skywalker - 12C Card - Promo Card Q

Luke Skywalker - 12C Card - Promo Card W

Luke Skywalker - 12C Card - Promo Card X

Luke Skywalker - 12C Card - Promo Card Y

Luke Skywalker - 12C Card - Promo Card Z

Luke Skywalker - 12C Card - Promo Card AA

Luke Skywalker - 12C Card - Promo Card BB

The second new figure to the 12 back cards was Obi-Wan Kenobi. Much like Han Solo, though he was not advertised on the 8 back cards, he was released on them. The most difficult to find is the 8E version which does not include a trading card.

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 8D Card - Promo Card H
Obi-Wan Kenobi - 8E Card
Obi-Wan Kenobi - 8F Card - Promo Card H
Obi-Wan Kenobi - 12A Card - Promo Card H
Obi-Wan Kenobi - 12C Card - Promo Card H
Obi-Wan Kenobi - 12A Card - Promo Card N

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 12A Card - Promo Card O

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 12A Card - Promo Card Q

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 12A Card - Promo Card X

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 12A Card - Promo Card AA

Princess Leia - 12A Card - Promo Card J

Princess Leia - 12A Card - Promo Card N

Princess Leia - 12B Card - Promo Card J

Princess Leia - 12C Card - Promo Card J

Princess Leia - 12C Card - Promo Card N

Princess Leia - 12C Card - Promo Card O

Princess Leia - 12C Card - Promo Card Q

Princess Leia - 12C Card - Promo Card X

Princess Leia - 12C Card - Promo Card Y

Princess Leia - 12C Card - Promo Card Z

Princess Leia - 12C Card - Promo Card AA

Princess Leia - 12C Card - Promo Card BB

R2-D2 - 12A Card - Promo Card C

R2-D2 - 12B Card - Promo Card C

R2-D2 - 12C Card - Promo Card C

R2-D2 - 12C Card - Promo Card O

R2-D2 - 12C Card - Promo Card Q

R2-D2 - 12C Card - Promo Card X

R2-D2 - 12C Card - Promo Card Y

R2-D2 - 12C Card - Promo Card Z

R2-D2 - 12C Card - Promo Card AA

R2-D2 - 12C Card - Promo Card BB

Stormtrooper - 12A Card - Promo Card D

Stormtrooper - 12B Card - Promo Card D

Stormtrooper - 12C Card - Promo Card D

Stormtrooper - 12C Card - Promo Card O

Stormtrooper - 12C Card - Promo Card W

Stormtrooper - 12C Card - Promo Card Y

Stormtrooper - 12C Card - Promo Card BB

The Emperor was the third figure released for the new 12 back series. Much like the prior two figures, he made his first appearance on the 8 back cards - Though it was on the tail end of the wave.

The Emperor - 8F Card - Promo Card K

The Emperor - 8F Card - Promo Card N

The Emperor - 8F Card - Promo Card O

The Emperor - 8F Card - Promo Card Q

The Emperor - 12A Card - Promo Card K

The Emperor - 12A Card - Promo Card Q

The Emperor - 12A Card - Promo Card V

The Emperor - 12B Card - Promo Card K

The Emperor - 12C Card - Promo Card K

The Emperor - 12C Card - Promo Card N

The Emperor - 12C Card - Promo Card O

The Emperor - 12C Card - Promo Card Q

The Emperor - 12C Card - Promo Card S

The Emperor - 12C Card - Promo Card V

The Emperor - 12C Card - Promo Card Y

The Emperor - 12C Card - Promo Card Z

The Emperor - 12C Card - Promo Card AA

The Emperor - 12C Card - Promo Card BB

Wicket was the final figure released for the new 12 back series. When he first made his appearance, it was on the 8F card, and at that point the figure was known as Wicket, an Ewok. When the figure was released on the 12 back cards, the name was changed to Wicket, the Ewok.

Wicket, an Ewok - 8F Card - Promo Card L

Wicket, an Ewok - 8F Card - Promo Card O

Wicket, the Ewok - 12A Card - Promo Card L

Wicket, the Ewok - 12A Card - Promo Card N

Wicket, the Ewok - 12A Card - Promo Card O

Wicket, the Ewok - 12A Card - Promo Card Q

Wicket, the Ewok - 12B Card - Promo Card L

Wicket, the Ewok - 12C Card - Promo Card L

Wicket, the Ewok - 12A Card - Promo Card X

The last wave of single carded figures was the 20 back. This series saw a re-release of a fair amount of the twelve figures prior to this wave as well as eight new figures; Admiral Ackbar, Bib Fortuna, Boba Fett, Emperor's Royal Guard, Gammorean Guard, Lando Calrissian, Luke Skwaylker (X-Wing Pilot) and Tusken Raider.

An interesting aspect to the 20 back figures is that even though JusToys had made a switch from fitted bubbles to a more standardized rectangular one that figures continued to be released in both styles. It is unknown why as it certainly would have cut costs to not produce them in the form fitted ones.

Much like the prior wave, package variations are all over the place in terms of cardback/trading card alternates.

Please note that the C-3PO as shown in the photo above is actually a 12 back version, and not the 20 back version. It was included for the purposes of capturing all package styles. A twenty back version is not known to exist.

There are three known versions of the cardbacks, as well as one foreign edition. They are;

20A - This card goes back to the form fitted style of bubbles, and features numerous changes to the front of the card. The first is that the (R) - Registered Trademark for the "Star Wars" logo has been moved from the middle of the "S" in "Wars" to the bottom of it. The second is that the [TM] for Bend Ems has been replaced with an (R) - Registered Trademark. The last change is to the back which has been updated with an all new cardback style reminiscent of Kenner's original The Empire Strikes Back line. It showcases all twenty figures now available as well as the all new Darth Vader Carry Case.

20B - This card is the exact same as the one above with the exception that the "Topps Star Wars Galaxy" crescent sticker is not present on the front.

20C - This last card switches the form fitted bubble back to the standard rectangular bubble. It does not feature a "Topps Star Wars Galaxy" crescent sticker on the front, nor are there any known to exist with it. The back of the card fixes numerous grammatical errors from the 20A and 20B cardbacks. The first was that they added the dash between Obi and Wan in the character's name. They also corrected the spelling of the word "Collectibles" in the "Fan Club" section of the card which was originally spelled as "Collectables". The last change was to the font size of the [TM] at the bottom of the card.

20B-F - This is the foreign version of the cardback which is identical to that of 20B with the exception of an import sticker which is adhered to the back of the card.

Below are the three known cardback types for the 20 back releases. The center image is the foreign released card which includes the square import sticker.

Admiral Ackbar was the first new figure release on the 20 back cards. In the US alone, he is confirmed to have been released with ten different trading cards. Admiral Ackbar is not known to exist on a 20B card.

Admiral Ackbar - 20A Card - Promo Card P

Admiral Ackbar - 20A Card - Promo Card S

Admiral Ackbar - 20C Card - Promo Card N

Admiral Ackbar - 20C Card - Promo Card O

Admiral Ackbar - 20C Card - Promo Card Q

Admiral Ackbar - 20C Card - Promo Card S

Admiral Ackbar - 20C Card - Promo Card X

Admiral Ackbar - 20C Card - Promo Card Y

Admiral Ackbar - 20C Card - Promo Card Z

Admiral Ackbar - 20C Card - Promo Card AA

Admiral Ackbar - 20C Card - Promo Card BB

Bib Fortuna was a late release to the series, and as such has only been found on the 20C card style.

Bib Fortuna - 20C Card - Promo Card O

Bib Fortuna - 20C Card - Promo Card Q

Bib Fortuna - 20C Card - Promo Card W

Bib Fortuna - 20C Card - Promo Card X

Bib Fortuna - 20C Card - Promo Card Y

Bib Fortuna - 20C Card - Promo Card AA

Bib Fortuna - 20C Card - Promo Card BB

Despite the character's massive popularity, Boba Fett was another new figure which wouldn't be released until the tail end of the series. As such, he is only known to exist on a 20C cardback.

Boba Fett - 20C Card - Promo Card N

Boba Fett - 20C Card - Promo Card Z

Though C-3PO and Chewbacca were released on a foreign 20 back card, they were never released in the US.

Emperor's Royal Guard was another new release for the 20 back series.

Emperor's Royal Guard - 20A Card - Promo Card M

Emperor's Royal Guard - 20A Card - Promo Card U

Emperor's Royal Guard - 20B Card - Promo Card U

Emperor's Royal Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card N

Emperor's Royal Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card O

Emperor's Royal Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card Q

Emperor's Royal Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card U

Emperor's Royal Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card X

Emperor's Royal Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card Y

Emperor's Royal Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card Z

Emperor's Royal Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card AA

Emperor's Royal Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card BB

Another late comer to the series was Gamorrean Guard, which first started appearing on 20C backs.

Gamorrean Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card N

Gamorrean Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card O

Gamorrean Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card V

Gamorrean Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card Y

Gamorrean Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card AA

Gamorrean Guard - 20C Card - Promo Card BB

By the time the 20 backs rolled out, JusToys had opted to go with only the small face Han Solo figures. As such, this is the only version of the character you can find on these cardbacks.

Han Solo - 20A Card - Promo Card F

Han Solo - 20A Card - Promo Card V

Han Solo - 20C Card - Promo Card N

Han Solo - 20C Card - Promo Card O

Han Solo - 20C Card - Promo Card Q

Han Solo - 20C Card - Promo Card W

Han Solo - 20C Card - Promo Card X

Han Solo - 20C Card - Promo Card Y

Han Solo - 20C Card - Promo Card Z

Han Solo - 20C Card - Promo Card AA

Han Solo - 20C Card - Promo Card BB

Lando Calrissian was one of the final figures released for the series, and was only available on the 20C card style. What's interesting about the figure is that JusToys went with his general outfit as seen in Return of the Jedi as opposed to his classic Cloud City look in The Empire Strikes Back.

Lando Calrissian - 20C Card - Promo Card N

Lando Calrissian - 20C Card - Promo Card O

Lando Calrissian - 20C Card - Promo Card P

Lando Calrissian - 20C Card - Promo Card Q

Lando Calrissian - 20C Card - Promo Card X

Lando Calrissian - 20C Card - Promo Card Y

Lando Calrissian - 20C Card - Promo Card Z

Lando Calrissian - 20C Card - Promo Card AA

Lando Calrissian - 20C Card - Promo Card BB

It was interesting to see that Lord Darth Vader was excluded from a 20 back card release. As for Luke Skywalker, while he did not get released in same fashion as the 8 or 12 back card version, he was updated with an X-Wing flight suit and released. However the card just refers to him as Luke Skywalker, making no mention of the particular clothing he is in.

Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot Gear) - Card 20C - Promo Card O

Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot Gear) - Card 20C - Promo Card R

Luke Skywalker (X-Wing Pilot Gear) - Card 20C - Promo Card V

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 20C Card - Promo Card N

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 20C Card - Promo Card O

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 20C Card - Promo Card Q

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 20C Card - Promo Card S

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 20C Card - Promo Card X

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 20C Card - Promo Card Y

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 20C Card - Promo Card Z

Obi-Wan Kenobi - 20C Card - Promo Card BB

Princess Leia was not made available on the 20 back cards, and while R2-D2 was, it was towards the very end of the series, and in very limited quantities.

R2-D2 - 20C Card - Promo Card BB

Stormtrooper and The Emperor were two additional older figures which did not get re-released on the 20 back cards.

Tusken Raider was the last of the new figures to be released for the series. He was also the last figure released in general as neither Wicket, the Ewok or Yoda, Jedi Master were released on 20 back cards.

Tusken Raider - 20A Card - Promo Card R

Tusken Raider - 20A Card - Promo Card T

Tusken Raider - 20B Card - Promo Card T

Tusken Raider - 20C Card - Promo Card N

Tusken Raider - 20C Card - Promo Card O

Tusken Raider - 20C Card - Promo Card T

Tusken Raider - 20C Card - Promo Card X

Tusken Raider - 20C Card - Promo Card Y

Tusken Raider - 20C Card - Promo Card Z

Tusken Raider - 20C Card - Promo Card AA

Tusken Raider - 20C Card - Promo Card BB

JusToys also produced a fair amount of gift sets which contained anywhere from four to ten figures in one pack. The four packs were released at most retail chains, while the larger packs were often times exclusive to specific stores.

These three gift sets below were unique and fun because each one was named after a film from the Original Trilogy - Though they didn't necessarily focus on characters strictly from each film they were named after. This is specifically noted in the Lando Calrissian in his general outfit from Return of the Jedi being featured in the pack for The Empire Strikes Back.

Topps promo cards were included in all but one set - the 8 piece Limited Edition set.

JusToys wanted to give their line a vibe of nostalgia to it. In order to achieve this, they released a carry case reminiscent to that of the original vintage series. To date it's one of the harder pieces to obtain in the series.

By now you should have the understanding that trading cards were a big part of the draw to these figures. As we mentioned above, at this point they may be the biggest draw to them. Many Star Wars Galaxy card collectors don't feel their collection of cards is complete unless they track down all twenty-eight of these cards.

Cards "A" through "W" consisted of promos for the first series of Star Wars Galaxy. cards "X" through "BB" are from the second series. As mentioned above, the only way to get these particular cards was by purchasing the figures.

Promo A (Darth Vader)*Promo B (C-3PO)*Promo C (R2-D2)

Promo D (Snowtroopers)

Promo E (Yoda)*Promo F (Chewbacca)*Promo G (Luke Skywalker)*Promo H (Obi-Wan Kenobi)*Promo I (Han Solo)

Promo J (Princess Leia)*Promo K (The Emperor)*Promo L (Ewoks on Endor)*Promo M (Boba Fett)*Promo N (X-Wing Trench Run)

Promo O (Death Star II)

Promo P (Lando Calrissian)*Promo Q (Vader Montage Poster)*Promo R (Luke Skywalker in X-Wing)*Promo S (Mon Calimarian)*Promo T (Tusken Raider)

Promo U (Emperor's Royal Guard)*Promo V (Gamorrean Guard)*Promo W (Bib Fortuna)

Promo X (Luke Vs. Vader in the Tree)*Promo Y (The Empire Strikes Back Lunchbox)

Promo Z (Luke and Leia Chasm Swing)*Promo AA (The Empire Strikes Back Concept Poster)

Promo BB (1977 Poster Concept)

As a whole, this series of figures and cards is massive, and quite the undertaking for collectors. As we said at the start of this article, it really comes down to how complete you need your collection, and just how much money you want to spend.

Please let us know if you find any version of the figures that we have not noted in our article. We are happy to credit any and all who contribute.

Join us next time when we take a look at Extreme Ghostbusters!

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