Star Wars Collecting: The Best and Worst of 2008
This year I'm changing the categories a little in order to better cover items
that don't fall neatly into the existing slots from previous years. The Figure section will
include all figural items in the various scales and styles that Hasbro has out
now including the 3.75" regular and Clone Wars lines, Unleashed and Mighty Muggs.
Vehicles and Playsets will cover all scales including Titanium. I'm adding an Other
Toys section which will include Transformers, role play items, games and
various other toys that may not fall into the other categories dominated by
Hasbro
In the past I have usually chosen several items for each category that I
think are worth mentioning, and I'm still going to do that, but this year the
top item in each category is my overall top pick for that category. No
more hiding behind a big list, time to put my money where my mouth is so to
speak.
Overall, 2008 was a decent year for collectibles and the
Star Wars hobby in general. We have a new ongoing
television series which was kicked off by a theatrical movie,
Midnight Madness returned to kick off a new line of action
figures, and Japan held their first (of hopefully many)
Celebration. Hasbro delighted us with some of their best
vehicle work in years while we saw new license holders such as
Crayola, Diamond Select and eFX come on the scene.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed finally made it to retail
shelves and was a hit by most accounts. The multimedia event
that surrounded it included exclusive action figures, comics and
books. Speaking of books and comics, Star Wars: Legacy
has been gaining momentum all year and has had some interesting
stories. Steve Sansweet updated his Star Wars
Encyclopedia in grand fashion this year and we have several
new collectible oriented books to look forward to just after the
new year.
Although there was plenty of higher end product, the buzz
seemed to die down on Sideshow and Gentle Giant this year.
eFX has new prop replicas but appear to be taking things slowly
with more realistic order and shipping schedules. The
flagging economy didn't help anything in 2008 but we have some
cool things to look forward to as we head into 2009.
For now, here's my recap on the best and worst that 2008 had
for us.
Best
Best Figure
- Clone Wars R2-D2
-
- I'm a huge fan of the animated figures based on the Clone Wars
micro series and, so far, I'm a fan of the new Clone Wars animation as well.
R2-D2, from the first wave of Clone Wars figures, is one of the nicest R2 figures from any line.
He has movable legs (and removable middle leg) as well as a pop-up scanner in his dome, two tools behind well hidden panels, a grappling
hook (also behind a hidden panel) and removable booster rockets on his
legs. This little guy is sporting all sorts of greatness in a tiny
package and shows a lot of ingenuity on Hasbro's part. Not only is he my favorite Clone Wars figure to date, he's also my pick of figure of the
year.
- Clone Scuba Trooper
- This figure is a realistic version of the
Scuba Trooper from the Tartakovsky animated micro series cartoon. He has a lot of
accessories, including removable flippers and backpack, is well articulated
and as screen accurate as you can get when switching styles. Part of the
second wave of Legacy Collection figures, he hasn't been easy to find since
the initial release in July. Well worth the effort to track down.
- Antares Draco & Ganner Krieg
- Technically that's two figures, but
since they share a body sculpt I'm listing both. These figures, from the
Legacy series of comic packs, are top-notch sculpts with plenty of uniform detail.
The head sculpts are nice representations of the comic art plus they carry
lightsabers.
- CW Asajj Ventress
- Ventress has been done in three different
styles now; realistic, Tartakovsky animated and Clone Wars 3D animated.
They all bring something to the table but this is the first one that nails the
character on both likeness and sculpt/articulation. She has all the
articulation you need in a Sith, the head sculpt is dead on to the animation,
soft goods, cool accessories and subtle yet crisp paint apps bring this figure
to the top of the Clone Wars charts.
- CW Plo Koon
- Plo Koon lacks some
articulation, which appears to be an issue with several of the CW Jedi
figures, but that doesn't stop this figure from being badass. He comes
with accessories galore, nice detailing on his head sculpt and he looks wicked
with the cowl piece of his robe in place. He looks every inch the
General he's supposed to be.
- CW Clone Troopers
- This is a catchall for the
various troopers and Commanders because they all share a basic body and
articulation. None of them is really a standout but the combination of
articulation and availability makes this a nice figure to have. Most of
the Clone figures come with several accessories so you have options on display
and pose but above all else, they make great toys.
Best Figure 12"
- General Obi-Wan Kenobi
- General Obi-Wan Kenobi was a first for Sideshow on a couple of fronts;
he was the first armored character and he's also the first release on the
new armor body that was developed jointly by Sideshow and Hot Toys. He
also gets top vote for figures released in 2008. While the figure has
a couple of issues, notably in loose joints and hand/foot pegs, the likeness
and armor design are very well done. The accessories are fine with the
body suit being a standout. For their first armored figure, Sideshow
hit a home run on this figure.
- Darth Sidious & Palpatine
- This set shipped just after the first of the
year and is one of the nicer sets by Sideshow. You get two versions of
the lead bad guy from the prequel films and both the head sculpt, outfit,
and accessories are well done. While the price was higher, it was
within the budget of most and a fine addition to the collection.
Best Vehicle or Playset
- Millennium Falcon
- Nicknamed the BMF, this is the largest most detailed
"ship" that Hasbro has done to date. Combo ship and playset, this
vehicle is over 2 feet long, has lights and sounds, and enough play space
inside for endless hours of fun. You can train Luke in the ways of the
force, face off against Chewbacca in a holo chess game or hide out from
boarding Stormtroopers with the play features included on the Falcon.
Although it takes the top spot as the most expensive toy in the 3.75" line
from Hasbro, it's still worth the price for the endless hours you can spend
with it.
- AT-TE
- It's hard to pick a runner-up when you have two great
vehicles in the same year, but the Falcon just edges out the AT-TE.
The second largest and expensive vehicle from Hasbro, the possibility of an
AT-TE sent prequel fans the world over into a frenzy this past spring.
When it was finally unleashed in July the AT-TE quickly became the hot seller
of the year. Sounds, moving parts, enough room for a legion of Clone
Troopers, heavy artillery and general badassery has finally arrived in our
collections. Although a slight problem with leg stability was reported
on early releases, Hasbro has stepped up to offer replacement legs so make
sure you ask for them if you have this vehicle. In any other year this
would have taken the number 1 spot but the Falcon is just that much better. No
matter which you choose, if you can't have both, there is no doubt that 2008
was a great year for vehicles.
- Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter
- New for
the Clone Wars series, this new starfighter has some new play features
including a separating nose piece and droid socket. It still comes in at
the $20 price and should be a good seller to go along with the new line of
Clone Wars
action figures.
Best Other Toys
- Clone Trooper Voice Changer helmet (Target exclusive)
- Hasbro added three new voice changing helmets this year, all based on the
Clone Trooper helmet. There is a plain white version, blue 501st style
at Walmart, and a red Senate Security version at Target. While all of
the helmets have a nice look and size to them, the Target version has a very
cool added feature; a search light. The light attaches to the side of
the helmet and is a feature seen in the new Clone Wars animated series on a
regular basis. The helmets only cost about $30 and when compared to some
other items from Hasbro, are almost a bargain. The exclusives have been
selling well so if you spot them, you may want to pick them up.
Best Lego
- Death Star (10188)
- This year Lego unleashed one of the greatest sets yet with their 3,800
piece Ultimate Collector Series Death Star. The set has 3 levels of play
that covers both ANH and ROTJ, it comes with 24 minifigs, a TIE
Advanced fighter and enough play features to keep the most die hard fan busy
for months. It's not cheap, ringing it at $400, but of all the expensive
sets Lego has done, this may be the one most worth it.
- Republic Attack Gunship (7676)
- Lego updated their Republic Gunship model this year, just in time for the
new Clone Wars movie and TV show. The new model has more parts , 1,034, than the
previous incarnation
and allows you to customize the nose art with stickers. The redesigned
front end and doors make for a solid ship once built. It's no secret
this is my favorite vehicle, but even at $120, this is a nice set, fun build,
and presents plenty of play opportunities.
Best Busts and Statues
- Shaak Ti
- This was a tough pick because there were two busts that I
thought deserved the top spot but Shaak Ti is my pick. The detail in
the paint and sculpt that Gentle Giant were able to pull off is exceptional.
This is an example of what GG can do when they're firing on all cylinders.
She has a nice pose with her lightsaber and, again, the detail in the paint
on her face, robes and even fingernails is incredible. This is one of
the nicest looking busts GG has done to date and should be in everyone's
collection.
- Speeder Bike and Scout Trooper
- Sideshow has offered some incredible Premium Format figures over the last
couple of years, and while General Grievous may have been the tops till now in
my opinion, I think the Scout Trooper on Speeder Bike has taken Sideshow to a
whole new level. It rings in at $800 but the size, detail and sheer WOW
factor on this piece make it very attractive. Pound for pound this maybe
should have been tops on the Busts and Statues list but the price puts it out
of reach for a lot of collectors and I'm dinging it just a little for that
reason.
- Aayla Secura
- Aayla was almost my top pick but the detail on Shaak Ti
outweighed that on Aayla, but just by a little. Aayla has a very nice
action pose with her lightsaber, her outfit is well textured and painted and
the subtle detail on her lekku really adds to the bust. In most other
years this would have gotten top nods but third place behind two other
incredible offerings is nothing to shake a stick at.
Best Non-Toy Collectible
- Kotobukiya X-Wing Fighter 3D
- Koto debuted a new X-Wing model during Celebration IV in 2007 and it was
released this July. The X-Wing is a 3D model of the ship as you might
find it in the Incredible Cross-Section books, showing off the internals of
the weapons systems, engines, cockpit and wings. Figures of Luke
Skywalker, R2-D2 and Rebel Technicians round out the impressive set.
This is the first release in what may be a larger line. The 1:35 scale
model runs around $200 depending on the retailer, and while it may not be the
eFX model, it's still very impressive. Hopefully this line will continue
and we'll see other classic vehicles.
- eFX
- Not necessarily anything that eFX has produced this year but, in general,
the fact that they picked up the license which Master Replicas lost at the end
of 2007. eFX has produced several helmets this year, including the
Stormtrooper which many missed out on from MR, as well as the incredible
studio scale X-Wing. While many of their items are expensive, there is
still a market and many pieces that have yet to be made. Hopefully
they'll continue into the future.
Best Exclusive
- Droid Factory 2-packs
- Walmart kicked off a new theme from Hasbro with their 2008 Droid Factory
2-packs. Each pack paired up a main character and a droid while packing
in one piece of C-3PX which could be assembled. The droids were the main
highlight of this set of six 2-packs with R2-T0 and the C-3PX build-a-droid
figure being the best. Of the main characters in the sets, Watto was
probably the best with his new blue paint scheme. However, Han Solo Hoth
fans should also note that this version of the 2007 VTAC figure now has his
hood in the up position and makes for a nice addition to the collection.
Best Events
- Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination
- In February the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia opened the Star Wars:
Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit. This is a travelling exhibit of
Star Wars props, costumes and real world items that have influence on, or
been influenced by, the films. The exhibit ran until May 4th and
attracted thousands of people. I attended the February 9th opening with
members of the PSWCS club as well as an April presentation by Lorne Peterson
on the special effects behind movies such as Star Wars, Indiana
Jones, and Independence Day. The PSWCS club was even invited
to give a presentation about collecting. Overall it was one of the most
interesting and fun events I've attended and definitely takes the cake for
best event of 2008.
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars
- Although the new Clone Wars movie wasn't live
action, it was Star Wars on the big screen. Better yet, it was an
intro to the ongoing series on Cartoon Network. I was a fan of the
Genndy Tartakovsky Clone Wars micro series and have been looking forward to
this new series since it was first announced. The animation, sound and
designs for the movie and show have all been incredible. The plots
have ranged from childish to mature and most include some humor. We
get to see our favorite characters each week plus new ones introduced as
needed. I'm happy to see Star Wars have a weekly presence on TV and
the film that kicked it off made for a good lead.
- Midnight Madness
- I thought we'd seen the last of the Midnight Madness events now that the
prequel films are over with. However, Hasbro, Toys-R-Us, and Walmart
surprised us with a July 26th event to launch the new Clone Wars and Legacy
Collection lines. Not only were we able to plan on when we could buy
these new toys, Hasbro went the extra mile and released two PDF files
containing info on wave content, store exclusives, and release dates for not
just July 26th but the rest of the fall. This Midnight Madness was well
handled by the TRU store I went to and Hasbro's information release probably
played a part in that. I'm
not sure when or if we can expect another event like this but count me in if
it happens.
Worst
Worst Figure
- Jodo Kast
- Jodo was released in the Legacy Collection line as part of wave 3 which
was this year's repaint wave. The figure is a repaint of the 2006 TSC
Boba Fett figure and retains the terrible action feature of the first release.
The bad articulation, overly loose head (on the figure I purchased), and
awkward stance on the figure ruin what is an otherwise well decorated figure.
Hasbro could have had an easy winner with this character if they had just
abandoned this terrible figure sculpt.
- Leia Organa (Shadows of the Empire comic pack)
- Leia was packed with a new Xizor figure from the Shadows of the Empire
comic and while Xizor is an awesome looking version of that character, the
Leia figure is atrocious. The figure is very small and since she's
molded in almost all blue, all of her skin tone is painted on. I have
not seen a figure where that paint is applied well. While other more
deserving figures have had the ankle articulation scrapped, this figure
includes it but suffers from the "cankle" effect. The face sculpt isn't
terrible, but the slightest paint mishap will ruin it. Although I wanted
to add the new Xizor figure to my collection, the new $12 price point and this
abysmal Leia figure made that a price I was unwilling to pay.
Worst Figure 12"
- Padme Amidala: Ilum Mission
- When Sideshow first obtained the contract
for the 1:6 scale they held a poll to find out what their first Expanded
Universe figure would be and Padme from her animated appearance on Ilum won
the vote. That was in November 2005. Two years later she finally
went up for pre-order, shipped in February 2008, and immediately became
a disappointment. Not only is the head sculpt kind of ugly, it's not even
a full head, it doesn't have hair. The bodysuit and cape look well done
and the accessories are fine, if a bit sparse. She lacks some points of
articulation that other figures have (wrists) and has an odd sideways look to
her eyes. With a $55 price tag and a two year wait, this was not up to
the normal standards of Sideshow.
- Value
- This made the worst list last year and here we are again.
Last year it
was predicted that we'd see $80 to $100 armored figures and that was on target
with General Obi-Wan ringing in at $89.99 before expanding to the Stormtrooper
and Clone Trooper releases. Darth Vader stepped in at $124.99 directly
from Sideshow, and while those figures may be worth it, the new price point of
$69.99 for basic figures such as Tatooine Luke Skywalker and AOTC Obi-Wan
Kenobi seems a little out of bounds. Granted, prices are up for
everything, but I'd rather see lower prices with fewer accessories than both
higher prices and fewer accessories and features.
Worst Vehicle or Playset
- Battle at the Sarlacc Pit Ultimate Battle Pack
- This Target exclusive set is a follow-up to last year's Hoth and Endor
UBPs but it doesn't measure up. This year the UBPs are priced at $62.99
and while the Battle of Christophsis set is a treat, the Sarlacc set kind of
sucks. It includes a Skiff, five figures and the Sarlacc. The
Skiff isn't bad but the weak plastic used is apparent even in the package with
misshapen parts and railings. The figures have terrible paint
applications and some of the weapons are so bent up one would assume they'd
never be straightened out. The Sarlacc, while not entirely a waste, does
have a blow molded outer shell that is very fragile and will probably not last
beyond the most gentle of play. This easily gets my vote as the worst
vehicle or playset of the year.
- Republic Gunship
- What? A Gunship on the worst list? I'm
afraid so, if for no other reason than price. Originally released in 2002
for $39, the Republic Gunship has seen two repaints at $30 and 2006's $45
Toys-R-Us exclusive. This year was Walmart's turn and while the paint
apps and new Twi'lek nose art were nice, the $50 price tag was ridiculous. Walmart's claim to fame is its low pricing but the fifth release of this
mid-sized vehicle didn't fit the bill. With the AT-TE and Falcon sitting
next to it the price made even less sense. This should have been a $35 -
$40 vehicle at most. Even Toys-R-Us was able to do the new Dagger
Squadron B-Wing for $35, and they're notorious for higher priced exclusives. The fact that I ponied up the cash
for this Gunship is truly a
measure of my love for this vehicle and shouldn't be mistaken for any type of
validation on the price point.
- Titanium
- Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the
Titanium line of toys, but they may be the worst value of all the Star Wars
collectibles by Hasbro. They started at a modest $4.88 as a Walmart
exclusive in 2005 but they've ballooned to $6.99 and up while it seems the
number of repaints has only increased. The lack of metal in some of the
vehicles coupled with the ridiculous packaging only add to the lack of value.
If the packaging could be changed and the new sculpt vs. repaint ratio could
be ironed out this would be a line more worth the money needed to collect it.
Worst Other Toys
- WizKids
-
On November 10th, WizKids posted a note to their website that Topps, their
parent company, was ceasing operations immediately. This puts a big
question mark on the future of not only the Star Wars Pocketmodel
game but also the very popular HeroClix game. While the posting leaves
hope that we could see the Pocketmodel game continue in some manner, there's
been no new news as of this writing. It would be a shame to see this
game go by the wayside as it still seems to have a lot of support.
Worst Lego
- V-19 Torrent Starfighter (7674)
- While Lego does have some nice sets that are sold at a decent price, the
V-19 is not necessarily one of them. It has a decent piece count of 471
pieces but it clocks in at $54.99. The Magnaguard Starfighter (7673) has
431 pieces for $44.99 and the Rogue Shadow (7672) has 482 pieces for $49.99
which gives the feeling that the V-19 isn't that great of a deal. The
model itself seems to have plenty of play features and makes for a nice build,
but the price seems a little high for this set.
Worst Busts and Statues
- Holiday Commander Cody
- In previous years Gentle Giant has sent out
special year-end holiday busts to their biggest supporters. These have
all been limited to 200 pieces and each and every year the fans protest the fact
that they won't be able to add them to their collections. This year
Gentle Giant created Holiday Cody by adding a scarf and replacing the holo
of Darth Sidious with a light-up snowman. Ordering was opened to
Premiere Guild members from mid-September till October 3rd. The
edition size was set, somewhat, based on the amount of pre-orders received.
While it may be a nice gesture, some of the fun and exclusivity of the
previous gifts seems to have been left behind in favor of selling a repainted
figure. It's probably a good move for GG's bottom line, but in my
opinion it's just another example of how Gentle Giant has gotten away from
the ideals that brought them success in the early years of their line.
Worst Non-Toy Collectible
-
Star Wars: Frames
-
When Sideshow first announced their new book project, Star Wars: Frames,
a lot of people were skeptical. Then the price was announced: $4,000.
Fans pretty much abandoned ship. The ambitious six book set of
widescreen stills from the Saga comes in a huge, wooden display box with
sculptures on each end, each book is bound in leather, and the set includes
bookplates signed by George Lucas. Sideshow is offering an overall
edition size of 1,138 pieces with the books grouped into 250 piece price
brackets. The first 250 in the edition start at $4,000 and jump $250
with each new group of edition numbers. The sets have been on sale for a
few months now and they still haven't sold the first 250 pieces of the
edition. Kudos for the ambitious project but the price is prohibitive to
nearly everyone, and with this year's sinking economy, the project may have
been too ambitious.
- Windlass Studios/Museum Replicas
- When Master Replicas lost the Star Wars license at the end of 2007,
many people were afraid that there would be no new replicas coming to the
market. Those fears were put to rest by eFX and word that Hasbro would
take over the popular FX lightsaber line. More good news came out just
before Toy Fair in the form of Windlass Studios who had made a deal with
Lucasfilm to produce replica clothing and armor from our favorite films.
It's almost a year later and while several costumes were shown at San Diego
Comic-Con, nothing has been offered up for sale yet. It's understandable
that Windlass wants to offer up the best product possible, but it's also not
unreasonable that something more would have been heard by this point in time.
With the economy what it is, it'll be interesting if we see anything from
Windlass by the 2009 Toy Fair.
Worst Exclusive
- Disturbance at Lars Homestead
- This could have gone in the Vehicle and Playset section but it's bad
enough that I though it ought to have its own place. The Toys-R-Us
exclusive set, priced at $49.99, contains a new Lars home and base along with
three figures, a womp rat and moisture vaporator. Now, that doesn't
sound terrible, until you realize that the Owen and Beru figures are POTF2
repaints and the Sandtrooper, while newer, is something that's widely
available. The house is the real attraction but it suffers the same
issue as the Sarlacc set, a terrible blow molded base that's very fragile.
The womp rat is new and next to the house, the best attraction in the set.
While it's nice to see Hasbro try, this was another miss on their end.
They would have done better with the house and no base, throw in another
figure and drop the price $10.
Worst Events
- Captain Rex mail-away
- Touted as a "sneak peek" figure, the mail-away offer for Captain Rex
started back in February and was our first look at the new action figures for
Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Unfortunately, the figure didn't ship
in time to preview the new Clone Wars line and just made it to many mailboxes
before the movie debuted in theaters. The fact that it was a clean deco
version of the widely released figure, and with slightly different weapons,
didn't make this a very fun mail-in offer.
- First Day of Issue
- This year's promotion for the action figures consisted of a First Day of
Issue sticker and foil packaging for figures released in the first wave of The
Legacy Collection and Clone Wars lines. Not all cases shipped with FDoI
stickers on the figures but tracking down a full set wasn't overly difficult.
This was a poor replacement for the Ultimate Galactic Hunt promo which brought us
the gold coins last year and silver stands and hologram figures in 2006.
This promo didn't seem to even sway the hardest of the hardcore variant
collectors. And if those guys can't be moved to buy something, I'd have
to call that a loser.
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