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1-31-2009HasbroHad a few new Q&A answers pop up overnight and included were some new figure confirmations. Bantha Skull asked about BG-J38, a droid from Jabba's palace who looks similar to 8D8, and Hasbro confirmed he will be released as a buildable droid in early 2010. Between questions asked at Galactic Hunter and Rebel Scum, we know two figures from the 2009 Phantom Menace wave of figures. One will be a Pod Racer (although no 2-pack this time around) and the second will be a Queen Amidala figure. Sir Steve's Guide asked if there were any plans for a 10th anniversary celebration of The Phantom Menace planned for 2009 and Hasbro said that there would be a "small but significant" acknowledgement with details to come at Toy Fair. PricingEarlier this month, Walmart stores around the country started bumping the price on basic figures to $7.46 which brings us back in line with where the Legacy Collection figures were priced in July of 2008. Now Target is following suit, marking their figures up over $1 to $7.99 from the $6.94 that they've been for several months. On top of that, the Imperial ARC-170 that showed up last week has now gone up for pre-order on e-tailer sites for a whopping $75.00. I thought the Walmart exclusive Republic Gunship for $50 last year was outrageous but this nearly doubles the price of the previous exclusive release and does more than double the original retail price of $29.99. These increases are definitely going to have an effect on the line but it's too early to tell if those effects will be felt this year or in 2010 with a reduced line. HasbroHasbro has taken the Q&A sessions to a monthly basis in 2009 and yesterday was the first installment for the new year. Since there was over a month gap between sessions, some of the questions that were answered yesterday had already been answered through leaks, releases and press coverage of events. Still, there were some hints, some confirmations and some abstract info that may be of interest to some. The McQuarrie figures released in 2007 were a big hit and in a question from Jedi Insider, it was asked if more were planned. While it's not a concrete answer, Hasbro did hint that they may re-release them in multipacks and said we could hear more info later in 2009. As always, there were plenty of "when will we see figure X" questions. One, from Yak Face asked about a Clone Wars Super Battle Droid with the large canon arms. Per Hasbro we should see that in 2009. They also asked about an updated Grievous which Hasbro said is also on tap for this year. Hitting a trifecta with good questions, Yak Face asked if the upcoming Super Vulture Droid would have a walking mode and indeed it will. It will also have firing missiles but will not have a cockpit for a droid pilot. Still, sounds like a good year for the Separatist ships. The Private Universe asked about the upcoming Commando Evolutions set. We already knew that there was an updated Republic Commando in the set, Fi, but didn't know the others till now; the set will be rounded out with Alpha-17 in red armor and an Imperial Shadow Commando. Sounds like a good set. 1-27-20092009 Canadian Toy & Hobby FairHasbroA new website out of Canada, Action Figure News, scores some awesome scoop at the 2009 Canadian Toy & Hobby Fair which was held over the weekend. Hasbro had a booth and we now have photos of some awesome looking product, including a few items that were shown in the Toy Fair preview press release from Hasbro and in the Target computer list that showed up on Jedi Defender last week. )
Turbo Tank The biggest news is the Turbo Tank. No longer just a rumor and a computer entry, a box was shown off and it appears to be on par with the AT-TE in size. One photo shows an ARC-170 (with new Imperial paint deco) box sitting on top for a good size reference. The Tank will come with a BARC Speeder, Tank Gunner, and electronic lights and sounds. Per the Target list, look for this to retail around $100. The packaging on the Tank, and most of the items shown, sport the new packaging color scheme so I'm speculating that most of these items won't show up in stores till after August some time. Highlights from the rest of the Action Figure News post include the ARC-170, the R2-D2 R/C figure, flying Republic Gunship, Clone Wars Anakin on Can-Cell and new role play items including a Captain Rex Electronic Command Helmet and a new "Build Your Own Blaster" set. If you like the Galactic Heroes line then you're in for a treat, a new AT-AT with AT-AT Driver and Speederbike. LegoHasbro wasn't the only Star Wars license holder at the Hobby Fair, Lego was there as well. They were showing off several sets that are scheduled for August. They include:
The Attack Cruiser looks to be an impressive set, think Star Destroyer in design, and will have about 1100 pieces. 1-25-2009HasbroJust an update on the Mighty Muggs. I posted yesterday that a new wave was being found at Target and had Target Exclusive stickers on them. I can confirm that these are showing up with the sticker as I found them locally last night. I found a C-3PO and Commander Cody mixed in with Target Exclusive red stickers on them as well. Both of these were released before but since I don't own either, and didn't buy them last night, I can't confirm that they aren't some type of variant. There has been no mention that the Mighty Muggs line will be a Target exclusive going forward, and seeing as how Entertainment Earth is taking pre-orders for Wave 8, I'm not entirely sure what's going on. It's not unheard of for Target to get an exclusive line. For example, they have the Justice League Unlimited line from Mattel as an exclusive now. As I said yesterday, there is speculation that the Shock Trooper may have been intended as the exclusive and everything that shipped in cases with it may have accidently gotten stickered. This would not be out of line for Target which has gotten several exclusives centered around red decorated Troopers. The lack of info on the rest of the wave, and having not seen pre-orders for any of them on EE.com or elsewhere, makes me think that the entire wave may be an exclusive, but that still doesn't explain C-3PO and Cody. Again, I'll post more as info becomes available. 1-24-2009Kubrick)
2009 Box Set If you are a fan of the Japanese Kubrick figures then you're probably going to be interested in one of their new 2009 boxed sets. The set will come with the following:
The unfortunate part is that many of these boxed sets run in the hundreds of dollars here in the US because they are so limited. Still, the figures look nice and if you're a Star Wars Kubrick collector, put these on your list. The other recent Kubrick announcement was back in December when they announced the Boba Fett Collection. These will be released in a box just as the regular series releases are, only all the announced figures will be versions of Boba Fett. )
Boba Fett Collection From the top row, left to right:
HasbroThe new 2009 A New Hope wave of Legacy Collection figures have been hitting Target stores in California so be on the lookout if you're after this wave. Also, the most recent wave of Saga Legends figures have been hitting, including locally, at Target stores. Usually shipping is slow this time of year because of store inventory and post holiday aisle resets. So if these don't hit your local store right away, don't worry, they'll be along. Besides, the second wave of Legacy Collection figures, which are from The Empire Strikes Back, aren't scheduled till May. Mighty MuggsIf you're a Mighty Muggs collector then you should start hitting Target soon as well. It appears that they have an exclusive wave of Muggs that includes the following:
There's still some speculation as to whether or not these are all Target exclusives or if the Shock Trooper is supposed to be the only one. The wave has been found both with and without Target Exclusive stickers. Adding to the confusion is the fact that there seems to be some older Muggs, notably C-3PO, which have the Target Exclusive sticker on them as well. Unless this is a variant, I'm not sure why that would be. I'll update as more info is available. One thing that is more clear, however, is that a future wave of Muggs will include the following:
This information showed up on EntertainmentEarth.com last week and is said to be Wave 8. The numbering may be off depending on how the hobby decides to number the wave now being found at Target. These four are coming later this year so you can put them on your want list. 1-21-2009HasbroJediDefender.com posted some interesting scoop last night which came from a Target insider. Appearing in Target's computer are the following items, some we've already heard this week and some new;
Interesting, right? Off the bat the Turbo Tank and RC R2-D2 were items that showed up in the Toy Fair preview article about Hasbro. The Marbles are probably the same as were listed in Oz a few months back, so just sort-of-new. The GH Playsets were also mentioned, sort of, in that preview. The RC Droid is a new item but I'm speculating that it might not be Star Wars, but Transformers. There was mention of Transformers R/C items in that same preview article. They're called "RPMS," or Robot-Powered Machines. They're cars with robots molded on them and sold in 2-packs. Or it could be for the R/C Gunship and BARC speeder. We'll wait and see on that one. I'm also guessing that the "SW Fig Vehicle" are the Transformer crossovers as the price matches up. Now, we know that the Order 66 2-packs are going away in 2009 and we also know that Coleman Trebor has been confirmed for a new 2-pack line. The mention of the "SW Fig Geonosis Arena Pk" at the $12.99 price is probably the new sets. I'm guessing we'll see some Jedi in the sets along with droids, Geonosis warriors and possibly a Jango Fett, seeing as he was the guy that did in Coleman Trebor during that melee. I'm also going to guess that the "SW Deluxe Vehicle" at $64.99 are the Ultimate Battle Packs that we've seen the last two years at Target. However, I could be wrong on this and maybe we're actually going to see a new price level for vehicles that would give Hasbro a place to do larger ships or ships with large accessories like Jedi Starfighters with Hyperdrive rings, X-Wings, or the rumored Republic Interceptor Tank. I'm leaning towards the UBP, though, since there aren't a lot of single ships that could be done in that price range. Or at least I hope not. I'd hate to have to start paying $65 for new Gunships, B-Wings and similar sized vehicles. I like the $20 Starfighter line with the odd $35 - $50 exclusive thrown in. Then Hasbro can skip to the $100 range to do the truly large items like the Turbo Tank, AT-TE or maybe even a Twilight. 1-19-2009HasbroThe new "Insider" has hit some mailboxes and besides having some good photos of upcoming action figures, there is also a list of what will be coming in the 2009 Return of the Jedi wave...and it's good!
I had to look up Major Panno, he's a Dressellian (Prune Face, for you vintage guys) scout. The rest seem to be pretty straight forward. The coolest figure may be the Slave Leia. Drawings in the "Insider" show that she'll have a replaceable lower torso and legs which are sculpted in a reclining position. She'll finally be able to lay on Jabba's throne! With all the love being shown to Jabba's palace I'm thinking that, even though Hasbro has denied it, we'll be seeing a new Jabba with his throne by the end of 2009. Probably in a battle pack, possibly as an exclusive like the Ultimate Battle Packs at Target or in a similar set to the Lars Homestead at Toys-R-Us. Other mentioned figures, some from comic packs, some carded releases, and build-a-droids include:
Also mentioned, and in some cases shown, were figures from comic packs that have already been confirmed; Yuuzhan Vong, Kyle Katarn, Deliah Blue, Lumiya, Krayt, and Sigel Dare. A concept drawing of the TFU Shaak Ti figure was also included. Photos are sure to hit the web soon, and we'll probably see some of these at Toy Fair, but you may want to pick up this newest issue of the "Insider." Hawthorne Village)
Hawthorne Village Mos Eisley Cantina Hawthorne Village is known for making scaled, themed villages and HO scale trains and now, Star Wars villages. Just announced over the weekend are the first two village sets in their new Star Wars line; "Mos Eisley Cantina" and "Hoth Rebel Base." The first release, Mos Eisley Cantina, measures 7" by 5 3/4" tall, it includes lights and a free Luke Skywalker figure. The price is set at $49.95. Future releases are scheduled for about every two months. The Hoth set coming next includes a free Darth Vader figure. Star Wars: The Clone Wars - A Galaxy Divided)
A Galaxy Divided On March 24, 2009 Lucasfilm will release a Clone Wars DVD called Star Wars: The Clone Wars "A Galaxy Divided." This will contain four episodes of the animated Clone Wars series including "Ambush" and the three-part Malevolence story "Rising Malevolence," "Shadow of Malevolence" and "Destroy Malevolence." The price is a standard $19.98 and it has a running time of 88 minutes. There is already a DVD boxed set of the first season in the works for later in 2009 and I have to wonder why anyone would pick up this DVD. It just seems like a money grab seeing as they're probably going to hit us for $40 on the boxed set and it will include these episodes anyway. After stingy DVD releases for the theatrical releases in the past they sure are quick to get this new animated series out. Anyway, you can check out the full press release on StarWars.com and if you can't wait till September-ish for the full DVD set, hit up your local DVD retailer on March 24th for this disk. Gentle Giant)
Hoth Luke Skywalker I mentioned in my New Years post that some early photos had snuck out of Hoth Luke and Han busts. Well, Luke is now up for pre-order and some first pictures are out. Overall he looks good with both a blaster in his holster and a lit lightsaber. It doesn't look like they added the scaring to his face, at least not in the photo posted. Maybe a future variant? Look for this to be released sometime in the second quarter of 2009. Or as close to that as GG's notoriously sliding release schedule will allow for. 1-16-2009HasbroHow would you like to buy a Clone Turbo Tank for Christmas 2009? How about a 6" remote control R2-D2 with spinning head? Or maybe R/C vehicles? Up this year are a helicopter gun-ship and a BARC Speeder. Sounds too good to be true? Maybe not, look to February's Toy Fair for more information and possibly some previews of these along with action figures, Galactic Heroes and other toys from our favorite franchise. 1-13-2009WalmartReports are coming in on the forums, and I spotted this at my local store last night, but it seems that Walmart is raising prices on carded figures to $7.46. My store has a new aisle set going into place this week and along with the cleaned up layout for the basic figures, Unleashed, Titanium and Transformers, there were new shelf tags with the higher price. Target was still showing $6.94 last night but in the past Target has usually been higher so I'm sure we'll see a price increase there as well. What we don't know yet if this will be permanent or if we'll see prices roll back like we did in 2008 after getting the bump to $7.99 with the release of the Clone Wars and Legacy Collection lines. )
2009 Packaging HasbroHasbro, in conjunction with Pilot, debuted a new look for the Clone Wars line packaging. This packaging is scheduled to debut in the fall along with the new season of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" on Cartoon Network. While the three images shown are all for Clone Wars characters, the article on StarWars.com mentions that the design will carry across all areas of merchandise. 1-10-2009HasbroEntertainment Earth posted new pictures of the Empire Strikes Back wave of Legacy Collection figures last night. This is wave 2 of 2009 (or wave 6 of TLC depending on how you count it) and is scheduled for about May. )
Empire Wave 6 The wave consists of:
The Ugnaughts, Captain Needa and the Hoth Rebel Soldier all look incredible from the early picture. Matter of fact, I'm surprised to see two Ugnaughts as I thought Hasbro mentioned in a Q&A we'd only get one figure. But Hasbro has already reinserted the tables with Obi-Wan and Pons Limbic so we may be in for a surprise. Luke and Leia aren't overly exciting however, Luke looks to have a really nice head sculpt. They may not be exciting, but they look to be good toys. Needa might be new but the legs and some of the torso look a lot like the Death Star Trooper from 2007, but with new arms and head. Either way, new or sort-of-new, he looks good and this may be a new go-to Imperial Officer body. Emperor Palpatine looks to be the outsider in the wave. Pictures are small but he looks to share parts with previous releases of the Evolutions figure. Plus, I never get too excited about Emperor figures. Overall, this is shaping up to be a nice wave of figures. Plus, the wave builds HK-47. 1-9-2009)
SideshowAdmiral PiettI'd kind of forgotten about Sideshow's Admiral Piett figure which was announced back on December 19th, but last night he went up for pre-order and was announced in the newsletter. He's on the new Prometheus body and rings in at $69.99. He's scheduled for the 2nd quarter of 2009. There doesn't appear to be an exclusive of this figure so you might be able to save a couple bucks by going to another etailer somewhere. He has a decent uniform, two caps and a blaster. The accessories are pretty sparse on this figure. SandtrooperDon't forget that at 1:00 EST today you can place your pre-order for the new Sandtrooper. This figure does have an exclusive version so you may want to get in early as troopers are usually hot sellers. 1-8-2009Sideshow)
Reminder, tomorrow at 1:00PM EST the pre-order for the new Sandtrooper will go live. The exclusive version of this figure will include an extra hand holding a droid part from the scene in A New Hope where the troops are tracking R2 and C-3PO. Photos are now up for this figure on Sideshow's site. The exclusive version will be limited to 2 per customer and a regular edition will be offered when the exclusive sells through. FLEXPay is available for this so I'm wondering if the price is going to be $100 or over. I don't believe FLEXPay was offered on the other troopers. 1-7-2009
Captain Rex Special Offer HasbroIf you put off ordering your Captain Rex preview figures you just got a reprieve, Hasbro has extended their offer. It was announced on Monday that the offer, which originally expired on December 31, 2008, has been extended till March 31, 2009. All orders need to be postmarked by that date and received by April 8, 2009 in order to qualify. Check the Hasbro website for all the details and Redemption Certificate. 1-5-2009Happy New YearHope everyone had a great holiday season. Now that it's over, it's time to get back in the swing of things. Not a ton of info on the Hasbro side of things right now, we're just waiting on the next waves from the various lines to hit and we'll be off and running. There weren't a lot of Star Wars items on clearance this year but Walmart was blowing out their Millennium Falcon stock at $99 or less. If you see one for that price, scoop it up. Most of the clearance prices are on things such as the potato head figures and the Clone Trooper laptops, at least at Target. Toy Fair will be here in just over a month. That's when we'll probably get our first look at items from the various license holders. I'm sure we'll see some leaked photos of Hasbro product before that, we usually do. A couple photos has snuck out of upcoming Gentle Giant product, we can look forward to Luke and Han Solo in their Hoth outfits. Word is also that we'll see a Leia figure as well. Looks like 2009 could be a good ESB year. SideshowSideshow has one of the first announcements for 2009, this Friday they'll begin taking pre-orders for a Sandtrooper figure in their 1:6 line. Order time is 1:00PM EST. No word yet on what the exclusive edition might have.
Sideshow also released a New Year's Q&A on 1/1 and there was one interesting piece of news; 2009 will be focused on armor. Not sure how that's going to go, I just picture a lot of repaints and ROTS Clone Commanders. Guess that'll save me a few bucks then. |
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