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7-31-2008
TV Guide TV GuideOn Thursday, August 7th, TV Guide will go on sale with four variant covers featuring Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Also included with each issue is a CD-ROM sponsored by Toys-R-Us which will feature interviews, behind the scenes video and sneak peeks at the film which will be released to theaters on August 15th. The CD-ROM is sponsored by Toys-R-Us. The variant covers will feature Anakin and Ahsoka, Obi-Wan and Asajj Ventress, Yoda and Dooku and R2-D2 and C-3PO. Read on for the full press release and get a look at all four covers. HasbroI believe I've now seen all of the 7/26 Hasbro product after having found the new Battle Packs at Target last night. It appears that a case has two Hoth Recon Patrol sets and one each Hoth Speeder Bike Patrol and the Clone Wars Speeder Bike Recon. The sets look pretty nice with the Hoth Recon Patrol set having the most impact, in my opinion. The R5-M2 and repaint K-3PO are both nice as is the repainted Probe Droid. This set has the brown jacket Han Hoth with his hood up so those that wanted that variation can now pick him up. The Chewy isn't bad, but the new paint deco isn't really a requirement. The Speeder sets are okay with the Clone Wars Speeder Bike Recon being the nicer of the two, again, in my opinion. Two CW Clone Troopers and two BARC style speeders. The Hoth Speeder Bike Patrol has two kitbashed Troopers with Biker Scout heads while the bodies are a combo of a Snowtrooper and Scout Trooper. The set is also sporting two speeder bikes but they aren't the best versions available as they still have the vintage/POTF2 style handlebars. The Battle Packs are still ringing up at $19.99. 7-30-2008San Diego Comic-ConThe 2008 Comic-Con is now history but over the weekend the various Star Wars license holders showed off hundreds of new and recenlty announced product. The major players were there including Hasbro, Gentle Giant, Sideshow and Lego while newcomers such as eFx and Museum Replicas Limited made their debuts. I read through a lot of forums and web sites and looked through hundreds of photos looking for all the new stuff coming out and put together a report on what I could find. It may not be complete, but it's a relatively comprehensive report. Read on for the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con Wrap-up. 7-29-2008Clone Wars PromotionsThe theatrical debut of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is only about two weeks away and the promotions for the film are staring to show up. Of course, we had the Hasbro launch this past weekend and on August 15th McDonald's will come on board with their toys. But what about the food promotions? Unlike other movie years there are not a lot this time around but Kraft does have at least one promotion going right now with their Lunchables brand. ) ) Obi-Wan & Yoda Flip-N-Fold Packed in with several different flavors of Lunchables are Jedi Flip-n-Fold cards. There are four total and include Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka. The backs of the cards go together to form one large image. I found the cards in the Chicken Dunks, Pizza Extra Cheesy and two different styles of Stackers. The packs only run about $2.00 at Wal-Mart so I'll pick up a couple more. The cards are packed inside the trays so there's not really a way to tell what you're getting till you open them. The graphics on the front of the packages are kind of small, only taking up a corner, but the back of the boxes have some really stunning graphics. Next time you're in the store, stop by the refrigerated foods section and check them out.
Hasbro TLC Figure ReviewNow that I've had a couple days to open and look over the figures that I picked up during the Midnight Madness event, I thought I'd go through them and do a quick review and what my impressions are of the figures. I picked up some of the wave 1 figures and all of wave 2 of the Legacy Collection and a couple Clone Wars figures. Read on for the full story... 7-28-2008
General Grievous SideshowBustOn the heels of the announcement and pre-orders for the Stormtrooper and Rebel Fleet Trooper, Sideshow is now taking pre-orders for the new life-size General Grievous bust. This will be shipping in the 4th quater of 2008 and runs $499.99. FlexPay is available for this bust. Head over to Sideshow's web site to put your order in. )
VCD Jawa VCDAlso now up for pre-order is the new VCD Jawa from Medicom. This is imported to the US by Sideshow and is on their site now. This will set you back $79.99 and is in scale with the VCD Yoda that came out a couple years ago. Unlike the deformed VDC vinyl figures, the Jawa will be in scale with the 1:6 line of of Sideshow and Medicom RAH figures. The Jawa will ship 2nd quarter of 2009. HasbroJoker Squad, which was announced this weekend, is the newest exclusive from Entertainment Earth. EE is now taking pre-orders for this set which runs $35.99. The set includes: )
Joker Squad
Lord Maleval looks to be all new as does Jes Gistang, the first female Trooper, while the rest have new heads and are possible repaints of the VOTC Stormtrooper body that was used for the Mouse and Basso comic pack figures (or Han and Luke Trooper...). K-MartWhile they usually have the most expensive prices on all their toys, including Star Wars, K-Mart will often run sales and this week is no different. Starting yesterday and running through Saturday, August 2nd, K-Mart is running a Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale on all Star Wars toys. In the ad for this week they show both Lego and Hasbro items but your mileage may vary on that. My local store restocked on Saturday with a fresh batch of 30th Anniversary Collection figures at $8 something a piece. I'm sure I'll stop in this week but I'm not expecting much. 7-26-2008Morning MadnessThis morning I got up about 7:00 in anticipation of being at Target for the door opening. However, when I drove into the parking lot at 7:50 there wasn't another car in sight (besides the employees) so I decided to skip over to Wal-Mart instead. Unfortunately, WM had not stocked any of the Clone Wars or TLC merchandise and, in fact, had not even reset the pegs and shelf tags yet. So as not to make the trip down town a waste, I stopped in Wegman's and scored some freshly baked donuts and sourced out the "Boston Globe" as I'm hoping to find the uncut sheet of Clone Wars cards in tomorrows edition. With confirmation of the "Globe" and some tasty treats in the bag, I headed back to Target. I hit the toy aisle at Target about 8:30 and it didn't look as if anyone had been there before me. They had three end caps set with one for Lego, one for Evolutions and Starfighters and the last for pegged figures, helmets and the Millennium Falcon. The main aisle was stacked with the AT-TE, more Evolution sets and the Starfighter line. They had at least wave 1 of both the Clone Wars and Legacy Collection figures in stock but the highlight was Commander Fox. Even at $12.99 each I brought home two. There were no Battle Packs stocked yet but there was an employee still in the aisle getting things straightened out and adding stock so they may be there by later in the day. The Titanium repaint wave was on the pegs making it the first new Titanium vehicles in town in probably three months. The Evolution sets were mainly repaints but they did have multiples (close to 10) of the Rebellion Pilots 1 set. There were no Imperials, RP 2 or Padme sets in sight. I finally had a look at the boxed V-19 Torrent Starfighter which I missed out on last night. It's an impressive looking toy and is on the short list for later. There was only one BMF on the shelf but that's about all they have room for it's so big! The exclusive red Clone Trooper helmet is actually a really cool item and the addition of the light makes this the best of the three in my opinion. I hadn't planned on buying any of these but may get this later. The price on basic figures has jumped to $7.99 but with the price of $6.99 at TRU last night, and the reported price of $6.94 at Wal-Mart, I felt in no hurry to buy any single carded figures. Hopefully we'll see a sale price either in Sunday's paper or around the release of the Clone Wars film. I'll probably head back to WM later in the day and may even hit up Target again but for now I'm still opening last night's haul. The best figures so far are the Clone Wars R2-D2 and the R4-J1 Build-a-Droid while the TLC Scuba Trooper is an excellent figure and a close second. Midnight Madness)
Clone Wars R2-D2 The StoreAs promised, Toys-R-Us stores around the country opened at 12:01 AM this morning to unleash the Clone Wars toys on us! I hit the Elmira, NY store and got in line about 11:45. There were about 50 people there during the time I was in the store. It was a mixture of families with kids and other collectors which I thought was good. As we walked in, everyone was handed a Clone Wars PocketModel promo pack before we got to the front aisle with the toys. This store had an "L" shaped section of wall devoted on one side to Hasbro toys and Lego on the other. There were two 4-sided display stands in the aisle with one having two sides dedicated to figures with the other two sides containing books and Transformers. The second display had figures on one side and role play items on the other three. The Merchandise) TLC BD-09 - BD-12 What was in stock was pretty much what was expected; They had waves 1 and 2 of the TLC figures, wave 1 of the Clone Wars and wave 1 of the Saga Legends. The Millennium Falcon, AT-TE, Spider Droid and V-19 Torrent starfighter were all on the shelves along with some repacked Starfighter vehicles such as the AT-AP and Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter. New Titanium vehicles were out including the Republic Gunship, Republic Cruiser, AT-TE, AAT, AT-OT, AT-AP (all re-paints, I believe) and possibly some older vehicles mixed in. But I didn't get a close enough look to see if the logo was updated on the rest. They had plenty of the repacked Evolutions figures and I found the Padme set but no sign of the X-Wing Pilots 1 & 2 or the Imperial set. The Battle Packs were on the shelf as were the new Galactic Heroes sets. The role play helmets were out as were the lightsabers, blasters and the new Ultimate Lightsaber set. The exclusive Holo Grievous was on the pegs and the Dagger Squadron B-Wing was on the shelf. The Lego section was stacked, including the exclusive Twilight and Separatist Spider Droid sets and they had the free poster at the checkout lanes. The prices here were a little higher than what Target will have, at least on the higher end items like the Republic Gunship. The Shopping)
TLC BD-13 - BD-16 The action figures were moving fast and the employees were brining cases out by 12:30 to restock the pegs. Plenty of the $20 vehicles were in carts with the V-19 Torrent being the most popular. Lego was doing an okay business with the less expensive sets the ones most were looking for. I only met one collector that seemed to be hunting all of the First Day of Issue figures but a few others were buying them, just not all of the waves. There were a few people that were looking for particular figure such as a couple young ladies who were after Padme and one guy who wanted the Ewoks. Plenty of people were looking at the Millennium Falcon and AT-TE but I think I only saw, maybe, one of each sell. The price was definitely an issue and I heard a couple people mention that as the reason for not buying it. That was especially true of a couple kids I heard ask about it only to be shot down by their parents. These may be Christmas items for a lot of families so I expect to see them around for a while. The Wrap Up) TLC BD-05 - BD-08 I was out of the store by 12:45AM with 14 action figures, including my free Holo Grievous. I spent about $100 and had a shot at all of the carded figures that I was interested in. There were plenty of First Day of Issue stickers on figures and I even had a CW R2-D2 with sticker in my hand at one point. I passed as I'm opening. The price for the basic figures was $6.99 so the $1 price increase hadn't hit this store yet. That convinced me to buy the figures now rather than wait for Target or take a chance on Wal-Mart. I didn't put my hands on a V-19 otherwise I probably would have come home with it. I also passed on the Lego Gunship as Target beats TRU's price by at least $10. The crowds were easy to deal with and everyone was calm and relaxed, no throwing stuff or pushing and I saw more than one person hand over something that others were looking for. Everyone seemed to be having a fun time. The only complaint was the layout of the section. The store stocked about 12 pegs of figures high and in the corner of the "L" on the wall. This was the only place, initially, that the Holo Grievous and wave 2 of the TLC figures could be found. That caused a backup as people were thumbing through the pegs for the figures they wanted. Ideally they should have loaded the two 4-sided displays with figures and left the vehicles, role play and Lego on the walls as it's easier to walk up, pick one off the shelf and move than it is to go through a dozen pegs of action figures. ) Holo General Grievous The people working the checkout lanes knew what they were doing and there were no problems with the free Grievous or the posters for those buying Lego. The stockers were bringing additional items out although they were relying on the collectors to sort out what was in each case. Luckily for me I cornered a guy with the wave 2 TLC case otherwise I probably would have missed out on the Padme and Quarren and Mon Cal soldiers. It was a fun time and I'm glad I went. I passed up WM afterwards but will be at Target at 8:00 to look for the Commander Fox exclusive and just take in the experience. 7-25-2008HasbroUpdate - Couple corrections including fixing spelling errors. Of note, the three Comic packs now have names and are to be WM exclusives. Also updated info on the Joker Squad pack, looks to only have one female Trooper. Breaking news. Updates are coming in from the Hasbro panel at SDCC and there have been some confirmations and new news. First up, confirmation that the Entertainment Earth exclusive figure set coming this year is Joke Squad from the "Legacy" series of comics. The set will have Darth Maleval and five Stormtroopers including one female trooper. The Pit of Carkoon Ultimate Battle Pack at Target will have a companion which hasn't been listed yet. For 2009 we can expect the following figures; The Legacy Collection
Clone Wars
We'll also see three new comic packs including the first 3-pack which will have Ewoks, an X-Wing Rogue Squadron set with Nrin Vakil & Ibtisam (Mon Cal) pilots and a set with Lt. Sunber and Amanin. These are Wal-Mart exclusives. Also look for a Jabba Palace Rancor with Luke Skywalker at Target in February 2009. Midnight MadnessDon't forget, tonight (or Saturday morning, depending on how you want to think of it) at midnight Toys-R-Us stores will be opening up giving us our first shot at all the new Clone Wars and Legacy Collection toys. Well, unless you found them early at Wal-Mart or Target. But, don't forget that TRU will have their exclusive General Grievous, free with a $30 purchase, as well as two exclusive Lego sets and, apparently, their exclusive Dagger Squadron B-Wing. I've also seen reports that some KB stores will be opening tonight and, of course, if you have any 24 hour Wal-Mart or Target stores they should be fair game as well. Make sure to take a look at the Clone Wars Handbook and the 2008 Release Guide as well as our 2008 Checklist. 7-24-2008Gentle GiantAs you know San Diego Comic-Con is really starting to pop today after an interesting preview night yesterday. Several new announcements from GG today, with some photos making it online even though there were "No Photography" signs up. Here's a rundown of what's been shown so far in the various lines. Busts
Maquette
Statues & Other
Clone Wars
HasbroDuring previews last night a lot of information came out for the already announced lines this fall, mainly release date information. I updated the 2008 Checklist with all that information where I could find it, as well as with the new items shown. Also shown off were a few new items including a really interesting looking Ultimate Battle Pack featuring a Skiff, four or five figures and a Pit of Carkoon w/ Sarlacc playset! New Titanium and Galactic Heroes are also on display along with the recently announced Crimson Empire pack. One interesting tidbit; while it's not been shown yet, the upcoming mystery set from Entertainment Earth appears to be a Joker Squad set from the new "Legacy" comic. Look for more info on that as the weekend progresses. SideshowSideshow has gone ahead and started selling the regular editions of Darth Vader and the Stormtrooper today as well as the Domestic Exclusive Rebel Fleet Trooper. And, if you have an extra, $4,000 lying around, editions 1 - 250 of the new Star Wars: Frames book are now up for pre-order. Once those sell through, editions 251 - 500 will go on sale for $4,250 so if you're going to buy, I'd jump in early. Don't forget that there is a non-refundable deposit of $250 on this set. 7-23-2008)
Darth Vader & Stormtrooper SideshowDarth Vader and StormtrooperLate last night Sideshow posted information and sneak previews for five new Star Wars items that will be coming in the following weeks. The biggest two announcements are pre-order dates for not only Darth Vader but also a Stormtrooper, both in the 1:6 scale! Both figures will go up for sale on Friday, August 1st. Darth Vader will go first at 1:00PM EST and the Stormtrooper will follow later that afternoon at 3:00PM EST. Rebel Fleet TrooperThe third announcement is for a 1:6 scale Rebel Fleet Trooper. No pre-order date for this has been given yet but may be soon, and unannounced, much like Ki-Adi-Mundi was earlier this month. Tusken RaiderFourth, joining the 1:4 scale Premium Format line will be a Tusken Raider. Also announced without a pre-order date, the Tusken Raider will join the ever growing line later this year.
General GrievousFinally, General Grievous will be released as at 1:1 Life-Size bust.
Look for all five items to be on display at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend. Acme Archives)
C-3PO Sketchplate Along with their exclusive Yoda Character Key, Acme will be debuting a new Sketchplate at San Diego Comic-Con this week; C-3PO. This Sketchplate is based on the McQuarrie concept artwork and is a companion piece to 2007's CIV R2-D2. By the looks of the photo, the Sketchplate will be limited to 750 pieces. It's debuting at Comic-Con and there's no word yet if it will be available to non-attendees. Keep your eyes on CharacterKey.com to see if they come up for sale. Also head over to the Acme Databank Blog to see the announcement and a cool new Family Guy lithograph for the upcoming "Something, Something, Something Darkside" special. 7-21-2008
Toys-R-UsThe promotions for Star Wars: The Clone Wars keep rolling in as the premier date for the toys, July 26th, and the film, August 15th, get closer. The latest is from Toys-R-Us and is a sweepstakes to win one of four Life-Size Figures. They appear to be produced by Gentle Giant and are of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Captain Rex and Ahsoka. Log on to the Toys-R-Us website for details and to enter. One figure will be given away each month from August till November beginning with Ahsoka. You have a month to enter each drawing beginning on July 18th. There are also First Prize packages including items from Hasbro and Lego. 7-18-2008Acme ArchivesIf you'll be attending San Diego Comic-Con next week and are a fan of the Character Keys, make sure you stop by Acme's booth and pick one up because, along with each key you buy, you'll receive a ticket. On Sunday, a ticket will be drawn and the winner will receive a full set of all 16 Clone Wars Character Keys. According to Morly, the keys were assembled from various sources so not all of the edition numbers will match and at least one is an unnumbered proof. Sounds like an awesome deal from Acme! 7-17-2008Gentle Giant)
Airborne Trooper Gentle Giant will have a shared exclusive mini bust with ShopStarWars.com and it will debut at San Diego Comic-Con next week. The Airborne Clone Trooper will be limited to 2,000 pieces. Here's the press release from StarWars.com
Gentle Giant Airborne Trooper Mini Bust Unveiled
A shared exclusive with Gentle Giant, this stunning new mini bust of one of the coolest-looking clones to see action during the Utapau battle of Episode III will be on display in one of StarWarsShop's glass display cases. Available in a limited edition of just 2,000 pieces worldwide, keep a lookout for this piece on StarWarsShop's web site either at, or soon after, the show. The wording is a little odd on the final sentence but it sounds as if it will be on display at Comic-Con but for sale on the web site. Leaves it up in the air if it'll be for sale at the show. Hasbro
Release InformationAs promised, Hasbro released two documents yesterday covering the Clone Wars and Legacy Collections for this year. Well, most of the year anyway. First up is the Star Wars Fall 2008 Release Guide (24K PDF). This covers all lines and has tentative release dates. There is some new information in the document including what figures will be included in wave 3 of the TLC line and both waves 2 and 3 of the Clone Wars. Other than some new info on Galactic Heroes, most of the rest has been out there for a couple of weeks. The second document is the Star Wars The Clone Wars Handbook (2.45MB PDF). This document has photos and bios of the Clone Wars figures, vehicles and role play items as well as information on the store exclusives for Target, Wal-Mart and Toys-R-Us. Again, many of the items listed were already known but the photos are some of the first we've seen of several pieces. The new figure that stood out the most to me was the wave 3 Plo Koon from the CW line. This figure looks amazing and I can't wait to own it. I've updated the 2008 Checklist to include all of the new information as well as updated other info as it's become available. I'm still looking to finish droid part/figure combinations for the wave 2 TLC figures but other than that it's pretty complete. The Release Guide covers through October so, while some store exclusives are listed, others, such as the Wal-Mart A-Wing and Republic Gunship, are not listed as they aren't due till November. Hasbro WebsiteWith yesterday's launch of the release info for the Fall, Hasbro also updated their website. Not only does it now have all the information posts listed above, but Hasbro has also updated their news section and added photos. Still to come are an updated Toy Arena and more wallpaper and buddy icons, but it's a good start. Hopefully they'll keep the site updated and it'll become a nice stop for everyone looking to keep up on Hasbro's plans. 7-14-2008Previews Exclusive)
Crimson Empire Crucible Box Set News was leaked over the weekend that there would be a new Previews Exclusive boxed set of figures coming this year. Now, apparently, we've seen them. And they are a huge head-scratcher. Titled Star Wars: Crimson Empire Crucible Box Set it's set to include Emperor Palaptine, Darth Vader, and Royal Guard trainees Lemmet Tauk, Kir Kanos, Alum Frost and Carnor Jax. It looks more like a set of Power Rangers or a G.I. Joe Ninja squad. Price, about $40 depending on where you pick it up. A Previews Exclusive means your online and comic book stores should be carrying this. Enjoy? HasbroThe big release for the Legacy Collection and Clone Wars toys is still about two weeks away and although Hasbro will be putting out a list of items for the launch, I've been working on a checklist based on already confirmed info for 2008. The 2008 Checklist covers both lines and, as always, I try to keep them as updated as possible and the links are in the Display Pad on the right. 7-13-2008
R2-KT Challenge Coin R2-KTJust a reminder that Tuesday, July 15th is the deadline to order the 501st Legion's "challenge" coin of R2-KT. This is a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Each coin is $10 and will be shipping in mid August. Please see the news post on TheForce.net for some additional information. You can PayPal $10 per coin to plfarquhar@cox.net if you want to order a coin. HasbroRepublic GunshipAn updated to Friday's Q&A with Hasbro. Rumor lists have shown Republic Gunship listings for Wal-Mart, Toys-R-Us and Target for this year. A boxed photo of a Gunship with a WM logo has shown up but nothing for the other three. I speculated the other day that maybe TRU would have a refresh of the shark deco version, but an answer to a question from BanthaSkull.com has me rethinking that.  Wal-Mart Exclusive Republic Gunship It was confirmed by JediTempleArchives.com that the Wal-Mart version would have the Twi'Lek nose art seen in the photo from JediInsider.com. Bantha Skull asked about movie-accurate paint for the Gunship, along with the ARC-170 and AT-RT, rather than buying the Clone Wars versions coming. Hasbro answered by saying "Right now our Fall exclusives for the Republic Gunship are inspired by the nose art found on some Clone Wars squadrons, but are otherwise close to the movie colors." )
7676 Republic Gunship
My interpretation of the word "exclusives" is that the multiple listings are accurate and we'll see multiple nose art changes, with each being released at a different store. The photo from JediInsider.com clearly shows a second Gunship in the background with different nose art than the main photo is sporting. The Lego set due later in the year has a Monkey Lizard dropping a bomb as its nose art so that would be three possible versions right there. I'm sure photos will leak soon or we'll see them during Comic-Con which is now only two weeks away. 7-12-2008Hallmark)
The Final Confrontation Today is the first day of the preview sales for the 2008 Hallmark ornaments. This year the limited edition character is the Emperor's Royal Guard. This is similar to last year's Tusken Raider. On sale this weekend are the Royal Guard, Imperial Shuttle, Emperor, and The Final Confrontation set of Luke and Vader dueling. Coming in October will be the miniature 2-pack with Star Destroyer and Death Star. This year you can also buy an Indiana Jones figure as well as the ongoing Star Trek and superhero lines which include Batman and Iron Man. Head to your nearest Hallmark store and check them out. McDonald'sNews out this week on the McDonald's toys which were announced a couple weeks ago. As mentioned, there are 18 toys coming over four weeks starting August 15th. A couple of the toys showed up on eBay and were accompanied with a flyer showing all 18. They're basically heads on vehicles. I'm not sure if they're bobble heads or not but they kind of look like it. The following characters will be coming and I listed the vehicle where it could be determined what it was.
They're kind of odd looking but not out of line with what we saw from Burger King in 2005. Again, look for these in Happy Meals starting on August 15th. HasbroClone Wars and Legacy Collection informationIf you've been wondering what will be available on July 26th, and through the rest of the year, next Wednesday is the day you've been waiting for. Along with the Q&A answers sent to web sites yesterday, Hasbro also announced the release of two documents for July 16th. The first is a "Hasbro Clone Wars Handbook." This will have images and information on the 7/26 and Fall releases for the Clone Wars line. The second is an Excel spreadsheet with more detailed information on release dates and what will be available in each wave for both the Clone Wars and Legacy Collection lines. Both will be available from starwars.hasbro.com next Wednesday. Question & AnswerAnother week with some good information from Hasbro in their Q&A session. JediInsider.com asked about the future possibility of a Skiff release. Hasbro replied to look for SDCC to answer the question. Could be the Skiff will be back for one of the Return of the Jedi waves coming in the next year or so. JediTempleArchives.com asked about the Wal-Mart Exclusive Republic Gunship coming in November. The ship will come by itself, not split with another vehicle, and the deco will be similar to the ROTS scheme. The cool news is that it will have the Twi'Lek nose art seen in the box photos! Sandtroopers.com asked about the future availability of ANH versions of Luke Skywalker to go with the Millennium Falcon coming on 7/26. Per Hasbro, there will be a Battle Pack shipping this fall called Millennium Falcon Passengers. It will include Luke, Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2-D2 and C-3PO. With a new ANH Obi-Wan rumored in the regular line, after his original slot in an Evolutions pack was cancelled, unless these figures come with a lot of accessories (helmet with blast shield down, maybe some Stormtrooper belts) it might be worth it to wait for future figure updates. It has been noted, however, that the recent info and early release of the Millennium Falcon has driven up secondary market prices on some of the VOTC Luke and Obi-Wan figures as people look to fill up their new ship. 7-11-2008
Ki-Adi-Mundi SideshowKi-Adi-MundiIf you want the Ki-Adi-Mundi 1:6 scale figure or the new bronze Boba Fett then head over to Sideshow's web site and get your orders in. The Ki-Adi-Mundi figure is $69.99 and if the list of included items is all he comes with, it's not worth the price in my opinion. It's very light on accessories and it's one of the most expensive Star Wars item to date. It's even still on the Buck body, not the newer version. Oh, should also be mentioned that this is a Sideshow Domestic Web Exclusive. That means if you're ordering in the US you have to get it from Sideshow. No waiting to save a few dollars getting it from a third party etailer. Boba Fett)
Boba Fett Bronze But, as ridiculous as I think the Ki-Adi-Mundi figure is, the Boba Fett statue is even worse. It's a made to order item and has an edition size of 75 with the low numbers selling first at a lower price, rising with the edition size. Sort of like the estimated prices for the Frames book. This one starts at $4,250 for the first 10 and jumps to $6,000 for the last four. According to the Sideshow web site, as I write this post, the first 10 are sold out. Master Replicas made some expensive items between 2003 and 2007 but now that the heyday of the films is past, and with the economy in the sketchy state it's in, I have to question the thinking that's going into these hugely expensive items. We're even looking at $7.99 a pop for Hasbro figures so I'm thinking it won't be long till something gives. 7-8-2008
eFx CollectiblesFor prop collectors today is the day! eFx Collectibles launched their new web site yesterday and today is ordering day for their first product, Stormtrooper helmet. Ordering begins at 12:00PM EST today on the efxcollectibles.com site. The helmet retails for $399.00. Also debuting with their new web site are two new replicas that will be coming in the future. First up is their new line, The ARt of Star Wars which will kick off with a Darth Vader helmet based on Ralph McQuarrie's concept art. The second item is from the new Clone Wars cartoon and is the lightsaber hilt for Anakin's padawan, Ahsoka. Look for eFx to be at San Diego Comic-Con showing off their new lines. HasbroThe launch for the Clone Wars and Legacy Collection lines is quickly approaching and along with the TRU exclusive Holographic General Grievous, two more exclusives have seemingly been confirmed. First up, at Target, you can expect to find a Commander Fox action figure. Wal-Mart will have an exclusive 501st Legion Clone Trooper with a special feature. Included in the bubble is an identification card that you can attach your own photo to in order to join the 501st Legion. 7-7-2008Celebration VCould Celebration V be coming to Baltimore? If the following article from the Baltimore Business Journal is any indication, maybe. According to the article, Baltimore is in contention for Celebration V along with Chicago, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Orlando. Interesting, and good, news for those of us on the East Coast.
Friday, July 4, 2008
May the force be with Baltimore: City vying to host 'Star Wars' expoBaltimore Business Journal - by Julekha Dash StaffBaltimore has a shot of snagging a "Star Wars" fan convention that would rank among the city's largest gatherings, drawing as many as 35,000. Lucasfilm Ltd., creator of the "Star Wars" series, is eyeing Baltimore for a four-day convention to be held either spring 2009 or spring 2010. Winning the convention would boost Baltimore's tourism business because of its size and media attention surrounding "Star Wars," one of the biggest pop culture phenomenons, local tourism experts said. "It would be a great coup for Baltimore," said Melissa "Missy" Geppi-Bowersox, executive vice president of Geppi's Entertainment Museum. The Camden Yards pop culture museum houses many "Star Wars" collectibles and is expected to draw attendees from the convention. "We're talking about generations upon generations who loved the movies," Geppi-Bowersox said. Baltimore is competing with Minneapolis, Chicago, Indianapolis and Orlando, Fla., for the fan gathering to be known as Celebration V, said Steve Sansweet, director of content management and head of fan relations for Lucasfilm. 7-4-2008Happy Fourth of July!
SideshowSideshow brings the big announcements for the holiday weekend. They're releasing a bronze Boba Fett statue and one of, if not the, next 1:6 scale figures will be Ki-Adi-Mundi.
The newsletter last night announced both pieces and according to the release, we can look for Ki-Adi "soon." It might go up this weekend or early next week. Sideshow moves quickly on these sometimes. No ordering date is given for the Boba Fett bronze statue either and there's not really a hint in the press release. Head over to the Sideshow web site to check out the preview photos of both upcoming releases. And while you're there, Sideshow has also posted new production figures of their 1:6 Tatooine Luke Skywalker.  Star Wars: Frames Star Wars: FramesSideshow and Lucasfilm have put out a new press release with details on the "Star Wars: Frames" book. Included in the release are an updated frames count, 1,416, and info on the medallions which will be 6 3/4" round. What's most interesting, however, is info uncovered by a forum member of JediNews.co.uk. According to the publisher, Insight Editions, the set has five pricing levels:
Yep, $4,000 American to start. Apparently this price structure, more expensive the higher the edition number, isn't a new concept. It's an incentive to get people to buy in early to not only get a lower edition number but also a price savings. Still, at $4,000 a pop for the first 250 pieces this set better at least give you a hummer and iron your shirt. A complete sell out of this book will put a cool $5 million in Uncle George's pocket. HasbroSome Clone Wars packaged items are starting to show up in stores this week. We posted about the Titanium re-paint wave that showed up earlier this week and last night Target had basic lightsabers on sale with the new blue and white packaging. The other thing that's noticeable this week is the new price hike we've been hearing about since the first of the year, if not before. G.I. Joe and Indiana Jones figure have both been bumped to $7.99 at Target stores in several areas of the country. We should expect the big debut on July 26th to bring the $7.99 price tag to the Star Wars line as well. Expo Coleccionístas IIIFollowing up on the announcement the other day of an exclusive Commander Bow and Airborne Trooper at the Mexico convention, Expo Coleccionístas III, we find out that there will be a second 2-pack with Commander Thire and a Shocktrooper. This set will be limited to only 100 pieces. Head over to the Expo Coleccionístas web site for a photo and more details (in Spanish). 7-2-2008Hasbro Millennium FalconHasbro has put out a press release hyping the new Millennium Falcon that will be released on 7/26.
HASBRO LAUNCHES A NEW MILLENNIUM FALCON™ FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN 30 YEARS
Iconic STAR WARS™ Starship Toy Undergoes Major Overhaul Pawtucket, Rhode Island, July 1, 2008 -- Updating the fan-favorite MILLENNIUM FALCON for the first time since its introduction in 1979, Hasbro is launching the largest MILLENNIUM FALCON toy to ever travel the galaxy. The new STAR WARS LEGACY COLLECTION MILLENNIUM FALCON includes electronic lights and sounds, and is approximately 30% percent larger than the original version of the toy. Over the last 30 years, ever since it was introduced on the screen in 1977 and to toy enthusiasts two years later, Han Solo’s signature starship, the MILLENNIUM FALCON, has become one of the most recognizable “characters” in movie history and one of Hasbro’s most popular STAR WARS toys. Last year, the toy’s steel production mold – which was used to create hundreds of thousands of MILLENNIUM FALCON toys – suffered a crack that rendered the tool damaged beyond repair. When creating a new mold, Hasbro used the opportunity to improve its toy’s play value by increasing the ship’s size (which now accommodates 18 action figures, sold separately) and adding authentic lights and sounds, making this the most exciting Corellian freighter in the galaxy. "We’ve always wanted to make a bigger MILLENNIUM FALCON. When we literally "broke the mold" we seized the opportunity to fulfill ours wishes as well as the fans. Legions of young STAR WARS fans have grown up playing with the original MILLENNIUM FALCON toy," said Derryl D. DePriest, director of marketing for STAR WARS at Hasbro. "In designing the new MILLENNIUM FALCON for a new generation of fans, Hasbro’s design team succeeded in adding new features that will both excite kids and thrill our devoted collectors." The new STAR WARS LEGACY COLLECTION MILLENNIUM FALCON will soar onto retail shelves on July 26 with an appropriate retail price of $149.99. Fans attending San Diego Comic-Con (7/23-7/28) will have a chance to see it first hand a few days before the toy arrives in stores. Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time entertainment products and services, including the design, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging from traditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., its PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, CRANIUM and WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highest quality and most recognizable play experiences in the world. © 2008 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved. STAR WARS™ and related 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. TargetOver the last couple of months Target has had a $5 coupon which could be used on toy purchases over $25. Due to fraudulent use of the coupon, Target has discontinued it and will no longer accept it.
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News Release July 02, 2008 Target Coupon Fraudulently Tampered with and Transferred Target no longer is able to accept the coupon MINNEAPOLIS, Jul 02, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Unfortunately, due to fraudulent tampering and transferring, Target no longer is accepting coupon offers for $5 off a $25 or more toy or general merchandise purchase at Target. The coupons state they are valid through October 1, 2008. Target sent the original coupons for $5 off a $25 or more toy purchase via e-mail to approximately 85,000 guests during the months of February and March. The altered coupon had an image and the word toy removed to make it appear to apply to any purchase. Kathee Tesija, executive vice president, merchandising, Target, said, Our goal is to always surprise and delight our guests with great values, and we are disappointed that some of our guests may be inconvenienced by our need to respond to this fraudulent tampering and transferring. Guests who originally received the coupon will be notified via e-mail that the coupon no longer is being accepted, and they also will receive a $5 Target GiftCard by mail. In addition, Target stores are posting signs at all check-out lanes alerting guests that these coupons are no longer valid. About Target Minneapolis-based Target serves guests at 1,613 stores in 47 states nationwide by delivering today's best retail trends at affordable prices. Target is committed to providing guests with great design through innovative products, in-store experiences and community partnerships. Whether visiting a Target store or shopping online at Target.com, guests enjoy a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to thousands of unique and highly differentiated items. Since 1946, the corporation has invested five percent of its income in the communities it serves. Target (NYSE:TGT) gives more than $3 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Target partners with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs. Acme Archives
Obi-Wan Kenobi Acme has announced another new Character Key in their movie line; Obi-Wan Kenobi. He will be debuted at San Diego Comic-Con but is not an exclusive. If you will be attending SDCC you can pre-order for pickup at the show beginning Thursday, July 3rd at 2:00PM EST. There is a limit of 2 per person. Orders can be placed on CharacterKey.com. Price and edition size for Obi-Wan has not been announced yet. For those not attending SDCC look to CharacterKey.com on July 24th to place your orders. July 3rd is also ordering day for those of you attending SDCC and are interested in the previously announced Yoda Character Key. Sales are limited to 1 per person and will also begin on Thursday at 2:00PM EST. Non-attendees will be able to order this key on July 24th as well. Gentle GiantQ&AOn June 27th GentleGiantCollectors.com held a question and answer session with Gentle Giant. GGC.com covered topics such as Japanese exclusives, Clone Wars busts and statues and release dates for some of the 2008 product that is still to come later in the year. Head over to their forums for the full Q&A session. TIE Fighter PilotAlong with the Q&A from Gentle Giant, GGC.com also has new photos of the upcoming TIE Fighter Pilot mini bust. There is a chase of the bust called "Pilot Black Three" and it's basically the same bust only with added paint on the helmet. Head over to check it out. HasbroClone WarsOver the weekend several photos turned up of new items that will be coming in both the Clone Wars and The Legacy Collection lines. First up are two Battle Packs for the CW line. Obi-Wan Kenobi & 212th Attack Battalion Clone Troopers includes Obi and four Clones with an orange paint deco. The second set is Yoda & Coruscant Guard. The four Clone Troopers in the set have a red deco. JediInsider.com has the first photos. The Legacy CollectionYodasNews.com and Sandtroopers.com have new photos of upcoming Evolutions sets. Yodas News has photos of the repacked The Sith Legacy and The Fett Legacy along with The Padme Amidala Legacy. The Fett Legacy set corrects a paint error on Boba's armor that was present in the TAC release from earlier this year. Sandtroopers.com has photos of the two female X-Wing Pilots that will be released in this year's Rebellion Pilots Evolutions sets. VehiclesRebelScum.com is reporting two new vehicles that have shown up in the Toys-R-Us computer. A Clone Wars Gunship and Clone Wars ARC-170. They are listed at $44.99 each. Now this is kind of odd because last week we reported on photos that JediInsider.com had received of a Wal-Mart exclusive Republic Gunship. Shared exclusives aren't completely unheard of in the Star Wars line but I don't recall any being shared between two brick & morter retailers. The shared exclusives are usually for e-tailers via Previews or direct from license holders and shops like StarWarsShop.com. It could be possible that the release from Toys-R-Us is a TLC packaged Gunship with the shark deco that was previously released 2006 while the WM release is the red version shown in the photos. Time will tell. Hopefully these will be out for the July 26th launch date. TitaniumA new re-paint wave of vehicles has been found at retail and includes the following:
These all had the new blue and white Star Wars logo on them. Star Wars: FramesLast week Sideshow announced a new book called "Star Wars Frames." Not a lot was known about this till a blog entry was found recapping the first day of BookExpo America which was held back in May. Bullyscomics.blogspot.com had the report and two photos, one of the set itself and a second of a brochure for the book. Actually, a set of six books. Six books weighing it at about 210lbs! Want to know more? Read on for the photos and description from the brochure.
7-1-2008Okay, it's time to get back on track. I admit that I slacked on updates over the weekend and it was mostly due to the fact I was following all the news reports coming out of the GI Joe Convention in Texas. Lots of exciting news about upcoming figures, vehicles and exclusives. Plus new animation next year and the live action movie is done filming and is headed to post. Although I didn't go to the convention, it was still a fun weekend if you are a Joe collector. Now, however, it's time to get back to the Star Wars universe. There is a huge amount of new and important info to cover. 
Toys-R-UsThe release of the Clone Wars and Legacy Collection lines is 25 days away and it was just announced on the Toys-R-Us web site that they will be partnering with Lucasfilm to hold a brand new Midnight Madness event for the toy launch. More than 225 stores in the US will be open for this event so check with your local store to find out if they will be participating. Midnight Madness at TRU will see the release of two exclusive gifts; Holographic General Grievous, free with a $30 purchase, and a Lego reversible poster showing the new sets on one side and minifigs on the back. The poster is also free with a $30 purchase of Lego product. TRU will have several exclusive toys including two Lego sets; Clone Wars Separatist Spider Droid and The Twilight. Hasbro exclusives include a TIE Fighter with pilot and STAP Attack Battle Pack. Toys-R-Us stores will have a special Star Wars section in their stores which will count down to Midnight Madness followed by the Clone Wars theatrical release and then the Cartoon Network debut. Very exciting news. McDonald'sFor the first time in Star Wars history, McDonald's will be partnering with Lucasfilm to promote the new Star Wars: The Clone Wars release in the US. Beginning on August 15th, McDonald's will have 18 exclusive toys available in Clone Wars Happy Meals. Each box will be specially designed to fit in with the promotion which will only last for four weeks. That's a lot of greasy food in a short period of time! Celebration JapanFollowing up on my post from last week we have new Celebration Japan exclusives to talk about. This time it's art and a book from the master, Ralph McQuarrie. Following up on the Celebration IV and Europe exclusive prints, Japan will offer two half color, half ink prints of Mos Eisley and Docking Bay 94.
The prints will have both English and Japanese writing on them and are limited editions although the edition size has not been set yet. 
The Art of Ralph McQuarrie Also for sale during the Celebration will be a new book; "Star Wars: The Art of Ralph McQuarrie." The book is from Dreams and Visions Press and will pick up where "The Art of Ralph McQuarrie" left off. The book will be 168 pages and contains art that didn't make it into the previous book. Also included will be 30 pages of newly discovered artwork, some of which is touted as having not been seen for 30 years. The oversize soft cover book will be limited to 1978 copies and retails for $50. Other prints by various artists should be announced as we get closer to the convention which runs from July 19-21, 2008 at the Makuhari-Messe in Chiba, Japan. Expo Coleccionístas III
The Force Returns Mexico will be hosting the Expo Coleccionístas III Star Wars convention this year from August 8-10 at the World Trade Center of Mexico City. Matt Sloan and Mary Oyaya, who played Plo Koon and Luminara Unduli respectively, will be on hand signing autographs. If you like toys, then fear not, the show will feature a set of two action figures in packaging similar to the Order 66 sets from Target. Titled "The Force Returns," the set will be limited to 350 pieces. Included in the set are Commander Bow and an Airborne Trooper, both sporting the 501st paint deco from Revenge of the Sith. San Diego Comic-ConWhile we're covering event news, let's cover SDCC. OfficialPix will be organizing a Fan Club Breakfast to be held at the Marriott Hotel & Marina on Friday, July 25th. The breakfast will run from 7:00 - 9:00am and will set you back $62.75. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, July 2nd, at 11:00am Central time and can be purchased from the Official Pix web site. Steve Sansweet, Mary Franklin and Derryl DePriest will be there along with actor Tom Kane who does the voice of Yoda in the new Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie. |
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