9-29-2006

Take a couple of days of vacation and everything starts dropping!  Most of the good news has hit the various collecting sites but one more place for info can't be a bad thing so, let's get to it.


30th Anniversary Figures
Wave 1 available for
preorder from Entertainment Earth

Hasbro

Lot's of news from Hasbro this week so I'll start with them.

Along with the announcement of the coin folder last week, Hasbro has now released photos of a few early 30th Anniversary Collection figures.  Check RebelScum.com for photos of figures 2-9.  They are Galactic Marine, Mace Windu, R2-D2, Obi-Wan, Mustafar Lava Miner, Airborne Trooper, Concept Trooper and Super Battle Droid.  The Airborne Trooper and Lava Miner look really great and I think we may have the long-needed update to Mace Windu. 

Three new Battle Packs have been found at retail.  The "Battle Above the Sarlacc," "Sith Lord Attack" and "Jedi vs Darth Sidious" were all found at TRU.  Details on another Battle Pack have also been found.  Unknown before now, the item turned up in Target's computer and is due in 2007.  Titled "Battle of Felucia," the Battle Pack is open to speculation at this point.  Good guess; Aayla Secura, Commander Bly and some of his 327th Star Corp Troops.

Kit Fisto's Starfighter and the new Target Snowspeeder were also located in KC  this week so start hitting your Target stores if you're after either of these vehicles.

Australia collectors have turned out the TPM, AOTC and ROTS collector tins.  That should mean they're on their way to the US.

I was in the Wal-Mart in Vestal, NY on Monday and found the Endor 2 and Battle for Naboo wave figures.  Picked up one each of Gragra, Dud Bolt and Mars Guo, Endor Rebel Soldier (Black), Naboo Soldier and Rep Been.  I passed on Maul, Luke and the Vader from that wave and I didn't spot a white version of the Rebel Soldier.  I may snag the Maul and Luke later on.

Also, it's not too late to get to Target for their $6 sale on action figures.  A couple other items were on sale also but hit your local store to find out what.  TRU, in some locations, is having a buy 2, get a 3rd free sale.  Not every store is participating so hit your local establishment to find out if you can take advantage of this sale.

Sideshow

First, if you're reading this then you should know that the priority pre-orders are going to be up today for the Medicom Clone Trooper.  Starting at 1:00PM EST, Priority Pre-order members will be able to place orders before he's made available to everyone.

New info has been released on the Endor Rebel Soldiers.  On October 5th newsletter members will be able to order a special set of all 3 Troopers.  Apparently this set will sell at a discounted rate and will include a $25 gift card.

If you want them separately then you can order them starting with the Commando Infantry Soldier on October 5th.  October 19th will be the sale date for the Commando Sergeant and Commando Nik Sant will go on sale on November 2nd.  The second two will be up for sale about 3:00PM EST while the Infantry Soldier will be available at the same time as the 3-pack.

In this week's podcast Sideshow drops the name Ventress when discussing the next figure in their 1:6 Expanded Universe line.  Following on the heels of the announcement of the Razor's Edge Ventress Character Key, it's been a good week for the white-skinned Sith. 

Ship notifications have hit this week for both the 1:6 Qui-Gon Jinn figure and the Count Dooku Character Key.  Both of my orders should be hitting on 10/2 and I can't wait for them.  I'm more excited for the Dooku key but I'm hoping that Qui-Gon will look nice as well.  Now I'm just waiting on my Darth Maul and that'll take care of my pre-orders with Sideshow.

Acme Archives

As mentioned before, Asajj Ventress is the next key up for sale and it should be up today around 1:00PM EST on the Razor's Edge web site. 

Insider #90 not only dropped the bomb about the Endor Rebel Soldiers but it also announced that a Shaak Ti Character Key would be coming soon as well.  I believe she'll be available directly from Acme and will have an edition of 1250, which seems to be the new magical number. 

I'm still hoping for a Republic Gunship key!  I really don't want to see this line go overboard but, so far, I've liked all their releases. 

Topps

If you received a damaged autograph card in the new Evolution set and sent in for the replacement, start checking your mail.  The Luke Skywalker card has started to show up.

Order 95

This week saw the launch of a new feature on CreatureCantina.com titled Order 95.

Order 95 is a new, ongoing web comic created by Beedo Sookcool with support from Bill Cable, Dan Curto, Tresbo Yr, Scott Corrales and ST-321.

Check out Beedo's web site, Beedo Sookool's Cool Sci-Fi Page, for some introductory information or head over to CreatureCantina.com for Order 95 guidelines and the first episode, now playing.

Keep your eyes on CreatureCantina.com in coming weeks for new installments along with all the other Star Wars humor that's beyond imagination!

9-23-2006

Acme Archives

Do you like Character Keys?  If so you're in for a treat.  Razor's Edge announced yesterday that they'll have the next key in the Animated Clone Wars series.  Look for Asajj Ventress to go on sale some time next week!

And if that's not good enough, the Insider, which provided us with the leak about the Endor Soldiers yesterday, also turns up a Shaak Ti key coming later this fall.  Apparently it'll be an Acme exclusive.  I believe both keys are slated to have a 1,250 piece edition.


2007 Coin Folder

Hasbro

News from Entertainment Earth has hit about a folder to hold the 2007 coin collection.

Packaged with a Darth Vader figure, the folder will have a mural on the front and slots for 60 coins plus exclusives on the inside.  Per a Question & Answer session with Hasbro a few weeks ago, we can expect 60 regular figures in the 2007 30th Anniversary line.

No word yet on how many exclusives there will be or if there will be any chase coins in the regular line.  Convention coins were pointed out in the announcement on EE.com.  I'm sure we'll see some at Celebration 4 and Comic-Con at least.

Other news from Hasbro that popped up in this week's Q&A is that they have been looking at doing a Turbo Tank but have shelved it for now.  They're giving it a maybe for later on down the road but it'll probably depend on whether or not it shows up in the animated TV Series.  The other interesting tidbit is that we should see our first Bothan figure towards the end of 2007.

Sideshow

When Plo Koon went on sale last week a few people pointed out that he was shown with a green lightsaber.  Sideshow corrected that this week by changing it to blue as seen in the movies.

9-22-2006

Sideshow


Yoda VCD

Sideshow's next set of figures will be coming from their military line.  Called "Militaries of Star Wars," the newest edition of the Insider has photos of three Endor Rebel Troopers.  Slated for early 2007 release, one per month, they should run about $59.99 each.

The new VCD Yoda figure went on sale yesterday. Selling at $59.99 the figure will be out in 2007.  Unlike some of the deformed VCD figures that are already out, this figure is more true to the character seen in The Empire Strikes Back.  The face, to me, looks a little off.  It's not quite the reflective Yoda from Empire but it still is an interesting looking figure.  It's limited but I may think on it a little more.

Wizards of the Coast


Bounty Hunters

The checklist for the new Bounty Hunters expansion is out and you should start seeing boosters in stores today.

There are 12 Common, 17 Uncommon, 18 Rare and 13 Very Rare figures in the set which is quite a bit different than the Champions of the Force expansion which had a lot of common and uncommon figures.

Bounty Hunters is broken up into 7 factions; Republic, Separatist, Rebel, Imperial, New Republic, Fringe and Mandalorian.

With the Bounty Hunters set having a lot of Huge characters and a price of $20 per box it's not only going to be tough to complete but rather expensive.

WOTC also has released ads for the upcoming Starship Battles!  I can't wait for this set.  It's going to have 60 ships and be a standalone game.  We should see this later in 2006 making the end of the year rather expensive between Champions, Bounty Hunters and this new set.

Hasbro

New hi-rez photos have shown up of new 3" Titanium vehicles that are headed our way.  GalacticHunter.com has them and they include an incredible AOTC Jedi Starfighter with hyperdrive ring! 

They're also showing an AT-ST, Tantive IV, Vader's Jedi Starfighter and Maul on Sith Speeder.

I'll probably pass on most of them but that AOTC Jedi Starfighter is a must have!  I wish that Hasbro would have put that accessory out for the 3.75" scale vehicle.  Heck, I'd re-buy Obi-Wan's Starfighter just to get one.

9-20-2006

Hasbro

In their latest Q&A session, Hasbro has given us a few tidbits on what to expect for the end of this year and the 30th Anniversary line in 2007.

There are going to be 60 carded figures and come in 9 waves.  The first 8 waves will have McQuarrie concept figures starting with a repack of the Stormtrooper.  No word if there will be repack lines like this year (Greatest Battles, Heroes and Villains) but I suspect there will be.

Costco will have two exclusives for the 2006 holiday season.  The first is a 2-pack of electronic lightsabers which will include two repacked figures.  No redeco on the figures.  The second is a 3-pack of Darth Tater, Spud Trooper and R2-Potatoo which will come in special packaging.

When asked specifically about a Death Star Commander for a 2007 line of VOTC/VTSC style figures, Hasbro said no.  But they didn't completely rule out a line of figures in that style.

In an oddly worded response to a 2006 Christmas figure, Hasbro said that there were no plans for one "next year."  However, the way it was worded I'm unsure if that meant Christmas 2006 or 2007.

Last year's Best Buy Darth Vader Unleashed has been showing up in KB stores over the last couple of weeks.  The Best Buy sticker is missing but they're the same otherwise.

Target

Word is that Target will be having a sale on action figures starting Sunday, September 24th.  Usually sales are used to clear pegs but maybe that means the final waves of 2006 will be on their way shortly.

Target is also starting to set for the Christmas holiday.  Look for more Star Wars themed ornaments and snowglobes.

Sideshow

The Sideshow exclusive Count Dooku Character Key is now processing.  We should probably start seeing ship notifications some time this week.

Gentle Giant

GG has announced the edition sizes for two upcoming items.  The Plo Koon mini bust will have a run of 4,500 pieces while the Obi-Wan Clone Wars statue will come in at 2,500 pieces.

The Boba Fett maquette has been pushed back to an October release with Leia slipping to November.  Apparently there were some issues with them and GG decided to delay them rather than release something that they weren't happy with.

In Other News

George Lucas will be the Grand Marshal for the 2007 Tournament of Roses parade.  There will be two Star Wars floats as well as a couple hundred 501st Troopers in the parade.

9-16-2006

Sideshow

The exclusive edition of Plo Koon, 1,500 pieces, sold out in about 25 minutes this afternoon.  I was able to get on the site about 10 minutes after 1 but didn't order.  With 1,500 pieces and a price of $59.99 (over $70 with shipping and tax) it wasn't worth it to me to get the exclusive.  If I pick him up I'll probably get the regular edition for a better price somewhere else.

Qui-Gon Jinn is now shipping.  That didn't take long after the processing announcement from the other day.

I also received my Obi-Wan Kenobi figure yesterday and I really like the figure itself.  His Jedi robes are really nice and I love the head sculpt on this figure.  I think this and Anakin are my favorites right now.

The only thing I don't care for is that he comes with several cool accessories yet doesn't have enough belt pouches in the right size and shape to hold them all.  Matter of fact, of the four accessories, only two of them fit; his communicator and holo projector.  That leaves his binoculars and breathing device in the box.

Both the lightsaber and hilt are really nice and he comes with two sets of hands.  The exclusive blaster is a nice piece with plenty of detail not to mention it's very sizable.  Overall, a real winner!


2007 Packaging

New Packaging

StarWars.com debuted some photos of new packaging coming in 2007.  Higher end collectibles from companies like Gentle Giant, Master Replicas, Attakus and Sideshow will be using these sleek black boxes with silver writing.

I generally like the Sideshow and GG boxes that are out now but I have to admit that these look really nice.  It's kind of similar to the Code 3 box that my Republic Gunship came in and I always like that look.

Gentle Giant

My Mara Jade bust also arrived yesterday and looks perfect!  I'm really psyched to add this to my collection. 

I think next up for me will be Chewy and then it'll probably be quits till next year when I can get the new Bounty Hunters and Plo Koon.

Rancho Obi-Wan

Part 5 of Steve Sansweet's tour of Rancho Obi-Wan debuted last night on StarWars.com.  You'll need to be a Hyperspace member to view it.  Well, unless you know somewhere else to find it....

9-15-2006

Sideshow

Don't forget that today is priority pre-order day for Plo Koon from Sideshow.  Sale starts about 1:00PM EST for newsletter subscribers.

Sideshow is also reporting that they will import the Medicom VCD Yoda figure.  No release date or price yet.  I've been passing on the VCD figures so far but I think I'll be ordering Yoda.

Gentle Giant

GG posted release dates for the Slave Leia statue and Zuckuss mini bust.  Look for them in April 2007.

GG also announced a new animated style maquette, they'll be doing a Stormtrooper.  It looks okay but I kind of wish they'd stuck with Animated Clone Wars characters.  I might be tempted to buy another one if they did Shaak Ti, Aayla or Foul Moudama.

Hasbro

New figures are hitting.  These waves are the Battle of Endor and Battle of Naboo.  Includes figures like two new Endor Rebel Soldiers, Holo Darth Maul, Naboo Soldier a couple Pod Racers and Gragra.

The two 501st Stormtroopers that I ordered from HasbroToyShop.com last week came in today.  HTS.com really took their packing to a new level and both of them came in perfect shape.  Neither of them had the San Diego Comic-Con logo or the text about it being exclusive.  HTS.com also has a new batch of them available for order as of this writing.

The new Toys-R-Us TIE Fighter has been found with two different TIE Pilot pack-in figures.  One is the POTF2 figure while the other is the better articulated Saga version.  RebelScum.com is reporting that boxes with a date stamp of 61791 has the POTF2 version while the Saga version is stamped 61801. That would potentially make the Saga version the running change as it has a later date (by 1 day).  Other than reporting it, I can't be bothered to care about this...

Lego

In 2007 will see General Grievous' starfighter and a new Imperial Landing Craft along with some Droid and Clone Trooper battle packs.  These were announced before but photos are now available from ForbiddenPlanet.com.

Wal-Mart

Here's an interesting development with Wal-Mart.  Come November 19th they'll stop offering layaway service.  This is sure to put a huge dent in the Black Friday shopping as long lines at the door are just as ubiquitous as the layaway line which I've seen stretch around the inside of half the store in Binghamton, NY.

This may be bad news for those holiday shoppers who don't have the cash to buy everything on BF but it could be a benefit to collectors.  Scalpers and even some collectors have been known to use the layaway plan in the past.  Scalpers so that they can see what items will be hot while collectors use it either because they don't have the money or aren't sure if they want an item yet.  Either one can screw up stocking numbers and I'm sure it has kept fresh product from hitting the pegs in the past.

I've only every used layaway once and that was at Hills.  I certainly won't miss it.

Toys-R-Us

While we're on retailer news how about some good news for Toys-R-Us.  Following on the heels of their newly launched web site (July 1, 2006), TRU opened a new shipping center in Groveport, OH.  It'll add 300 full time and 400 seasonal/part time jobs and should help the web site get product out faster.

Since this warehouse is larger than the existing one that they ship from it will also allow them to expand the offerings on their site.  I'm hoping that this web site succeeds as it gives us another outlet for exclusives and whatnot.

9-14-200666

Yesterday was another busy day in the Star Wars collecting world.  Not only were people still buzzing about the Tuesday release of the DVD's but news on upcoming events also showed up.

Sideshow

Processing notices from Sideshow have hit for the exclusive edition of Qui-Gon Jinn. Credit Cards should be charged within the next 5 days and then it's just a matter of time before shipping notices hit.  That's a lot of figures in a short period of time; Han, Mace, Obi-Wan and now Qui-Gon.

Speaking of Mace, my general release figure came last night.  I ordered it from BigBadToyStore.com and they didn't disappoint!  This figure was well packed and mint.t.

Mace looks really good.  He doesn't have some of the issues that Anakin and Han have.  His hands fit tightly and don't pop off when you're posing him.  The knee and elbow joints flex easily but aren't loose and although he has a stump right arm feature it's not loose at all.

The accessories were plentiful with two saber hilts and lit lightsabers.  Both have the signature purple blade while one hilt represents promo photos for The Phantom Menace while the other two are the more ornate Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith version.  He also comes with a breathing apparatus, food cubes, holo projector, transmitter and a second set of hands. 

Of course he's dressed in his Jedi outfit and has a very nice looking cloak.  The head sculpt is a little angry but it's a nice likeness of Samuel L. Jackson.  The eyes are a little odd with some red in what should be the whites but from a foot away it looks good.  Very nice figure and I'm happy with it right out of the box.

I should note that the Han Solo sculpt has actually grown on me and I don't think I'll be selling him.  It just took a little while to appreciate but I do still have a couple issues with him.  Can't wait to get Obi-Wan next!

Hasbro

Hasbro confirmed Kit Fisto's Jedi Starfighter coming later this year to Target.  We should also be seeing Mace Windu's squadron Battle Pack in November along with Rogue 2's Snowspeeder.

Also mentioned were the two exclusive 7" Unleashed figures, Boba Fett and General Grievous, that are already out.

Oddly missing from the list is the Shuttle that's all but confirmed by the photos from the Mexican convention last week.  The price is supposed to be $59.99 and we even have a DPCI# 087-06-0483.  I'm wondering if this is going to be a Black Friday exclusive?  That's about the only reason I can think of for keeping it under wraps.

Wizards of the Coast

We now have a release date for the Bounty Hunters expansion; September 22nd!  Just about a week away.  Time to start saving some money.

Master Replicas

Yesterday was the beginning of the ordering for the new Return of the Jedi Darth Vader lightsaber.  Ordering was only for Collector Society members but they should go up for everyone pretty quick.

9-12-2006


Darth Tater & Spud Trooper

Hasbro

Couple new items have popped up and should be coming soon.

First up is another Wal-Mart exclusive; a tin with Darth Tater and Spud Trooper.  Look for it in stores starting November 1st.

The second, and this may have been announced before, are repaints of two Star Wars Transformers.  The ARC-170 gets a Clone Wars paint scheme while the Vader Sith Starfighter gets a new black paint job.

GalaticHunter.com has posted new hi-rez photos of 10 of the last 22 figures coming this year.  Plenty of troop building goodness with not one, not two but FOUR new clones.  Holo Cody, 442 Siege Battalion, 5th Fleet Security and an AOTC Clone Sergeant.  I can see some cash being laid out for a bunch of 442 and 5th Fleet Clones but I'll probably only snag one each of the other two.

The Battle Droids actually look pretty good but the sculpt doesn't appear to be any sturdier than previous versions.  Probably a pass but I'll wait and see.  Same for the Super Battle Droid and non-Clone repacks (Kit Fisto, Chewy and Maul).

Oh, and let's not forget the R5-J2 droid.  Looks good and it certainly didn't take Hasbro long to reuse that R5-D4 head.  Now see, if they hadn't waited 10 years to do a new R5 figure they could have been making mad cash on these all along!

9-11-2006

Wal-Mart

Stopped in Wal-Mart in Dickson City, PA on Sunday and besides the action figure aisle being a complete wreck I did find two of the Hoth Unleashed packs.  They were both full of Snowtroopers so I'm still on the lookout for the AT-AT Driver pack.

They had some of the newer Titanium vehicles including the Viper and Colonial Raptor from the Battlestar Galactica line.

I also hit up the local store yesterday but they haven't stocked anything new in a couple weeks by the looks of things.

Target

Also stopped at the DC Target as well as the local store.  The DC store had a few Scorch, Cody and Utapau Clone Troopers along with regular and Greatest Battles figures.  The price was under $6 in the store ($5.89 maybe?) which is a nice change over the NY store.  The same store also had the new exclusive Titanium Vader figure with the lava reflection...or whatever it's supposed to be. 

My store, on the other hand, hasn't had anything new stocked in a while.  They have had the Greatest Battles figures but I don't think they've had the Endor wave yet. 

Toys-R-Us

The Dickson City store had all the exclusives out on Saturday; AT-AT, TIE Fighter and X-Wing.  The X-Wing looks pretty cool and I'd love to hook up with one.  The box is obnoxiously large but the paint scheme on the ship along with the Luke and swamp monster all make for a nice display piece if you're keeping it boxed.

They had a few other things that I can't recall right now but I was mainly looking for the exclusives, AT-AT Driver Unleashed and Top Trump cards.  They didn't have either of the last two things I was after.

Pre-Orders

All kinds of pre-orders are shipping to me right now.  Sideshow's Obi-Wan is in the mail as is their Mace Windu which is coming to me from BigBadToyStore.com.

I also got my tracking number for the Mara Jade bust from Gentle Giant.  I saw one in person this past weekend and I can't wait for it to show up!

PSWCS

We had a PSWCS meeting on Saturday at Essential Comics and it was a lot of fun.  Saw some cool show and tell items including some prototype C-3PO figures, Sideshow Premium Format Leia and some Kubrick figures.

While I was at the store I finally picked up my ROTS Darth Vader mini bust by Gentle Giant.  Been looking to add this one for a while and the price was right so I picked it up.  Some day hopefully I'll be able to put all these busts out on display.

Gentle Giant

While I'm on the bust topic I should note that I received my ROTS Clone Trooper bust last week.  I bought a plain white one and it looks really nice.  Several arms and gun and hand configurations are possible.  I've also seen the 501st and Utapau versions and they're all very nice.

The Shocktrooper bust from SDCC looks okay but the weathering on the paint apps is really off.  Instead of looking as if paint was chipped from the armor it looks like someone splashed him by rolling through a mud puddle or something.  I can't explain it but the bust definitely doesn't look anything like the pre-production photos that came out of GG before Comic-Con.

I saw a Qui-Gon Jinn bust in person this weekend and I was less than impressed with it.  I didn't see it loose but just the head sculpt and paint detail looked off.  I didn't order this and I don't see me adding it in the future.

Wizards of the Coast

I got to play several games Saturday night and had a blast doing it.  We'll probably set up a minis gaming day at Essential in October, more info later.

I also picked up my first booster from the Champions of the Force expansion.  Scored two Republic Commandos that, when added to the one my buddy Joe hooked me up with, brings me within one of having the squad.  Now I just need a Scorch.  This set, after I finally looked at the checklist, is actually kind of nice.  Lots of Jedi and Sith so it could make for some fun battles.

I'm still interested in the Bounty Hunter expansion coming next but man, that's going to get expensive.  I believe that expansion has Huge vehicles so the boosters aren't going to be $12.99 like the CotF are.

Hasbro

I guess we can call the Target exclusive Shuttle "confirmed" now.  A boxed sample showed up at a Mexican convention over the weekend.  It's in The Saga Collection packaging and says "Only at Target" on the box and has two figures with it.  One is a Royal Guard and I think the other is Vader. 

Guess we'll see if this happens.  If it does, and it comes at the rumored $60 price, I'm going to be kind of ticked again that I laid out FAO Schwartz' blood money for it last time it was released.

Eh, kudos to Target for talking Hasbro into it.

Sideshow

They announced Plo Koon as the next figure in the line and now we have an order date; September 15th.  It's a priority pre-order so expect a fight getting in on it Friday.

Still need to check out their site to see if it looks good enough to buy.  I wonder what they'll do for an exclusive?

DVD

Don't forget, tomorrow is the DVD release of the original, unaltered, trilogy.  Adding to the list of promos I posted before, it seems that TRU is giving away $5 gift cards with purchase of the sets.

I saw some prices posted on one of the forums and it looks like that $90 tin from Best Buy will be on sale for $60 tomorrow.  The cheapest I think I saw was $17 and change for the Wal-Mart version. 

And it's also been confirmed that WM should have three gift packs of figures like they did with the previous movie and Animated Clone Wars releases.  Unfortunately nothing new on the figure department, just your standard repacked figures, just with new art. 

I'll have to check Target prices and I'll get them there or WM depending on price.  I still may investigate a web order from Circuit City if it would include the art folders.

9-6-2006

Target

Stopped in Target yesterday to find that they'd set a new end cap with Star Wars toys.  Specifically they had their new exclusive Unleashed figures; Boba Fett and General Grievous.  The new tube packaging, similar to the Interactive R2 I showed yesterday, is huge!  The figures appear to be the same as their previous release.  Maybe slight paint changes but that might be it.

The end cap also had lightsabers and the $20 starfighters including Mace Windu's purple version. 

The 3" Titanium vehicles were restocked and included both the Colonial Raptor and new Viper from the Battlestar Galactica series.  B-Wing, Sandcrawler and TIE Interceptor were also restocked.  The 6" Ultra vehicles that were still hanging around were on clearance for $9.98. 

Speaking of the Titanium line, reports are in that the Target exclusive red Vader variant has been found on shelves.

The Greatest Battles wave was stocked sometime in the last couple of days and I spotted a Scorch along with one Shocktrooper.

Still no Hoth wave Unleashed 2" figures.  Still looking for the AT-AT Driver.

Gentle Giant

Yesterday GG put the leftover exclusives from Comic-Con and Gen-Gon on their web site.  I got the email about 5:00 and immediately put in an order for Mara Jade.  I passed on the Shocktrooper which sold out shortly after I was on.

Mara Jade sold out later in the evening and I believe the Harry Potter bust went quickly as well.  Lots of pissed off forum rats on Rebelscum decrying the evil that is GG.

Toys-R-Us

TRU is starting to set for next week's release of the DVD sets.  They're doing a front section in most stores to highlight their exclusives; AT-AT, TIE Fighter and X-Wing.

No word yet that I've seen saying that TRU will have any type of exclusive for the DVD release.

9-5-2006


Interactive R2-D2

Hasbro

The Interactive R2-D2 is making a 3rd appearance this year.  He'll be in a new tube package and come fully assembled.  I don't know if this will show up in stores but Entertainment Earth has them listed as "in stock" now for $109.99.

In Hasbro's Q&A last week there were a few announcements of note.  First up is that the 2007 line should include a new SA Qui-Gon Jinn.  That's incredible news since we haven't had a decent version of him yet and it's been 7 years since EP1 came out!

Second is a question by RebelScum about the Ultra Titanium line.  According to Hasbro they will discontinue the line in Fall 2006.  That's kind of bad news seeing as I was really looking forward to the Ultra Battlestar Galactica.  Hasbro specifically mentions sales as a reason to cancel the line.

Third, it's already been announced that the 30th Anniversary line in 2007 will not include stands with the figures.  YakFace.com is reporting in their Q&A that Hasbro will release packs of stands separately next year.  No word on when, just sometime next year.

Star Wars DVD Bonus

I've listed a couple of the bonus items that will be coming out with the DVD release next week but a couple more have popped up.  So, here are all the stores listed again along with the bonus that you can receive for shopping at that particular store.

  • Wal-Mart: Trade paperback reprints of the vintage Marvel comics.
  • Target: Post cards with art from the "Art of Star Wars" books from 1997.
  • Circuit City: Folders containing prints of vintage poster art.
  • FYE: Pack of seven exclusive Topps trading cards.
  • Best Buy: Collectible tin packaging.

Although they are not included with the DVD's, StarWarsShop.com is releasing three Lenticular prints of vintage art.  They are all 12" by 18" and there is one for each movie.  Priced at $27.99 they aren't that expensive.  Search for "lenticular" and they'll come up along with the animated Clone Wars poster of Padme that's been on sale for a while now.

9-1-2006

Gentle Giant

The ROTS Clone Troopers are now shipping.  Got word last night from Razor's Edge Collectibles that my bust was in.  It's now paid for and on it's way in Friday's mail.  Can't wait to get it!

Sideshow

Sideshow has announced that their next Jedi figure will be Plo Koon.  The announcement came in their most recent podcast.

Han Solo Bespin arrived yesterday and I have to say that I'm disappointed.  The head sculpt is either lacking or the paint job knocked it down a few notches.

His cloth accessories look nice even though I'd have liked the jacket to be a little more loose.  The accessories are quite nice with the mynock and blaster being the highlights of the set.

I don't care for the bodies from Sideshow.  More specifically, I don't care for the hands.  The holster for the blaster is a little off but looks okay when assembled with the blaster in it.  Overall, not worth $60 in my opinion.  I'll be sending Han down the road pretty soon.

Also on the Sideshow front, Mace Windu is now shipping. 

Hasbro

In a post on their web site, Hasbro has now confirmed wave 2 of the commemorative tins and figures.  They've also confirmed the black Vader re-paint of the ROTS Jedi Starfighter and Galactic Heroes Cinema Scenes. 

Best Buy

Best Buy is also offering a special collectible with the release of the original trilogy in two weeks.  They're packaging the movies in a collectible tin and the price will be $89.99.

Home Shopping Network

HSN is picking up in the wake of QVC and presenting a Star Wars collectibles show on Labor Day.  There's a one hour preview at 2:00 AM and then a two hour show at 8:00 PM on September 4th.

Sounds like there will be some Master Replicas lightsabers, misc. lithographs and other art, comics and the new DVDs.