Vintage Star Wars (1977–1989) | Vintage Action Figures

Logray, the Ewok Medicine Man

Few characters in the original Star Wars trilogy have divided fans more than the Ewoks, with those that love ’em on one side, and the rest of us, who would happily throttle the flea-bitten teddy bears, on the other! Unfortunately, they’re rather hard to avoid in Return of the Jedi. I do confess, however, to actually rather liking this vintage Kenner figure of Logray, the Ewok Medicine Man – and not just because he looks like a sinister version of Garfield the cat!

Logray is impressive as one of the best movie-likenesses in the entire Kenner 3 ¾ inch original Star Wars figure series – check out his beady black eyes and sharp teeth.

Han Solo wraps up warm on Hoth!

One of the things you’ll notice when flicking through the recent (and highly recommended) Star Wars: The Ultimate Action Figure Collection* coffee table guide is just how many pages are dedicated to everybody’s favourite Star Wars rebel Han Solo. A whopping nine pages feature the man himself in all his various costume changes, including this vintage 3¾ inch Kenner version in his Hoth Outfit as modelled in the stunning opening sequence from Irvin Kershner’s The Empire Strikes Back.

Don’t call me Prune Face!

Many of the minor characters in the original Star Wars trilogy suddenly found themselves labelled with brand new politically-correct fancy names in the extended Star Wars Universe when complicated back stories were invented for even the smallest characters with only split-second screen time. Take good ole Prune Face here, for example, who we are now informed is a Dressellian resistance fighter from the planet Dressel whose real name is “Orrimaarko”. Still can’t place him? Next time you’re watching The Return of the Jedi if you look very carefully you’ll spot him sitting in the background amongst a couple of similarly wizened companions during the Rebel conference room scene. Just be careful not to blink…you may miss him!

Nikto – Skiff Guard from ‘Return of the Jedi’

One of the things that has made Kenner‘s ground breaking 3 ¾ inch Star Wars action figures so popular with fans of both the original movie trilogy and also vintage action figure collectors today is the company’s unstinting attention to detail even with the most minor of characters in the Star Wars universe, some with the merest blink-and-you’ll-miss-it split second of screen time!

Nikto here, who was first released just in time for Christmas 1983 as part of the Sears Exclusive Jabba the Hutt Dungeon playset alongside Klaatu and 8D8, returning later the following year as a Return of the Jedi carded figure, is one such character.

Han Solo (in Trench Coat) tops best-dressed on planet Endor list for 1984!

When Kenner launched their first Han Solo 3 ¾ inch action figure way back in 1977 they made one of the very few errors in the company’s history, creating a likeness of Harrison Ford with a disproportionately small head. Eager to correct their mistake, the ensuing re-sculpt saw them err on the generous size with the new Han sporting a oddly large bonce. This, of course, is all grist to the mill for collectors who just love tracking down varieties.

Alongside the legendary small and big-headed Han Solo action figures, Kenner released several versions of our swashbuckling Star Wars hero over the years. This version in a camouflage trench coat as he appeared on the planet Endor in Return of the Jedi, the final movie in the original trilogy, is another opportunity for collectors to chase down the different variations.

The Man in Black…Darth Vader!

During 1978 to 1985 Kenner created over 100 action figures based on characters in the original Star Wars movie trilogy. These 3 ¾ inch Star Wars action figures became legendary and are enormously popular as collectibles even to this day.

But for the fledgling collector, where to begin? Concentrating initially on the first twelve releases – known as “12-Back” figures because the original packaging cards featured a picture of all 12 characters in a row on the back of the card – is certainly a great place to start.

It’s Ol’ Blue Eyes himself…Squid Head!

If poor old Walrus Man was a rare example of a Kenner Star Wars action figure which saw the toy company cutting corners on movie-likeness accuracy in the design, their work on Squid Head shows just how good they could be when at the very top of their game. Making his first outing on the Return Of The Jedi 65 back cards in 1983, this may be a later figure in the Star Wars original trilogy figures, but he’s certainly on my list of must-haves thanks to the sheer attention to detail.

And if don’t remember him from the movie…? Don’t feel bad – you may well have blinked when he appeared as an extraterrestrial extra seen in the background when Luke enters Jabba the Hutt’s palace!

Goo Goo G’Joob…It’s Pink-tusked Walrus Man!

Whilst almost all of Kenner’s 3 ¾ inch Star Wars action figures were pretty accurate movie-likenesses by the standards of the day, Walrus Man here – later revealed as being called Ponda Baba when secondary characters were issued with colorful back stories too – stands out from the crowd as being one of the least like his movie counterpart.

Walrus Man’s screen time may be brief, but it is certainly a memorable moment when Obi-Wan Kenobi slices off his arm with his light saber during the famous cantina scene. As the camera lingers over the bleeding limb just about everybody, with the exception of Kenner’s toy designers, must surely have noticed that he wasn’t wearing an orange tank top over a blue body suit!