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8-27-2008Star Wars: Seen and HeardABC Family has been airing a hilarious show on Monday night's for the last 10 weeks called "The Middleman." It's based on a graphic novel written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach and stars Matt Keeslar and Natalie Morales. The show is loaded with pop culture references including several Star Wars quotes and nods. This week's episode, The Clotharian Contanimation Protocol, was heavy on the Die Hard references but in one scene the Middleman (Keeslar) and Wendy Watson (Morales) were examining a piece of space wreckage for clues as to why it crashed. One of the components had writing on it that used the Aurebesh font. On one side is written "Made in Clothar" and the other had "Countdown" with a timer.
It was an interesting nod that I'm pretty sure only about 3 people noticed. Next week is the season finale of "The Middleman" and if you haven't watched it yet, do yourself a favor and tune in. It's one of the most smartly written shows on TV and it would be a shame if it doesn't get picked up for a second season. 8-22-2008HasbroLast night at Target I spotted both General Grievous' Starfighter and Anakin's Modified Starfighter in the new Clone Wars packaging. Anakin's ship is a new release of the vehicle which was first done for the original Clone Wars line back in 2003. Picking it up for $20 in a store is better than paying $60+ on eBay so pick this up when you see it. SideshowInsight Editions, the company producing Star Wars: Frames, has another book out for pre-order with a much more reasonable starting price of $29.95. "The Art & Making of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed." The book is scheduled to ship in September. Announced last night in Sideshow's newsletter are some edition sizes. The General Obi-Wan Kenobi figure has a regular edition size of 3,500 pieces while the Ambush on Hoth diorama only has 750 pieces. The Force UnleashedNot only is Sideshow taking pre-orders for a new book but you can also now hit up your local Borders or Barnes & Noble and pick up the novelization of the new video game that will drop in September. LucasArts has also released a demo for the X-Box and Play Station 3 which can be downloaded. 8-21-2008LegoSome info has popped up over the last few days that points to some new Lego sets for later this year or the first part of 2009. Included are three or so Battle Packs which should be in the $10 range.
If I can find some photos of the sets I'll post them. 8-18-2008HasbroFriday was Q&A day from Hasbro and while there were several good questions asked, there were really only three pieces of interesting news. In answer to a question from YodasNews.com about a Deluxe line of figures, Hasbro mentions that they are evaluating one for the Clone Wars line and will have more info at Toy Fair. ImperialShipyards.net asked specifically if we'll see a General Whorm Loathsom figure in the Clone Wars line and, in an uncustomary moment of directness, Hasbro answered "yes." Finally, Hasbro has extended the mail-in Captain Rex promotion till December 31, 2008 so you still have plenty of time to mail off for your figures. They did not change the eligible assortments of figures that you need the POP from, however. So if you're short on Saga Legends or TAC proof of purchases, now is the time to clear those leftover figures off your local store pegs. Toys-R-UsStar Wars toys are featured in this week's flyer for Toys-R-Us, and while nothing is really on sale, you can pick up a free Clone Wars backpack with any purchase over $30.00. Keep in mind that TRU does have exclusive Lego sets, the Hasbro B-Wing and holographic General Grievous. It's back to school time and what kid couldn't use a new Star Wars backpack? 8-15-2008Star Wars: The Clone WarsI just got back from seeing the film at the noon showing and thought I'd write a review and post up some thoughts on the film. There are a few spoilers in the review so if you're looking to be surprised, you may want to skip this till after you've seen the film. Read on for more... )
) Ahsoka & Clone Trooper Gentle GiantGentle Giant is kicking off the Clone Wars weekend with a pre-order for two of their newest maquettes, Ahsoka Tano and a white Clone Trooper. They are scheduled to ship later this year in the November or December timeframe. Both are priced at $90 and this is a guaranteed pre-orders so if you get your order in you're guaranteed to receive one. You have to be logged in to your account to place your order. The Clone WarsIt's finally here, the much anticipated release day for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. There were some screenings last weekend but for those of us not close enough to attend it's now our turn. Some theaters were showing midnight screenings but the first show locally looks to be at noon today. I'll be hitting that up and then I'll catch it again Saturday with some of the fellas from the PSWCS. Check back in later today for a review. McDonald'sTo go along with the release of the Clone Wars movie today, McDonald's kicks off their four week Star Wars promotion with a purchase of their Happy Meals. They launched a new feature on their website a few days ago with photos and info on all 18 of the toys they will have over the course of the promotion. All of the toys are bobbleheads but they also have another feature ranging from push toys to sound effects to light-up lightsabers. Here's a quick rundown:
You can also look forward to Clone Wars graphics on the Happy Meal boxes and some of the food like Apple Dippers and milk that come in them. SideshowLast night's Sideshow newsletter had a couple interesting pieces of info in it. Not the least of which is that the bronze Boba Fett statue is almost sold out. Kind a surprise since they're currently taking orders on numbers 31-40 which will set you back a cool $5,000. Still, it may still be doing better than Star Wars: Frames which is still trying to sell out the first 250 pieces at $4,000. Also announced were the edition sizes for Ki-Adi-Mundi, 3,000, and the Premium Format Tusken Raider exclusive edition, 500. Ki-Adi-Mundi is a Sideshow domestic exclusive. 8-12-2008Boston Globe) ) Boston Globe Cards Back on July 27th the Boston Globe offered a sheet of Clone Wars trading cards in their Sunday edition paper. I'm not 100% sure if they were included in all subscription papers or if you had to turn in a coupon at a store to pick them up. I've read a couple different pieces of info on them. Either way, they came together on a sheet with perforations so you can break them apart. The cards are sponsored by Hasbro and have the first 12 Clone Wars action figures on them. The backs of the cards have the same descriptions on them as the cardbacks for the action figures. It's a neat set of cards and if you have the opportunity to pick them up, take it. 8-7-2008Republic GunshipThe launch of the new Clone Wars product on 7/26 brought along several new Republic Gunship toys from a couple different companies. Hasbro has at least one exclusive version coming to Wal-Mart later this year but both WizKids and Lego have new RG models out now. LegoThe new Lego Gunship is number 7676 and has 1034 pieces along with five minifigs; Obi-Wan Kenobi, Plo Koon, Asajj Ventress, Commander Cody and a Clone Trooper. The ship is completely redesigned from the previous version (set 7163) and has 348 new pieces. The new ship also comes with a new price tag, a whopping $119.99 at most retailers. Luckily, Target had a 10% sale on several Star Wars toys this week, including most of the new Lego sets. I picked this up for $108 plus tax. )
"Crumb Bomber" Nose Art The ship comes with decals that you can use to customize the nose art on the ship. The sticker pictured on the box, a Kowakian Monkey-Lizard dropping bombs, is called the "Crumb Bomber" according to the Clone Wars Visual Guide. The other sticker is the "Lucky Lekku" which depicts a Clone armor-wearing Twi'Lek. This is similar to the art that will be on the Hasbro version coming to Wal-Mart. I'm hoping to get some time this coming weekend to assemble the ship but it's going to take a while. It has two rather thick instruction manuals. I'll have more photos once it's all together and hopefully I'll also have time to take some comparison photos with set 7163.
WizKidsWizKids publishes the PocketModels game and in their Order 66 set they introduced the Republic Gunship as both common, 127th Gunship Wing #9, and rare, 212th Attack Battalion #16, pieces. The new Clone Wars set that debuted on 7/26 includes three new Republic Gunship models. Uncommon 104th Battalion #22, rare 501st Legion #31 and a promo 212th Attack Battalion #38 which was packed, already assembled, in a 2-player starter set. The 212th ship in this set is a variant of the Order 66 version.
The Starter Set that included the new 212th Attack Battalion ship also includes a playing mat, up to 8 other PocketModels, two 15 card decks, a playmat and dice. It rang up about $12.99 at Target. The set also is available with an exclusive Twilight ship and should be available at retailers that carry the line. 8-6-2008)
C-3PO Sketchplate Acme ArchivesThe latest Sketchplate from Acme Archives is now available on their web site, CharacterKey.com. It's limited to 750 pieces and is priced at $35. And while you're there, you can still pick up the X-Wing Fighter Sketchplate, also $35 and limited to 1,000 pieces. And if that's not enough to spend you money on, CharacterKey.com and ShopStarWars.com are both offering the new Obi-Wan Kenobi Character Key. This is limited to 1,000 pieces, is $35 and is limited to two per customer from Acme's site. 8-3-2008New ProductsThe Clone Wars push is on with all of the new items from Hasbro that launched on 7/26 but, since we have a theatrical release in August, the marketing reach is much longer than just action figures. 
The Clone Wars for Didj LeapFrogLeapFrog has new games for the Didj and Leapster handhelds that are now available. LeapFrog has a new section of their web site dedicated to the Star Wars games but you can also pick them up from Wal-Mart and, I assume, other retailers where LeapFrog products are sold. The first two games are Star Wars The Clone Wars math game for the Didj and Star Wars: Jedi Math for the Leapster. Clone QuadI think that's what it's called. It's one of the plastic ride on vehicles for kids. I found one in Wal-Mart last night and was surprised to see it. I haven't found any photo reference for it and the box was wedged on a shelf so I couldn't get a good look at it. More info as it's available, though. School and Art Supplies
Accessory Network Several items have popped up over the last couple of weeks both online and at stores such as Target and K-Mart for the coming school year. They include items such as backpacks and stationary from Accessory Network and lunch bags with drink bottles from the Thermos Company. I spotted a spiral bound notebook at K-Mart that sported Clone Wars art, manufacturer unknown. Also look for Crayola Star Wars Color Explosion scenes. GamesAlthough I don't know of any new traditional board games, WizKids has a new Star Wars: The Clone Wars expansion coming along with several new themed sets. Out now are two new Galactic Heroes Games; Anakin vs Dooku and Clone Trooper Rex vs Super Battle Droid. Both games come with GH figures and use dice and cards to battle. PuzzlesStar Wars puzzles go all the way back to 1977 and the streak continues as Hasbro, via their Milton Bradley brand, has at least four new 100 piece puzzles out now. BooksEvery film release of the last few years has been accompanied by novels and photo books and The Clone Wars being an animated feature, there's plenty of source material. Look for sticker and coloring books, novels, picture books and even a new visual guide. Many are out now and can be found in most book stores while some of the activity books have also been spotted at Wal-Mart. TargetMake sure to check out Target this week as both Hasbro and Lego products are reported to be on sale. Look for discounts on Clone Wars vehicles and Galactic Heroes Cinema Scenes, roll play items and the Voice Changer helmet. Lego sets include the V-19 Torrent and other select sets. 8-2-2008HasbroFriday afternoon Hasbro turned in their latest Q&A answers and here are some highlights. At SDCC Hasbro showed off a new Jabba's palace Rancor, which will come with Luke, but when asked about Malakili Hasbro confirmed that we'll see a new Rancor Keeper in 2009 with a Return of the Jedi wave of figures. JediInsider.com has confirmation that in the first wave of comic packs for 2009 we should see a Lumiya figure included. No announcement yet on the other figure in the set. Although not really an announcement, it was hinted at in an answer from JediTempleArchives.com that the $20 price for the Starfighter line of vehicles may not be around forever. Could we see a jump to $24.99? Would there be an intermediate price, something along the lines of $22.99 or so? With prices on figures and most other things going up, it may only be a matter of time. Coupled with recent photos of figure-only Battle Packs that have been cut to 4 figures from 5, I think we can see where we're headed. 8-1-2008)
Darth Vader & Stormtrooper SideshowSideshow is on a role of new items this week plus the exclusive versions of the new Stormtrooper and Darth Vader 1:6 figures. Don't forget that later today, 1:00PM EST for Vader and 3:00PM EST for the Stormtrooper. The exclusive with Vader will be a "Force Choke" hand while the Stormtrooper will have a blaster pistol. Per the Sideshow newsletter, pre-orders at SDCC were so high that people will be limited to 1 per customer of the Stormtrooper. But, the regular edition is still available. New to the site are imports from Medicom including a Real Action Hero version of Anakin Skywalker and VCD versions of Yoda and R2-D2. There aren't any photos of the Anakin or Yoda figures yet but the R2-D2 figure is pictured and is a deformed figure much like the other VCD figures we've seen. Yoda and R2 are both $69.99 while Anakin is $179.99. All three pieces have an estimated arrival of 2nd quarter 2009. |
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