Star Wars Action Figure Collecting Books
Over the years there have been quite a few books been published which exclusively deal with the collecting of Star Wars action figures. Some of these books are a great resource to look up released figures, variations, or just give you an overview of what's out there on the market today. Naturally, no book can give you the up-to-date information which is available on the internet, but it's fun and a great resource to just browse through.
In this article we are focusing only on Star Wars books which are geared towards MODERN Star Wars figure collecting only. If you are looking for a reference book about all things Star Wars, we recommend Gus and Duncan's comprehensive guide.
Japanese Star Wars Action Figure Database Magazines
The japanese Star Wars Action Figure Database books are the best resources on the market today for collectors. Not only are all pages in high gloss quality, but all images are very clear and detailed. The author Takuya Kubo goes into details, listing card and figure variations, and adds a paragraph for each figure with more details. Some of the figures even have some rarely seen behind the scenes movie pictures next to them. Unfortunately, most of the text is in Japanese. Luckily, the names of the figures are in English, and it's very easy to look a figure up, even if you can't read Japanese.
The great thing about these magazines is that they are being periodically released every few years, containing the latest Star Wars figures. On top of that, the entire series is officially authorized by Lucasfilm.
Currently, there are six different ones available, each of them dealing with a different time frame and toy line. The very first issue starts with everything vintage, and then moves on all the way up including The Anniversary Collection. Each magazine/book costs about 40USD, plus shipping from Japan. Even though it's pricey to get the entire set, it literally contains every figure ever released and is the best resource available to Star Wars figure collectors. There really isn't anything better out there.
German Star Hero's Collector Pocket Price Guide
The German Hero Collector's guide has seen three releases so far. The books don't build on each other like the Japanese Collector Magazines, so if you own the latest version, there is no need to buy the previously released book. The books are kept in a smaller format, which is great if you want to bring it to a convention or Star Wars trade show to look up some information. Unfortunately, the last book released was in 2006, with the last toy line in the book being the first few waves of the Revenge Of The Sith. The prices in the book are out-dated as well.
These books lack in comparison with the official Lucasfilm versions from Japan in picture quality, details and volume. Despite that though, it's still great fun, easy to bring on a trip, and much, much cheaper at about 20USD. It's also better suited for marking what figures you already have, and which you still need to hunt down. Another advantage these books have is that they are in two languages, German and English.
Steve Sansweet's Star Wars Figure Archive
Back in the late 90ties, Steve Sansweet's Star Wars figure archive book was the "bible" among all Star Wars Collectors. Unfortunately, the book is now entirely out-dated, with the last figures listed being some POTF2 figures. Some of the figures are even displayed with the wrong weapons, which isn't much help if you are trying to look up some information. However, the book has a fantastic vintage section in the middle, and the quality of the pages and the pictures are fantastic.
There is no word on a new edition of this book yet, and it probably won't happen anytime soon. It would take a lot of resources to go back and archive the last 10+ years of Star Wars action figures. It's probably easier to just take the official Japanese versions, translate them into English and release them internationally that way.
If you are using a Star Wars Action Figure book which we don't have listed here, please send us a note so we can update this page. Thanks!