..nothing but Star Wars...

This was stuck in my head all morning

abc - poison arrow

I always loved this song.

A ton of new Star Wars figures heading your way, some cool

New Figures Revealed In French Hasbro 2007 Catalog
Posted by Stéphane on January 23, 2007 at 09:18 AM CST:

Hasbro France 2007 Catalog



BASIC FIGURES


Wave 2 - * Corresponds to Battle of Yavin (delayed from The Saga Collection)
__ Rebel Sentry * Honor Guard
__ Han Solo * (Millennium Falcon Gunner)
__ Luke Skywalker * (Ceremony)
__ Biggs Darklighter * (X-Wing Pilot)
__ Death Star Trooper
__ McQuarrie Series - Boba Fett

Wave 3 - * Corresponds to the A New Hope wave
__ Biggs Darklighter * (Academy Outfit)
__ Darth Vader
__ Jawa & LIN Droid
__ Luke Skywalker
__ Stormtrooper * (Removable Helmet)
__ McQuarrie Series - Chewbacca - * not in this wave according to the last official Hasbro announcement

Wave 4 - Looks like a Tatooine Wave
__ M'iiyoom * Onith
__ Elis Helrot - in wave 3 according to the last official Hasbro announcement
__ Umpass-Stay (Jabba's drummer)
__ CZ-3 (Jabba's Palace Droid)
__ Jedi Luke Skywalker
__ Holiday Special Boba Fett
__ McQuarrie Series - Darth Vader

* It seems that Oola may have been delayed until 2008.

Wave 5 - Looks like a mostly EU wave
__ Hermi Odle
__ C-3PO
__ Momaw Nadon * Rumored to actually be Roron Corobb
__ Yoda * Rumored to come with Kybuck
__ Mace Windu - UNCONFIRMED
__ Anakin * Rumored to be tattooed from Clone Wars
__ Darth Raven * Fan's Choice Winner (Knights of the Old Republic)
__ Darth Malak * From Knights of the Old Republic
__ Pre-Cyborg Grievous * (Qymaen jai Sheelal)
__ McQuarrie Series - Luke Skywalker

* It seems that Mace Windu has been cancelled from this wave.

Wave 6 Looks like a TESB Wave
__ Han Solo
__ Lando Calrissian
__ Rebel Trooper
__ 4-LOM
__ McQuarrie Series - Snowtrooper

Wave 7 Looks like a Battle of Endor Wave
__ Ewok 2-pack
__ A-Wing Pilot
__ Spirit of Anakin
__ R2-D2
__ McQuarrie Series - Han Solo

Wave 8 Looks like an AOTC wave
__ Padmé Amidala
__ Jango Fett
__ Destroyer Droid
__ Clone Trooper
__ Wolfman Jedi * (Voolvif Monn)
__ McQuarrie Series - Rebel Trooper

Wave 9 - This wave is named FORCE UNLEASHED. It looks like an EU wave
__ Force Unleashed: Darth Vader
__ Force Unleashed: Samurai Jedi
__ Force Unleashed: Maris Brood
__ Force Unleashed: Stormtrooper 1
__ Force Unleashed: Stormtrooper 2
__ Force Unleashed: Heavy Stormtrooper
__ Force Unleashed: Shadow Guard


Vintage Figures
__ Stormtrooper from the VOTC 2004 line
__ Bossk
__ IG-88
__ Han Solo * in Bespin Gear ??
__ Leia Endor
Luke Skywalker (Bespin Gear) and Snowtrooper (Hoth Stormtrooper) are not in this list but it is a promotional French wave that does not necessary take all the US cards.

GALACTIC HEROES
2-packs

Wave 4 * corresponds to wave 11 - The Empire Strikes Back in our checklist
__ Chewbacca & C-3PO (* Disassembled)
__ Leia & Vader (Bespin)
__ Luke & Lando
__ Snowtrooper & Hoth Rebel Trooper

Wave 5 * corresponds to Wave 12 - Clone Wars & More in our checklist
__ Anakin (Tattoo) & ARC Trooper
__ Darth Maul & Sith Speeder Bike
__ Hammerhead & Figrin D'an
__ Obi-Wan Kenobi & Durge (Clone Wars)

Wave 6 * corresponds to Wave 13 - Return of the Jedi in our checklist
__ Leia Boush & Han Solo
__ Jedi Luke & Darth Vader
__ Royal Guard & Imperial Gunner
__ Ponda Baba & Snaggletooth

Wave 7: Four 2-packs are scheduled but are not yet defined


Cinema Scenes: pack of 10 figures
__ Death Star Escape
__ Bounty Hunter
__ Geonosis Arena
__ Jedi Vs. Sith

Cantina scene: two 10-packs available
__ Cantina Band
__ Cantina Encounter

UNLEASHED
__ Anakin Skywalker
__ Obi-Wan Kenobi
__ Shadow Stormtrooper

Unleashed Battle Packs:
__ Commanders
__ Rebel Blockade Troopers
__ Stormtroopers
__ Luke & Droids

__ Cantina Encounter
__ Sandtroopers
__ Tusken Raiders
__ Jawas & Droids

Unleashed Ultimate Battles: 10-packs
__ Battle for Kashyyyk
__ Battle for Geonosis
__ Battle for Hoth

An improvement over older Spawn lines

I like the "animated" look; not enough to purchase any (except perhaps the white one), I'm just sayin'.

More stuff you might want

POW! I want this

"Daniel Pickett aka Julius Marx of Action Figure Insider graciously grants AFHub permission to reprint some of their exclusive photos of one of the most anticipated Batman collectibles of all times - the George Barris Batmobile made famous by the 1966 hit TV series." I want this.


and I want this stuff too

More Mini-Rig Fun than You Expected (i.e. any fun)

There's fans, and then there's Lego fans. Someone with a sense of humor and good building sense decided to mimic the Kenner Mini-Rig line. In addition to these fine examples, see the rest here. (If you click on the pix, you'll see a folder that includes photos of the origninal toys and a good look at the box.)

Powertrons!

Powertrons Commercial

Have you ever heard of this product? I was trying to find a commercial for the Tron toy line (no luck) and came across this strange toy.

A bit of history on some of the lamer Kenner offerings

The Star Wars toy brand had several vehicles to choose from to help young boys and girls recreate their favorite scenes from the movie. With the impending release of The Empire Strikes Back toy development was underway to create such memorable vehicles as the AT-AT, the Snowspeeder, and Slave I. During this time period a new segment of the Star Wars brand was also created known as mini-rigs.

The first question that comes to mind was; "how did the idea of the mini-rigs come about?". The answer is, sheer boredom. The creator of the mini-rig line was trying to come up with an idea how to create a set of low-priced vehicles. The goal was a line that would retail for $9.95 or less. It was thought that kids could more easliy afford that price point than the larger sized vehicles that retailed between $19.95 and $49.95, such as the X-Wing or TIE Fighter. So, the designer began scratch-building some concepts from found objects and several trips to the customer service parts bins. While the designer utilized parts created out of sheet styrene, and quite a bit of glue, no paint was used. Six vehicles were created, which can be seen in this polaroid image.

Perhaps the most interesting of the six concept models is the "walking throne" for Princess Leia which is seen in the upper right corner of the image. The model had four movable legs that were linked together with fine rods. By using the tops of the two rear legs as levers all four legs would appear to "walk". The concept was ultimately rejected as it was thought that it didn't fit Leia's "go get'em" personality and she would never be seen using it. Interesting to note that the concept became reality over 20 years later. During Episode One Viceroy Nute Gunray is seen in a spider chair. Hasbro created a concept model for that chair which can be seen here. Taking center stage in the image is the concept vehicle that would eventually turn into the MLC-3 mini-rig. The model utilizes such parts as treads off of a radio controlled Sand Crawler. The small craft in which the Chewbacca action figure is sitting in is made completely out of styrene. The graphics were supplied by the decal sheet for the X-Wing fighter. The concept model in which the Han Solo figure is sitting in is also made completely out of styrene. The model is based on the front cockpit of the Y-Wing.fighter.

The following image is a closer look at the concept model that would eventually become the PDT-8 mini-rig. Right away you can see that the engine pods are donated from the die cast Y-Wing. In addition, the landing gear from the diecast Y-Wing was also used. An early mock-up box for this mini-rig surfaced several years ago and a point of interest worth noting is that the original name was intended to be DPT-8, short for "Droid Personnel Transport".

Some interesting pieces were utilized to create this kitbashed example of what would eventually become the MTV-7. Pieces such as the seat in which Luke Skywalker is sitting in is the gunner seat from the Millenium Falcon. The designer cannot recall what tires were utilized but believes that they may be R/C wheels that were in one of the drawers. It's interesting to note the lightbulb located on the vehicle. The designer attempted to include a light-up feature that would have required the use of one double "A" battery. Because they could not get the idea to work, it was eventually scrapped. A mock-up box for the MTV-7, similar to the PDT-8, also surfaced some years back showing yet another step in the development of these early EU vehicles.

In this image are examples of the MTV-7, MLC-3, and PDT-8. These three examples are hand-built models that were created in Kenner's model shop. Upon looking at the body of the MTV-7 one should take notice that some differences in detail are present. This model shown, though much closer to the production design than the first concept, is still an early model and lacks some of the finer details of the production version. The PDT-8 is clearly stylized closer to the concept model than the final release version, as can be seen just in the size difference alone. The basic structure of the MLC-3 is also there but as with the MTV-7 the difference in detail can clearly be seen. For example, there is no flip-top door. This is yet another step closer to what finally shipped to stores though. Both photo-art and a cromalin exist for the final packaging of the MLC-3 showing yet another step in the lengthy development process of a toy.

Get your Ash minifigure ready for 2007, quick!

Even with all the goodies I posted below, the new Castle theme this year is probably what I'm most amped about. I don't know what they're calling it, but it's easy to see that "Army of Darkness" would be a perfect choice. Allow me to enumerate some coolness points:

Skeleton horses!
Cool skull faces! As seen above.
Morning Stars! New weapons are always welcome.
Groovy new swords! See below for why they're so groovy.
Skeletons with working arms! This is HUGE. Lego skeletons are great but they've always had loose, floppy arms.


Check that skeleton who's standing directly beneath the red dragon. His scythe is made with one of those new swords, which have a handy clip on the bottom of the handle. You can see it used again on the side of the box.


Here's your best look at one of the ghost horses.


And this set's a sure purchase. Three horses and lots of other good stuff, and judging by the size it's probably a twenty dollar set.

A couple more sets to see here. There may be more on the way, which I say because the spread above features elements I haven't spotted in the set pix yet, like those red-eyed skulls and a black skeleton horse. Could be we're seeing some prototype images on these boxes and the poster spread is more current.

Either way, coooooooool.

Nikko's R2-D2 Takes Multimedia to Another Level

"It's hard to tell if this is some sort of elaborate hoax or just hasn't hit the wires yet, but a certain nikkor2d2.com purports to detail some rather decked RC R2-D2 bots, and who are we to stand in the way of awesome? Both bots look to be fully capable of rolling themselves around, and even feature edge detection sensors a la Roomba to keep from any nasty falls. But that's par for the course for RC-centric Nikko, what's much more interesting is the Skype and webcam functionality built into the R2-D2 C.S, thanks to a handy lightsaber remote that plugs into your PC and allows for wireless bot operation. The lightsaber seems to double as the Skype handset, and of course lightsaber sound effects are a given. R2-D2 M.E.S takes the Star Wars geekery to a whole new level, featuring a projector for repeat viewings of cute princesses in dire straits (you know, "help me Obi Whosit, you're my only yada yada"). R2 can even tilt back for ceiling projection, if that's more your style. In lieu of a lightsaber, you get an odd Millenium Falcon remote, and M.E.S Artoo houses a memory card slot, USB plug and iPod dock in addition to the usual DVD slot and video inputs that you'd expect for your video playback experience. We're completely in the dark when it comes to price and availability on these things, but perhaps we'll be spotting 'em this week in Vegas."

More Legos coming your way!

I saw several of the new sets at Target (but not the ones pictured here).

How many do you have?

Star Wars Miniatures STARSHIP BATTLES

New NEW Legos for 2007!

I just got the Spring 2007 Lego catalog, finally giving me big, glossy pix to drool over instead of the fuzzy ones on Brickshelf. And guess what! Today there's a ton of brand new fuzzy pictures of stuff coming out in mid 2007. It's always something.

There's some sweet-looking stuff, too. Check the Kit Fisto minifig in this Jedi Starfighter with Hyperdrive set. The trend for 2007 seems to be NOT making us shell out big bucks for the single-appearance minifigs, which is nice. I think this is the last year they have the SW license.

Other good news: certain Batman villains that only showed up in gigundo sets are appearing in some smaller ones. I posted this tank (yay Riddler!) because it's a clearer image than the Batcopter, but the copter comes with Scarecrow who's even cooler.

And new stuff from the planet Mars! I think the Martian minifigs' heads might be different from the old Martians, but either way I'm pysched. Note also that the "Yay, let's explore!" theme of the older Mars sets has been replaced by "Shoot the Martians!" This is in keeping with Lego's pro-gun trend (perhaps "not anti-gun trend" would be fairer) boosted by their Exo-Force line.

Go here to see more sets on their way.

Also for the next time you're in the Lego aisle scoping good stuff for the boy: I recommend picking up at least one Clone Trooper Battle Pack now that they're out. It's a great value at ten bucks.

Repacks and Variations and Re-tooling, oh my!

"As reported earlier, the members of the 501st Legion that marched in the 2007 Rose Parade Star Wars Spectacular were given a unique gift: the 501st Stormtrooper with a few modifications.

The Rose Parade design on the back of the card is identical to the one worn on the right shoulder bells for the parade. Thanks to Glen Borst (TK-602) SCG for the photos!"