Leemcl said:
The last 17 are a curious bunch. It's really the last 15 for a start.
Thank you!!!
I've argued that for years. Technically, last 17 is correct, but people mistakenly refer to them as if they were all POTF. Paploo and Lumat were on ROTJ cards in North America though. I think the term originated in Europe though, as those two Ewoks debuted alongside the other 15 on trilogo cards.
Leemcl said:
I read once it was because Peter Cushing did not allow it...might be bull. But equally makes some sense
I've heard that as well. Same reason why AT-AT Commander AND Imperial Commander weren't General Veers, as Julian Glover apparently nixed it as well. Strange though why they'd use Veers on the Imperial Commander packaging and not the more obvious choice of Admiral Piett - maybe Ken Colley did the same thing too. This refusal to use likenesses is also attributed to why to this day there are no Tonnika Sisters. Personally, I think it has more to do with royalties demanded than refusal to use the image itself.
Leemcl said:
And then the choices are stunningly bad. Luke Poncho with stuck on helmet. Old Man Aniken ( not Darth Vader with removable helmet ) what the **** is the Imperial Dignatery about ? Why was Han Solo Carbonite not put on a diet ? Is A Wing Pilot and Gunner right with an endor blaster ? And what is Yak Face all about ? And last but not least, more Ewoks ? Romba ? Ahhhhhh.
The Ewoks were actually a good idea. Between the Ewok Village, Catapult, Glider, and then the Battle Wagon with POTF, you'd be forced to turn Chief Chirpa and Logray into army builders to populate your playsets.
I think the Jabba goons were made because aliens sold well back then, plus they were releasing the Skiff and some minirigs for use with Jabba's Palace. Probably more than they'd expect Mon Mothma or other humans. And for as obscure as the Dignitary or Amanaman were onscreen, it's not much different than earlier "blink and you miss them" characters like Snaggletooth, Death Star Droid, 4-LOM, Zuckuss, Cloud Car Pilots, or Klaatu.
Not sure why Gunner or A-Wing Pilot having Endor blasters is bad. Did they really use the same blasters on Hoth that they used on Bespin, while Squid Head used the same model on Tatooine? Did Snaggletooth and Hammerhead really carry Imperial blasters? Leia used the same blaster until she arrived on Endor? Generic usage of weapons was a Kenner trademark with the line.
Overall, I think the POTF line was the best sculpted line in the entire run, notwithstanding Han's bullfrog neck. The aliens and Ewoks, not to mention EV-9D9, were terrifically sculpted in my opinion. Yeah, they could have made some different choices, but I am very happy with the sheer number of figures we got in the 80's compared to any other toy line.
Ian
