Brian and I never really planned for what to do in the event of a tie, so we have improvised. After flipping a coin, we determined that Tessek is the winner!

Brian will start working on sculpting, with the goal of having these available as a free giveaway at Celebration VI. By the time we get around to Return of the Jedi characters again, I’m sure Oola will make another strong showing!

Our very first figure was Lobot and our second was the aforementioned Hammerhead, so naturally we’re moving to the closing chapter of the saga – Return of the Jedi! This time around we’re giving you ten characters to choose from. Like the A New Hope poll, there are a few heroic humans and a medley of monstrous villains. Voting will be open for TWO WEEKS ONLY, and assuming Brian’s sculpting and production process goes according to plan, we are aiming to give these figures away in some fashion at Celebration VI in August 2012, in Orlando, Florida!

The sultry green-skinned Oola was easy on the eyes, but couldn’t charm Jabba enough to prevent her from meeting an unfortunate demise at the hands of the Rancor. This figure would fit perfectly in the R2-D2 / Jabba’s Palace Transforming Action Set.

Mon Mothma, leader of the ragtag Rebellion, left an indelible impression on Star Wars fans, despite having very little dialogue or merchandise with her image. She’s the mother figure you never wanted to disappoint, and fortunately she succeeded, along with General Madine, in destroying the dreaded second Death Star. An Action Fleet version of Mon Mothma was included in the green A-Wing vehicle, and you can see Madine in the background of the Admiral Ackbar Mini-Head Transforming Playset. Either of these characters would make a great companion to the two Ackbar Micro Machines figures that Galoob produced.

You may remember Barada from the vintage Kenner action figure, and from Action Fleet Battle Pack #6 – Dune Sea. This colorful character is the first of several skiff guards to appear in our poll.

Vizam, a Nikto alien, is best remembered for taking easy pot-shots at our escaping heroes from his perch atop the Sail Barge.

Here’s a fun fact about Jabba’s droid EV-9D9: she was voiced by Return of the Jedi’s director, Richard Marquand! An Action Fleet-scale version of this sadistic character was included in the Micro Machines: Droids multipack, but a Micro Machines-scale figure would be most welcome.

Tessek, or Squid Head to you old-school fans, was Jabba’s accountant, though naturally he tried to sequester some of that wealth for himself. He even conspired with Ree-Yees to have Jabba killed! Both of these iconic aliens appear in Jabba’s Palace and in the Sail Barge, and have only a few action figures in their likenesses. Neither have appeared as Micro Machines or Action Fleet figures.

Our penultimate skiff guard is Klaatu as he appeared on the deck of Jabba’s Sail Barge. With him on the board we’ve completed the classic phrase “Klaatu Barada Nikto” – bonus points for knowing what movie that is from! This alien was for awhile known as Yotts Oren.

Finally, we have a human skiff guard, Taym Dren-garen. He holds the distinction of achieving something no Stormtrooper ever could – he actually shot Luke Skywalker! That one shot to the hand guaranteed that he would quickly meet the business end of a lightsaber. To my knowledge, no toy of Taym has ever been made.

Voting will be open from now until January 2, 2012. Consider your choice carefully and cast your vote below!

The Complete Vader is a comprehensive, detailed, and above-all massively entertaining book all about the premiere Dark Lord of the Sith. Written by Ryder Windham, longtime friend of this site, and Pete Vilmur, this book covers everything Vader. You’ll learn all about the history of the greatest film villain ever, from his genesis, to his cultural impact, to the wealth of Vader collectibles which have captured his dark visage.

This hardcover book features numerous gatefolds and removable paper pieces, much like the Star Wars Vault, by Steve Sansweet and Pete Vilmur, making it a collectible in its own right. This is absolutely a must-have book for any Star Wars fan, but particularly for you Galoob collectors out there. Several Micro Machines and Action Fleet toys are mentioned and pictured, but perhaps most significantly, the book features a lovely reproduction of Ralph McQuarrie’s artwork for the Action Fleet Death Star playset. Aside from a rare art print sold only at a few conventions, this is the only way to obtain this artwork without the packaging graphics.

Here’s hoping The Complete Vader finds its way into your stocking this holiday season!

Both mom and baby are doing great, though our lives have changed quite a bit. I’m not going to be posting much in the next few months; that’s partly due to the little Ewok pictured above, and also due to a major project I’m working on. More will be revealed soon!

Meanwhile, although this has nothing to do with Star Wars or Micro Machines or even babies, check out my latest craft project: The Cat TARDIS!

Leo Laporte‘s TWiT (This Week in Tech) network of shows provides a number of excellent audio & video programs about what’s new in the world of technology. They recently completed building an all-new recording studio. Sharp-eyed viewers, like my friend Eric Geller of The ForceCast, have spotted a few Star Wars toys in the studio background.

Behind host Tom Merritt you’ll see the Action Fleet Death Star Playset, and the Micro Machines Millennium Falcon Playset, along with a Hasbro TIE Fighter. The Falcon looks to be missing its cockpit canopy; perhaps it was a garage sale find?

This photo is from ForceCast.Net; be sure to check out the original post for more photos of Star Wars toys in the new TWiT studio.

Jennifer created the perfect accessory to her Death Star dress by re-purposing an Action Fleet TIE Interceptor as an adorable hair bow.

Be sure to click the pics and read the full interview with Jennifer at starwars.com for more information and pictures of her formidably fantastic fashion feat! These pictures are from the official Star Wars Blog.

Galoob had ample experience with gold-plated exclusives; several of their Micro Machines cars were offered in gold-plated mail-away versions. As a cost-saving measure, the Gold Classic Series simply reused vehicle molds from the diecast line, with the exception of the new Imperial Emblem. It’s not known why Series II included that emblem instead of another ship; a Death Star rendered in gold would surely have looked impressive. These sets were advertised in specialty and trade magazines; here is a scan from Star Wars Insider issue 31, offering Series III for $99. The very same issue includes a half-page ad from FAO Schwartz featuring Series II for a mere $75 – what a bargain! The market for Star Wars merchandise was booming in the mid 1990′s, particularly for the older Kenner toys. Some of those 1970′s action figures sold for several hundreds of dollars on the secondary market. The Gold Classic Series, marketed through specialty magazines like the Star Wars Insider, was clearly intended to appeal to profit-minded collectors. Obviously, if a common $2 figure could sell for $100 in 20 years, surely these limited, gold-plated treasures would someday be worth THOUSANDS! Such heady dreams would not come to pass.

Even before the Star Wars toy market precipitously declined in the wake of the Episode 1 merchandising glut, the Gold Classic Series found an ignoble end. By the late 90′s, leftover stock of all three wound up in the clearance bin of KB Toys for a fraction of their original cost. As befitting virtually all high-end collectibles, the package also contained a certificate of authenticity, complete with simulated autograph of . Here’s the one that was included with Series I. The text describing the Slave 1 is remarkably prescient, considering Episode II was still six years away.The Gold Classic Series was not the greatest commercial success. They look attractive on a shelf, but even during the late 90′s Star Wars merchandising gold rush (pardon the pun), $99 was an extremely high price to pay for what amounts to two repaints.