I’d like to take a moment and discuss Hasbro’s The Vintage Collection (TVC) line and breakdown the expression and what it’s purpose is.

From Hasbro Pulse’s TVC main page they state:

Celebrate the legacy of STAR WARS, the action-and-adventure-packed space saga from a galaxy far, far away, with premium 3.75-inch scale figures and vehicles from STAR WARS The Vintage Collection. Figures feature premium detail and design across product and packaging inspired by the original line, as well as the movie-inspired collector grade deco that fans have come to know and love.

So we can say TVC is a collector focused line on vintage inspired packaging that includes premium sculpting, engineering (& articulation), and paint applications (deco) resulting in a definitive action figure version of character from Star Wars.

TVC is not just a Toy line, it’s a collector toy line. TVC attempts to make something as close as possible to the thing it represents and Hasbro is challenged with adding the latest engineering and articulation techniques to allow dynamic realistic poses. They are challenged with matching sculpting likeness to the actor/character using advanced digital sculpting techniques including photo real paint applications on the smallest of forms in 3.75″. That segways into paint deco which hopes to match the character and outfit as close as possible including weathering, and washes. Vehicles, Figures, Creatures, and Playsets without their washes and weathering do not feel collector grade. The feel more toy than collectible.

So let’s breakdown the 5 key attributes to qualify any plastic thing as TVC.

Vintage-inspired packaging is integral to the line. It’s just as important as the action figure. A lot of people have said it before me, but the black-and-silver cards—black cards with silver racetracks, double racetracks, however you want to put it—are hands down the most iconic packaging in toy history. Not just for nostalgia, but for the overall look and feel. It’s been copied over and over again by other toy and collectible companies because they know how special it really is.

Here’s a recent example of how both the packaging and the figure pay tribute to the 1978 Kenner Luke Skywalker. One of the original twelve figures, it nails everything from the double racetrack, logo, and bubble, to the Hildebrandt artwork of Luke and Leia. Nostalgia…mmm nostalgia.

It’s a challenge Hasbro has taken head-on: trying to pack as much detail as possible into such a small form while still staying within wall-thickness guidelines, so those details can actually come through the tooling and injection molding process. The smaller you go, the less detail makes it out.

This Leia uses a soft vinyl lower dress that keeps the aesthetics sharp, but it does limit the functionality of her super-articulated lower body. Still, the sculpting is uncanny—from her hair and likeness, to the hood-on/hood-off options, to the folds of her dress. I think Carrie Fisher would be proud of this figure and how far the line has come. Photo Real seals the deal… but that’s a paint apps conversation for later.

Designing modern engineering and articulation at such a small scale is no easy task. I imagine it’s a constant balance between range of motion, durability, and aesthetics. VC318 Kanan Jarrus (and HAS05 Kanan Jarrus) nails it, packing in everything a premium 3.75″ figure could ask for from a design and engineering perspective.

Even his barbell hips avoid the usual glaring gaps between thigh and torso. His elbows and knees bend past 90 degrees, and both wrists feature side disc-pivot joints—perfect for a lightsaber wielder. His holster isn’t oversized and works flawlessly with his DL-18 blaster. Oh, and the HAS05 version’s visor clips onto his face effortlessly and actually stays put.

If there’s a checklist for engineering, Kanan is that checklist.

If paint deco were an animal, it’d be on the threatened species list right now. VC186 Boba Fett is an absolute deco masterpiece—one that may never be rivaled in a mainline, regular-priced release. The only thing that even comes close is the Deluxe Sabine Wren at $49.99 (with a Chopper repaint), but that’s at a much higher MSRP.

VC186 is covered in infinite paint applications and an abundance of paint breaks—all of which increase paint material, labor, and factory time costs. That’s exactly why this figure feels irreplaceable to me, and why I’d say it represents The Vintage Collection better than almost any other release.

This is the definition of TVC quality. Without all of these details, it wouldn’t be definitive; it wouldn’t be premium.

There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to world-building. To me, it’s more than just offering vehicles, creatures, and playsets alongside the figures. Figures themselves make up about 50% of world-building. It’s not only about having the right vehicles, creatures, and playsets to complement them—it’s also about character depth.

We need those secondary, and tertiary, characters to flesh out scenes for display or dioramas. That’s what made the Kenner line so special: your Walrus Man, Hammerheads, Jawas, and Squid Heads rounded things out and gave the line, and the world, a sense of completeness.

So yes, instead of pointing to a ship, creature, or playset, I’m presenting Velken Tezeri as my world-building example. He fills the glaring gap on our prisoner skiffs and made a glorious 3.75″ debut alongside Taym Dren-Garen.

Don’t worry—below I’ll get to a vehicle that ties together all the attributes that make up the composition of The Vintage Collection.

So these attributes in premium form – sculpting, articulation, paint deco, world-building, and vintage packaging are the requirements for these plastic items to be called TVC. That is the formula for this 3.75″ line and without any one of those 5 then it’s not TVC.

Currently, the LAAT/i Gunship HasLab offering checks all of these requirements. It has premium sculpting at a proper scale with a tremendous amount of detail. It possesses advanced engineering from soft opening side bay doors, to ball turrets that properly articulate into their correct holding positions, and missile chambers that revolve. Thank the paint gods for premium deco that has layers upon layers of deco, to various painted panels, to weathering and washes in every nook and cranny. I can’t wait to see this thing on Saturday at RedFive Toys & Collectibles and preview all of these deco details.

Recently I’ve been disappointed in the lack of paint deco to figures (deluxe figures too), the Streets of Mos Eisley playset, and even the prior two HasLabs – Cantina & Ghost. The lack of paint apps take away from the premium-ness of the item, they look “plasticky”, and they appear to be just a toy, and do not look like a premium collectible toy. When I pay a premium for something then I want all the premium attributes and the Gunship has that.

While I don’t want to go into the business side of things, Hasbro is a for profit company, they have expenses to settle and profit requirements otherwise they would cease to stay in business. Yes, prices for many things we buy are going up, up, and up. From necessities to these items which are are not necessities and considered luxury goods. It seems Hasbro may have heard feedback about lack of paint deco and is trying to adhere to their standards for TVC. If these reasons drove the price of the Gunship to $449.99 then that’s what it takes and I’ll support it since it checks all the boxes for what the expression requires. Oh and for all of the reasons described in this article, it also means the current gunship I own is not good enough and I want one that is TVC level.

Below are some examples of the deco, specifically the weathering and washes. Also the scale, sculpting, and engineering that Chris Reiff, principal designer, states gives it a studio model likeness.

And here’s the official gallery! If you’re going to back this then don’t wait. Back it now so we get closer to funding and crush the tier unlocks.