The Power of the Force 2
(1995 – 1999)

Click These Links to See Individual Power of the Force Pages

Hasbro acquired the Kenner Toy Company in 1991, and a few years afterwards, decided to bring the granddaddy of all toy lines back to life. Hasbro (still under the Kenner brand) released the first new Star Wars action figures the world had seen in 10 years, when the Power of the Force line was finally released in 1995. The line was dubbed “Power of the Force 2” by most fans and collectors to avoid the confusion of the previous Power of the Force line, which was released by Kenner in 1985. The line was well received by most fans and proved that, even without new movies, Star Wars remained just as popular with the public, and the massive sales numbers were proof of that.

The figures had six points of articulation and appeared more “muscular” in tone. It’s still kind of strange, looking at a Luke or Han figure from this line because of the Sylvester Stallone like body, but they were certainly unique looking. Luke, Obi-Wan and Vader all came with ridiculously long lightsabers that were shortened down in later waves. The Princess Leia figure also had a few different variations through the different waves, as Hasbro kept trying to make her not look like a monkey. In fact, most figures from this line had multiple variations as they went along. Hasbro also released some very interesting and fun sub-sets, as well as a huge line of highly collectible 12 Inch figures.

The initial figures were released on a red/orange card that was supposed to be an ignited red lightsaber with a large Darth Vader head shot. The packaging was simple, but still remained attractive to the eye. Who am I kidding though, we were just happy that new Star Wars figures were back in stores and it didn’t really matter what the packaging looked like. Truth be told, the figures could’ve been wrapped in brown paper bags and I still would’ve bought them. Later lines changed to an ignited green lightsaber instead of the red/orange. The packaging was still the same, only the color tone changed. Towards the end of the line, the packaging changed once again to a green starburst design, with the lightsaber glow being dropped.

This line was not only very popular with collectors and fans, but also with kids at the time. A younger generation was being introduced to the classic Star Wars characters their parents grew up with, and they really seemed to like it. Hasbro produced a massive amount of figures for this line, which is why most are still considered fairly common and easy to find. The Power of the Force 2 line remains one of the largest action figure lines ever produced for Star Wars. This was a fun and satisfying line to collect, and the prices are finally staring to inch upwards, as the power of the Force line has reached a nostalgic period with kids and collectors of that era.

Power of the Force 2 (Red Wave)

Power of the Force 2 (Green Wave)

Power of the Force 2 (Starburst Wave)

Power of the Force 2 (Expanded Universe Wave)

Power of the Force 2 (12″ Collector Series)