We are delighted to have discovered recently the new toy podcast Toy Armada with Aaron Archer! What makes this podcast unique is that Archer was a toy designer for over twenty years with Kenner and then Hasbro. This show provides behind the scenes of some of our favorite lines and figures.
The Toy Armada with Aaron Archer Episode 1 – Kenner Star Wars Power of the Force / Kenner Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace Behind the Scenes. We dive into the origin of Star Wars Power of the Force, the early beginnings of Star Wars Episode 1 as a toy line, why Comm Tech was used and the time line leading up to the Phantom Menace movie debut
Hosted by Aaron Archer and Protoman
The very first episode begins with the origin of The Power of the Force 2 line and then its predecessor the Episode I line. It is amazing the parallels you can find between Hasbro 20+ years ago and Hasbro today. An interesting example brought up during Toy Armada’s first episode is how the multiple paint apps on the first Boba Fett figure was the half the cost of producing another figure.
Hasbro for the past decade has had lots of transparency with collectors about the production of its Star Wars lines and while many collectors still find many aspects of the production side of things still lacking in information (when compared to other Hasbro brands), Toy Armada is a breath of fresh air as Archer’s knowledge of this era of collecting is not as well documented or researched unlike vintage and more recent modern eras of Star Wars collecting.
As a collector of many lines, we are excited to dive into all of the episodes and the wealth of knowledge we are sure they contain!
Until the next episode,
May the Figures be with you!
