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In order to produce better quality items, and for numerous other reasons, some toys or packages are improved and updated, even though production has started. This results in variations for a same action figure, these variations are well-known by collectors and makes second-market prices goes up.

The most known packaging variation concerns the same cards released with the character’s photo or hologram, but this one was meant to be. For the rest, packaging variations comes from Collection mistakes with the different waves (for example Grand Moff Tarkin initially released on Collection 2 instead of 3), mistakes with the character’s names spelling (like “Sealt Marie” for Yak Face instead of “Sealt Marae”),

character’s detail updates, or stickers updates (like Solo Carbonite). There are also very minimal errors which concerns only a title or misplaced copyrights, as for the “Final Jedi Duel” Cinema Scene.

Toys variations are represented by colors variations, or other modifications affecting the action figures and accessories molds. These kind of variations are made after production has began, for a few main reasons.

First, we can find the voluntary variation : designers find that the toy playability can be improved with a minor change (like open and closed hands) or that the toy’s realism can be improved with a new color scheme, or that a color used on the toy (for a clothing or accessory) does not match the real outfit in the movie. Then, there are involuntaty variations due to a bad adjustment of the tools from the manufacturing process involving malformations, bad hues or absence of painting, the most notorious case being Boba Fett. The third kind is the variation for safety reasons, due to tiny parts or projectiles being too dangerous for children. 

Molds and accessories updates started with the beginning of the line in 1995 with the revised lightsaber length, but also Princess Leia’s belt (with 2 or 3 bands). Then, several action figures were relased with one hand closed, then opened. The Boba Fett action figure totalize lots of color variations and missing decorations/emblems, but some other figures have seen their color changed like Luke Jedi and Ponda Baba.

The following waves 1997-98 were pretty good and almost all variations occured only on packaging. The Flashback wave had a very rare variation located on the Amidala picture and the CommTech Classic line had also two major variations, the first one with the Gonk droid’s holes in feet, and the second with R2-D2 hologram pin-joint. The Episode I also has its number of variations but they are fewer than the Classic Trilogy lines.

Action figure cards backs differs and evolves with the different waves. Each card features approximatively the same data : a character’s shot from the movie, some description and information, and pictures from other toys of the same wave. Moreover, some cards have promotional material printed on the card or added with a sticker. For more information about the 1995+ cardbacks, please refer to the corresponding article on the Star Wars Archive.

In addition to action figures sold individually, a few other collections featuring action figures not sold on individual cards have been released. Most of these collections are limited to one wave because they were not best-sellers or were badly distributed, except for the Cinema Scene collection which went through several waves. Here is a detail of these collections : The 2-packs (like the famous IG-88 & Vader), Deluxe-packs (one action figure with a big accessory), Power-FX packs (one battery activated action figure, like Luke with his light-up saber),

Cinema Scene 3-packs (three action figures packaged with a backdrop to represent a scene taken from a movie), Gunner Stations (one action figure in its vehicule cockpit), Millenium Coins (a non-exclusive action figure packaged with a metal coin, exact reproduction of the 1985 POTF coins), the Complete Galaxies (action figure with accessories packaged in a globe representing its native planet), or the Max Rebo band pairs. Some of these special packs includes figures in postures not available in other packaging nor collections.

There are also exclusives and limited action figures which are available thru different promotions (coupons, partners, Fan Club, internet site, mail rebates...). The first exclusives were mostly released for premium food and were packaged under plastic baggie into a plain white box. The following exclusives were packaged using the same design as the mass-production figures, or directly with standard type cards. Finally, some exclusive action figures can be found with ships, sometimes themselves exclusives to some stores, like the Tatooine Skiff.

During the vintage era, between 1978 and 1985, female characters, although requested by fans and collectors, were limited to a few versions of Princess Leia in different outfits. The most wanted female action figure was Leia as Jabba’s Slave but was never produced nor planned for release.

Kenner fixed this lack in september 1997, and seeing the success of female characters, Kenner decided to go further in that way. Although the major part of the female line is restricted to Leia in different postures and outfits, Kenner has released lots of female major and secondary characters like Mon Mothma, the Jabba’s dancers Cinema Scene, Mara Jade, Oola and Aunt Beru. This new strategy is also applied to prequels and Episode I with Queen Amidala, Padmé, Adi Galia or Shmi.

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