Today let's look at the Orlando-exclusive Black R5-Series Astromech Droid.  It has orange markings on the top of the head, but is otherwise largely black and silver. Cool? Yes. Read on!

Check out Darth Malgus, as it's a figure that my abacus says you want.  Why?  It looks cool.  It's from a video game.  It's a Sith Lord  And oh yes, after six months it's still quite hard to find.  You want to know more, don't you?  Is it worth the effort to track down?  Is it worth the $50 at a convention?  All this and a zesty new way to make pudding.

Let's look at this Omega Squad Demolitions figure, which is effectively Republic Commando Scorch done up in black.  You should be sold already, after all, black repaints are like cheap, cheap candy to fans of articulated plastic.  (I buy a lot of this sort of thing.)  Is it worth your while to pick up this hard-to-find exclusive?

The "Smash On The Beach" and "Super Serum Cider "were flowing readily in the Avengers themed bar and many cheeses, noodles, and egg rolls served to various members of the collector press during a Hasbro New York Comic Con Preview Party in Mid-town Manhattan on Wednesday night. 

Today let's look at Colonel Cracken, another "name debut" that technically already had a figure a few years ago.  It's not bad, the sculpted vest is a nice touch.

It's uncommon for a figure to be demanded by fans for over 12 years, but Mawhonic made the list... and we're getting him twice this year.  A "Discover the Force" version may still be at a Walmart near you, while a Vintage Collection version (sans stand and flag) will be an online exclusive any week now.

It's Widdle Warrick!  This is a pretty decent mashup of his appearances in the Star Wars saga, with his orange fur and white cheeks.  Technically it's his first figure, but another, similar figure was sold under a different name in 2007.  Since this figure is just now really starting to hit Kmart stores, should you track him down this week?

The exclusive AT-ST Crew and Ewok Scout Action Figure Sets are now available online for $14.99 each. Both are temporarily out of stock at the moment but keep checking back for restock since online is the only alternative for collectors in several geographic areas.

It doesn't look like you have to wait until Monday and Times Square to see what the marriage of Star Wars and Angry Birds looks like. The website Idle Hands has posted some photos of what Hasbro has in store including a Jenga game and an AT-AT Attack Battle Game. For Star Wars collectors, the item which will probably strike the most interest is the Angry Birds "Early Bird" package that's clearly inspired by the iconic Kenner release from the 70's which launched the most prolific movie toy line in history.

There were about 25 unique domes released at Star Tours for the Droid Factory setup, and the Black and White R8-Series Astromech Droid is one of my favorites.  It has no big eye to speak of, but its head has a built in nacho dip bowl.

Since 2009, Rovio's Angry Birds has been a bonafide pop cultural sensation. The game  and its fun, cartoonish characters have crossed over into apparel, plush, food, beverages, books, and television. Today, a teaser posted on the Angry Birds Tumblr page suggests Jedi cloaks, lightsabers, and much more.

There are a lot of Clone Trooper figures, to the point where there are so many variants and repaints that some items are the stuff of legends.  This green redeco of the crouching mold from the 3-packs which were sold at the back half of 2003 were like pre-posed army soldiers, what you see is basically what you get.  Despite promotional images showing packs of 3 uniquely colored troopers being distributed, sets always had 3 white troopers or 2 white and 1 colorful trooper.  Some were tough to get in certain regions, I had a heck of a time finding this green one and the yellow one.  Is it worth tracking down? 

This is a Mace Windu test shot I got off of eBay which explains why you shouldn't buy test shots off of eBay.  Why? It's crumbling.  The rubbery arm plastic was made much better for the final product, but the reason you want to see this one is it has the unused plastic cape which was shown on the packaging of the production figure.  And it's unpainted.  Neat? 

Check out Mace Windu, a nifty artifact from a period where Hasbro really didn't have a clear and firm grasp on if they were selling toys or collectibles.  Sculpts improved, as did action features, but articulation was pretty weak.  This deluxe figure had a nifty spring-loaded sleeve and a blow-apart droid as accessories.

The evolution of the action figure at Hasbro has taken a lot of weird twists and turns.  At one point they were all engineered to be toys for kids, and now they're basically modestly-priced plastic collectibles for adults... but not this Darth Vader.  Despite having one of the best sculpts in years, the engineering seems to be better for kids to play with, or as a desk accessory.  When we looked at Boba Fett from this set, it became our most-read FOTD of 2012... so you're gonna want to read this one, right?