A Star Wars collector’s review

Introduction

In 2022 Jazwares announced a new line of small scale toy ships and vehicles from the Star Wars franchise called Micro Galaxy Squadron.

The line features screen accurate replicas of the ships and vehicles from across the entire saga, as well as from the live action series’.

Each ship or vehicle has different play features like moving parts and removable panels, as well as detailed interiors.

The toys are scaled relative to each other, in order to reflect their sizes in real life. Most of them range from 1/50 to 1/200 in scale.

They also include at least one mini figure with two points of articulation, and stand roughly one inch in height, or 1/72 scale.

A few of the larger play sets like the Millennium Falcon and AT-AT feature electronic lights and sound effects, which add to the fun of the line.

Since it’s launch, and at the time of this writing, the Micro Galaxy Squadron has released four waves that total over one hundred ships and vehicles to date.

Several of these are a re-release as a battle pack or a variant of some sort. There are also rare and chase variants in limited numbers, making them highly sought after by collectors.

The line has received mostly positive reviews, with it often being compared to the Galoob Action Fleet line from the mid nineties.

Small Beginnings

The most notable feature of the Micro Galaxy Squadron is its size; they are small scale toys intended for display on a shelf or a table top.

They are larger than gaming miniatures, but smaller than the 3.75 scale toys from Kenner and Hasbro.

This presents collectors with an opportunity to own ships and vehicles from Star Wars that may not be otherwise feasible or practical due to their size.

As a professional toy photographer I see the potential to utilize the Micro Galaxy Squadron as a background element, in composite mixed scale shots.

Pros and cons

The Micro Galaxy Squadron are as nice as they look, and even more so in person. Seeing them in pics or videos does not do them justice.

That attraction to the line is tempered though, by the limitations of how they can be used, as well as by their cost.

If you are into building dioramas and toy photography as I am, then there really is no limit to what you can do with the toys in this line.

You can do mix scaled compositions, or space based battle scenes. What you can’t do is use 3.75 scale action figures in macro shots with them.

What I’m referring to is using the Micro Galaxy Squadron vehicles and ships as a backdrop for close ups with the action figures.

Due to their scale you’re limited in how you can integrate the 1:18 scale figures into a shot with them.

You certainly can’t use the 1:18 scale figures in a diorama with them, unless again you’re building a mixed scale composition, with the position of the toys meant to infer their distance from each other.

For close up shots of figures sitting in the cockpit of a fighter, or egressing from a speeder, you have to turn back to the 3.75 scale ships and vehicles by Hasbro.

The quality of the toys is excellent, with very little in the way of quality control issues to make mention of.

Cost is somewhat of a factor with this line, depending upon what you want, and the quantity. Smaller ships like the starfighters cost around fifteen dollars each, while the largest vehicles cost sixty dollars.

The exclusive battle packs and boxed sets are also more expensive than their standard release variants found at mass retail.

Conclusions

There’s no doubt that the Micro Galaxy Squadron is a great line with a lot of potential, but Is it right for you? That really depends upon what you want to do with them.

As a stand alone assortment they’ve quickly become my favorite line to collect, because I can buy the ships and vehicles that I’ve always wanted, at an affordable cost.

As a background element for my photographs, I find that they are a necessity, as they give an added sense of realism that would otherwise be lacking.

The line is a fan favorite, and their value is certain to exponentially increase over time, particularly as certain models are retired, while others like the chase variants cease to be found in the wild.

Overall the Micro Galaxy Squadron is in my opinion one of the best Star Wars collectible assortments to be released in a long time, and it’s a worthy part of the galaxy, far, far away.

A missed opportunity to become the galaxy’s first spaghetti western

It’s no secret that George Lucas took inspiration for Star Wars from the Saturday spaghetti westerns that he watched in cinemas growing up.

Gunsmoke and The Rifleman are two examples that I grew up with, and still watch to this day. So what makes these shows such a success? And what inspiration can be taken from them?

To begin when you look at these shows and others from their time, you see the traditional good guy versus bad guy trope.

You also had an ethical and family friendly show that everyone could watch and enjoy. Unlike in modern times, television networks back then had ethical and moral standards that they abode by.

You also had a different story each week, which helped maintain the appeal of the shows to a diverse audience, which in turn helped to maintain the ratings.

Each episode though different, usually saw the hero in dire situations, facing bad guy(s) out to do wrong. They would have to develop a plan to beat them, and restore the order and the peace of the town.

That is what Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, and many other shows of that era were about: portraying family values taught through morality and virtue.

So we can see that at the time, what was considered normal for a spaghetti western, is the exception and not the norm in today’s television and movie industry.

Today the studios and writers rely upon attempts to recycle past time favorites, in an effort to recreate them for modern audiences.

Their goal however, isn’t making family friendly and wholesome entertainment; It is entirely profit driven, at the sacrifice of creativity and originality.

So how do these lessons from the early days of television apply to The Mandalorian? To begin, let’s look at a scene from Chapter One of the very first season.

In the very beginning of the very first episode, we see this unknown Mandalorian walk up to an arctic village, and stand in the doorway of a far away galactic saloon.

He sizes up the occupants before making his way to the bar, where an epic showdown ensues. This one scene could have carried the entire series into greatness.

It was a direct call back to those old time spaghetti westerns, as well as to the scenes from A New Hope. In that one moment, we had the atmosphere and the setting that Star Wars was known for.

There were other scenes throughout the series that still captured the essence of the lone gunslinger, but Lucasfilm had other ideas, which forever ruined this series, without most people even realizing it.

The Mandalorian had the potential to become a truly unique series within the Star Wars franchise, with their very own galactic gunslinger spaghetti western set in space!

That opportunity however, was dismissed in favor of profit, and pleasing the fans. So where did the show go south?

From the very beginning, The Mandalorian was condemned to failure, when it introduced a little green, glob of snot named Grogu.

Rather than have a different story each week, with a different bad guy, Lucasfilm made the same mistake that it always does, by trying to weave a common plot into all of It’s shows.

Rather than allow The Mandalorian to stand on his own two feet, he became an intergalactic baby sitter. It was the most detracting aspect of the entire series.

There was no need for them to tie-in this series to anything, but they chose to do so anyway. In doing this they limited the potential of the show, by controlling what the fans and viewers were drawn to.

Rather than using the Mandalorian himself to drive the show through his strict warrior’s code, the studio chose to use a macguffin in the form of Grogu.

Grogu is nothing more than a fifty thousand dollar marketing tool to get you to buy his merchandise; plain and simple.

His actions every week in the series were quite frankly embarrassing, and a cause for me personally to unsubscribe from Disney Plus.

And there lies the problem with the Disney-era Star Wars franchise. It’s no longer about telling a story; it’s all marketed to become a profit driven platform for the company.

If The Mandalorian had followed the model of those old spaghetti westerns, we would have seen our anti- hero go up against a different bad guy every week.

The episodes would stand on their own, with no connection to the larger Star Wars universe. It would have been an episodic journey that sought to differentiate and invent, rather than to conform.

Unfortunately no such creative liberties were taken with this series, or any other produced by Lucasfilm under the Disney regime. Instead, we were left with a confusing and weird approach to story telling.

The Mandalorian had all of the potential to become great, by ignoring fan service, and seeking to follow the old dusty trail of storytelling from a bygone era.

So you can see how their attempts and efforts to build a continuous plot thread across thousands of years has resulted in many missed opportunities.

Not every thing within Star Wars has to be told; not every missing piece needs to be found; Sometimes it’s best to allow ambiguity It’s place in a story, and leave the rest to the imagination of the viewers.

Somewhere in the Northern highlands of Bothawui, two operators from the Rebel Alliance traverse across mountainous terrain in the freezing cold of winter.

They are being hunted by Imperial forces across the continent, who have no idea who they are looking for.

All they know is that someone is responsible for the deaths of dozens of Imperial spies, and they have left no trace of evidence behind.

What the Imperial Garrison on Bothawui isn’t aware of, is the fact that they are pursuing members of the Alliance SpecForces.

These are highly skilled and trained operators who specialize in surgical shooting. They are experts in asymmetric warfare, close quarters combat, and unconventional tactics.

They have been operating alone on the planet for months, disrupting the activity of the Imperial Security Bureau, or ISB.

Their mission is to eliminate High Value Targets, or HVTs, operating for the Empire, and to intercept intelligence on Imperial operations.

Having succeeded, they have recently become compromised by the loss of a local contact, and are now moving to a pre-determined extraction point for pick up.

The success of missions like this are contingent upon the experience, knowledge, skills, and training of the individual operator.

Often these missions require SpecForces to operate alone, or in small teams behind enemy lines for extended periods of time.

They must be able to adapt to dynamic environments and situations, while making decisions on their own, under stress.

It requires a level of discipline and maturity that each candidate must already possess long before they reach selection.

The Assessment and Selection course for the SpecForces begins on a back water world, far in the Outer Rim, away from the prying eyes of the Empire.

Here, candidates have been assembled for the first time, arriving from their respective commands from across the galaxy.

Two hundred soldiers from across the ranks of the Alliance are bunked in portable barracks out in the middle of a barren wilderness.

Their introduction to selection begins with an informal brieifng by the cadre’, whom say no more to the candidates than what is required.

The shock of informality is more than many can handle, as they have grown accustomed to the disciplined lifestyle of the rank-and-file forces.

Their reliance upon rigid discipline, tight schedules, and fixed methods soon comes unraveled in the silence of selection.

Here there are no instructors barking commands, detonating pyrotechnics, or simulating attacks. There is only a holo board outside of the barracks with a location and time for the next event.

Many have no idea what to expect, and fewer still are able to accept that as the new norm.

Selection begins on day one with a standardized physical fitness test and surprisingly, this as far as some will get.

The others will move on to more intense pain and suffering, designed to interpret their commitment to such austere conditions.

Four man patrols are forced to carry two-hundred-kilogram logs as they run up and down nearby hillsides in the cold mountains.

They ford nearby streams with their burden on their shoulders, as they are forced to continue moving towards their next objective.

There is no screaming or yelling from the Cadre’; there is no encouragement or support offered. Only calm and concise instructions, followed by silence.

They move alongside the candidates, watching each one carefully, and deciphering who will make it, and who will not.

They pay closer attention to those who are moving in silence, enduring the pain and the stress, with no audible complaint or frustration.

These candidates are probed even further in the days and weeks ahead. As the ruck marches begin, the constant physical exertion takes it toll, as candidates are dropped or quit day by day.

By day twenty-eight only a handful of candidates will remain for the final exercise. They are beyond physical exhaustion and pain, which is ever present.

For these few, they have learned to become comfortable being uncomfortable. They have conditioned themselves to compartmentalize the confusion, exhaustion, and pain.

They have endured several hundred kilometers of forced ruck marches across the mountains day and night, for three consecutive weeks.

They have completed tasks with conditions and standards, while exposed to the unforgiving elements of cold, heat, and freezing water.

Now they must begin their final movement: a forty-kilometer land exercise, while carrying a fifty kilometer rucksack, and a three kilogram rifle, over mountainous terrain.

The candidates know that there is a time limit; they just don’t know what it is. This means that they will be forced to move as quickly as possible throughout the night.

Seventeen hours and a dozen RVs later, only eight candidates of the original two hundred remain, to complete assessment and selection.

Their bodies are on fire with pain, with several having micro fractures in their ankles. The warmth of a campfire and hot food do little to assuage the emotions that they experience.

Though they have survived the physical challenges of selection, the next day will bring them face to face with their peers.

Here they will be subjected to a three-hour psychological interview, conducted by the cadre’ to understand how each person thinks.

Some will be turned away and offered the opportunity to repeat selection in the future. A few are allowed to continue the process and are flown to another site.

There, they will spend the next six months learning how to become the best shooters in the Alliance. They will learn close quarters combat, or CQC.

They will be taught how to use encrypted communications equipment, and how to slice Imperial computer terminals.

They will learn how to infiltrate Imperial facilities, and how to blend in with a planet’s local populace. They will be taught how to call in orbital air strikes, and how to render medical aid.

Half of those who begin their training phase will fail, leaving just two to succeed. They have learned that selection is a never-ending process, and that success is an individual effort.

That process has kept them alive as they skirt across the mountains on Bothawui. They have moved nonstop for hours, remaining below the ridge line in order to conceal their presence from Imperial fighters flying above.

It takes them just twelve hours to make their RV, or rendezvous point. They locate the small freighter, tucked away in the tree line.

As night falls, they remove the camouflage netting draped over the battered ship, and begin their flight back to their Unit.

Their mission complete, they leave as silently as they arrived. There is no boasting, and there is no ego among their ranks; only the need to collapse in a seat and rest.

As the ship takes off, it races across the landscape, before climbing back to the stars. Below, the Imperials are left with more questions than they have answers.

How Lucasfilm destroyed the reputation of the galaxy’s most feared bounty hunter

In 1980 fans got their first glimpse of a character who appeared equally as imposing as Darth Vader.

His silence coupled with his mysterious armor and helmet, made him one of the most intriguing characters in Star Wars lore.

Boba Fett, who was primarily portrayed by Jeremy Bulloch, became an instant fan favorite in both The Empire Strikes Back, and its sequel, Return of the Jedi.

Jeremy based his portrayal of Boba Fett on the Clint Eastwood character of a man with no name, from the Western film A fistful of dollars.

Bulloch used a very methodical and slowed pace of movement for the character, as well as cradling his blaster in his arm, and canting his head to one side. Boba Fett also featured a cape similar to Eastwood’s character.

In The Empire Strikes Back veteran actor Jason Wingreen supplied the voice-over for the few lines spoken by Boba Fett, which established him as a man of few words.

In my opinion, this was and still is the only iteration of the character that should be considered canon. It was original, simple, and it worked then and now.

That isn’t however, how the character began. initially Boba Fett was envisioned by George Lucas as a form of super stormtrooper.

The test shots prior to filming reveal that the armor was originally white, with a light grey body suit. They used heavily modified UZI submachine guns for the blasters.

That was all changed however, and from it came the idea of an intergalactic bounty hunter. The armor was changed to an Olive Green color, the Jetpack was refined, as were the blasters.

Initially there was no back story created by George Lucas for Boba Fett. That would later be written in the 1996 Expanded Universe novel, Tales of the Bounty Hunters, by Kevin J. Anderson.

The book contains a short story entitled, The Last One Standing: A tale of Boba Fett, by Daniel Keys Moran. In it we learn of a man named Jaster Mereel, who is a journeyman protector.

Jaster is the original identity of the man who would later become the bounty Hunter known as Boba Fett. In all honestly it is a much more interesting back story for the character than what it has evolved into.

The story was considered canon until 1999 when Star Wars Attack of the Clones was released. This was in my opinion, the first error made with the character of Boba Fett.

The entire sequence with Jango and Boba in the prequel film was underwhelming. It certainly provided a plausible origin for the clone army, but at the cost of erasing an already established background.

Fast forward to 2012, and we see Lucasfilm transition to a Disney owned franchise, and with it a new era for characters within the Star Wars universe, Boba Fett included.

We get Our first glimpse of Boba Fett in the Disney-era live action continuity, during the season two episode of The Mandalorian, titled The Marshal.

In it, we get a very brief appearance of Boba Fett at the end of the episode, whose face looks scarred, as he watches events unfold from a distance.

We next see Boba Fett in the Season two episode of The Mandalorian entitled The Tragedy. Here, he has tracked Din Djarin to Tython, in order to recover his armor.

In my opinion, this episode featured some of the best acting by Temura Morrison, as well as some incredible action sequences.

Temura specifically incorporated and used traditional Māori fighting techniques in the sequences, and it was unreal.

It gave the character new life and purpose in my opinion, and set up a foundation to continue his story. Unfortunately, we would not see that happen in his own series, The Book of Boba Fett.

Up until 2021 Boba Fett held a reputation as the most feared Bounty Hunter in the galaxy. In the Expanded Universe, his survival of the Sarlacc pit further solidified him as the best in the business.

The Book of Boba Fett however, unraveled all of the intrigue and mystery of the character. The writers sought to fill in the gaps as they do with all of the Disney-era live action Star Wars series.

Instead, they presented Boba Fett as being hopeless and weak. He’s captured by Sand People, whom he eventually goes soft on and tries to learn their ways, in an effort to join their tribe.

They eventually shove a lizard up his nose, which gives him a hallucinogenic vision of a tree in the desert, making him worthy of their tribe.

There’s at least one continuity error in the series, in which Jawas steal Boba Fett’s armor after he escapes the Sarlacc.

They later sell it to Cobb Vanth in Mos Pelgo. Later in the series, Boba Fett flies back to the Sarlacc pit, searching for his armor.

Boba Fett’s ship, a heavily modified Firespray–class patrol vessel named Slave I, also isn’t immune to Disney’s disease.

Rather than honor the ship that captivated fans for decades, Lucasfilm chose to rename it in order to appease the racist woke movement. In the series, as well as in all marketing it is now known as Firespray, or Boba Fett’s starship.

Let me be clear here: The name of Boba Fett’s ship is Slave I; if that offends you, then I’ve done my duty to uphold the legacy of one of my favorite toys of all time!

The finale of The Book of Boba Fett sees Boba Fett riding atop a Rancor to defeat his enemies, while destroying buildings in one of the districts of Mos Espa. It was embarrassing and underwhelming.

The real issue here is that Lucasfilm, the directors, and the writers devolved the character from the galaxy’s most feared bounty hunter, to a fragile old man who needs his own bodyguard to stay alive.

It was a very disappointing attempt at story telling within the Star Wars universe, but that seems to be the norm now rather than the exception.

The other major issue that I have is that Temura has an entirely different style of portraying the character, which is noticeable to anyone who has watched the Original Trilogy.

His accent, his mannerisms, and his posture are all different from those used by Jeremy Bulloch. I think at the least they should have made an effort to maintain that level of continuity to the character.

I think the lesson to be learned here is that there are some things better left alone. Not everything has to be altered or changed in order to appeal to new or younger audiences.

This is a lesson that George Lucas himself did not accept or understand, and that error has been adopted by both Disney and Lucasfilm.

The real issue is that Star Wars itself has been relegated to a marketing tool, where quantity is prioritized over quality.

Where George Lucas used his profits to enable him to continue to tell stories, Disney has used the appeal of the mythos itself to make a profit.

There were some really great moments in The Book of Boba Fett, but ultimately what was presented was less than what the character was established as decades ago.

Boba Fett deserves to keep his rightful place in the galaxy, and if he’s going to retire, it needs to be with dignity and respect, and not as a wounded old man.