Tim Effler brought toys to life on his drawing board at Kenner, during the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Go back to the drawing board with Tim in his new book, as he recounts his contributions to some of the most successful toy lines ever created. From Star Wars to the Six Million Dollar Man, DC Super Powers, MASK, SilverHawks, Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park, and everything in between! Filled with never-before-seen illustrations, prototypes, models and abandoned concepts, this is the history of Kenner toys like it’s never been documented before!

Preorder now at bluemilk.shop/

Dads, don’t get stuck with another tie this year! Tell the family you want a copy of The Vintage Collection Archive book for Father’s Day! Get a free bookmark with all orders placed by June 16. Use code FATHERSDAY22 at checkout.

Blue Milk has provided a new update for the upcoming Vintage Collection Archive Edition book release. Click on through to check out the final version of the slipcase and a special insert they’ve added for backers of the slipcase pledge level.

When we set out to create The Vintage Collection Archive Edition book, we pledged to tell the TVC story at the highest quality with astute attention to detail.  We think this update will show you just how much passion we’ve been pouring into the project and how thoughtful our consideration for even the most minute details has been. 

Below, you’ll see the final design for the slipcase based on the Kenner vinyl figure case. While all of the figures are from The Vintage Collection, when possible, we integrated other Hasbro Star Wars items to complete the design. For example, longtime collectors will recognize the POTF2 Mos Eisley Cantina pop-up diorama, and moisture vaporator from 2007’s 30th Anniversary Collection. But, we took it a step further. Can you spot the Jundland Wastes backdrop from the Electronic Power F/X R2-D2 or the doorway from the Death Star Escape playset? Even the Death Star was composited into its upside-down position using the front of the TVC exclusive Revenge of the Jedi Death Star box set and the POTF2 Complete Galaxy Death Star. 

In studying the art of the Kenner vinyl case, we couldn’t believe it didn’t include the Millenium Falcon, the most iconic ship in the franchise (sorry X-Wing). As a result, we substituted the Star Destroyer that appeared on the original case with the Falcon. Yes, we could have used Hasbro’s Collector Fleet Star Destroyer, but we thought The Vintage Collection Millenium Falcon was a better choice. We hope you’ll agree.

If you’re a backer of the slipcover version of the book, we have a surprise for you. Each slipcover edition of the book will include a special “figure tray” insert printed on premium paper. We tested several ways to present the figure tray as part of the slipcover case, but found the insert worked best. The insert pays homage to the promotional inserts included with the original Kenner vinyl cases while showcasing some of the figures from the TVC lineup. What better way to represent Kenner’s kitbashed Boba Fett prototype than with TVC’s Prototype Boba Fett figure?

That’s all for this week. Look for more design reveals in the near future, which reminds us… who wants to see some coin designs? In that case, stay tuned for next week’s update!

As always, thank you for backing the book and MTFBWY!

We’ve reached our $125k stretch goal milestone and are moving on to a stretch goal that’s close to our hearts. At $150,000 all book backers will receive a recreation of the reverse-side of Kenner’s 1984 Star Wars is Forever mail-away poster (shown above) using Hasbro’s The Vintage Collection action figures and vehicles. The poster will be arranged and photographed by its original creator, Kim Simmons. Kim was the principal Star Wars photographer for Kenner between 1981 – 2000 and if you own any classic Kenner items, it’s a sure bet his photography is featured on it.

Incredibly, Kim has confirmed he still has some of the original elements he used in the 1984 poster and they’ll be included in his TVC recreation! The 18×22-inch poster comes folded in a mailer envelope, like the original.

To back the Vintage Collection Archive Edition book, hit up Blue Milk’s Kickstarter page.

Update: new details added for the $175,000 stretch goal

We are thrilled to announce that all backers will receive a three (3) coin set featuring the Slave I, Jabba the Hutt and Jabba’s Sail Barge. Not only do these coins tell the story of Han Solo’s journey from The Empire Strikes Back to Return of the Jedi, but the Slave I,, Jabba and Jabba’s Barge have never had their own coins in either Kenner’s POTF or Hasbro’s 30th Anniversary lines. They’ll fit in perfectly with your existing coin collection. We’ll have more details and coin designs in a future update.

We also wanted to clarify stretch goals, as some of you are new to Kickstarter. Yes, if you are a Book Backer, regardless of the level, you get all of the unlocked stretch goal rewards – for free, at no additional cost to you. The more stretch goals we unlock, the more you get!

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – June 7, 2019 Today, Blue Milk LLC launches Star Wars: The Vintage Collection Archive Edition book on crowd-funding site Kickstarter. Starting from $50 for early bird backers, the Star Wars: The Vintage Collection Archive Edition is a comprehensive historical manuscript and detailed visual archive of one of Hasbro’s most popular lines of 3.75-inch Star Wars action figures, The Vintage Collection (TVC).

Update: thanks to you the collector, the book made its goal in one day!

Written by Derryl DePriest, former Vice President of Global Brand Management and Star Wars brand team leader at Hasbro, the book comprises approximately 300 pages detailing TVC action figures, creatures, vehicles and playsets. Each item in the collection will feature a write-up informed by inside knowledge from the design and marketing team, and will be accompanied by crisp, high-resolution photos. The volume will be printed on premium-quality paper, bound in a deluxe hardcover.

“The Vintage Collection is one of the greatest toy lines of all time, offering an incredible balance between source material accuracy, detail and playability,” according to DePriest. “Our goal with The Vintage Collection Archive Edition is to pay tribute to this amazing series and the team that created it, offering spectacular photography and new insights for the long-time fan while acting as a primer covering the entire series for the newer collector.”

Joining DePriest are co-authors D. Martin Myatt and Rich Alot. The trio will self-publish the book under their newly formed company Blue Milk LLC. Steve Sansweet, Star Wars super-collector and President and CEO of Rancho Obi-Wan, will write the foreword.

“Introduced in 2010 with roots in the legendary 1978 Kenner Star Wars toy line, The Vintage Collection has grown to include hundreds of figures, vehicles, and special sets. Keeping track of everything available is challenging, and The Vintage Collection Archive Edition will be an invaluable resource to fans and collectors alike,” Sansweet says.

The book’s Kickstarter campaign offers a variety of backer rewards for those supporting the project, including a TVC compendium poster by Kim Simmons, Kenner’s principal Star Wars photographer between 1981-2000. In another tie to the original toy line, the poster uses the actual yellow background seen on Star Wars action figure packaging in the ’80s. In addition to the backer rewards, the campaign has stretch goals to unlock more content and chapters.

Book Specs:

• Deluxe hardcover in an 9.25 x 11.5 inch (23.5 x 29.5 cm) format
• Professionally designed layout with easy to use reference guide featuring high-resolution photos and detailed write ups printed on premium quality paper
• Comprehensively covers every The Vintage Collection (TVC) 3.75-inch action figure, creature, vehicle and playset.
• Chapter breaks with full-page width photos inspired by classic Kenner-era packaging
• Additional content unlocked with stretch goals
• Approximately 300 pages
• December 2019 delivery

You can back the Star Wars: The Vintage Collection Archive Edition book on its Kickstarter page now; starting at $50 for Early Bird backers.