During Hasbro’s May the 4th, 2026 livestream on YouTube, the Star Wars The Retro Collection received some welcome attention, and collectors were told that a few changes are coming to the line moving forward.
The next Retro Collection six-pack was originally announced as a Target exclusive, but it will now also be available through the fan channel. For collectors, that is good news, because more availability usually means less preorder stress, and nobody needs another browser-refreshing adventure like at Target last time.
Hasbro also mentioned that the front sticker will be made smaller so it lines up more closely with what Kenner would have done in the 1970s and 1980s. That is a smart adjustment, because it blocks less of the card art while still helping modern Retro Collection releases stand apart from original vintage Kenner figures, and keeps the Retro branding in place.
The new card designs will also place helmets into the same bubble with the figure, instead of giving it its extra small bubble as has been the case previously. Compare it to the Han Solo figure above.
Another major packaging update is that the distressed look on the front and the back of the card is going away. When the Retro Collection launched in 2019, Hasbro used the weathered card design to help prevent casual buyers from mistaking the new figures for original vintage Kenner releases. Moving forward, the cards will have a cleaner, pristine (and unpunched) look, which should make the packaging much more appealing for carded collectors.
The back of the card has been redesigned, and from what was shown during the livestream, it looks fantastic. The colors pop, the layout feels more polished, and the overall presentation feels like a very welcome upgrade for the Retro Collection.
There may also be one more change, and this could be the most exciting one for packaging-focused collectors. Hasbro did not point this out during the livestream, but when the figures were briefly turned around, the bubbles appeared to be smaller and closer to classic Kenner proportions. That is not confirmed yet, but if the bubbles have indeed been reduced, it would allow the card art to breathe more and put the packaging back in the spotlight.
It is also worth remembering that the most recent Retro Collection wave introduced an easily removable front sticker. So for collectors who prefer a cleaner card front, the sticker can simply be peeled off without turning the card into a crime scene.
The new Retro Collection six-pack is scheduled to go up for preorder on June 5, 2026 through Target and the fan channel. We will report back with more details as we get closer to the preorder date.
Happy collecting!
