It had been about ten years since the end of the Kenner line/Power Of The Force/Droids/Ewoks. I had been collecting carded comic based figures for a few years. At the time, there were Star Wars novels and Dark Horse comics, Topps trading card, Bend-Em's, Kenner's die-cast 'Action Masters'. and maybe Micro Machines(?)'; although, there were rumors of a 'commemorative' line.
In March 1995, I walked into my local comic shop, flipped through the latest 'Diamond' catalog, and there they were, The Power Of The Force (2) figures (Masters Of The Galaxy Far, Far, Away, lol). By August, a friend and I finally found some leftovers (R2 and Chewie, I think), and last stop of the night, at that. Over the next few weeks, we found the others, including the harder to find C-3PO and Leia (said to be recalled?!?), as well as the redecoed Landspeeder, X-Wing, TIE, Falcon, and AT-ST?! With the mail-n Han Solo in Stormtrooper disguise (Froot Loops) and 'Spirit Of Obi-Wan (Lays Chips), we realized this was more than just a recreation of the original line.
By late 95/early 96, the next waves were previewed; Boba Fett, Luke (Snowspeeder pilot) and Lando, as well as Han Solo (Hoth), Dagobah Luke, and Yoda). Around this time, there was also a 4 pack of 'original' figures.
As the line transitioned from orange to green packaging, there were a number of variations, from long/short blades/trays and holostickers to open closed hands and deco changes.
1996 also brought
Shadows Of The Empire (the multi-media event for a movie that never existed), as well as the Expanded Universe wave, with Thrawn, Mara Jade and more,
While the line has seen so much improvement over the years, in sculpting, articulation, and deco I must admit, I still use some of these early figures in displays. That '97-ish Emperor stands next to my ROTS Vader; Garindan, Hammerhead, and other random aliens still fill the background of scenes.
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