The Ups and Downs of Being a Star Wars Collector

It’s hard to believe this, but 34 years after I was given my first Kenner Star Wars action figures – R2-D2 and C-3PO – and a Landspeeder for my 15th birthday, I’m still one of those geeky guys who buys collectibles based on the characters, vehicles, creatures and locations shown in George Lucas’s space-fantasy saga.

Several years ago, for instance, my neighbor Maria drove my mom and me to the Mall of the Americas to go pick up my new prescription glasses. I didn’t plan on going on a major shopping trip – what with the economic slowdown, my shaky finances and all – so I left my credit card at home. However, I did take a $20 bill given to me on my birthday just in case I had a chance to browse around for an inexpensive DVD or music CD.

Because I have been collecting Star Wars figures since I was in junior high (middle school to younger readers or people unfamiliar with the designation), I also harbored a slim chance that the KB Toys store at the Mall of the Americas still existed. After all, the chain had declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy and, like Linens-N-Things, was supposedly going out of business. Maybe it wasn’t too late and I’d find at least a “peg warmer” figure from Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Legacy Collection.

As it turned out, I was too late. KB Toys was not “supposedly” going out of business; it had already done so, and the space it had occupied in the mall was now vacant, with a FOR LEASE sign displayed all over the front and its security doors closed. If any figures had been available during the going out of business sale, there were none now. All the Star Wars collectibles had been snatched up by eager collectors or scalpers.

Well, I thought, that’s that. I’ll have to go online one of these days and go on a virtual “figure run” when I can afford it.

Luckily for me, Maria wanted to stop by the Circuit City store closest to our neighborhood; the now-defunct electronics chain was finalizing its liquidation sale and Maria wanted to see if there were any bargains to be had. I sort of did, too, so we wandered around the few remaining shelves – mostly stocked with unpopular PC games and DVDs that no one wanted - for a few minutes.

In that same shopping mall there’s also a Wal-Mart store, and though I was sure that there wouldn’t be too many good Star Wars collectibles on stock, there bound to be a few. After all, I had purchased a TIE Bomber and both Trash Compactor Screen Scenes in Wal-Marts in Miami and Tampa over the years.

After a fruitless detour to the Movies section just in case a good DVD was to be had for less than $20, I headed off – a bit self-consciously, I might add – to the Toys and Games Department. I hadn’t been there since 2003, so initially I lost my bearings, ending up first in a section devoted to Barbie, then in another which featured comic book-derived toys and figures.

Finally, at the end of one aisle, I saw the Star Wars subsection of the Toy and Games department. As I expected, it was not as nicely stocked as I’d have wished, but there were a few Star Wars: The Legacy Collection items to choose from.

Because my collection is rather short on items from either Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith or the various Clone Wars franchises, I looked for clone trooper figures, figures of Anakin Skywalker/young Darth Vader, or even the new Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, but I didn’t find any . Nor were there any really interesting Cinema Scenes or Battle Packs.

There were, however, several Star Wars Comics Packs, which consist of a “bundle” made up by two figures and a reprint issue of one of the Dark Horse Star Wars comic books. I opted for the Grand Admiral Thrawn & Talon Karrde/Heir to the Empire Comics Pack, mainly because I have Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy of novels.

I still felt a bit self-conscious about walking to the cash register with my newest find, but I couldn’t help it. It might seem a bit insane and something straight out of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, but I still get a kick out of being a Star Wars figure collector.

Now, if only I could get more shelves…..