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Event Coverage

2010 GI Joe Con

Lorne Peterson Lecture



Collection Photos

It's only a small fraction of my collection but these are pieces that are either on display or I've taken the time to highlight. Collection photos.

Dictionary of Hobby Terms

The Star Wars hobby uses a lot of abbreviations that seem obvious to anyone that's collected for even a short period of time.  Some of them, though, are kind of obscure or just plain odd. 

Dictionary of Hobby Terms

The Best and the Worst

In 2001 I wrote a "Best and Worst" article for CreatureCantina.com to sum up the year that had just ended.  Since then it's become an annual event with expanding categories as new Star Wars license holders have brought out new collectibles or we've had new conventions or other events. 

  • 2001 - I found it!  The first Best and Worst post that I wrote way back in the Power of the Jedi days.  I first posted it to the PSWCS group so this is the first time it's been online.  Highlights include the last good Qui-Gon Jinn figure, the Bespin Playset and Episode 1 on DVD.
  • 2002- Highlights include Attack of the Clones action figures, the new Unleashed line and Celebration II in Indianapolis.
  • 2003 - In 2003 we saw Gentle Giant kick it up a notch with their Boba Fett bust and we had the first installments of the Animated Clone Wars cartoon (and action figures!).
  • 2004 - Hasbro treated us to the Vintage OTC figures, Lucasfilm finally released the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD and GG released so much new product I had to create an all new section for Busts and Statues.
  • 2005 - The last movie, Revenge of the Sith, was a huge hit in theaters, we went back to Indy for Celebration III and Hasbro dumped 68 new basic figures on us in the span of six months.
  • 2006 - Hasbro and the other companies with the Star Wars license blasted into the first year without a future movie and kept the various lines going full bore.  Plenty of exclusives and regular retail items were available, some good, some bad.  Read on to find out the hits and misses.
  • 2007 - The year 2007 was big for several reasons; We celebrated the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars, Celebration IV was held in Los Angeles, Europe got in the game with their own Celebration Europe held in London and Master Replicas lost their license, the first large company to do so since the modern collectibles market took off in 1999.  As always, there were both good and bad parts to the year and once again, we go to the list.
  • 2008 - In 2008 we saw the debut of Star Wars: The Clone Wars in theaters and then on the Cartoon Network.  Hasbro launched their new Clone Wars toy line with a big Midnight Madness event and wowed fans with the Big Millennium Falcon (BMF) and AT-TE.  Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination continued its rounds of the country with a stop in Philadelphia and The Force Unleashed video game was finally released to much fanfare.  Read on for a recap of the year 2008.
  • 2009 - The biggest thing that 2009 will be noted for is the terrible distribution and failing lines from Hasbro.  There were high points, including the Turbo Tank and the continuation of the successful Clone Wars line, but Saga figures were scarce at retail.  Star Wars in Concert was the big event for the year, which closed with the announcement of Celebration V in Orlando for 2010.

Hasbro and Lucasfilm

Ever wonder how the partnership between Hasbro and Lucasfilm has evolved over time?  Interested in knowing how much money Hasbro actually had to shell out for their license?  Some of that info is public knowledge as it's shown up in annual reports from Hasbro and in on-line law databases where the actual contracts are available. 

Hasbro, Inc. and Lucasfilm Ltd. Licensing History