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12-31-2011New Zealand Mint)
Yoda Back in August we told you about a new series of silver Star Wars coins created by the New Zealand mint for the island of Niue. We teamed up with some fellow Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society (PSWCS) members and placed an order for the first set of 10 individual coins. These arrive back on December 17th and today we have a photo gallery of the first release. The plan is for the series to have 40 total coins released between now and 2014, but for now, take a look at the first release of the Niue Silver Coins. 12-27-2011Sideshow - UpdateThere was an article in Star Wars Insider last December that spoke about this new maquette line. They'll be 1:5 scale and Obi-Wan, at least, will have an alternate head sculpt so you can depict him as Ewan McGregor from Revenge of the Sith or Alec Guinness from A New Hope.
Sideshow also had the maquette at their San Diego Comic-Con dinner during this year's convention (pictured above) which shows the Guinness portrait. During the 2010 video and again during the 2011 dinner, several other characters were mentioned for this line, including; Darth Maul, Darth Vader, Boba Fett and Lomrokk (Gamorrean Guard). You can see this photo and others from the dinner and convention at Sideshow's website. )
Obi-Wan Kenobi Maquette Sideshow posted a Production Peek video for day four of their 12 Days of Sideshoww promotion. The video shows a couple shots of a new Obi-Wan Kenobi statue sporting some Expanded Universe garb. This statue was teased way back at San Diego Comic-Con 2010 during the Star Wars Collectors' Panel. Only a rough sketch was shown and it was mentioned as being part of a new maquette line. We're not sure if a scale was mentioned but the quick shots from the video show quite a bit of detail. We look forward to more news on this. 12-24-2011Sideshow - UpdatedThe first official reveal is a preview of the upcoming Life-sized Darth Malgus statue.
Today, Sideshow kicks of the 12 Days of Sideshow feature. From today until January 4th, Sideshow will be unveiling preview pictures, videos or sale opportunities. Make sure to keep an eye on their site, the 12 Days of Sideshow. Lego Advent Calendar - Day 24
Finally, we've reached the end of the 2011 Lego Advent Calendar and also the exclusive minifigure, Santa Yoda. He even has a backpack of presents to deliver for Christmas. It's been a fun month opening the Advent Calendar and we're really happy with all the minifigures and ships. It looks like we'll have a new Star Wars Advent Calendar next year and we're looking forward to it. We'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! 12-23-2011Lego Advent Calendar - Day 23
You can't have Christmas without a Christmas Tree and that's exactly what the Calendar had for us today. 12-22-20111Lego Advent Calendar - Day 22
Today is the last mini vehicle of the 2011 Advent Calendar, an A-Wing Fighter. It's very simple but very effective. Kudos to Lego on all their mini vehicles from the Calendar. The last two days for the calendar will be more Christmas oriented, but we do have an exciting minifigure coming up on Saturday so make sure to stop back to see that! 12-21-2011Star Wars Collecting: The Best and Worst of 2011We realized today that during editing we accidentally deleted a section from our Best and Worst article. Specifically, we left out the Worst Busts and Statue section. This year we picked the Force Unleashed Darth Vader mini bust by Gentle Giant. To see why, and read the rest of our list, check out Star Wars Collecting: The Best and Worst of 2011. Lego Advent Calendar - Day 21
We only have 3 days left of the calendar, but before we wind it down we still have some fun models left. Today is a classic, the Millennium Falcon! 12-20-2011Star Wars: The Old RepublicToday is a day that Star Wars gamers have been looking forward to for over a year; the offical launch day for Star Wars: The Old Republic. On the heels of the previous MMORPG, Star Wars: Galaxies, closing its doors for good last week, today is an exciting day. If you haven't already ordered your software, you pick it up at your local gaming store or download it. Make sure to check out SWTOR.com for videos, game info and the software download. And, most importantly, have fun! Lego Advent Calendar - Day 20
Yesterday a TIE Pilot and today a TIE Fighter. This mini ship was a little disappointing in size. Compared to the X-Wing or Republic Gunship it's on the small side. Still, Lego was able to capture the feel of the ship with a very minimal amount of bricks. 12-19-2011Star Wars Collecting: The Best and Worst of 2011
The year is winding down so it's time to take our annual look back at Star Wars collecting in 2011. It seems that every year we forget something that should have made the best or worst list and are likely to do that again, but we won't dwell on it for too long. In 2012 we have a lot of stuff to look forward to; Star Wars: The Phantom Menace comes back to theaters in 3D, Celebration VI returns to Orlando, Florida in August and our favorite licensees have a lot of cool toys and statues waiting for us. But for now, take a few minutes to look back at 2011 with us and think about what you thought was the Best and Worst of 2011. LegoBack in October we brought you a list of rumored 2012 Lego sets and now we have some more information, including one cool surprise. These are sets slated for a Summer release. No official photos yet and the listing of minifigures may change so we're only calling out a few to give an idea of what we should see.
Finally, the big surprise, 9509 Lego Advent Calendar! Looks like they'll be coming with a new set next year and are advertising two exclusives, one of which appears to be a Santa Maul. We can't wait. Again, none of these are official yet and are subject to change. Lego Advent Calendar - Day 19
The TIE Fighter Pilot is our next to last minifigure for the advent calendar. We just have a couple mini vehicles and a special Yoda left. 12-18-2011Lego Advent Calendar - Day 18
Today the Rebels get to beef up their starfighter hangar with a Y-Wing. 12-17-2011Lego Advent Calendar - Day 17
Today we get a weapons rack with a lightsaber, two blasters and some binoculars. These match up well with the Clone Trooper from yesterday with a couple minifigures yet to come. 12-16-2011Fighter Pods
Chewbacca Fighter Pods At New York Comic Con we had our first look at a new product from Hasbro called Fighter Pods. All we knew is that they would come in several different packaging sizes and that the small unarticulated figures could be used in a game. Hasbro has now updated their website with some additional information. The figures will come in several packaging sizes from the Fighter Pods Mystery Bag which contains two figures and a pod all the way up to the Fighter Pods Figure 16-pack. Each level has exclusive figures, including some that are hidden. We know from Comic Con that there will also be vehicles available for the line. It also looks like each level of releases will have certain characters available that may not be in other levels. The characters will be pulled from all six Saga films and the Clone Wars cartoon. Look for the Fighter Pods starting in February. No pricing has been given yet, to our knowledge. Lego Advent Calendar - Day 16
We're back to minifigures today with a Clone Pilot. 12-15-2011Rancho Obi-Wan Becomes Nonprofit Benefit CorporationSteve Sansweet has has turned his collection at Rancho Obi-Wan into a nonprofit charity organization that will offer tours and outreach programs. Please read the full press release and then visit the new website at RanchoObiWan.org for additional details. Lego Advent Calendar - Day 15
Today we finally got to see the mini ship we were most looking forward to, the Republic Gunship. It's kind of a clever build, simple but it really captures the look of our favorite Star Wars transport. All it's lacking is some cool nose art like we see in the Clone Wars. 12-14-2011Gentle GiantGentle Giant posted two new Star Wars pre-orders today, a Nien Nunb mini bust and 12" Retro Hammerhead.
Nien Nunb, although described as co-piloting the Millennium Falcon, is actually a representation of him in a B-Wing Pilot uniform. You're choice to decide if this is Nien Nunb or Ten Nunb. Anyway, he's $75.00 directly from Gentle Giant and is listed for fall 2012 release. Also scheduled for fall 2012, Gentle Giant's newest addition to the retro Kenner line of 12" figures, Hammerhead. Hammerhead is priced at $75 and will include a Star Wars card with 20 back style artwork. Holiday Sales)
Yay, sales! One thing everyone likes is a sale and this year there have been some excellent ones. Amazon.com has been leading the pack lately and we took advantage last week when, during a Lightning Deal, they offered up the new Republic Attack Shuttle for the low price of $21.99. We also picked up the new G.I. Joe Sky Striker which was on sale for $22.99 and, taking advantage of their Prime shipping promotion, had the whole thing shipped for only $48.58. Not a bad deal. The Attack Shuttle can still be had for the low price of $24.99 but the Sky Striker is back up to regular retail. HasbroSeveral auctions popped up on eBay for the Phantom Menace wave of Vintage Collection figures. What makes this interesting is that they were found at retail, Target, in the US ahead of their scheduled January 2012 release. The other thing that's interesting is that they're sporting a sticker for a contest where you could win a life-sized Darth Maul statue signed by George Lucas. We just found out in the latest Q&A that we wouldn't have a mail-away promotion next year and this must be the replacement. No details yet, we'll have to wait for someone to open one of these figures or for Hasbro to post information. Lego Advent Calendar - Day 14
Two droids in a row! Today we have a small mouse droid from our friends at Lego. 12-13-2011Lego Advent Calendar - Day 13
We're not sure you can have a fun Lego set without an astromech droid so that makes today's R2-Q5 minifigure a must-have. 12-12-2011Lego Advent Calendar - Day 12
It's winter so it's suitable that today's mini vehicle is a Snowspeeder. No snow on the ground, but it's cold enough for it. 12-11-2011Lego Advent Calendar - Day 11
Today we see another minifigure and this time it's a Battle Droid. Specifically, it's a pilot Battle Droid as denoted by the blue coloring. He even came with a blaster. 12-10-2011Lego Advent Calendar - Day 10
Today's Lego set is an Imperial Shuttle. We should note that the stand we built is not included in the set, but we wanted a way to show it with the wings down. Since they're on a hinge they do fold up for landing. 12-9-2011Sideshow)
442nd Siege Trooper As promised, Sideshow listed the 442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper for sale last night. There is no exclusive edition this time around, as there wasn't with the Clone Captain, so you don't have to rush over to place your order. The 442nd Clone Trooper is priced at $89.99 and scheduled for second quarter 2012 and no edition size has been announced yet. This Trooper comes with 13 different hands, two pairs of boots and two blasters. FLEXPay is not available for this release but if you order four or more, you will have to offer up a non-refundable deposit of $9.00 per Clone ordered. Head over to Sideshow's website to check out all the photos and place your order. Lego Advent Calendar - Day 9
We're back with our fourth mini vehicle from the new Advent Calendar, an X-Wing Fighter. This was one of the more interesting builds and the wings even open and close. Good job, Lego. 12-8-2011Lego Advent Calendar - Day 8
Today's minifigure is, well, we're not 100% sure. It's basically Zev Senesca but without paint on the helmet it could be just a generic Rebel Pilot. Either way, you can't go wrong with a minifigure in your advent calendar. 12-7-2011Hasbro Question & AnswerHasbro returned the answers to the final Question and Answer session of 2011. They cleared up a couple of things and also announced some new characters that we should see next year. One thing that was asked by a couple of sites, including
Jedi Defender, was for a clarification of the Clone Wars
releases for 2012. At New York Comic Con it was reported
that there would be 19 Clone Wars figures next year but there
was still speculation as to whether this meant 19 total figures
or 19 new plus repacks. We're still not sure we know the
answer. At JD, Hasbro responded that there are "a total of
19 single carded Clone Wars figures planned for 2012." In
their answer to a similar question from
Rebel Scum, Hasbro mentions again that there are 19 "total"
single carded figures and that about half of them have new
tooling. In the good news column, Echo Base News received confirmation of one of those 19 Clone Wars figures, General Krell! Imperial Shipyards wanted to know if we could expect figures from the much anticipated, upcoming The Old Republic game and Hasbro gave word that we could. Jedi News, which is based in the UK, asked if there would be another mail-away program for 2012. According to Hasbro, they have no plans for doing one next year. We're assuming that means for the US as well, even though the current program for Prototype Boba Fett works a little differently between the US and UK. It's not unexpected, but it will seem odd to have a year with no mail-away program to look forward to. At New York Comic Con Hasbro showed off a new Aurra Sing figure which will ship in January in the Walmart exclusive Discover the Force before being repacked on a Vintage Collection card later in the year. That figure will ship with some cool accessories, including several lightsaber hilts and a case for them. Lichtgeschwindigkeit.com asked a question that's been on our minds, will the accessories carry forward with the figure? According to Hasbro, they will. Good news, but we still think it'll be worth picking up Aurra next month at Walmart just in case. Rebel Scum asked if we would possibly see the cancelled comic pack figures of the Noghri and Ralrra but Hasbro let us know that those figures were never tooled, meaning they never really made it far enough in production that they can just be slotted in now. Which sucks, because a Noghri figure would totally rock! Sandtroopers asked about a subject near to our heart, chances for a new Republic Gunship with lights and sounds and which can deploy an AT-RT. While nothing concrete was said, Hasbro did say that a new Gunship is "near the top of our list for big vehicles." Oh, make it happen, Hasbro, make it happen! Sandtroopers also asked why there is a $25 price point on the Target exclusive Luke Skywalker tauntaun. Hasbro's response is one we've heard before, they suggested a price but Target picked the final shelf price. Yak Face asked if the new Jar Jar figure in the 2012 Vintage Collection line was going to be new or if he would be a re-pack of the Movie Heroes version. According to Hasbro, the VC release is all new with super articulation. Yak also asked if Grand Moff Tarkin was in the cards for the Vintage Collection and Hasbro pushed that answer off until Toy Fair. We're pretty sure that a Tarkin figure is confirmed and we'd assume that he's due next year. One thing we found interesting is at least two different sites, Jedi Defender and Jedi Temple Archives, snuck in questions about new characters from the Tartakovsky Clone Wars micro series. Hasbro threw us a bone with Captain Fordo, by not specifically naming him, but has maintained that we won't be seeing any named characters from that show again. That leaves out the Nelvaan Warriors which JTA specifically asked about as well as Tarr Seirr and Sha'a Gi which Jedi Defender brought up. Sideshow
442nd Siege Trooper As we kind of expected, Sideshow posted a photo gallery of the upcoming 442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper yesterday afternoon. The Siege Trooper goes on sale this Thursday night with the release of the newsletter. The Siege Trooper is priced at $89.99 but nothing is listed about an exclusive. We guessed there would be an exclusive for the Clone Captain that went on sale last week and were wrong so we're not assuming anything with this release. And while there wasn't a photo of the accessories laid out, from what we can see we should expect several pairs of hands and possibly an extra set of feet along with at least two blasters for this Trooper. Check out the photos on Sideshow's site and be ready for the pre-order tomorrow. Lego Advent Calendar - Day 7
Day 7 of Lego's Advent Calendar brings us a barrel of tools, and a Bowcaster for the Chewbacca minifigure from yesterday. 12-6-2011PSWCS Medallion)
Leia Medallion Christmas is fast approaching and if you're looking for the perfect gift for a Star Wars fan on your list, how about a Princess Leia Medallion which will also benefit the very worth charity, Operation Troop Appreciation? The Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society is selling a limited edition Princess Leia medallion for $10 each with all proceeds going to Operation Troop Appreciation. The medallion is limited to 1,000 pieces and is fully licensed by Lucasfilm. Well over half the edition has already sold so if you've been putting off purchasing a medallion, or are just hearing about it, don't wait, they could be gone. For all the information about the PSWCS and Operation Troop Appreciation, as well as ordering instructions, please see the PSWCS website. You can also check out our press release from August which contains similar information as well as additional photos of the Princess Leia Operation Troop Appreciation medallion. Lego Advent Calendar - Day 6
Today we have our second minifigure from the Advent Calendar, Chewbacca! 12-5-2011Around the Toy Aisle - Pre-Holiday EditionThe Christmas holiday is just over 3 weeks away and just over a week ago we had the big Black Friday shopping day. We stopped in several stores over the past week and today take a look at some of our observations in the Around the Toy Aisle - Pre-Holiday Edition. What's out, what's not and what might we expect over the next weeks? We'll have another Around the Toy Aisle report after the first of the year to see how stores ultimately made out and what kind of clearances we're looking at. Lego Advent Calendar - Day 5
Today we have a fun take on Boba Fett's Slave I. Lego actually did an excellent job of capturing all the key elements of the ship in such a small scale and with limited parts. So far, this and the Republic Cruiser from day 1 are probably the most well done. But we haven't gotten to our personal favorite, the Republic Gunship yet! 12-4-2011Lego Advent Calendar - Day 4
We're back to the mini vehicles today with Lego's take on the Homing Spider Droid. 12-3-2011Lego Advent Calendar - Day 3
Day 3 of the Lego Advent Calendar is a Neimoidian mecho-chair, which is kind of an odd choice since its main use in the Star Wars films was as a holoprojector base for Darth Sidious in The Phantom Menace. We're assuming it's meant to go with Nute Gunray, however, since we did see him use a similar chair and it's made by his people. Still, we'd have liked to have seen another mini vehicle or a droid. 12-2-2011Lego Advent Calendar - Day 2
Day 2 of the Lego Advent Calendar is a minifigure of Nute Gunray! Sideshow)
Clone Captain As planned, Sideshow offered up the Republic Clone Captain action figure last night with the release of the newsletter. Although we speculated that there would be an exclusive release, that's not the case. Sideshow is offering just one basic release of the Clone Captain but he's loaded with extra hands and two blasters for $89.99. You can pre-order him now for an expected release in the second quarter of 2012. Although there are no additional photos yet, last night's newsletter also mentioned that next Thursday, December 8th, is the pre-order date for the 442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper. Maybe we'll see a photo release next Tuesday but we'll have to wait as it wasn't mentioned. 12-1-2011Lego Advent CalendarLego has been releasing Advent Calendar sets for years (we didn't check to see exactly how long) but this is the first time they've done a Star Wars set. Set 7958, Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar, was released in August and now that December is hear, it's time to open it! We have a couple of shots of the box and an insert from the first set. Each day through the month we'll bring you the new mini sets and minifigs.
Since it's only the first, you should still be able to get in on the fun of the Advent Calendar. Check your Walmart, Target and Toys-R-Us stores, they may still have these sets in stock, but don't wait, they could sell out any time. Hasbro Fans' Choice PollFinal reminder! If you want to vote in this year's Fans' Choice Poll, you only have until midnight tonight to do so. Head over to Titan Magazine's website, home to Star Wars Insider, and cast your vote. And remember our motto, "A vote for Jaxxon in the 2011 Fans' Choice Poll is a vote for all that's right and just in the Star Wars collecting world." |
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