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12-28-2007
SideshowYesterday Sideshow put up the pre-order for their Premium Format Anakin Skywalker. The exclusive edition will include a Sith Apprentice portrait. The statue comes in at $299.99 and will ship in the third quarter of 2008. Sideshow also announced that they will be selling an oversized Darth Vader Vinyl Collectible Doll in the near future. This was first announced by Blister and that it's limited to 1,000 pieces. No order info or price from Sideshow yet but keep an eye on their site. Around the Toy AisleI thought I'd do a quick AtTA and see what the toy aisles looked like post Christmas. So, rather than a "what I've found" post this is more of a "what I didn't find" post. The local K-Mart looks like a war zone but then, it always does. Not even worth inventorying. Instead I'll stick to Wal-Mart, Target and Toys-R-Us. The biggest winners appear to be Spider-Man, Transformers and Star Wars while the general superhero lines covering both Marvel and DC figures seem to have done well also. Transformers and Spider-Man figures were nearly 100% sellouts at Target and Wal-Mart locally. TRU still had some Transformer stock but none of the movie vehicles. Star Wars pretty much sold through at Target with complete sell out on role play items, comic 2-packs, Battle Packs, vehicles and Titanium. A few Saga Legends figures are about but no unique characters, only Troopers and droids. WM has a few named characters left but again, mostly generic Troopers. They still have their exclusive Max Rebo sets and Titanium vehicles but most of the rest is gone. Ben 10 looks to have sold through at Target while there were more figures left over at the local Wal-Mart store. Wrestling figures, Power Rangers and the Japanimation stuff (Pokemon, Naruto, etc) seems to still be around in force as are the Pirates of the Caribbean figures which are quickly heading for clearance at Target. The Elite Forces stuff at Target didn't do very well and is already marked down 30% at least. The figures did move with the red tag but I'm looking for the vehicles to be around for the 50-75% markdown. Lego was a big winner with both Target, Wal-Mart and Toys-R-Us decimated across almost all lines. The top end sets in the $99.99 range seem to be more available than the less expensive sets although the Castle line seems to be a sell out at all stores I've been to. Die-cast cars of all types were hit pretty well but there were a lot of Hot Wheels cars at both local Target and WM stores. GI Joe 25th Anniversary figures seemed to be good sellers with the possible exception of the Cobra II 5-pack. Matter of fact, that's at a 30% markdown at Target today with 5 or so sets on the shelf. Overall I'd have to say that action figures looked to have done very well this year. Both Target and Wal-Mart have the largest empty spots in their figure aisles and Lego compared to pretty much everything else. Target will be starting their new aisle set within the next week (12/30 is a kick-off date I've heard) and I'm hoping to see some of the late TAC waves come in along with the new Comic 2-packs, including the exclusive wave at Wal-Mart. It'll be good to also see the GI Joe pegs expand for more single carded figures and the Comic 2-Pack sets. Plus, word on the street is that more Wal-Mart stores will be carrying the Joe line in 2008. We also have some exclusive vehicles to look forward to in that line at all the major retailers. I'm hoping to see clearance prices on the Pirates figures and then have them go, along with the huge Spider-Man sections. Let's see some more room for Star Wars, Joe and Transformers. 12-27-2007Best and Worst 2007With 2007 winding down I took my annual journey through the good, the bad and the ugly that was the year in collectibles. There were a lot for a year without a movie but the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars was more than enough to keep us rolling along. Read on for "Star Wars Collecting: The Best and Worst of 2007". 12-22-2007HasbroIn the last Q&A session for 2007 Hasbro has confirmed a couple of things for us to look forward to in 2008. The first, and I'm not positive if this is new, is that Aayla Secura will be getting the Galactic Heroes treatment in 2008. She'll be packed with a Commander Bly figure. We can also expect to see new vehicles beyond the AT-AP and Grievous' Starfighter which were actually pushed from 2007. Hasbro is looking to repack 16 TAC figures in 2008 packaging and include stands with them instead of coins. Entertainment EarthEE is having a big sale throughout their on-line store with some items up to 90% off. Head over and take advantage of the sale until January 14th. 12-21-2007SideshowLast night Sideshow announced their next Premium Format figure and it will be Anakin Skywalker from Revenge of the Sith. No price or pre-order date but keep an eye on Sideshow's web site for more info. 12-20-2007Gentle GiantWe just received an email from Gentle Giant saying that the R2-D2 statue, which was originally slated for December 20007, has been cancelled and will be re-solicited in the new year. Maybe. Stay tuned to the Gentle Giant web site for updated information. 12-18-2007Wal-MartThe two exclusive figure sets, Jabba's Palace Musicians and Palace Entertainers, showed up at my local Wal-Mart yesterday. I was pretty surprised. There were about 20 packs but I didn't count to see how many of each there were. My local store hasn't stocked exclusives like this in a while so this was a good change. They also had the exclusive Galactic Heroes Battle Packs but I was so shocked by the Jabba sets that I didn't pay them much attention. HasbroRebelScum.com posted a 411 on Sunday night that gives some interesting hints at things to coming 2008. AT-TE? Build-a-Figure? Fifteen comic 2-packs? Eight Evolutions sets? New Millennium Falcon? Yes. All that and more. Head over and check it out and let the speculation begin. 12-15-2007HasbroIf you like huge announcements, head over to JediDefender.com right now for, possibly, the biggest announcement in the SW line in a while. 30th Anniversary CoinsAfter a discussion on the PSWCS email list about the coins and what was on the back, we created a matrix to help keep it straight. The table lists all the back logos such as Rebellion, Sith, or Jabba the Hutt along with what film the coin is from. For example, you can find the Republic logo for AOTC, ROTS and Clone Wars. The list also includes the Saga Legends and Event coins. It's mostly complete except for wave 7.5 coins. 30th Anniversary Coin Movie/Logo Matrix I'll be updating the list with wave 7.5 when I get my hands on them. I also want to add photos but haven't taken the time to do that yet. 12-14-2007
SideshowDon't forget that today is priority pre-order day for the new Han Solo 1:6 figure. He should be on sale about 1:00PM EST today. This version of Han is from A New Hope and is part of the Heroes of the Rebellion line. Also an update on the A New Hope Obi-Wan. If you ordered him from Sideshow then you should be getting charges to your credit card and a shipping notice in the next several days. He might may or may not make it for Christmas but he'll be hitting doorsteps pretty quick. HasbroJediDefender.com reported on Wednesday that the new Obi-Wan Starfighter with Hyperspace ring has been found at Toys-R-Us on hte west coast. 12-13-2007Master ReplicasMR updated yesterday with a list of estimated shipping times for the final products of their license. They can only sell items until 12/31 but they have until March to ship items out. LIMITED EDITIONS:
HELMETS:
SCALED REPLICAS:
There aren't a lot of items left that are directly for sale on the MR web site but head over soon if you want to pick anything up from them. 12-12-2007HasbroBack on November 6th SirStevesGuide.com posted a scan of a redemption form for the 2008 Clone Wars line. The only info was that the mail-away would need the UPC codes from four figures. Friday in Hasbro's Q&A they confirmed that this mail-away will be coming next year. From JediInsider.com:
JI:Recently a scan of a 2008 clone trooper figure redemption coupon showed up online. Can you tell us if there will be a 2008 mail-away figure and exactly what figure will it be?
Hasbro: We can confirm that this will indeed be a promotion for next year tied in to Clone Wars, but we are not at liberty yet to reveal more details on which figure will be available. We will reveal more details around Toy Fair. Stay tuned... JI.com asked about a "figure" and Hasbro responded using that term so hopefully that confirms that this will be a 3.75" scale figure. Maybe this is how we'll get Vader's Apprentice? We'll see. 12-11-2007HasbroJediDefender.com and RebelScum.com are reporting on two 3-packs of figures that will be released next year in support of The Force Unleashed video game. One pack will have Vader with two white and red Incinerator Stormtroopers while the other set will have Palpatine and two black and gray Shadow Stormtroopers. No other details on availability or price at this time except that they appear to be Wal-Mart exclusives. They may be similar to the 3-packs that were released over the last couple of years in support of the DVD releases. Wal-MartWhile we're on the topic of Wal-Mart, news is rolling in that their exclusive Galactic Heroes Cantina Battle Packs are showing up in stores. There are two sets, Cantina Band and Cantina Encounter. The Cantina Band set plays the theme song and you can actually put the packaging from the two sets together to create a Cantina playset. Also found this week are the 3.75" Jabba's band packs. There are two packs, Jabba's Palace Musicians and Jabba's Palace Entertainers. The sets include the following figures:
Except for a possible update on a paint app here or there, these should be straight repacks of the Jabba's Dancers Cinema Scene and WM exclusive Max Rebo Band 2-packs from back in the POTF2 days. Oh, and Rappertunie from the Saga line. TargetIf you get a chance to stop in a Target, look for a sale this week on their exclusive AT-RT Battle Pack. They should ring up at $24.99. Also on sale are the non-exclusive Battle Packs, R2-D2 laptop a, if I recall, some of the role play toys. 12-7-2007Acme ArchivesThe Boba Fett Character Key is now available on ShopStarWars.com. It's $29.99 and is limited to 1 per customer. This is a Hyperspace exclusive so you'll have to log into your account there (or from the ordering page) before you can add it to your cart. 
SideshowIf you're interested in the Real Action Heroes Clone Troopers then you ought to head over to Sideshow and put in your pre-order for the new 501st Clone Trooper. He's limited to 1,000 pieces and is $149.99. He's estimated to ship sometime in the first quarter of 2008. Also just announced is a new 1:6 Han Solo figure called "Smuggler: Tatooine." This looks to be Han in his classic A New Hope smuggler outfit that we know and love. He'll be up for pre-order on Friday, December 14th at 1:00PM EST. I also received my processing notice for the ANH Obi-Wan Kenobi. He should be processing some time in the next 15 days. Won't make it here for Christmas but may just squeak in before the end of the year for some people. HasbroRebelScum.com is showing off some card art for a Felucian Stormtrooper Commander figure from The Force Unleashed line in 2008. It appears to be a re-painted TAC Stormtrooper. 12-6-2007Acme ArchivessMorly from Acme posted to the forums yesterday that the Holiday Special Boba Fett Character Key should be available today on ShopStarWars.com. This may be a Hyperspace exclusive so be ready to log into your account before heading to SSW.com. The key is limited to 750 pieces and should run about $30 plus shipping. No specific time was given for availability so be sure to stop by SSW.com throughout the day. Hasbro Toy ShopI didn't bother to post yesterday's discount code as it was for the FurReal Friends horses. Didn't think there'd be much interest. I'll update later with the code for today. Gentle Giant) )
If you like Gentle Giant's life size monuments and are a fan of Yoda, then you should head over to their web site as they are currently offering both the 1:1 Life Size Yoda Monument and the Clone Wars Monument for sale. The Life size Yoda Monument runs $850 and is limited to an edition size of 2,500 pieces. The 1:1 scale monument stands three feet tall but about 48" tall when you include his lightsaber. )
Clone Wars Yoda Monument Also standing three feet tall is Clone Wars Yoda Monument. He's styled as he appeared in the Cartoon Network Clone Wars series and will set you back $450. The Clone Wars monument is limited to 1,000 pieces. Both pieces are currently in stock but are limited so you may want to act fast. Up for pre-order is the animated Princess Leia monument. Priced at $850 with an edition size of 1,000 pieces, Leia stands 65" tall. She's scheduled to ship in April of 2008. All three pieces qualify for free shipping in the United States and, if you're a Premier Guild member you can get 20% off the Yoda monuments. 12-4-2007Gentle GiantThe Premier Guild gift pack has been hitting mailboxes across the country over the past couple of days and there's an interesting thing to note; the Clone Trooper Bust-Up has a variation. It comes in both clean and battle damaged paint deco. Perfect. Hasbro Toy ShopDay four of the hasbrotoyshop.com 12 Deals of Christmas sale is 20% off all Tonka items. Use code TONKA20. Cracking Open an FX SaberJohn Lee over at Techrepublic.com dissected a Master Replicas Darth Vader FX Lightsaber and photographed it for an article that was posted last week. If you've ever wanted to see the inside of an FX saber but didn't want to break into yours, head over and check it out. 12-3-2007Hasbro Toy ShopDay 3 of the 12 Deals of Christmas at hasbrotoyshop.com is 50% off all board games. Use code GAME50 at checkout. Toys-R-UsA CNNMoney.com article about Toys-R-Us was posted on November 26th and points to the toy retailer making a comeback this year. According to the article, TRU is still the number two toy seller behind Wal-Mart and that they had a good Black Friday start to this year's holiday season. 12-2-2007Hasbro Toy ShopToday's deal in the 12 Deals of Christmas event is 40% off all in-stock Titanium items including Star Wars, Battle Star Galactica, Transformers and Marvel. Use code TTNM40 at checkout to get your savings. Toy RecallsIf you're headed to the toy aisles for some Christmas shopping but worried about toy recalls this year, Toys-R-Us has put up a new section of their web site to deal with it. Head over to www.toysrus.com/safety for a safety FAQ, safety tips and a very comprehensive list of product recalls. They've covered all the big recalls from Mattel and Fisher-Price as well as smaller ones from Graco, Marvel Toys and The Boppy Company. 12-1-2007TargetTarget repurposed the end cap that held the Ultimate Battle Packs and stocked it with their new exclusives last night. TIE Bomber, ARC-170 Clone Wars deco, ARC-170 Battle Pack, AT-RT Assault Battle Pack and Galactic Heroes Battle Packs. The AT-RT Assault Battle Pack is priced at $29.99 an comes in a pretty big box. It isn't a bad deal but I don't like the camo pattern that they chose for the figures and vehicles. You get three Clone Troopers including two AT-RT Drivers and a Clone Commander (based on Bacara) along with the two AT-RTs. The TIE Bomber which I believe was priced at $24.99 has a new paint deco and now comes in gray but is basically the same as the Wal-Mart Exclusive from a couple years ago. The TIE Pilot is the same as what was included with the previous release as well. It's a good deal and, in my opinion, looks better in gray than the blue color from the first release. The ARC-170 and its Battle Pack are real gems, however. The ARC rings in at $29.99 and is one of the best new ship designs Hasbro has done in the past few years. The Clone Wars "space whale" design looks sharp on this starfighter due partly to the front end design. The companion Battle Pack, ARC-170 Elite Squad, has the standard $19.99 price as well as having the standard five figures including two Clone Pilots, 2 Clone Troopers and an Astromech droid. All five figures are pained to go along with the new ARC color scheme. For $19.99 each they also had the new Galactic Heroes Battle Packs on the shelf. They sold out overnight and I forgot to pay attention to them but they are available now. Hasbro Toy ShopHasbroToyShop.com is having a promo called The 12 Deals of Christmas. Each day from now till December 12th they will have a different deal on an item beginning with a $5 savings on the Easy-Bake Oven. Use code "EASY5" during checkout. On December 13th they will have one final deal. Free shipping is still available with a $50 purchase during this promotion. Make sure to stop by their web site and if you aren't already signed up for special offers email I'd recommend it. Home | AT-AT Driver | Republic Gunship | Features | Multimedia News Archive | Links | For Sale | About
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