Organizers for San Diego Comic-Con International were forced to shut down registration again this morning under the heavy burden of traffic which overwhelmed servers. The company responsible for the registration engine, EPIC, states that it could be weeks instead of before badge sales are schedued to resume.

Who wants to see something new?  Montross comes from Jango Fett: Open Seasons and is one of the eight new Entertainment Earth exclusive figures in the comic packs. The first shipment already sold out, so is it worth getting in line for the next round?  Read on!

Today we get Q&A answers about those characters who are just on the cusp of getting the green-lights (some pretty cool ones, too) and some not-so-good news for fans of Duchess Satine. Also, Hasbro sends along some exciting news about some more new and very cool product for The Vintage Collection. You know you want to know, so read on!

Our sponsors got a new  Star Wars Army of the Republic Battle Pack up for order, with official pictures from Hasbro. This looks like to be a mix of white and colored Clone Troopers, plus accessories.  Neat!  More after the jump.

Seen in the premiere episode of Season 2, "Holocron Heist", Cato Parasitti shares the same Clawdite heritage as one Zam Wessel and shapeshifts her way into the Jedi temple. Her well sculpted and finely painted figure includes a molded helmet with a movable visor.

Have kids embraced vintage as a toy or as a packaging style? (And does it matter?) Will Hasbro ever give the Sandcrawler a new release at retail? (No.) And just how different were those Toys "R" Us 4-pack figures in 2002-2004, anyway? As an added bonus, we have seven super-short reviews of Vintage Wave 3 at the end. Stop pretending that you're working today, and read our new column!

Not to miss out on the pre-Black Friday action, Toys R Us is also has all their Star Wars basic 3.75 inch figures on sale at 2 for $10.99. Shop at your local store or online by clicking here.

K-mart is having a buy one get one free on their Star Wars action figures this week. A great deal if you need to fill holes in your collection or get the latest releases on the cheap. Happy hunting!

From the super intense and action packed "Landing at Point Rain" episode from Season 2, Clone Trooper Draa bears distinct markings as a member of the 41st Elite Corps. While the figure is a repainted version of the basic  Clone Trooper mold and comes with several weapons and accessories including a missile launcher and backpack.

Clone Trooper Hevy, Cad Bane with TODO-360, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and R7-A7 make up the newest pre-orders wave for Clone Wars, and you can reserve your set at Brian's Toys.  These toys will go along great with the Jedi Turbo Speeder vehicle.  Speaking of pre-orders, the next G.I. Joe
wave is also available to reserve.

MMMM…BRAINS! This Season 2 storyline about zombie Geonosian Warriors had that sci-fi horror twist to it and “jumping the shark” potential, but it somehow worked. With removable wings and body parts, the figure has nice pose and play ability, but the cool factor would have been upped a notch if Hasbro somehow could have included a brain worm accessory.

Inspired by Kurosawa, the samurai-esque Kyuzo bounty hunter Embo includes an articulated bowcaster, throwing knives, a boatload of paint detail, and plenty of bushido spirit (or is that boshuda?). The excellent “Bounty Hunters” episode in Season 2 had plenty of nods to Seven Samurai, which in turn was one of Lucas’ inspirations for Star Wars. 

I got my box of Entertainment Earth Exclusive Comic Packs today (full disclosure: I work there for my day job) and I was surprised to see not only was a bonus helmet included for Baron Fel, but a new, previously unseen comic pack based on Empire Strikes Back movie figures-- including one you might find particularly desirable-- were shown on the back.  While no plans are known for a release date of this item, we have more pics of this unique set (and quick text reviews of the rest) after the jump.

Get your Sith together and pre-order the upcoming Darth Sidious Legendary Scale Bust and Darth Maul Premium Format Figure from Sideshow Collectibles! The Sidious bust, with that lovely evil sneer, will ship in Q2 2011 and set you back $249 while being limited to 500 pieces. PF Maul is limited to 1250 pieces with a pricepoint of $324.99 and is slated for Q1 '11. Click on the banners to order yours!

Hasbro has sent over some carded photos of the 2010-2011 "bridge wave" from Attack of the Clones (the last "themed" wave) included in The Vintage Collection. (Missing in action is the Anakin Skywalker (Peasant Disguise) figure, but he'll undoubtedly surface at the last minute to save the day — or something.) What do you think of these modern/retro cardbacks (and logos)? Comment away...