I have been a Star Wars figure collector pretty much all my life, starting with the original Kenner figures in the late 70s and early 80s and then moving onto the POTF2 line in the 90s. My current collection for Star Wars is the 6-inch Black Series having gotten hooked when the line launched in 2013 and I saw that first Boba Fett figure on the pegs in my local Toys R Us.
2021 has been an interesting year for the line, especially considering a lot of figures planned for 2021 have been delayed until 2022, and many of this years releases were repaints or tweaked figures with less than half of the 2021 releases being new.
The year was dominated by The Mandalorian, but it also saw the arrival of The Bad Batch and we got a number of new figures from this latest animated Star Wars series. One of the final Bad Batch figures to arrive in 2021 was Tech - and he was certainly worth the wait and the best of the bunch with his custom armour, individual paint job, removable helmet and his selection of tools. If only they'd figured out how to give the unmasked head his goggles.
Hasbro hadn't forgotton the predecessor to The Bad Batch, and we had a number of new Clone Wars figures in 2021. While there were cool figures like ARC Trooper Echo and bounty hunter Aurra Sing, my next choice is on eof the years early releases in the shape of Asajj Ventress.
Ventress is a very visual release with a deep purple and blue colour scheme, velvet soft goods skit and golden trim to her sash. She comes with her twin curved lightsaber hilts and red translucent blades.
The Mandalorian was the dominant Star Wars property in 2021, and while we continued to see variants of Din Djarin - there were also new characters sprinkled into the mix. I've picked two Mandalorian figures in my top 5 - starting with the brilliant Q9-0 (Zero) droid from Season 1.
Zero is an all new sculpt and combines elements of protocol droids as well as the New Republic Security Droids that Hasbro will bring us in 2022. Zero is really well articulated and comes with his blaster.
My 4th choice is actually an older figure in the shape of the Tusken Raider. He was originally released in 2017, but was re-released in 2021 under the Archive series. While the figure is based on A New Hope - the figure, and the wider Archive wave itself, was very much inspired by returning Troopers and Aliens from The Mandalorian,
Despite being 4-years old, the Tusken Raider remains one of my favourite Black Series figures to date and it was great to see a re-release this year to allow collectors to add more Sand People to their collections. The figure includes some of the best soft goods execution in the line to date, a brilliant sculpt, and an innovative approach to the Gaffi stick with three interchangeable clubs so you can vary your Tusken Raider's appearance.
We return to The Mandalorian for my final choice of 2021, and this time into Season 2 and 'The Tragedy' where Boba Fett makes his triumphant return and destroys a large number of Stormtroopers. One of those Troopers seen on Tython is the new Artillery Stormtrooper, identified by its yellow Pauldron and markings.
The Artillery Trooper is an Amazon exclusive and like last year's Biker Scout from The Mandalorian it has proven difficult to order - and harder to actually receive in good order with lots of the European stock simply being shipped with address labels directly on the box.
This aside, the Artillery Trooper is a fantastic release utilising the new Stormtrooper body and adding a backpack full of mortars and the mortar itself. As a huge fan of the Original Trilogy Stormtroopers this - like last year's Incinerator Trooper - is a nice addition to the Imperial army while also adds a bit of colour to my display.
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About Me : As a child of the '70s and '80s I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force), and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licenses - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who, and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK-focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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