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This week in Q&A - momentum and the lack of it in toy aisles this month. Certain kinds of trash compactor monsters - you just don't see 'em anymore. Also disappointing the fans of the prequels is in fashion this (and almost every) season.
And send in your questions for next week. Read on!
Thanks to the great Shannon, we now know Anaheim Disneyland has the Protocol Droids! 2 for $21.95. cheap. I've got a bunch of these (thank you Shannon!) and reviews will be going into Figure of the Day semi-irregularly, as often as I can. If you're in Southern California, perhaps a trip to the house of mouse is due soon.
There are multiple styles and colors, but not every droid is available in every color. As far as we know there are no new styles available from Orlando, but if you discover otherwise please let us know!
If you've ever picked up the classic, original trilogy-era sketchbooks and artbooks you no doubt recognize the name John Mollo. He designed a lot of the costumes based on work from his own notes and other concept artists - he did a ton of great work that we all know and love as our action figures or in the movies themselves. He died this weekend at 86.
Kotaku posted a really swell article called The Collapse Of Visceral's Ambitious Star Wars Game. The game was one in which you played a Han Solo-gone-wrong type in the pre-Star Wars time frame, and the demos looked gorgeous. The feature goes in to detail about what the game was - and wasn't - and how deadlines and budgets are a far deadlier enemy than the Galactic Empire. Check it out.
What's kind of fascinating in the Disney era is that most figures look better than ever. Great sculpting and top-notch detail are the norm with very few exceptions, and this Yoda from the CG prequel design is possibly the very best one we've ever seen on that design. The eyes have a subtle outline, the shoulders are able to move outward, plus he has both a cane and a lightsaber. It seems like this is the figure most likely to sell out too - so get one if you see it. Read on!
The excessively named Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi 4-pk. Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master), Rey (Jedi Training), First Order Stormtrooper Officer & Resistance Tech Rose Figure Set by Hasbro is in stock on Kohl's web site. The only actual exclusive in the set is the Stormtrooper, which may be a mix of parts already on the market - I haven't had the chance to examine it up close yet. Retail is $49.99, but a 20% off coupon gets it down to about $35.99.
While C-3PO would fill in on your The Black Series shelves nicely, the value version of Captain Phasma might not. She's about a head shorter, but as a standalone figure she's pretty cool for the asking price. Phasma has a cape and a blaster, based on her The Force Awakens look - so no new spear here. Read on!
This week in Q&A - Diminishing Returns! Do we need to better be exploited? Let's look at some lost toys - or at least, lost ideas on a whiteboard. And Vintage - and, I might add, arguably the most valid question we've had on the topic lately.
And send in your questions for next week. Read on!
After years of speculation (and the toys being only 6 months away), Solo: A Star Wars Story has been revealed as the official title for 2018's Star Wars movie.
Check out Walmart's exclusive 3 3/4-inch Resistance Tech Rose (The Black Series, The Last Jedi). I haven't seen them in a store for about a month, but it's a nifty take on a character we'll get to meet in December. Read on!
This week in Q&A - Vehicles The Best! What are the best candidates for your money from The Last Jedi? Let's outfit your Imperial Troop Transporter - sure you dumped on it at the time, but it's gorgeous and now you need helmets. And Kickstarter - just an opinion piece, because I'm on deadline and it was in my mailbag.
And send in your questions for next week. Read on!
If you were lucky, you also found Luke Skywalker (Jedi Master, The Black Series) 3 3/4-inch figure during the Force Friday II weekend memorial toy launch and BBQ at a Walmart near you... and it probably didn't ring up, either. Well, they're in circulation and it's a pretty good figure - it has articulation and a cloth cloak, while the cheaper, more findable one has less articulation and a really good plastic cloak. Which should you buy? Both, but read on!
Newish from The Last Jedi, this Rey (2-Pack) figure is a little different than the single one - the sculpt is a little different, the legs have a different range of motion, and the faces are a little different. Also she has a Millennium Falcon-inspired backpack cannon, so go ahead and get both. This one is made in Vietnam, the single one is from China. Read on!
