Millennium Falcon Carry Case/Wedge Antilles - POTF2 [R/G] - Miscellaneous

Just like the vintage Kenner era, the people at Kenner/Hasbro felt that the modern Star Wars line needed something to give collectors to allow them to store their action figures. The first collectors’ case was nothing more than a box with a tray, and it didn’t keep the figures separate from one another, or keep things organized. So, they decided to develop a whole new take for carry cases and went with the conceptual design of the Millennium Falcon, which allowed for a more practical way of storing action figures. For $19.99, collectors received a Millennium Falcon-shaped carry case with the capacity for storing 18 action figures, a decal sheet, and the reason to buy this set at all. That would be a pack-in Wedge Antilles figure that was based on the character’s appearance in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Yeah, we don't understand the connection of Wedge Antilles to the Millennium Falcon, but it is what it is. There was only one problem with the first batch of these produced. Kenner/Hasbro decorated Wedge Antilles’ helmet like Luke Skywalker’s. So, we essentially got a Wedge Antilles figure in Luke Skywalker disguise.

Thankfully, Kenner/Hasbro was quite quick with updating the figure and getting revised versions of the set out to retail. Soon, the Luke Skywalker-ish Wedge Antilles became the chase figure variation of the year. Collectors tried to buy as many of them as they could for future investing. Eventually, “carded” samples of the error figure began showing up overseas and on eBay, and it became more common than the corrected version. It appears, and this is simply supposition, that Kenner/Hasbro caught onto the mistake early on and held back the “incorrect” figures, then later decided to sell them off somewhere. Or perhaps they were “rescued” from the garbage at the factory level and scooped up by online resellers. No matter what transpired, the error Wedge Antilles is a common action figure by today’s standards. We show both versions of the figure in our Photo Gallery. Based on 1995’s POTF2 [R/G] Luke Skywalker (In X-wing Fighter Pilot Gear), Kenner/Hasbro completely repainted the figure and then gave it an all-new head sculpt. The likeness is decent, but not perfect. Collectors should be satisfied, however.

As a basic “POTF2” era action figure, Wedge Antilles comes with six points of articulation, which include a swivel head, swivel shoulders, a swivel waist, and swivel hips. The figure’s proportions are still bulky since Hasbro chose a figure which dates back to the original 1995 lineup. As you know, the original Luke Skywalker figure was technically a snowspeeder pilot outfit, not an X-wing pilot outfit. So this means that Wedge Antilles is based on how the character appeared in the Battle of Hoth. It’s a bit challenging to determine if Kenner/Hasbro got the coloring right on Wedge Antilles. The gray boots and gloves look a bit odd, but we don’t know if they’re accurate to the on-screen character or not. Interestingly, the “Luke Skywalker” version of Wedge Antilles comes with light gray stripes on the sleeves. The corrected Wedge Antilles doesn’t have this detail. So it appears evident that they had some proper reference materials to make the figure more accurate to the film. For those not interested in the Carry Case, but want the pack-in figure, this is steep. But you can find other avenues to secure it.