It was pointed out to me today that there's some good news for our Canadian readers.  Both of you will be happy to know that Zellers is turning most of its locations over to Target, with a few going to Walmart, over the next few months.  This story has more details.

Depending on where you shopped, either the red or tan Battle Droid was everywhere... and the other one wasn't.  It's a five-jointed figure with removable limbs, based on a mold which debuted in 2002.  In 2002, it came with C-3PO, a factory conveyor belt, a magnetic head, and was $10.  In 2012, it comes with a gun and a stand.

So, uh, hunh.  No Droid Factory.   Well... not much we can say other than let's look at the 1,974th entry in our ongoing series with another Clone Trooper.  This one came from a limited articulation 3-pack in 2003.  What makes it special?

We have received an update from Hasbro announcing the cancellation of the Droid Factory assortment in 2013, pointing to pricing and value as reasons for the decision. Many of the figures announced last summer for this line will be released in the fall, with further announcements being made at Toy Fair next month. Read Hasbro's official statement after the jump, and stay tuned for more on this and our Toy Fair coverage on February 9th!

From our sponsors at Brian's Toys: Pre-Order the new 2013 Star Wars Deluxe & Regular vehicles at Brian's Toys! The new deluxe vehicles come packaged with two action figures along with a vehicle.  Also recently announced is the Episode I Obi-Wan stunt saber from eFX.  This stunt saber is available for pre-order at $119.99.

Welcome to Q&A 2013! We're back for another year of... well, apparently looking back at what's going on with the toys you never saw in 2012. We talk up vehicles new and old, discuss 2013 nomenclature, and other stuff.  You may as well read this after you start downloading your email from (I hope) a couple of weeks away from the office!

From earlier in 2012, this Obi-Wan Kenobi was resculpted from previous releases to look closer to the cartoon counterpart while adding a swell backpack.  Or, this Obi-Wan Kenobi ate up a tooling slot that could've gone to a new character, of which we pretty much got none in 2012.  Take your pick.  Either way, it's a nicely-sculpted figure with decent gear.

Check out the Imperial Navy Commando, part of the last big boxed set we got based on the lesser-console exclusive levels of The Force Unleashed.  It's a good figure, despite being unrecognizable to fans of the game series who played it on the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3.

Here is the latest listing of new pre-order and IN STOCK items from our sponsors at BigBadToyStore:

Sideshow is now taking pre-orders for their Sixth Scale Jedi Master Yoda, which is scheduled for release this June. The Jedi Master is represented Prequel style and comes with a lightsaber, Jedi Council chair, and hover chair. The Sideshow exclusive also includes an exclusive Holocron cube.

While not a huge hit in 2010, this Owen Lars figure from a Darth Maul-bedecked comic pack is now hot stuff.  Did you skip it?  You poor fool.  Once a mere $15, this set will now set you back several times that. Is it worth the asking price?

Easily the most infuriating moment in Star Wars action figure collecting in 2012 was the announcement that this green R4 Series Astromech Droid and a couple dozen more just like him would be exclusive to a theme park.   These dubiously necessary collectibles required a significant expense to obtain, be it time, money, or a mix.

While Hasbro put out a bunch of action figures in 2012, we look at their simplest one in our final Figure of the Day for the year.  This Battle Droid has but 2 points of articulation, yet stands fairly well and looks pretty good.  Not bad as a figure designed as filler for an MTT's droid rack!  If you haven't got one already, should you?

This Obi-Wan Kenobi is a realistic take on the 2008 incarnation of his Clone Wars armor.  It's (at least) the third non-animated 3 3/4-inch figure to do some take on this outfit, and I think it's my favorite.  Is it worth ordering this de facto online exclusive? 

This Expanded Universe Tri-Droid came from a hard-to-find Battle Pack which is actually quite good.  The unique take on the droid has a blood red Separatist symbol plus a lot of black, meaning it's like a goth robot or something.  It deprograms itself so it feels something.  Is it worth getting?