The rumors are true - maybe! Walmart posted a listing for a Imaginext STAR WARS Darth Vader Bot 2 Ft Toy Lights Sounds Stormtrooper Diecast Character Key, meaning that two of my favorite things are coming together - Star Wars and Imaginext from Fisher-Price/Mattel. (Could Playmobil be next? I can dream.) A second set is making the rounds on some image servers, and that's a giant R2-D2 with a die-cast metal C-3PO figure. Now if you're paying attention, you'll note a pattern is emerging.

(Oh, and that's an affiliate link, so go ahead and buy something after clicking it and we might get a tiny kickback from the sale(s) to support the site. Please and thank you.)

So far, the leaks have resulted in a giant R2-D2 (with a non-specific playset environment that you could squint and see as a Death Star or Blockade Runner) and a giant Darth Vader (with no obvious playset landmarks) at very high price points. As I write this I haven't heard anything about these through official channels, so I'm just speculating here - but this could be the result of licensing demands, so as not to step on Hasbro's feet.  Historically Imaginext has had single figures, blind-bag figures, 2-packs, small vehicles, medium playsets, and sometimes gargantuan toys as big as a coffee table.   It's the real deal, and you'll probably find some of them at your local Goodwill on the cheap.

Imaginext toys have been around for over 20 years, and have slowly exited most toy aisles - there used to be a big section at Kohl's, Toy R Us had a massive aisle. Right now the line has what's left of Lightyear (on clearance somewhere near you, but good toys), Batman/DC, and Jurassic World. Some non-licensed items also may be out there still, but again, distribution in American stores has been lousy for the last year. I have no idea what exactly we'll see from this line, but so far, we know two things: it's expensive, and it's proof that someone out there believes in playsets and action features in toys, made for kids, again.

As of yet this is all we've seen. Presumably, there will be more, but it's very curious that these are die-cast metal figures as Imaginext hasn't done any. (I should know, I have lot of these things.)  I don't know if I'll be all-in on these or not, but I will say this: since it's compatible with something I already collect, I'm very interested to see more of this.