Over the years, 12" action figures have notoriously been unarticulated, dull and less than desirable with their likenesses. I'm not talking about the high-end versions from companies like Sideshow and Hot Toys, no. I'm talking about the $20 Wal*Mart and Target versions. Well, after next month, I can see many changing their opinion when a new line of 12" talking figures is released and sold exclusively through the Disney Store and DisneyStore.com. They'll feature 15+ phrases from the films and also make weapon sounds and light up. They have full articulation allowing you to position them in classic movie poses. The buttons for sound and light activation are cleverly positioned on the upper chest and arm areas. Oh, and they look fantastic! Priced at $29.95 each, the figures really pop out at you when in their open faced packaging.



The first figure being released is the Talking Stormtrooper on May 4th. The remaining figures will be released separately in the weeks to follow.



The Talking Darth Vader features an incredibly detailed cape that's cast in a menacing, flowing look. You can position his arm in the classic upturned hand pose. This figure is 14" tall to be in true scale with the other characters.



The Talking Han Solo figure is a real gem. The small button to activate his blaster is located on the outside of his upper right arm and not real obvious. The voice activation button is hidden under his jacket which is a nice touch to not mess up the overall smooth look to this smuggler.



The Talking Luke Skywalker features a removable helmet, a sound activation button on the upper portion of his right arm, and a voice activation button in the middle of his chest which blends into his uniform nicely.



Chewbacca stands 15" tall to be in scale with everyone else. Disney did a magnificent job capturing the essence of Chewie without using real fur. This is no small feat! He's not 100% done and ready to hit the shelves just yet, but he's coming.



The Talking Boba Fett figure was a special treat for everyone present. Obviously you cannot having a line of action figures and not include Boba Fett, so Disney is hard at work getting him ready. In the meantime, we were able to get a sneak peek at this lovely prototype model that will eventually be a fine addition to this new 12" scale line. No electronics were installed, nor was any paint applied yet as you can see in the photos.



Here's a photo to compare the differing heights of each figure.



Disney plans to continue the line well into the future as I heard talk of Princess Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO and others.