That’s why, when Kenner announced that they were redoing Star Wars figures for 1995, everyone in the toy world went FUCKING CRAZY. I can still remember looking at the same fuzzy prototype images of these first nine figure over and over. While the first four vehicles (the Millennium Falcon, X-Wing Fighter, TIE Fighter, and Landspeeder) were going to be slightly retooled and repainted versions of the originals, the actual figures were going to be all new. What joy it was going to be to see our favorite toys redone with (then) state-of-the-art toy making technology. Everyone was foaming at the mouth, preparing to buy cases of the guys in the hopes that they would be as desirable and valuable as their predecessors (I’m ashamed to say, I was among that crowd).
Once these guys finally hit toy shelves, the results were…mixed. Some of the figures were definite improvements on the originals. Others left a lot to be desired. In some cases, the original 70’s and 80’s figures even appeared to be superior to their 1995 counterparts. What I’m going to do here is run through a figure-by-figure comparison of the first series of1995 Power of the Force 2 (POTF2) figures against their vintage counterparts. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t this all irrelevant, given that most of these figures have had a dozen resculpts by now? Sure, it’s irrelevant. It’s irrelevant as hell. But irrelevant trips down memory lane are my bread and butter.
Luke Skywalker
First up is Luke Skywalker in his classic white farmboy attire. In the 70’s and 80’s, there wasn’t a boy in America who didn’t own this figure (except the poor kids, I guess). With his white shirt, tan pants, and telescoping lightsaber feature, he set the standard for Star Wars figures at the time. But how did his POTF2 counterpart hold up? Let’s do a comparison.
As far as likenesses go, it’s a tough call. All of the evidence I’ve seen shows me that Mark Hamill must be one of the toughest likenesses to capture in toy form. To this day, I’ve never seen a really dead-on likeness (even after literally hundreds of Luke figures have been produced). The original came in two variations: platinum blonde hair and (later) a darker, more realistic brownish hair. Hair color appears to be about where it begins and ends as far as likenesses go. There’s nothing in the vintage figures actual facial structure to show a resemblance to Mark Hamill. So the POTF2 figure must have automatically been better, right? Not necessarily. The POTF2 figure features a more realistic hair color and a more accurate hairstyle, so he gets points for that. But the face, though as…unconventional…as Mark Hamill’s, really isn’t that great of a likeness. Still, since the POTF2 figure at least tries to capture Mark Hamill’s looks with a bit more enthusiasm, I guess I’ve got to give likeness points to the 1995 version.
The body sculpt was a big issue back in 1995. You couldn’t talk to anyone without them bitching and moaning about the POTF2 Luke being too “buff”. And it was true. With his wide stance, giant hands, and heaving chest, the POTF2 Luke looked like he could bench about 500lbs easy. The vintage figure has a much more realistic body sculpt and, even though it might not have been as detailed as the POTF2 version, I’m going to have to give the vintage one points in this area.
The last major area of comparison between these two figures is the accessories. The vintage Luke’s only accessory was a removable lightsaber that could telescope in and out of his hollow arm. At the time, this was a cool feature (also sported on Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi) that provided me with hours of play as a kid. The only problem was that it had three major drawbacks. First off, even when fully retracted into Luke’s arm, the vintage sabers had an annoying little thin piece of plastic that permanently stuck out of the hand. For me, this was easily remedied by accidentally breaking this piece of plastic off. It made things look better when Luke’s saber was retracted, but it gave him an embarrassingly short lightsaber when it came time to get down to business (the same thing happened with my vintage Vader and Obi-Wan figures). Another issue was the color. Yellow? When the hell did Luke ever have a yellow lightsaber? I guess that Kenner just wanted to offer a little more color variety in lightsaber choices back in the day, but this still eats at me. A third and final problem is that, at least in this costume, Luke barely ever used a lighsaber. Since his unoccupied left hand wasn’t much good for holding things, this meant that a vintage Luke was ALWAYS stuck using a lightsaber and could never get into any good blaster fights. The POTF2 version improved these issues immensely. No longer was Luke permanently condemned to be wielding a stubby yellow lightsaber. The POTF2 lightsaber (cast in translucent blue plastic with a painted silver hilt) was a more traditional accessory and could be removed from his hands whenever you wanted. He also came with a blast-…oh wait. It’s a silver grappling hook gun. When the hell did Luke ever use a grappling hook gun? Oh well, extra accessories are always nice and this one doesn’t create any problems. I suppose it was a nod to the famous Death Star bridge-swinging scene.
WINNER: POTF2 Luke Skywalker. So, as far as Luke Skywalker is concerned, I’ve got to give it to the POTF2 version. Yeah, the body leaves a bit to be desired, but the (slightly) improved head sculpt and improved accessorization put him over the top as winner. Still, the POTF2 Luke was only marginally better than his vintage counterpart. Let’s see how Han Solo fared…
Han Solo
Next up is the trilogy’s other male lead hero, Han Solo. Now, I was really hoping for a great update of Han when these figures came out. The vintage Han Solo was a sad little thing, with a skinny body, weird pose, and two (count ‘em, two) badly-sculpted head variations. So how does this all break down? Let’s see.
The original vintage Han Solo came with a tiny little head that did little to capture Harrison Ford’s unique visage. An eventual new sculpt tried to remedy this issue. The “improved” Han Solo DID have a better likeness of Harrison Ford, but Kenner had overcompensated for the previous version’s tiny head by giving this 2nd version an absolutely HUGE noggin. Neither was preferable. The POTF2 version at least looks something like Harrison Ford, and doesn’t look out of place on the body. So, for me, this one’s easy. POTF2 Han all the way in the likeness department.
As far as the body goes, the POTF2 Han had the same “buffness” issues that Luke suffered from. Fortunately, due to Han’s outfit, it isn’t as noticeable. Neither the vintage nor POTF2 versions really hit the mark as far as the body sculpts went, but I’m going to have to give it to the POTF2 version. At least he’s got more detail, a better paintjob, and doesn’t suffer from that permanent weird right hand position. It should be noted, however, that the POTF2 figure was too big to comfortably fit in the Millennium Falcon cockpit with Chewbacca. WTF, Kenner?
Finally, we come to accessories. The vintage Han comes with a damn-near perfect Han Solo blaster. It’s got a great sculpt and is in terrific scale with the rest of the figure. On the POTF2 Han, he also came with a nicely sculpted blaster. However, the damn thing’s just too big. Kenner even threw in a bonus big blaster rifle for the POTF2 version, but it’s not enough to win me over. So, for accessories, the winner is the vintage Han.
WINNER: POTF2 Han Solo. All and all, the POTF2 Han was a slight improvement over the vintage figure. Still, he was really only an improvement due to the original figure’s failings. So far, the POTF2 figures were shaping up to be only slightly better than their 70’s counterparts. How did things stack up against a really well done vintage figure? Let’s see.
C-3PO
The vintage C-3PO is a classic figure. He’s got an incredibly detailed sculpt and featured the droid’s famous shiny gold paintjob (through the magic of vac-metalized plastic). At the time of the POTF2 figures’ release, the vintage Threepio could still hold his own as a formidable figure. Apparently, Kenner thought so too. The POTF2 C-3PO was slightly delayed by a few months, meaning that 1995 collectors still had to make due with their vintage Threepios for a bit longer.
Though the vintage C-3PO had a nicely sculpted body, the POTF2 version was even better. No longer sporting the film-inaccurate “straight arm” posed of the vintage figure, the POTF2 Threepio had his arms sculpted in the “cocked” pose most often seen in the movies. Another nice little touch on the POTF2 version was the wiring in Threepio’s stomach. On the vintage C-3PO, this had been a blank area with no sculpting or paint applications. For the POTF2 release, Kenner sculpted all sorts of little wires in there and did a nice job painting them. The only complaint I ever really heard about the POTF2 figure was that his head was a bit small. I tend to agree with that, but it’s not that big of a deal in my mind. All and all, I’d say the POTF2 C-3PO had it all over his vintage counterpart.
WINNER: POTF2 C-3PO. Since neither version of Threepio came with any accessories, all we have to judge them by is their sculpt and paintjob. The vintage figure is still great, but I’ve got to place the POTF2 version in the winner’s circle due to the improvements instituted by Kenner. There you have it, the first definitive win of a POTF2 figure over his vintage counterpart.
R2-D2
How could you compare C-3PO and then not follow right up with R2-D2 (the same way you could do Han Solo and not follow right up with Chewbacca, I guess)? The vintage Artoo is a bit of a conundrum for me. He’s certainly archaic, but still retains a lot of charm. It’s time to get heart-breakingly objective.
The vintage R2-D2’s head/dome sculpt is nowhere near film-accurate. Just look at it…it’s just a random jumble of circles. Someone at Kenner wasn’t taking their time back in the 70’s. The POTF2 Artoo was vastly improved in this regard, with a head/dome sculpt that was much more true to the film. Another issue is Artoo’s “body.” Instead of sculpted details on his body, the vintage R2-D2 just got a sticker slapped on him. Cost saving? Yes. Lame? Definitely. Again, the POTF2 version thrived, with a well-sculpted body full of panels and whatnot.
So there it is, right? The POTF2 R2-D2 has a better head/dome AND a better body. But that’s not all! The POTF2 R2-D2 had another little feature that the vintage version can’t offer – a retractable third leg! This was a welcome addition to R2-D2 figures in 1995, with the only vintage Artoo to have a third leg being the hard-to-find “droid factory” version from the 70’s. Finally, we had an R2-D2 that could waddle around on two legs, or shoot out that third leg and really get cruising.
WINNER: POTF2 R2-D2. It breaks my heart to declare the vintage R2-D2 a loser, since he’s one of my favorite figures from the original line. But, in all respects, the POTF2 version was a clear improvement. It looks like the POTF2 figures were shaping up to be a clean-sweep in the improvements department, right? Wrong. Let’s talk about Princess Leia…
Princess Leia Organa
Princess Leia was probably the most infamous figure of the original 9 POTF2 releases. Like C-3PO, she was delayed quite a bit before her release. Add to this the (oftentimes artificial) premium placed on female figures at that time, and you had a recipe for hype. We were all excited to find the POTF2 Leia. That is, until we actually laid eyes on her.
As far as likeness goes, the vintage figure is the winner. And it’s not even because it’s such a great likeness. In fact, it doesn’t look much like Carrie Fisher at all. But, look at the two figures side by side. Vintage Leia: Pleasant expression, great sculpting on the hair, HUMAN appearance, attractive features. POTF2 Leia: grimacing expression and a decidedly more baboon-like facial sculpt. Given that the vintage version at least appears to be of the same species as Carrie Fisher, she gets the gold in the likeness department.
Now onto the body. Neither is perfect. The vintage Leia was hampered by technological constraints of the time, which lead to some inaccurate concessions when it came time to design the figure. Gone was Leia’s flowing gown. Instead, the vintage Leia was now sporting flared pants and a white vinyl cape in an attempt to mimic the character’s costume. It should have been pretty easy to improve on that in almost 20 years of technological advancement, right? Well…almost. The POTF2 version made more of an effort to capture Leia’s film look. She’s still got poseable legs. However, overtop of those legs is a plastic skirt that fits over her waist. As long as the skirt is attached, you’ve got a pretty fair wardrobe likeness of Leia’s screen portrayal. She’s still working the cape, though, which mystifies me. Leia’s clearly got a little hood hanging off the back of her dress in the movies. Why is everyone at Kenner clinging to the idea that she’s wearing a cape? Anyway, the plastic cape clips onto the POTF2 Leia’s neck, if you want to put it on there. So the POTF2 version is the clear winner in the body department, right? Wrong. I’ve got to make this one a tie. The vintage Leia has a better-designed body. She can stand on her own and the overall pose and appearance is pleasing to the eye. The POTF2 Leia, however, has trouble standing without assistance. Plus, have you ever taken that skirt off? It looks like she’s getting ready to pee her pants for some online fetish website or something. Both have their good points, and both have their flaws, so it’s a tie.
So let’s look at these accessories. As I’ve already mentioned, the vintage Leia came with a vinyl cape. It did the job in the 70’s, but the vinyl cape just doesn’t work these days. The plastic cape and skirt included with the POTF2 Leia, though it can hamper her movement somewhat, are a bit better. In the weapons department, the vintage Leia suffers again. There’s nothing wrong with her little Leia blaster, but it just can’t compare to the sculpting on the POTF2 Leia’s. Also, just for good measure, Kenner threw in an unnecessary blaster rifle for the POTF2 Leia (one starts to wonder why Kenner thought we needed all these extra weapons that weren’t seen in the movies). I’ve got to give it to the POTF2 Leia with respect to accessories.
WINNER: VINTAGE LEIA. Yeah, I know, technically it’s a 1:1:1 tie. But these aren’t the goddamn Olympics. The vintage Leia is just a more attractive figure overall. She’s not perfect, but she’s a lot closer to perfect than the POTF2 monkey Leia when you take in the overall package. So here is our first case of a vintage figure whipping up on the POTF2 release (albeit, with a bit of help from my feelings of nostalgia). But how will things fare when we start getting into Wookie country?
Chewbacca
The vintage Chewbacca, like R2-D2, is one of my favorite vintage figures. He’s got a certain charm. Just look at that jolly face. Who couldn’t be disarmed by his winning smile? But, I fear, just like Artoo, the vintage Chewie is likely to bite the dust when compared to his POTF2 counterpart.
As much as I like the original Chewbacca’s head, I really have to give more points to the POTF2 one. It’s more expressive, more detailed, and closer to Chewbacca’s screen visage. He looks appropriately menacing without falling victim to that 90’s/00’s cliché of making everyone look angry and hostile for no reason (*cough* Star Wars: Unleashed *cough*). While it pains me to say it, the POTF2 Chewbacca wins this round.
Now for an examination of the rest of Chewbacca. The vintage Chewie was nicely detailed, with well-sculpted fur throughout the entire body. Even his bandolier and tool belt were well designed. However, Kenner put a bit more work into the POTF2 Chewie. His sculpt picks up where the vintage Chewbacca left off and takes it even further. Still, I might be able to give this round to the vintage Chewie if it weren’t for one thing: paint applications. The vintage Chewbacca is brown. Nothing wrong with that, Chewie’s brown, the vintage figure is brown, no harm done. It was fine in the 70’s. However, the POTF2 Chewbacca goes the extra mile, adding different tones of paint to simulate the more colorful palette of brown that was used in the film. Also, one of the major paint failings of the vintage Chewbacca was that his bandolier wasn’t painted an individual shade of brown to set it apart from his body. The POTF2 version makes up for this, which is enough to make him the winner of this round as well.
Finally, accessories. No one will argue that the vintage Chewbacca’s bowcaster is one of the most detailed action figure accessories of the time. It’s really, really well done. But, at the risk of being repetitive, the POTF2 Chewbacca’s bowcaster is every bit as good as the original’s, only better. It’s still not 100% movie accurate, but it comes far closer than the vintage figure’s. Throw in the obligatory extra gun, and the POTF2 Chewbacca wins this final round by a mile.
WINNER: POTF2 CHEWBACCA. This one’s a heartbreaker, as I love the vintage Chewie. But, you can’t argue with the facts (and, as the formula goes: “my opinions” = “facts”). The POTF2 Chewbacca is just a stronger figure. Vintage Chewie can take some solace in the fact that he’s not at all a bad figure. It’s just that everything that was good about him was improved upon by the POTF2 Chewbacca. Also, the vintage Chewie can fit into the Millennium Falcon cockpit. That’s one thing he’ll always have over the POTF2 version. Now that we’ve covered one predominately brown figure, let’s see what’s happening in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s neck of the woods (man…is that the lamest segue ever, or what?).
Ben “Obi-Wan” Kenobi
Let me start off by saying that I’ve never liked either one of these figures too much. As a result, this comparison will be 100% objective. The original Obi-Wan Kenobi is a pretty weak figure, even by 70’s standards. He’s got the same cool telescoping lightsaber feature as Luke, (with the same inherent problems), but that’s about where his charm begins and ends. Likewise, the POTF2 version was one of the more disappointing figures of the first series and carried with him his own brand of issues. Let’s get right down to it.
For the head sculpts, I have to give it to the vintage Obi-Wan. The vintage figure was actually released with two hair colors. The white haired version (which came first) is slightly better than the later gray haired version (in my opinion). You can look at this guy and be reasonably sure it’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. The POTF2 version, on the other hand, kind of just looks like a slightly chubby old man. Way to go, vintage Obi-Wan, you’ve got the head sculpt portion of this comparison in the bag.
As for the bodies, this is a toughie. The vintage Obi-Wan is skinny, which is fine for a figure based on Sir Alec Guinness. But he’s almost too skinny. As a kid, I was rarely driven to play with Obi-Wan. Who wants to be the skinny, dead old man? Like the vintage Leia, Kenner tried to mimic Obi-Wan’s robe feature by giving him legs that appear to be robes when you place them side-by-side (and squint really hard). At least Kenner did have the foresight to give Obi-Wan the ability to hold something in his non-lightsaber hand (though what he would hold is beyond me). By the time the POTF2 figure rolled around, Kenner had opted to give him poseable legs underneath a one-piece robe setup. To be fair, it actually does a pretty good job creating a somewhat 3-dimensional representation of Obi-Wan’s costume without sacrificing articulation. One downside is that the figure has a great deal of trouble standing up on his own. Good thing he’s got that front half of his robes to lean in on. Another bright point of the POTF2 Obi-Wan is that he’s got a removable lightsaber, leaving his hands free if desired. And, finally, the POTF2 Obi-Wan has it all over his vintage counterpart when it comes to paint applications. There’s MUCH more attention to detail and film accuracy here. Sorry, my vintage friend. The cheese goes to the POTF2 Obi-Wan, here.
And now we come to accessories. As far as lightsabers go, the POTF2 Obi-Wan has it all over the vintage one. Like Luke, the POTF2 Obi-Wan had a translucent blue lightsaber with a silver painted hilt. It’s far superior to the stubby extending saber sported on the vintage figure. I’ve got to go with the POTF2 version when it comes to the robes as well. They may not be done perfectly, but they’re a damn sight better than the vintage Obi-Wan’s vinyl cape.
WINNER: POTF2 OBI-WAN KENOBI. Another win for the POTF2 figures. Honestly, I really can’t recommend either the vintage or the POTF2 Obi-Wan as great figures. But, if you’re stuck with one, you’re better off with the POTF2 version. And what of Obi-Wan’s evil counterpart? Can the vintage Dark Lord of the Sith stand up to the POTF2 version? This one should be fairly obvious, but let’s waste some time analyzing it anyway…
Darth Vader
He’s the biggest badass in the galaxy. He’s tall, wears black, has breathing problems, and can choke a bitch from across the room. So why did he get such a crappy figure in the 70’s? The vintage Darth Vader figure always got my goat as a kid. Sure, he was okay. But I wanted a big, threatening Darth Vader. What I got was a Vader figure that just seemed…off. The POTF2 version was a welcome improvement, and finally gave me the badass Darth Vader figure I’d been waiting my entire life for.
There’s no real “likeness” in the faces, just representations of Vader’s helmet and mask. But this round’s an easy win for the POTF2 Darth Vader. Whereas the vintage Vader’s helmet seems “smooshed in” around the facial area, the POTF2 version doesn’t take any prisoners. The breathing apparatus on his mask juts out from his helmet like…well, I could really insert any dirty reference I wanted to in here. Also, the silver tips on the end of the POTF2 Vader’s mask are painted. Not so on the vintage figure. Sorry vintage Vader, you lose this round!
Take one look at the pictures and tell me who you think wins in the body department. The vintage Darth Vader is just scrawny…there’s no other way to describe it. I’ll give Kenner credit for making a strong effort in the detail sculpting on this figure, but he’s just too skinny. The POTF2 Vader is appropriately beefy, looking like he could hurl a tree at you with no problem. He’s also got two free hands, while the vintage figure is saddled down with one permanently-lightsaber-wielding hand and another “karate chop” hand (after all, he was sculpted at the tail end of the kung-fu craze). Another plus in the POTF2 Vader’s camp is the paintjob. Whereas the vintage Vader was completely flat black, the POTF2 Vader alternates flat and gloss black areas to simulate armor and make the figure “pop” a bit more. Add the much more detailed chest box on the POTF2 figure and the vintage Vader gets scorched into oblivion on yet another round.
And then there’s accessories. I won’t bore you with another explanation of the lightsaber thing. The POTF2 Vader’s is better, case closed. As for the capes, the vintage Vader finds himself lacking yet again. Those vinyl capes just can’t hold up to the plastic capes on the POTF2 figures (though I prefer cloth capes when I have a choice). You win again, POTF2 Vader.
WINNER: POTF2 DARTH VADER. This one’s a landslide. The POTF2 Darth Vader is one of the best among the first series of POTF2 figures, if not THE best. He’s a real beauty, and kicks all kinds of ass when compared to his pug-faced vintage counterpart. We’re almost done…just a Stormtrooper comparison to go!
Stormtrooper
Ahh…who doesn’t have fond memories of stumbling across your vintage Stormtrooper and being horrified to discover that he’s turned a sickly shade of yellow? That was par for the course with these guys. But I’m not comparing these figures based on the chemical composition of their plastic. Like any other good American, I’m basing my decisions purely on appearance. Let’s get to it!
The vintage Stormtrooper figure is one of those immediately recognizable sculpts, and a large part of that is due to the helmet. It’s well sculpted, no doubt about it. Kenner really took their time getting into every nook and cranny during the creation of this figure. The only major drawback is the articulation, or lack thereof. The POTF2 Stormtrooper takes care of this, finally giving Stormtrooper figures the ability to look sideways (though it still isn’t enough to improve their legendary bad aim). This one’s a real toughie. I prefer the appearance of the vintage Stormtrooper head, but I like the poseability of the POTF2 Stormtrooper’s head. In the end, I’ll give it to the vintage Stormtrooper. It just feels a tad more Stormtroopery to me.
As far as the bodies go, it’s another tough race. Both are quite detailed and striking. Where the vintage Stormtrooper suffers is his stiffness. He just kinda stands there. While I’m not a big fan of pre-posed figures, I find that the POTF2 Stormtrooper has enough little touches to give his pose just the right amount of character. I guess what I’m trying to say is, you win this round, POTF2 Stormtrooper.
Accessorization is a no-brainer. The vintage Stormtrooper’s blaster, while a classic, isn’t nearly as film-accurate as the one included with the POTF2 version. And, because no one demanded it, the POTF2 Stormtrooper also comes with yet another big gun we never saw in the movie. I find it confusing why, after seeing Stormtroopers carry two distinct types of big guns in Episode IV, we got this third blaster rifle that was never seen on screen. Oh well, the POTF2 Stormtrooper takes home the accessories award.
WINNER: POTF2 STORMTROOPER. This one falls into the same realm as Chewbacca. There’s really nothing wrong with the vintage Stormtrooper. In fact, he’s better than the POTF2 version in some regards. But, for my money, the POTF2 Stormtrooper just hits a little closer to the mark.
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Well I’ll be damned! Of the nine POTF2 figures, only one couldn’t overcome their vintage counterpart. I guess this comparison WAS relevant and useful, if only to me. Until taking an objective, step-by-step look at these guys, I’d always assumed it would turn out to be about 50/50.
Now don’t take this as a ringing endorsement for the first series of POTF2 figures over their vintage counterparts. There were many close calls (Chewbacca and the Stormtrooper, for example). And, despite me having ruled 8 of the 9 POTF2 figures as superior, I’ll take the vintage ones any day. That’s just the power of nostalgia at work.
By today’s standards, pretty-much all of these first series POTF2 figures are archaic. It seems like each one has been redone about 75 times by this point (that may not even be that much of an exaggeration for some of these characters!). But, think back to 1995. I can still recall the thrill of seeing Star Wars figures back on the shelves for the first time since the 80’s. I can still remember the burst of excitement (and immediate disappointment) when I finally tracked down Leia. Star Wars was back! And, though the folks in charge have made some questionable decisions along the way, it doesn’t look like it’ll be going away for another 10-year dry spell like it did before.
If you weren’t around in 1995, or weren’t collecting, you probably can’t see the appeal of these POTF2 figures. Hell, the same goes for the vintage figures. But it’s important to realize how much of an impact they had on the toy collecting world as we know it. No single toy line has ever been as hoarded by collectors looking to make a quick buck. You can probably thank the POTF2 line for reintroducing the market to the 3 ¾” scale too, since G.I. Joe wasn’t really pulling its weight at the time (I’m looking at you, Sgt. Savage and G.I. Joe: Extreme).
I’m just surprised that, in what I thought would be page after page of me pointing out the superiority of vintage Star Wars figures over their POTF2 counterparts, I was left so frequently singing the praises of these 1995 releases. Go figure…
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