A few new Star Wars figures you might want to pick up

I'm just happy that we finally get an R5D4 that doesn't suck!

Help, I'm being attacked by an army of legless Clonetroopers!

"Clone Bust-Up Variations

Mundy Enterprises provides us with a look at all the variations in the Clone Army Builder Bust-Ups set from Gentle Giant Studios, including BOTH variations of Commander Gree. This is the "clean" version of this set, but the "battle damaged" version also includes a Gree as well, as found by John Williams."

Frozen Hoth Bust-ups

I don't get this whole "bust-up" thing! Everyone looks like they're sinking in deep snow.

Magnet toy leads to 2-year-old boy's death

By Michelle Esteban
KOMO News
REDMOND, Wash. - A freak accident involving a popular toy has killed a 2-year-old boy and now, Kenny Sweet's parents hope that other parents can learn from their tragedy.

It was Thanksgiving Day when Kenny was rushed to Kirkland's Evergreen Medical Center emergency room with what his mom thought was the stomach flu. But five minutes later, Kenny had died.

"I heard 'code blue' and I was hysterical at that point," Penny Sweet said. "I thought maybe if we all could pray at the same time that we could pull him out, but no amount of prayers or people could save him at that point."

The King County Medical Examiner's report blames his death on a toy. The autopsy found tiny magnets, smaller than the eraser on a pencil, in Kenny's intestine.


The magnets were encased in plastic building blocks toys that Penny's 10-year-old son had been playing with. Penny says some of the magnets fell out, and Kenny apparently found them in the carpet and swallowed them.

"It's very dangerous. Who can police this?" asks Kenny's mother.

Doctors found the magnets in Kenny's small intestine - one at the top and one at the bottom. The magnetic force was so great it connected both ends, twisting his intestine and forcing deadly bacteria into his blood stream.


"It does say there is a choking hazard on here," Penny Sweet said. "Unfortunately, they don't say it causes serious injury or death, which is the kind warning they need to have on here."

Dr. Terry Woodward, Children's Hospital Chief of Emergency Medicine, is not connected with Kenny's case, but he explained what happens when the intestine is twisted: "As it twists farther, you lose blood supply to the intestine. Once you lose blood supply, then it starts to die."

Mega Bloks, based in Montreal, manufactures the toy. It's one in a series called Magnetix.

A spokesperson for the company said that in nearly 70 years in the toy business, this is the first death resulting from one of their toys. The spokesman said the Magnetix toys are still on the shelf, but Mega Bloks is investigating.

With Christmas just days away the Sweets didn't want to wait for the company's findings, they want to warn other parents immediately.

Mega Bloks reported Kenny Sweet's death to The Consumer Product Safety Commission. The commission confirmed for KOMO 4 News it does have an "open investigation."

Mega Bloks says it's up to the commission to decide if the toy should be pulled off toy shelves.

In October, Toy Wishes, a self-described family entertainment guide, named the Magnetix as one of the top 12 toys for Christmas this year.

File under, "I just don't get it"

Okay, there are certain aspects of pop culture that I'll never appreciate (e.g., NASCAR, football, Jessica Simpson, reality television, etc). The ongoing popularity of Napoleon Dynamite baffles me. I remember popping the DVD in and watching this film stone-faced. I believe that I have a good sense of humor yet I did not crack the tiniest of smiles when watching Napoleon's antics. In fact, I found all of the characters to be grating and overall I found the movie to be depressing. I know, I know, I'm in the minority here. Here are the latest "action figures" from Napoleon Dynamite, enjoy!

I think I'll save my money!

Lucas Collector's Set Revealed
From Starwars.com:

StarWarsShop Exclusive: The Lucas Family Set

Eagle-eyed fans watching Revenge of the Sith may have noticed George Lucas' first-ever Star Wars movie cameo as the blue-faced Baron Papanoida waiting outside the Coruscant Opera House. What some may not realize, however, is that the entire Lucas enclave -- Katie, Amanda, and Jett Lucas -- also made brief appearances in the movie, immortalized now for the first time as Hasbro action figures!
This exclusive four-figure set includes three brand new sculpts available only at StarWarsShop.

Included in the set are:

Baron Papanoida (George Lucas) -- A mysterious trader baron with connections across the galaxy. No one really knew which side he was on.
Chi Eekway (Katie Lucas) -- An influential Senator during the Clone Wars, Chi Eekway was rumored to have close contact with the mysterious Baron Papanoida.
Terr Taneel (Amanda Lucas) -- Taneel was a loyalist, and one of the receiving Senators who waited on the Senate landing platform following Palpatine's rescue from General Grievous' clutches.
Zett Jukassa (Jett Lucas) -- Bail Organa witnessed the death of this 10-year old Jedi student who valiantly defended the Jedi Temple before being cut down by an overwhelming barrage of clone trooper fire.

A Look Inside Kenner's Aborted Star Wars Plans for 1985 & 1986

With Return of the Jedi already 2 years old and The Phantom Menace still 16 years away, Kenner was desperately trying to find new ways to energize the waning sales of their popular Star Wars action figure line. Apparently a number of new products had actually reached the prototype stage. Below is an article providing details about a "secret" Kenner binder as well as a series of pictures of what might have been.

"This Special Feature is a virtual flip-through of a very special presentation binder. The binder was acquired from a Hasbro employee who worked on Kenner's Star Wars line during the 1980s. He was part of the team that was tasked with coming up with a way to extend the longevity of one of the most successful toy lines in history. There is a great article about this line extension by Steve Sansweet in Topps' Star Wars Galaxy Collector Magazine, Issue 2, Winter 1995. It is obvious from reading the article that Steve, or somebody he was interviewing for the article, had access to a presentation binder like the one shown here. Steve even mentions in the article the existence of these presentation binders and the chance that somebody might come up with one someday.

The binder itself is an ordinary black 3-ring binder, with pockets on the inside covers. The first four pages, and some of the larger single pages, were placed in the pockets. The rest of the pages are in sheet protectors. The binder was given out during a presentation to Lucasfilm. This binder provides us with a great view of what Kenner would have had in store for Star Wars fans in 1985 and 1986 if Lucasfilm had approved their plans.

The pages for the X-Wing and Tandem X-Wing are missing from this copy. The X-Wing would have been the same old X-Wing that Kenner had been selling since 1978. The Tandem X-Wing can be seen in the Galaxy Collector magazine article, or in the hardcover version of the Second Edition of Tomart's Priceguide to Worldwide Star Wars Collectibles.

This binder and all the pages included in it are from the collection of Lisa Stevens and Vic Wertz, the authors of this Special Feature."

Kubrick

I never really understood the whole Kubrick thing, but these are cute.

eBay Today: LEGO Rebel Attack Cruiser

Current bidding is only $3,550, hurry up! See the auction here.

"Now up for grabs, this one of a kind LEGO Star Wars Rebel Attack Cruiser as seen at Celebration III!!!

Give a gift of galactic proportions this holiday season to your favorite LEGO® Star Wars™ Fan! Own a one-of-a-kind 8-foot LEGO Rebel Attack Cruiser™ model designed by LEGO Master Builder Erik Varszegi exclusively for display at Star Wars Celebration III, San Diego Comic-Con, LEGOLAND® California and several other national LEGO events* to promote the final episode in the Star Wars saga.

100% of auction proceeds will be donated to Habitat for Humanity’s hurricane relief efforts in the southeastern United States to aid families who are rebuilding their lives in the wake of the natural disaster.

This auction runs for 10 days, has no reserve and includes a signed COA from George Lucas! Oh yeah one more thing, SHIPPING IS FREE!!"

Uzay!

No line of unlicensed Star Wars figures is as sought after as the Turkish line known as Uzay. Produced sometime in the latter part of the 1980s, the primary charm of the Uzay figures lies in their blister card art; not only are the card images incredibly cheesy, at their best they border on the psychadelic. To some collectors, a figure like the Imperial Gunner, the blister card of which shows the figure standing beside a cleverly-photographed calculator, is just too goofy to resist. And don't get me started on the Chewbacca blister. Do you think they really have gourds on Kashyyyk?

Trying to complete a set of Uzay carded figures is a daunting task; it might even be impossible. For one thing, the figures are exceedingly rare. Although certain figures, such as the AT-AT Driver and Stormtrooper, have turned up on the collector's market with some degree of frequency, others, among them the mysterious Head Man figure, are thought to be one-of-a-kind pieces....and their owners are often not easily persuaded to sell. Additionally, the packages of these figures are quite fragile; their bubbles, for instance, are made from a very weak and brittle plastic, which often breaks given the slightest abuse. In short, if you're a collector who wants to start collecting Uzay figures, you'd better be prepared to 1) spend a lot of money, and 2) accept lesser-condition pieces when the situation necessitates it. But don't worry, such concessions are made in the interest of collecting high quality, beautiful merchandise, right? Um...right?

Seriously though, Uzay toys are some of the most colorful, fun and challenging items a Star Wars figure enthusiast can choose to collect. Just ask Joseph Yglesias, a collector who has assembled one of the most complete Uzay collections in the world. Joseph has graciously allowed us to showcase this collection here, so that collectors can have the benefit of seeing these figures together, in one place, and determine just what from the line they would like to pursue. Admire them! Covet them! Laugh at them! Wonder what in the world a bright blue Stormtrooper is doing standing in a pile of orange sherbert in the first place.

Lucasfilm's 2005 holiday greeting card

Not really toy news but I thought these greeting cards were cute.

Latest lame offering from Hasbro

Demise Of General Grievous Coming To Target


Boy, nothing says, "We're running out of ideas" than something as stupid as this. Sure he can fit in a car, but he's permanently on fire!

Hey look! There's that dark red R4 head.

When they replaced Obi-wan's red starfighter with the V-wing, I thought "wither the dark red R4 head?" Dark red is one of Lego's newer colors and one of my favorites, and check out how cool that head is (there he is on Obi-wan's port wing, there). Well, imagine my delight when I spotted the same piece on the V-wing, which is not only available in the Ultimate Space Battle set I'm never going to buy, but is also coming up as a (much cheaper) single set. With that plus the Clone Pilot, my favorite of the Sith Clone minifigs, the V-wing is a definite future purchase. See R4 up there? On the roof behind the cockpit, partially obscured behind those wings? Hiya!