ARCHIVE
The Star Wars: The Black Series Archive Collection is a specialized 6-inch action figure sub-line produced by Hasbro. Launched in 2019, it reissues highly sought-after, out-of-print figures from early Black Series packaging eras, upgraded with Photo Real facial printing technology and packaged on vintage-inspired blister cards.
Cronologia
Panoramica
Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Black Series Archive Collection is a dedicated sub-line created to reissue out-of-print and highly sought-after 6-inch scale action figures from earlier Black Series packaging eras, such as the 2013–2014 Orange Line and 2014–2015 Blue Line.
Official details state that the line was created to give collectors a second chance at acquiring popular characters without resorting to high secondary-market prices.
Positioned in the standard 6-inch (1:12) scale, the Archive Collection serves as a premium upgrade line, updating classic character sculpts with modern manufacturing enhancements, superior digital face printing technology, and specialized vintage Kenner-inspired cardback packaging.
Storia
Officially revealed by Hasbro at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2018, the Archive Collection launched at retail in January 2019 with its first wave featuring fan-favorite characters such as Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker.
Over the next five years, the line expanded across nine distinct waves, reissuing iconic figures from all eras of Star Wars media—including the Original Trilogy, Prequels, Sequels, animated series like The Clone Wars and Rebels, live-action shows like The Mandalorian, and video games like Knights of the Old Republic.
By 2025–2026, Hasbro shifted its overall strategy to integrate catalog reissues into specific anniversary collections (such as the Revenge of the Sith 20th Anniversary line) and specialized sub-lines like 'Gaming Greats' and 'Clones of the Republic,' leaving the Archive line with a legacy of nearly 35 individual figure releases.
I PEZZI DI ARCHIVE
Collezionismo
For Star Wars action figure collectors, the Black Series Archive line represents an essential gateway to acquiring hard-to-find 'grail' figures without paying premium secondary market prices. Prior to the Archive line, early figures from the 2013 Orange Line—such as Darth Maul, Boba Fett, and Anakin Skywalker—commanded inflated prices among collectors.
The Archive releases offered a double benefit: making these characters accessible again while objectively improving them through Photo Real digital face printing and refined paint applications. While original boxed collectors continue to prize first-edition packaging, carded and loose collectors value the Archive's distinctive vintage Kenner-style blister card aesthetics. Secondary market trends show that while Archive releases reduced the sky-high prices of original releases, sought-after figures like Darth Revan and Anakin Skywalker continue to appreciate steadily due to ongoing collector demand.
The Archive sub-line served as Hasbro's primary method to retroactively apply Photo Real facial printing to pre-2018 action figure sculpts.
