Did you know Mattel made a die-cast car that's compatible with LEGO figures? It's true!  The Hot Wheels Fig Rig is a new release from the company and likely at a store near you right now.  The hood has 2 studs for LEGO connections, there are two more in the truck bed, and several locations have 3mm bars on which figures can grip their hands.  And as luck would have it, a LEGO stud is the same size as the hole in most Fighter Pods figures.

Why yes, the original Star Wars will be making an appearance on the big screen this year! In case you missed it: the original 1977 movie is getting dubbed into the Navajo language!   From one of the articles: "The movie, "Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope," will be the first major motion picture to be translated into the Navajo language, and actors lined up to read the roles of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in the American Indian language."

There's more!

It's time for Q&A! It's also Memorial Day in the USA, which means a lot of you are probably not at work, meaning you aren't reading this today. Because it's in the news, a lot of you wrote in about 3-D printing and how that whole thing might affect the hobby in the near and long term. Also new vehicles I may have touched. And Mattel has a $1 Enterprise in the marketplace. Send in questions for the next column, because hey, what else are you doing?

The Hollywood Reporter posted an article called Power Lawyers: How 'Star Wars' Nerds Sold Lucasfilm to Disney which details all sorts of fun little tidbits, like how they went and confirmed Lucasfilm really did own all the copyrights and trademarks and what have you for hundreds of characters which are now in the hands of the House of Mouse.

While not explicitly Star Wars, I think some of you who do toy runs may find this of interest.   If you live in a medium or large town, you might have one or more empty shells which were formerly a Kmart or a Sears nearby.  According to DataCenterKnowledge.com, these buildings may be converted not to another big box store but to a data center.

According to NYMag.com, the pants that Mark Hamill wore in the bulk of the original Star Wars movie just sold at auction for a whopping $36,100!  The auction listing at NateDSanders.com shows that they were, in fact, dirty Levi's.  Who knew?

If anything needs to be demonstrated in a short video with bad jokes, it's the Star Wars Fighter Pods Hailfire Droid Launcher.  It's a lot like the Republic Gunship launcher, except... uh... actually it really is a lot like that other launcher.  It sports 4 figures (2 random), 4 pods, and a launcher which is one of the two largest items created for this line of mini, just-small-enough-to-fit-in-your-nose figures.  (Please don't ask how this was confirmed.)  Want to see the video?  Sure you do.  It's after the jump.

 New Star Wars TV Show: Star Wars Rebels Starts Fall 2014! This one will take place between Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars films.  The animated TV show was alluded to in recent weeks in Lucasfilm domain buys, and now StarWars.com confirms it.  Read more here!   There's a video after the jump. 

What does the future hold for Indiana Jones stuff? Not much. How about more TV-inspired Star Wars toys from shows which have since gone off the air? Oh disappointment, you are a cruel mistress. And how should you sell your collection over the next few years? Do you think your stuff is going to go up in value just because there's a new movie? Read on for more and send in questions for next time!

The new Black Series premieres in fantastic fashion with two of the more iconic characters of the Original Trilogy (who will also reportedly star in their own stand alone spinoff films in 2016 and 2018). Presenting Hasbro loose and packaged photos of the hotly anticipated Comic-Con 2013 exclusive Black Series Boba Fett with Han Solo Carbonite. 

Amazon has priced dropped The M.T.T. Droid Carrier to $66.95 along with FREE Super Saver Shipping! Click here to order yours while it lasts! Big thanks to reader Derek N. for the heads up!

From our sponsors at BriansToys.com: Gentle Giant takes over this week's Brian's Toys Newsletter.  Not only is the 12" Jumbo Yoda (Orange Snake) in stock, but new pre-orders are available for the recently-announced 12" Jumbo Zuckuss and the long-awaited Star Wars chess set.

Sideshow has put up a splash preview page for their upcoming Sixth Scale Darth Vader, which goes up for pre-order next Thursday, May 23rd. You can also sign up for their newsletter for alerts and the chance to win Vader!

Dark Horse releases their titles for the month of August, including the next exciting issue of the Star Wars ongoing series (Issue #8), where Luke and Wedge intentionally allow themselves to be captured by the Empire to discover how Colonerl Bircher is tracking Rebel movements. In the final chapter of Darth Vader and the Ninth Assassin, the assassin believes Vader, who is distracted by threats to the Emperor, could now be taken out. These titles and an Ewok trade paperback coming to you in August!

Gentle Giant announces Zuckuss as the latest addition to their fantastic Jumbo Kenner Figure collection! The 12 inch scale fully articulated recreation of the bounty hunter is slated for release in 2014 and comes blister carded in a Kenner Empire Strikes Back 45 back card.. All the details and photos after the jump!