Saga Continues Toy Line

[ecrockedboston]

So I was making my rounds on ebay, mainly looking at Super Battle Collection and Saga Continues figures, and I noticed something. So first, The Saga Continues line is Irwin's re-release of Bandai's Super Battle Collection line (as well as a few other AB line toys). I remember the packaging well from when I was a kid. I noticed the Saga Continue line in packaging I hadn't seen before, blue and red packing with Gohan's silhouette, released by Bandai. I don't ever recall seeing this release. Is this new? I notice it says "collectors edition" on the side. Here's an example.

Irwin Saga Continues


VS

Bandai's Saga Continues


So what's the deal? When did Bandai re release these figures? Is it recent to pick up on the nostalgia market?

Edit: Here's the blue packaging I referenced



Edit: Mattel also released the SBC figures?



Edit: For reference, the original Super Battle Collection

[VegettoEX]

I have four figures from the original 1996 release of Bandai's "Super Battle Collection" run over here. Some of them were blue, some were red. They weren't two separate releases or later re-releases; it's just that some characters came in one color (Goku was red, for example), while others were in another color (Freeza with two "ee"-s was also blue).

[ecrockedboston]

I have four figures from the original 1996 release of Bandai's "Super Battle Collection" run over here. Some of them were blue, some were red. They weren't two separate releases or later re-releases; it's just that some characters came in one color (Goku was red, for example), while others were in another color (Freeza with two "ee"-s was also blue).

Interesting, you might actually have the answer to my question. Where is "over here"? In the states, more specifically, the Boston area, I only ever saw the Irwin green and purple box as shown in the first picture in my original post. I never saw these blue and red boxes, and certainly not the green Mattel release.

[VegettoEX]

I think I was visiting family in Virginia at the time when I bought them. Might have been 1997 by that point.

Again, this was while the show was still in syndication from 1996-1998. Irwin didn't come on the scene until FUNimation brought things in-house in 1998. A post I wrote in 2000 says for that previous year or so, Irwin was doing SBC and AB molds.

EDIT: OK, I definitely bought them in 1997, because I also bought a Cloud Strife figure at the same time (and... well, he didn't exist yet really in 1996, and I certainly wouldn't have bought him without already playing the game yet). Anyway, I'm also thinking that maybe the red ones came first and the blue ones were a second line in the same rollout? 'Cuz SSJ Vegeta and Freeza certainly weren't going to come out first. I'll have to dig mine out of whatever hole they're in and see.

[ecrockedboston]

I think I was visiting family in Virginia at the time when I bought them. Might have been 1997 by that point.

Again, this was while the show was still in syndication from 1996-1998. Irwin didn't come on the scene until FUNimation brought things in-house in 1998. A post I wrote in 2000 says for that previous year or so, Irwin was doing SBC and AB molds.

EDIT: OK, I definitely bought them in 1997, because I also bought a Cloud Strife figure at the same time (and... well, he didn't exist yet really in 1996, and I certainly wouldn't have bought him without already playing the game yet). Anyway, I'm also thinking that maybe the red ones came first and the blue ones were a second line in the same rollout? 'Cuz SSJ Vegeta and Freeza certainly weren't going to come out first. I'll have to dig mine out of whatever hole they're in and see.

That's super interesting. So the Bandai release preceded Irwin's? I was starting to think it was a European or Canadian release. My initial thought was that they were repros up until I saw the Bandai logo.

[successoroffate]

You guys were lucky. Back in my country Venezuela we got the bootleg version of those figures. A 5-pack most of the time. I wanted Piccolo so bad. I remember my mom going to the Flea Market after work to get it (That's the only place you could get it). Even today she still recalls all the struggle she had to go through to get that Piccolo action figure. It only came in a 5-pack.

[ecrockedboston]

You guys were lucky. Back in my country Venezuela we got the bootleg version of those figures. A 5-pack most of the time. I wanted Piccolo so bad. I remember my mom going to the Flea Market after work to get it (That's the only place you could get it). Even today she still recalls all the struggle she had to go through to get that Piccolo action figure. It only came in a 5-pack.

I actually remember seeing Dragon Ball bootleg figures everywhere, and I'm pretty sure they were all from Latin American countries. Back the, since there was a sparse number of episodes released, I always wondered if the liberties taken by the booleggers (fake example: Goku in a white gi with green SSJ hair) was something we'd eventually see in later episodes. Do you still live in Venezuela? Seems like things are rough there at the moment. I hope all is well

[successoroffate]

You guys were lucky. Back in my country Venezuela we got the bootleg version of those figures. A 5-pack most of the time. I wanted Piccolo so bad. I remember my mom going to the Flea Market after work to get it (That's the only place you could get it). Even today she still recalls all the struggle she had to go through to get that Piccolo action figure. It only came in a 5-pack.

I actually remember seeing Dragon Ball bootleg figures everywhere, and I'm pretty sure they were all from Latin American countries. Back the, since there was a sparse number of episodes released, I always wondered if the liberties taken by the booleggers (fake example: Goku in a white gi with green SSJ hair) was something we'd eventually see in later episodes. Do you still live in Venezuela? Seems like things are rough there at the moment. I hope all is well

And we got them from China!
Thank you for asking, I moved to Florida 5 years ago because of the situation over there.

[ecrockedboston]

You guys were lucky. Back in my country Venezuela we got the bootleg version of those figures. A 5-pack most of the time. I wanted Piccolo so bad. I remember my mom going to the Flea Market after work to get it (That's the only place you could get it). Even today she still recalls all the struggle she had to go through to get that Piccolo action figure. It only came in a 5-pack.

I actually remember seeing Dragon Ball bootleg figures everywhere, and I'm pretty sure they were all from Latin American countries. Back the, since there was a sparse number of episodes released, I always wondered if the liberties taken by the booleggers (fake example: Goku in a white gi with green SSJ hair) was something we'd eventually see in later episodes. Do you still live in Venezuela? Seems like things are rough there at the moment. I hope all is well

And we got them from China!
Thank you for asking, I moved to Florida 5 years ago because of the situation over there.

I'm glad to hear it! I was reading that bakers have been arrested recently for the crime of using flour in their brownies. Glad to have you here in the states.