“Return of the Jedi” turns 40 this year, believe it or not, the last of the original trilogy to officially enter the age of midlife crisis. “Return of the Jedi” celebrates this milestone … wait … with a ton of toys, instead of buying a sports car, getting one ear pierced or over-exercising! As it turned out during Hasbro Pulse live streamthese toys range from highly collectible Black Series figures to wearable prop replica helmets and Funko Pops.
During this livestream, we got our first look at a stylish Darth Vader that will be available as a convention-only exclusive alongside toys that will be available through regular retail. Not all of the “Star Wars” toys mentioned are inspired by the “Return of the Jedi” 40th Anniversary (it’s also the 20th Anniversary of the “Clone Wars” and some great toys are coming this year), but it’s pretty clear Hasbro celebrates this anniversary at any cost. whatever he intends to milk.
Exclusive to 2023 Star Wars Celebration
Let’s start by taking a look at this super cool Black Series Darth Vader exclusive to convention. This “Revenge of the Jedi” Darth Vader bundle is only available to Star Wars Celebration 2023 attendees (taking place April 7-10 in London). The toy itself is very cool, with Vader’s armor colored to reflect the red hue of his lightsaber, and the “Revenge of the Jedi” packaging is super sharp, especially for old-school fans who notch the “Revenge of the Jedi” title.
Hardcore fans will remember that “Revenge of the Jedi” was the original title that would become “Return of the Jedi.” Very late in the game, George Lucas thought twice about the title and decided that revenge was definitely not a Jedi trait. This decision was made so late in the game that there were even movie posters (and even a teaser trailer!) with “Revenge of the Jedi” as the title and featured poster art in this product.
Smashing Vader
Vader gets another sweet “Return of the Jedi” figure with two looks you rarely get from this epic villain’s toys. You can keep the helmet and both hands intact if you wish, or recreate moments from the very end of his life, such as the option to remove the hand Luke cut off, or even the option to remove his helmet to reveal his full face. Anakin looks at his son with his own eyes.
I especially love the spiky mechanical head you see after Luke takes off the helmet’s top, but before he takes his face off. There’s something about the inner workings of Vader’s suit that has always intrigued me. The appearance of Vader without the top of his helmet has always seemed very bug-like to me, and it only comes to my mind now that the toy is rarely depicted in action figure form. There are millions of Darth Vader toys and this is the only one I can think of to take advantage of the really cool looks.
It’s also worth noting that the statue on the figure looks like a combination of Shaw and Hayden Christensen’s Anakin, although the image on the toy definitely belongs to actor Sebastian Shaw, who played Vader’s face in “Jedi.”
Wearable Nerdery
The Hasbro “Star Wars” Black Series line has a long history of incorporating prop replica quality helmets, and thanks to their big birthday celebration, we finally have one of the coolest Trooper helmet designs in the entire series. The Biker Scout helmet has always been my favorite look, little boy come back to me. It was very new and different. Up until this point, we hadn’t seen any change in Stormtroopers’ looks since “A New Hope,” and then we find these idiots in Endor with their streamlined faces and cool eye-protecting brow designs.
Yes, these helmets are wearable, yes, very nerdy, and yes, I want one.
Can’t Forget Funko
Funko is also present on the 40th Anniversary of “Return of the Jedi.” So, of course they are. They’re looking for any excuse to pop a dozen new Pops to stand out on the background shelves of Funko and a few hundred geeky YouTubers. Jedi Luke appears as the helmetless Darth Vader, Forest Leia, Wicket, C-3PO in his floating chair, and Leia in disguise as the fearsome bounty hunter Boushh. on offer In addition to Funko, Luke and Chewy’s special “nesting bobbleheads” target on the boat.
All this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to “Star Wars” toys this year. Luke, who trained Grogu from “The Mandalorian” in 2023, will have Starkiller from “The Force Unleashed” games and a ton of “Clone Wars” toys. Toark has a great summary So if you need to start budgeting ahead of time, this is a great place to start.
Then read this: Star Wars Deleted Scenes That Could Have Changed Everything
Mail Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Funko POPs, Action Figures & More Coming Soon first appeared /Film.