Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive

by Stephen J. Sansweet

Book Overview

A comprehensive book for the legions who collect miniature figures of Princess Leia, Han Solo, Yoda, and all of the other "Star Wars" figures. 2000+ color photos. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811822796
• ISBN13: 9780811822794
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (CA)
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.3" x 11.7"

Customer Reviews

Great book!

The best part is that this is a REFERENCE BOOK, not a price guide. Thus, it contains tons of TIMELESS information, but no bogus or outdated prices. I recently ordered and read seven price guides and reference books dealing with vintage Star Wars figures (and numerous other collectible figures), and this is by far the best of the bunch. It shows a picture of every vintage figure from numerous angles, it shows numerous figure variations, it shows EVERY card variations for EVERY figure, and it identifies the weapons and accessories that originally came with each figure. It also shows all vintage play sets and mail in promotions (though unfortunately it does not provide quite as much information about these). It also does a nice job covering early POTF figures, and more recent figures from the mid to late 90s. And, EVERYTHING IS IN FULL COLOR ON HIGH QUALITY PAPER! If you're looking for a price guide, this is not the book for you. But, if you are looking for an outstanding reference book dealing with vintage Star Wars action figures, you will not be disappointed with this book. In fact, I actually ordered a second copy for myself in case my first one gets damaged with use!

A trip down memory lane

For a lot of people, Star Wars figures were a big part of their childhood memories. So much so in some cases that as adults we find ourselves unable to resist the temptation to buy some of the new figures too. This book includes a number of rare figures, variations of particular figures--and stretches chronologically up to 1998. This book is a "coffee-table" type book that is VERY complete and very high quality. The pictures of both the figures and movie shots of the characters are visually stunning. This was a well thought-out book.

Action Figures In Action!

Going all the away up to the end of 1998 and therefore missing all of the Episode One figures and new specialities such as the sail-barge skiff and Stormtrooper with blaster-rifle rack, this is nevertheless the ultimate figure guide. Forget the rest. Continuous fans (who kept the original figures from childhood) to lapsed fans (who had them all, but sold/gave them away) to new fans, this is for you, one and all. Figure histories, oddities, facts and figures, production runs, special campaigns, cards variations: I was extremely impressed with the book and its contents. Each figure gets full-colour treatment accompanied by stills from the various films (reproduced as "evidence") every detail is there: from equipment to weapons. I particularly liked the "rogues gallery" at the beginning where every figure in the original and the later ranges are reproduced in miniature to compare and contrast. This book will have been drooling over figures you desire or mourning over lost, once owned treasures. Get your wallet out now and check you credit limits. Once you get this book you will be hitting every Star Wars store you can find to buy (or re-buy) those essential figures. Would make a great present.

The book is not a critique....

I was reading the reviews and it totally baffles me...this book is not a critique of action figures...of course it's BIASED...it was written by someone who has his paychecks signed by Lucas himself! But really what it comes down to, it that this is a book of beautifuly photographed TOYS. The reason that there isn't much text is because the PICTURES do most of the talking and that is just fine with me. Sitting on the coffee tables of some people are books of houses, buildings, paintings or whatever...I would be proud to display this book, it shows these little pieces of colored plastic as art.

Hey! I forgot about that figure! Fun, well designed guide.

Cool book. Its great to flip through this nicely designed tome every now and then, if nothing else than to marvel at how many figures I don't have. Includes the complete run of the 70s and 80s figures and most of the current figures, to just before the "Flashback" figure wave, the one in which Aunt Beru, Hoth Chewbacca, etc. were released. Has information on figure variations (one figure of the same character might have different "mistakes" from one to another - one might have an open hand or a closed hand, a different colored backpack, for example) and a bit about each character's role in the movies. Great photos (reveal details about figures I hadn't noticed before - Garindan (Long Snoot) holds a commlink, for example) and is a nice testament to the hard-workin', under-appreciated sculptors over at Kenner and now Hasbro. (You know that this book sits on their office bookshelves...) Buy this book if you want to reminisce (Hey, I forgot I had that figure!) or if you want to use it as a guide for which figures you want to snap up to complete your collection. Nicely done, Sansweet and Ling.