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1-31-2008Valentine's Day ItemsTarget is selling several Star Wars themed Valentine's Day items in their seasonal section. First up is a box of Valentine's Day cards featuring artwork from all six films along with stickers to decorate them. The rest are all candy related and Darth Vader is the main theme. The Vader mug that first made an appearance at Christmas is back without any apparent changes except that it has a sticker of kissing lips on it. )
There is also a heart shaped box made of cardboard with a red top and black Vader mask. The final item, that I recall, is the one I bought and is pictured. It's a metal 4" x 7" box with Darth Vader's mask and Star Wars embossed on the front. Inside is a chocolate bar, also with Vader's helmet and Star Wars on it. It rang in at $4.99 and was too cool for me to pass up. All of the candy is by Galerie who has also done the Christmas candy for the last couple of years. These items might be available at other retailers but, as I mentioned, I found them at Target. HasbroComic 2-PacksThe most recent wave of comic 2-packs is starting to pop up in stores. This wave includes Mouse & Basso, Republic Commando & Super Battle Droid and Lt. Jundland & Deena Shan. Be on the lookout. TAC 2008YakFace.com is reporting that the Obi-Wan and Anakin figures from the first 2008 wave of figures may have more upgrades than first thought. Both appear to have new ball joint hips which give both figures an incredible new amount of articulation. This news, on the heels of the already announced insane articulation on Gree, seems to show that Hasbro is taking everything up a notch for 2008. 1-30-2008HasbroIt was reported back on January 12th that wave 3 would be a Clone Wars wave and feature the following figures:
Today, RebelScum.com forum member Sallah posted a photo of the Wave 3 figures which were shown in the newest Previews magazine. Looks like that list was dead on.
There's also a battle damaged Darth Vader pictured which I believe is from the Force Unleashed wave 2 assortment. The photo is probably a representation of what the case pack will look like. Also listed were several Expanded Universe comic 2-packs including Durge and Anakin, which is new. Not pictured, but mentioned in the listing, is a 2-pack of Asajj Ventress and Tol Skorr which, I believe, has been on several rumor lists. 1-29-2008HasbroTransformersIn the last Q&A session Hasbro mentioned a new Republic Gunship Transformer for this year and I guessed on the shark deco. RebelScum.com posted pictures last night of the new ship and, sure enough, it has the shark deco! As a surprise, the Clone Pilot is now an ARC Trooper. TAC 2008Several web sites are also reporting that the first wave of 2008 figures have been found in stores on the West Coast. Time to start looking! EvolutionsToys-R-Us.com is now listing Evolutions packs for The Padme Amdala Legacy (their spelling, not mine) and The Rebel Pilots Legacy. Both sets are set at $19.99 and show a 2/15/2008 release date, but I'm betting that's not very accurate. This is probably the first confirmation that these packs will be coming some time this year. While I believe they were on the order lists circulating the internet, once it's in the TRU computers it's probably a little more solid. 1-25-2008SideshowDioramas Duel of the Fates Sideshow now has the "Duel of the Fates" Diorama up for pre-order. It's scheduled for a 2nd quarter 2008 release and rings the bell at a cool $299.99 although they do offer a flex-pay option. The dioramas are limited to 2 per person so head over and get your order in. BustsSideshow also picked today to put up a sneak peek at their next life-size bust, Palpatine! By the look of things, this dude needs to seriously see his dentist. No ordering information yet but at the rate they've been going with announcement quickly followed by pre-order, I'm guessing we'll know something within a week or two. Wal-MartI forgot to post on this but the exclusive Comic 2-packs have been out in decent numbers for the last week, at least. I passed on the Boba Fett and Droid pack as I just didn't need another Fett in my collection. I did pick up the Commander Keller and Galactic Marine set though. That's a good looking 2-pack, especially Keller. It's a pretty basic Clone figure but the soft goods take it up a notch. The white Marine is just that, white. Can't talk it up all that much. He's close enough in deco to blend in with my purple Mace Windu Marines though so it's not a total loss. The Twins set looks good with the soft goods cloaks but even with the re-painted babies it still wasn't enough of a difference to get me to buy it. I already bought the previous single carded releases and I'm happy with those. I did notice that the Twins pack did seem to be selling faster than the other two sets which I chalk up to the fact that the local WM never carried the previous exclusives. The prices also went up on the comic packs to $10 and change from their previous $9.88 price. That's still better than Target's $12.10 for the comic packs. TargetIf you have a Target that still has some stock of their Christmas exclusives you might want to check to see if they're on clearance yet. The local store had about 13 ARC-170 vehicles that they put out 2 weeks ago, nearly a week after the rest of the new year clearance. They sat around at 30% off for two weeks but last night I stopped in and they were all gone but four and they were now 75% off. I picked up two at $7.49 each. Not bad, $60 worth of Star Wars goodness for $16.18. 1-24-2008MedicomKubrick) Series 9 Medicom updated this week with photos of Series 9 of their Star Wars Kubrick line. This wave is all Prequel Trilogy characters and will have Attack of the Clones versions of Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Count Dooku, Jango Fett and a Clone Trooper. As with all releases, this is sure to have chase variants which we'll find out about when cases start to ship. June 2008 appears to be the estimated delivery for these figures. Real Action HeroesAlso on Medicom's web site are photos of a new Attack of the Clones Clone Trooper for their Real Action Heroes Line.
I tried to translate the page but didn't have much success. It looks to be a 2008 release but no price or release date was apparent on the site. We might want to keep an eye on Sideshow Collectibles web site to see if they'll be offering this up for pre-order. Thursday is newsletter day so I'll check that later. 1-23-2008Gentle Giant
MintInBox.net announced yesterday that the "Star Wars, The Exhibition" will have an exclusive bust when it opens on February 16th in Brussels. The bust will be a hologram version of the previously released Darth Maul bust. It's limited to 2,500 pieces but appears that only 1,500 will be sold at the event with 1,000 left over for Gentle Giant to distribute. Possible that it may show up for Premier Guild members but we'll probably have to wait for some word from GG on that. 1-22-2008HasbroA new piece of info from last Friday's Q&A with Hasbro as it pertains to the Transformer line; we can expect a repaint of the Clone Pilot/Republic Gunship in 2008. I'm betting on the shark deco that we already have on the ARC-170 but it could always be the ROTS green version. Shadow Troopers)
Shadow Troopers Debuting at Jedi-Con in Germany will be a Shadow Troopers 2-pack. Jedi-Con will run from March 21 - 23, 2008 in Düsseldorf. They will be packaged similarly to the Order 66 2-packs that Target has. Since the article on StarWars.com says "debut" I'm assuming these will probably be available in the US, probably from ShopStarWars.com. Since We're getting an Utapau Shadow Trooper in the Saga Legends line later this year it would be cool to get a Commander for them but we'll have to wait to see the price on this. If SSW.com releases it I'm betting on either $14.99 or $19.99 but maybe they'll surprise us with a better price. 1-21-2008Hasbro
Want confirmation of an AT-TE for 2008? How about a quick glimpse of one during a Hasbro interview on hot toys for 2008? The photo on the left is a screen grab from a video posted on CNN Money yesterday. I'm not sure if the video will stay up at that link so take a look before it disappears. But, by comparing it to other things in the video, it looks like the AT-TE will be about two feet long and 12" or so wide. Not bad. Now if we can just get Hasbro to confirm this in a Q&A, especially if they give us a price, we'll be good to go. 1-19-2008HasbroYesterday a new round of Questions & Answers from Hasbro was posted around the various web sites and, as usual, there were some cool pieces of info. First up, from Boba's Bounty, we get word that the new FX Lightsaber offerings from Hasbro should include new and unproduced sabers. We can also expect the pricing to be similar to what MR was charging. Nothing official on that yet, however. RebelScum.com asked about new female figures and named Aunt Beru, Toryn Farr and Yarna. Hasbro's response was that one of them should be on shelves this year with another planned for 2009. Personally, I have my fingers crossed for Toryn Farr but a prequel Aunt Beru would be a nice addition to the line. Mousedroid.com asked about the possibility of a Yuzhan Vong character and Hasbro announced that one is in the planning stages and that we should look forward to Comic-Con for more info. From Yodasnews.com we find out that the Target exclusive Order 66 packs are going to be on the shelf sometime in April. They also confirm that Tsui Choi is a new figure and there is a new head sculpt for Master Sev. 1-18-2008Sideshow UpdateAs of 2:00 the Exclusive edition of Luke Skywalker is sold out but the regular edition is up. They've also bumped the price to $69.99 which makes Luke the most expensive single figure release, not counting Jabba, in the 1:6 scale. Sideshow)
Luke SkywalkerDon't forget that today is order day for Sideshow's new Tatooine "Farm Boy" Luke Skywalker. He goes up for sale at 1:00 PM EST. The Sideshow exclusive edition will include Luke's floppy hat and goggles while the regular edition will have his classic white shirt and tan pants, poncho, rifle, lightsaber and hilt, electrobinoculars, droid caller, belt and extra hands. The edition size of the exclusive is 1,977 pieces just like the other ANH figures (Han, Leia, Obi-Wain), and is listed as a 2nd Quarter 2008 release. The exclusive will probably go quick, however, so log in this afternoon if you want to pick him up. The head sculpt looks pretty good on the figure and is the version of Luke I've been waiting to see for a while now. I don't know if I'm going to order or not, however, as I've been taking a new look at the 1:6 figure offerings and whether or not I'll be picking any more up. I may just wait for the non exclusive version later. Duel of the FatesSideshow also announced their next diorama and it will be from The Phantom Menace. It depicts the lightsaber battle between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul. Head over to Sideshow's web site to check out the preview picture. Palpatine/SidiousIf you pre-ordered the Darth Sidious and Emperor Palpatine Sith 2-pack from Sideshow then look for a processing notice in your email, if you haven't already received it. 
Medicom Real Action HeroShopStarWars.com is offering up an exclusive Medicom RAH Shocktrooper. Limited to 1,000 pieces, the Shocktrooper rings in at $149.99 and is listed as in stock now. The Shocktrooper is exclusive to ShopStarWars.com so if you want to pick it up, you might want to head over and do it sooner rather than later. Medicom Real Action Hero Shocktrooper. HasbroNew info this week on one of the Battle Packs postponed from 2007; photos of the Hoth Patrol Battle Pack have popped up on RebelScum.com. The BP has a sticker showing it's a Toys-R-Us exclusive and will include a Tauntaun, Luke Skywalker and Wampa. This looks to be a straight repack of available figures. No word yet if the Tauntaun will have the walking action feature or not. Order 664-inches.de scoops everyone again with photos of all six Order 66 2-packs. I think we can pretty much call this line confirmed at this point. The six 2-packs are:
The Force Unleashed) Vader's Secret Apprentice RebelScum.com is reporting today that The Force Unleashed video game may be suffering yet another delay that will push its release back to August of this year. What could that mean for the scheduled wave 2 of figures this year? Not known yet. The Force Unleashed role play lightsabers are already on store shelves and the Unleashed Battle Packs are just starting to hit. There are also pre-orders up for the Evolutions: Vader's Secret Apprentice set and it's listed as shipping in March. 1-15-2008Order 66While it's technically still a rumor, a list of 2008 Order 66 2-packs has been going around for a few weeks now. Photos of the rumored Clone Troopers from the sets have shown up on-line but yesterday 4-inches.de posted two photos showing Jedi figures. The first shows Obi-Wan and a red ARC Trooper and the second has Master Sev with a yellow ARC Trooper. Master Sev appears to use the Master Sev appears to have a Revenge of the Sith Kit Fisto body and either a new head or the POTF2 version. Obi-Wan is a repack of an earlier release but doesn't look overly exciting. 1-13-2008
Gentle GiantSome photos leaked the other day of wave 3 of the Classics busts and of a new statue piece to go with Jabba the Hutt and now MintInBox.net has photos of all the pieces. The new Classics busts will be a Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Phantom Menace Jar Jar Binks and Empire Strikes Back AT-AT Driver. The new piece for the Jabba statue will be a Princess Leia in slave outfit and it appears she comes with two new arms for Jabba and his pipe and bowl. Head over to MintInBox.net for all the photos. 1-12-2008ChecklistsI updated the 30th Anniversary Coin Movie/Logo Matrix with the wave 7.5 coins which I hadn't had info on before last night. I was able to pick up the Hawkbat Battalion Clone Trooper at Target and that was one of the last ones I needed to verify for the matrix. I also updated with the most current info on the 2008 Saga Legends figures which includes the two black "shadow" coins included with the Shadow Troopers. I also added the newly announced Tatooine Luke Skywalker to the Sideshow 1:6 Checklist. HasbroThePrivateUniverse.co.uk posted a newsletter from Paugus Toy Company that appears to confirm some rumored 2008 figures and vehicles. On the figure front, the major confirmation seems to be that the 2008 Wave 3 figures will be from the Cartoon Network Clone Wars cartoon and include:
I'm psyched to see both Obi-Wan and Saesee Tiin in armor while Padme Ilum is an interesting surprise, especially after I just lambasted Hasbro over the lackluster 2007 version. Coupled with a Q&A answer that said a 2007 Battle Pack figure would get updated, cross your fingers this is it. The list also appears to confirm a newly done Millennium Falcon. Down side? It's listed at 149.99 GBP which translates, currently, to $300. I'm sure it won't be that much in the US but the previously rumored $150 price tag here might be right on. The AT-TE which was seemingly announced back in October at the Star Wars Fan Days is also listed, without price, as a "Spring Autumn" release. That narrows it down... I also spy a listing for a Transformer Clone Pilot/Clone Gunship. Repaint? I'm in! Head over to The Private Universe web site to see the whole list which also includes Marvel figures (3.75" Marvel Universe sounds interesting) and Indiana Jones. 1-11-2008SideshowComing quickly on the heels of the ANH Han Solo, Sideshow is announcing that next Friday, January 18th, we will get to pre-order Luke Skywalker in his Tatooine farm boy outfit. Priority pre-orders begin at 1:00PM EST. eFX and HasbroIf you were upset over Master Replicas losing the prop replicas license for Star Wars, fear no more because two companies have stepped up. Hasbro and a new company, eFX, will both be putting out replicas. eFX is a new company headed by former MR employees and will be doing studio scale vehicles and helmets while Hasbro will pick up the FX lightsaber line. Check out the press release: Lucas Licensing Teams With Hasbro and eFX to Bring High-End Star Wars Collectibles to Fans New Agreements Begin This Month for Collectible Prop Replicas, Vehicles and Popular Electronic Lightsabers SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Star Wars fans and collectors will find new lines of collectibles from Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS) and newcomer eFX in 2008, it was announced today by Lucas Licensing, a division of Lucasfilm Ltd. Hasbro, Lucas Licensing’s master Star Wars toy and game licensee, will assume the design and production of the high-end, collectible electronic lightsabers line, called “Force FX” Lightsabers, which was previously made by Master Replicas. Hasbro’s Force FX lightsaber line will debut in the spring and continues the remarkable popularity of electronic replica lightsabers among Star Wars enthusiasts. The line will feature replicas of the iconic weapons used by Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul and Yoda. Newly formed eFX will develop, manufacture and distribute collectible, limited-edition replicas of both full-sized and scaled props; studio- and reduced-scale vehicles and ships; full-sized helmets; and high-end, die-cast vehicles and ships that encompass the entire Star Wars universe. “Working with both Hasbro and eFX allows us to bring Star Wars fans some of the best collectibles we have ever offered,” said Howard Roffman, President of Lucas Licensing. “These are incredibly creative, innovative companies with a real passion for Star Wars, and we think it’s going to show in the products they offer.” Hasbro expects the first Force FX lightsabers to be available in the spring, while eFX plans to unveil its first products at Comic Con International in San Diego in July. Lucasfilm, STAR WARS, “lightsaber” and related character names, vehicle names and properties are trademarks and/or copyrights, in the United States and other countries, of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. TM &© Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners. It sounds like Hasbro will kick off the line with repacks of some of the more recent MR lightsabers but I'm hoping for some Episode 1 versions of both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon's lightsabers. HasbroIn other Hasbro news this week it's a mixed bag of good and bad. On the good side, Hasbro is purchasing Cranium Inc. for about $78 million dollars. That will add some new games to their library going forward. Cranium will become a subsidiary of Hasbro. The bad side of that coin is that the Hasbro Games unit based in East Longmeadow, Mass. will be laying off 200 people. The facility produces Monopoly, Scrabble and Clue among other games. The cuts will take place starting in February. 1-10-2008WizKidsMarch 28th is the release date for the next PocketModel expansion and it sounds like we can expect some cool things from it. Check out the press release.
WIZKIDS ANNOUNCES STAR WARS: ORDER 66!
January 8, 2008 (SEATTLE) — WizKids Inc. announces Order 66, the next scheduled release of the Star Wars™ PocketModel™ trading card game (TCG), to arrive in stores March 2008. Chancellor Palpatine’s treachery has been revealed, and the annihilation of the Jedi rebellion is imminent with the execution of Order 66. Fight the military response with Jedi Starfighters and AT-RTs. Or outnumber the Jedi with Republic Gunships and Clone Speeders. Order 66 has more than 40 PocketModels and 60 cards to collect! “This is the first Star Wars PocketModel TCG set to offer PocketModel decals,” said Justin Ziran,Star Wars PocketModel TCG brand manager. “The decals will allow players to customize the look of their fleets with faction-specific symbols and striping.” With the Order 66 release, players will also be able to purchase the Star Wars PocketModel TCG theme deck, Elite Assault. The Elite Assault theme deck will contain a 30-card preconstructed deck, eight exclusive alternate-art PocketModels, a strategy guide, an Order 66 set checklist and one decal sheet. The theme deck contains everything a player needs to get started in one package. HasbroRebelScum.com posted some new photos of the 2008 wave of Saga Legends figures which includes the Fans' Choice Shadow Stormtrooper, Utapau Shadow Trooper, Cover Ops Trooper, Commander Neyo and Zev Seneska. Interesting news is that the Expanded Universe coins included with the two Shadow Troopers will be black rather than the gold or silver we've seen up to this point. Back in October Hasbro confirmed that we'd see a silver EU coin in this wave but the Covert Ops Trooper is pictured with a gold coin. This might still be an early photo and we'll actually get a silver EU coin or maybe Hasbro changed their thoughts on it. I updated the TAC Coin/Logo Matrix and Saga Legends checklists to point out the new info. I'll update them again once we have confirmation on the EU coin colors. 1-4-2008Gentle Giant) AT-TE Tank Gunner Accessory Pack The AT-TE Tank Gunner accessory pack that was shown as early as Celebration IV is now on sale. There is an advanced purchase window for Premier Guild members so make sure to log in to place your order. Open ordering will begin on 1/10. The sets are limited to 1,500 pieces and are being offered on a first come, first served basis. They ring it at $15.00 and are limited to one per person and no duplicate orders will be accepted. The accessory pack will fit any of the Revenge of the Sith Clone Trooper mini busts and includes the helmet pad and pauldron. SideshowThe new oversized Darth Vader VCD is now up for pre-order. He stands 16" tall and will set you back $199.99. Limited to 600 pieces, Vader is scheduled to ship in the first quarter of 2008. And while you're on Sideshow's web site, check out the new production pictures of the Wicket VCD. Lego) 7676 Republic Gunship Several of the new 2008 sets are already on store shelves and there are several more that are rumored for later in the year. One of those rumored is a new Republic Gunship. Box art has shown up in a gallery on Brickshelf.com along with a V-19 Torrent fighter and AT-TE. The Gunship appears to be a re-designed model from the first release. The set is number 7676 and has a listing for minifigs of Plo Koon, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Asajj Ventress and two Clone Troopers. Rumored retail for the set is $99.99. I'll be sure to keep on top of this particular set as the year moves along. Master ReplicasYodasNews.com breaks news of the final US mini helmet release. Razor's Edge Collectibles will have an Utapau Shadow Trooper helmet that's limited to 500 pieces and will go on sale within the next 30 days. Keep yours eyes on Yoda's News and RazorsEdgeCollectibles.com for more info and ordering. 1-3-2008TargetIt's the new year and that means it's time for Target to do a reset in the toy aisle. The local store started on the action figure end, as they usually do, and I got a look at the new set last night. The Star Wars section is a little bigger than it was leading up to Christmas with shelf room for the $20 Starfighter line, Battle Packs, Evolutions, bobble heads, Mighty Mugs and role play items like lightsabers and blasters. There were about eight pegs for TAC figures and four for Saga Legends along with space for Unleashed Battle Packs, Comic 2-packs, Galactic Heroes, Transformers, Titanium, lightsabers and keychain 2-packs. Newly stocked were the Evolutions packs, bobble heads and keychains as well as older stock on the Unleashed packs and Comic 2-packs. Nothing new in the figure arena. The Evolution packs were the ROTS repacks but still good to see them back. Down the aisle we now have pegs for single carded GI Joe figures as well as the Comic 2-packs. Both were stocked well. Elite Forces were still there as are Transformers and the Marvel lines of superhero figures. WWE figures pretty much round out that side. Across the aisle are Power Rangers, the new animated Pirates of the Caribbean, DC superhero figures, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ben 10 and the Japanimation stuff. There was one new line of figures by the Pirates stuff that I forget the name of. Nothing exciting from first glance. It's always fun to see the new set at the beginning of the year and this was no different. Hopefully Wal-Mart won't be far behind and we'll see if they stock their exclusive Comic 2-packs. Home | AT-AT Driver | Republic Gunship | Features | Multimedia News Archive | Links | For Sale | About
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