Grand Moff Tarkin

Grand Moff Tarkin was the first “new” character made into an action figure since the vintage Kenner toy line, a fact proudly announced on the front of the card.

Check out the Holo sticker on the card. These denoted later releases, and often had a “.01” added to the end of their serial number. The foil sticker was easily removed. However as collectors at the time, any silly variant sent us into a frenzy.

While it was great to finally get Tarkin as a figure, it’s kind of a terrible figure. Kenner was still trying to make “heroic” sculpts, but with an aging Peter Cushing playing the role, it was hard to pull off. His outfit looks odd – too big around the neck, the stance too wide, and a weird gap at the crotch. We really just wanted a neutral pose Tarkin to stand next to vader. We got this.

Remember that time Tarkin had a blaster in each hand and fired them Chow-Yun Fat style? Me neither.

It was a weird time in Star Wars collecting.