The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six - THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK C-3PO (Removable Limbs)

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK C-3PO (Removable Limbs)

Has Hasbro added this character’s card art and action figure into THE VINTAGE COLLECTION? And is it definitive?

No.

Does THE VINTAGE COLLECTION release completely satisfy the modern counterpart to 1982’s THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK C-3PO (Removable Limbs) figure?

Collectors are still waiting for Hasbro to add this figure into THE VINTAGE COLLECTION.

If Hasbro didn’t release the figure yet, do we have a near-definitive or definitive release of this character that can be added to THE VINTAGE COLLECTION as a straight repack, repaint, or with little retooling to update it?

No, we are too many years out from the modern versions Hasbro produced, and they do not hold up by today’s standards. However, it’s also arguable. Some collectors feel that the C-3PO “accessory” from 2002’s STAR WARS [SAGA – PHASE I] Chewbacca (Cloud City Capture) (’02 #28) figure fits the bill. Others feel the best modern update to the classic Kenner figure is 1998’s THE POWER OF THE FORCE “2” [FREEZE FRAME/THE KENNER COLLECTION] C-3PO [New Pull-Apart Feature] figure is a better match.

What does Hasbro have to do so we can check off “C-3PO (Removable Limbs)” from our Vintage Vs. Modern checklists?

Hasbro needs to develop an all-new figure and place it in THE VINTAGE COLLECTION packaging. The figure needs to come with realistic battle damage, not just removable limbs, to be movie accurate. Hasbro should create something similar like they did for 2019’s THE BLACK SERIES [PHASE III] Chewbacca & C-3PO two-pack.

The year and years elapsed (through 2021) since we last had this character in classic Kenner-styled packaging (vintage or modern)?

1982’s ESB C-3PO (Removable Limbs) 39 years ago.