Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,207: First Order TIE Fighter Pilot Elite (The Force Awakens)

By Adam Pawlus — Friday, October 2, 2015

You might not have this one yet.  The red-striped removable helmet of this First Order TIE Fighter Pilot Elite is exclusive to the "desert" TIE Fighter sold at Toys R Us as an exclusive, and as you know it's showing up right now.   If you collect one of every figure, you're going to want this one too.  Read on!

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,206: Poe Dameron (Armor Up - The Force Awakens)

By Adam Pawlus — Thursday, October 1, 2015

Today let's look at Poe Dameron (Armor Up), one of the unique-to-the-armor-series figures!  He's pretty great - new sculpt, nifty armor, and of course higher price tag.  Should you get one?  (As of right now - yes.)  Read on!

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,205: Finn (Starkiller Base - The Force Awakens)

By Adam Pawlus — Wednesday, September 30, 2015

If you're OK paying more for a figure, Finn (Starkiller Base) is worth a look.  It's basically the same as the cheaper version with a different accessory, but the Armor Up coverings are actually quite nice - wouldn't you say?  Read on!

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,204: X-Wing Pilot Atsy (The Force Awakens)

By Adam Pawlus — Tuesday, September 29, 2015

A new character!  X-Wing Pilot Atsy is the name on the front of the packaging, so let's go with that.  He has a unique body and head, so odds are you'll want to get this one.  His packaging art has some Aurebesh on it - wouldn't you like to know what it reads as?  Read on!

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,203: R2-Q2 (Droid Factory - The Force Awakens)

By Adam Pawlus — Monday, September 28, 2015

Let's look at the new R2-Q2 from the Disney parks boxed set!  The deco is actually pretty different from the previous R2-Q2 domes, so give this one a look if you're looking to flesh out a shelf with robots.  Read on!

Q&A: Stands, Star Wars Disney Droids, and TIE Fighter Stuff

By Adam Pawlus — Sunday, September 27, 2015

This week in Q&A: Let's talk MicroMachines! Where are the stands? (And are you making any yourself?) Also Disney Droids - is that new four-pack a must-buy? And lastly TIE Fighter stuff - do you really need them all?

 

So send in your questions for next week. Read on!

Walmart Exclusive Black Series Star Wars 3 3/4-Inch In Stores Now, Maybe

By Adam Pawlus — Sunday, September 27, 2015

2936 That first trio of The Black Series 3 3/4-inch action figures are hitting Walmarts now - that's the good news.  I spied two of them personally yesterday, neither of which seem to be significantly altered from previous releases.

Each figure is $12.93, and comes boxed.   Darth Vader is a repack of the classic 500th Darth Vader mold, and now we know the dome is not glued down - the sample I saw was floating around freely in the box, the figure loose and the helmet wedged down below.   Chewbacca appears to be a repack of the 2004 Original Trilogy Collection Vintage figure, which was $9.99 (and cheaper) and also repacked several times since then.  I was not able to confirm if Luke has any changes, as he was not available at the stores I examined.

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,202: First Order Stormtrooper (Snow Version 2 - The Force Awakens)

By Adam Pawlus — Friday, September 25, 2015

Another First Order Stormtrooper is already out, this time with a different build-a-weapon.  Or "COMBINE" weapon, or whatever.  The figure is the same, but the little gun is new - do you need it?  Read on!

Found: Toys R Us Star Wars Sandy First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter Exclusive

By Adam Pawlus — Thursday, September 24, 2015

2935

It's here! Very few new exclusives have actually hit, but Toys R Us' exclusive First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter is out now.  You get a little more paint for $42.99, a $3 markup over the regular version at $39.99.

The pilot is very similar to the regular version, but with added red stripes on his helmet.  If you've seen the 181st Pilots or some of the specially marked ones from the original trilogy, you know what to expect.   The TIE itself has some light brown dusting, but not any scorch marks on the wings.  Just dust.   The good news is that both the figure and vehicle are both visually quite interesting.  The bad news is that it lowers the bar for vehicle deco variants - snow on the boots were a thing we've seen on figures for a few years, but sand damaged vehicles is, of course, a completely new thing.

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,201: Kanan Jarrus (The Force Awakens)

By Adam Pawlus — Thursday, September 24, 2015

Hey, he's got a new hat!  That's not true - but The Force Awakens rerelease of Kanan Jarrus does include a new gun.  It's sort of like a Portal gun, but not - it combines with other gizmos to make a sort of a messy mortar thing.   If you missed Kanan, like nobody did, here's another chance - and if you're a weapon completist, here's something new.  Read on!

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,200: Flametrooper (The Force Awakens)

By Adam Pawlus — Wednesday, September 23, 2015

The regular Flametrooper is pretty much the same one in the Armor Up version and the Amazon boxed set (that just got delayed) save for accessories.  It's sort of like a Clone Commando, but  a little different.  Should you army build this one?  Read on!

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,199: R4-M9 (Droid Factory)

By Adam Pawlus — Tuesday, September 22, 2015

This is new!  No, really!   This R4-M9 is new for 2015 and is on sale right now at a Disney park near you as part of a four-pack that is ultimately worth getting.  (And it was $29.95 when I got mine - a real bargain!)  He comes with R5-X3, R2-Q2, and a new R0 droid.  And yes, we'll be looking at them all soon.  Read on!

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,198: First Order Stormtrooper (Armor Up - The Force Awakens)

By Adam Pawlus — Monday, September 21, 2015

Getting the same figure with a new accessory is nothing really new, but it seems to be more frequent than ever.  When it comes to troop builders like the First Order Stormtrooper (Armor Up) figure, it's less of a problem - everybody wants more Stormtroopers, and the accessory does make your figure look a lot different.   Granted, it costs about twice as much as a regular Stormtrooper and that's where the problems are.   Read on!

Q&A: Star Wars Goes Back to Sleep, Target Audiences, and Old Tyme Toys

By Adam Pawlus — Sunday, September 20, 2015

This week in Q&A: Distribution! But it's different this time. Is Disney aiming hard to ape the original 1977 and 1978 madness that birthed so many of us? Also action figures because people love those things.

 

You see where this is all going. So send in your questions for next week. Read on!

Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,197: Kylo Ren (Armor Up - The Force Awakens)

By Adam Pawlus — Friday, September 18, 2015

Hey wait a minute - they changed the sculpt?  Whoa!  Hasbro's Kylo Ren (Armor Up) costs more, but you get a new head, a new left arm, new legs, and a dusting of snow at his feet.  It also costs nearly twice as much due to the strange armor.   Is it worth the extra expense?  Read on!