The Action Figures are the meat and potatoes of the Kenner line and can be found in abundance. But because no one ever thought these would become a hot collectible, the majority of the figures were removed from their packages. If a person had a set of all 96 figures still carded they could be able to buy a nice car with the money made from selling them.
These 12" figures or dolls (depending on your perspective) are a rather "unique" item that did not take off. A few of them were neat (Darth Vader) but most were downright scary (Princess Leia). Because they did not sell very well, they were discontinued early on and would not return until the mid 1990's with the reincarnation of the Star Wars Line.
Towards the end of each production run, Kenner would have an excess amount of figures left over. To remedy this, they decided to sell them in groups in a different package. The figures themselves are identical to any other figure, but the multipacks themselves are pretty hard to come by these days which caused these to become a valuable collectors item.
The vehicles are a great addition to the collecting world. Besides being great display pieces, they are usually valuable unless they are really beat up. Some of the vehicles are very detailed and look close to their movie counterpart, but some of them are very cheap looking and were probably made to get more money out of parents.
During the life of the original Star Wars line, Kenner released many different playsets so children could re-create scenes from the movies or create new ones. Most of the early playsets were cheesy looking and cheap, but as the product line continued, the playsets improved in quality and a few of them are incredibly detailed.
The Micro collection was another new addition to the Empire line. They consist of miniature playsets that can be combined to form larger areas. Each playset came with figures. The Micro Collection line was cancelled during production of Return of the Jedi due to lack of consumer interest.
A new addition to the Empire Strikes Back line, the Mini Rigs were created as a cheap alternatitive to the vehicles. Most of the Empire mini rigs were never actually seen in the movie (with the exception of items from the hoth battle), but future mini rigs were based off of things from the movies.
Aside from Vehicles and playsets, Kenner created some accessories to complement their toy line. These Accessories included storage cases for the action figures, weapon packs, display stands, and creatures from the Star Wars world.
There are many different versions of the cards that the figures come on. The purpose of the cardback (besides holding the figure) was to show off the other figures currently available, different vehicles / accessories that can be purchased, and to advertise any promotions that were currently running. The cardbacks were changed when a new wave of figures came out and when a new promotion started up.
Proof cards are a rather interesting collectable. A proof card is basically the final concept version of a cardback that the figure is put on. Not too long ago, these could be found at flea markets and dealers for a few dollars each. Now thay are worth hundreds of dollars as collectors are always looking for something unique to add to their collection.
Promotions can be viewed as either a reward for purchasing lots of Action Figures or an incentive to purchase more Action Figures. Either way, the promotional items are an interesting part of the world of Star Wars collectibles. Most promotions were free (sometimes you paid for shipping) which gave most kids an excuse to cut up those valuable cardbacks.
Some collectors are not satisfied with owning one of each figure. Over the years, Kenner has made changes to some of the production figures, thus creating variations of the same figure. Some of these variations are worth two to three times as much as their more common counterparts.
