Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi - TAC - Commemorative Tin Collection (6 of 6)

While a large facet of the collecting community mourned the cancellation of The Saga Collection in late 2006, they were also elated because between the end of the year and early 2007 Hasbro would be releasing three Repack & Repaint waves to bide time while they geared up for something bigger. And most of us had no inkling just how big of a celebration the 30th anniversary of Star Wars would be, especially from Hasbro. But Hasbro decided to start the party early by releasing six general release Commemorative Tin Collection sets to whet everyone’s anniversary for the anniversary collection beginning first quarter of 2007. Depending upon where you lived, November/December 2006 saw the arrival of the Commemorative Tin Collection sets and to our surprise they brought more newness to our lives than we had expected. Sure, Hasbro had to repack some previously released action figures to help pad these multipacks, but they also added a few cool surprises into the mix to make things interesting. No matter the set, something new could be found within it and they were warmly embraced by the collecting community as welcomed additions to the basic figure line. With a nice deluxe graphics-embossed tin, it was the icing on the cake for most.

It’s honestly hard to rate which one is the best, but the Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of The Jedi Commemorative Tin Collection set may be a high ranking candidate on that list. In it collectors are treated to a revised Scout Trooper, a repacked Darth Vader, a repainted Princess Leia and a retooled Rebel Commando. Together they make quite a mixed group, but again, there is enough here to interest collectors despite the many reused parts. The Scout Trooper, for all intents and purposes, is a retool of the 2006 VTSC Biker Scout figure. Hasbro took the head sculpt from the Biker Scout figure from the 2006 TSC Endor AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport) Toys R Us exclusive, retooled it so it would fit on a ball-socket, and added it to the 2006 VTSC figure. What this creates is an awesome interpretation of this classic character in a light that is never seen in the film. The clone head under the helmet will likely annoy some, but we think this take on the Scout Trooper is quite interesting. Besides, it makes it a new figure for us. The paint operations are also very nice on this release. Darth Vader is a very slight repaint (if at all) of 2004’s VOTC Darth Vader figure. This sculpt is now tired and we hope that Hasbro retires it soon. It still looks like a decent Darth Vader action figure however even a couple of year later.

The most dramatically altered action figures in this set however are the two oldest. Interestingly, both from 1998 during The Power Of The Force “2” line. Princess Leia is a repaint of the Princess Leia figure from the Princess Leia & Wicket The Ewok Princess Leia Collection set. This time the figure received a completely new paint job which has been done to very closely mimic the outfit she wore in the film this time. Also, she has been given a completely new skirt (which is removable by the way) in a plush material. She has also been given darker colored soft-goods braids that also mirror Princess Leia’s appearance in the film a little more accurately. She doesn’t come with any accessories but then again she didn’t have any from this scene in the film. Some collectors may not be happy with this version of Princess Leia either, but there is no doubt that it’s a tremendous enhancement from the 1998 version. But perhaps our favorite from this lot is the updated Rebel Commando. Yes, it’s simply articulated, but it looks fantastic. Hasbro retooled the neck joint. They re-sculpted it in a way so that it would accept a ball-socket head sculpt. The neck post has been glued permanently, so you cannot twist it. But that is moot because the new ball-socket head gives you all the movement you need. As you can see, this set comes with a great deal of newness. If Hasbro has to reuse parts for these sets, they definitely made it interesting.