In what may be - but we hope isn't - his final appearance, we saw a new outfit for Admiral Ackbar which in turn inspired this new figure with an opening mouth!  He also has a new blaster, his trademark toy baton being sadly absent.   Want to see more?  Read on!

Friends, foes, and frenemies are back from pretty much everybody this month as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story gives you a reason to go to the toy store over lunch once again. Because I am nothing if not tired and lazy, I am going to copy and paste Hasbro's press release below with new toy images of MicroMachines, 3 3/4-inch action figures, new NERF blasters, and some other stuff. Our sponsors are taking advance orders on 3 items, so here's a look at what you can expect later - with a few prices - after the jump.

Hey, it's old man Captain Rex!  He's got a beard, less hair, and a little more mass than when he was fighting in the Clone Wars.  Oh, and he's got twin pistols, a helmet, and for some reason a rocket-launching spear.  Read on!

If you couldn't find regular Rey, now you can not find Rey (Resistance Outfit)!  She's got a blaster, a vest, a lightsaber, and is awesome.   Read on!

New Black Series - repacks!  According to many sources, and Robot Kingdom (a very popular exporter of Transformers overseas) there are 4 more The Black Series 3 3/4-inch action figures coming out as future Walmart exclusives.  You may already own them, but they’re good ones if you missed them.  While Hasbro has not confirmed this, it’s a slow news week so we’re going to assume this is all fact and  tell you about these previous releases.  Read on for more pictures, links to reviews of the original figures, and a list of who you can expect to find in stores in the next couple of months.

At this time, there are no Rogue One or The Force Awakens figures in these waves known to be coming.   This continues the previous The Black Series line's proud tradition of minimizing freshness in the 3 3/4-inch range.

Skunk ape?  Balding ape?  Varmik?  It's the Hassk Thug, a McQuarrie-inspired triplet which is one of very few denizens of the castle on Takodana to get a figure.   It's one of those things fans need to start demanding, like a Lin-Manuel Miranda for some reason or another.  Anyway, how is he?  I'd say get one, but read on to see what I wrote in the review.

We're back - but not every day!   I gotta sleep once in a while.  Let's look at the nifty Kylo Ren Unmasked, released earlier this year and unlikely to be at a store near you.  He was popular.   He's also more than an old body with a new head - Hasbro did the work on this one.

Ad: The Star Wars Mystery 3 3/4-Inch Figures - EE Exclusive is up for pre-order right now and includes Free Shipping in the USA! Specifics are not yet posted, but the set includes 6 different 3 3/4-inch scale action figures that are promised to fit in well with The Vintage Collection and The Black Series. More will be announced at San Diego this week. Click here to see more and pre-order yours now!

Nerdist revealed a surprisingly early burst of looks at new Rebels and movie products which, no doubt, will be part of the Rogue One branded offering during the final months of 2016.   Highlights include:

Hera's A-Wing (oooh)

Electronic 12-inch Kanan Jarrus

Electronic 12-inch Darth Vader

12-inch ROTJ Speeder Bike with Biker Scout

3 3/4-inch Jakku Rey in Scavenger Outfit

Toys R Us will have an exclusive Black Series 6-inch set of Star Wars Droids during San Diego Comic-Con, but will not be at Comic-Con.  As I work for Entertainment Earth and will be working on the booth for the show, I reached out to me for confirmation - and I can confirm this item will be sold online.  (I also assume at stores later.)  The droids are identified as R2-A3, R5-K6, and R2-F2 on the packaging.

Entertainment Earth Booth #2343 will be selling a number of other items for Toys R Us as well as their own exclusives, including some other Star Wars and Hasbro items. Click here to see the droid item at Toys R Us' web site.

C-3PO is coming to Comic-Con at Entertainment Earth! This 20-inch scale action figure is the first-ever C-3PO in this size, and it comes complete with a shiny gold metal finish you won't find anywhere else. Click here to see it and more details, but you can't pre-order it - it's only available at booth #2343 in San Diego!

As I write this, auctions for R5-M4 are popping up.   This may well be the first-ever action figure labeled "Star Wars Day: May the 4th Be With You" and is being reportedly sold in Orlando's Disney theme park(s).   I don't have prices, I don't have specifics, I don't know if it's in Anaheim, and I don't have one yet myself.   But I do know you can see one if you click here.

UPDATE: Long-time reader TotallyRawe left a comment indicating this is indeed showing up in Anaheim.  Buy one!  Or two, send me one.  Happy hunting droid junkies!

She's out!  Kmart's Rey (Starkiller Base) 6-inch The Black Series action figure is making the rounds and is being placed on shelves as I write this.  Might your one or two remaining stores have them?  You'll have to go look, because the product finder on their web site isn't working properly.   Each figure is $24.99, assuming of course you find one.  I located one at one of the final Mart of K outposts in Phoenix, AZ this afternoon.

We'll be tackling these - or at least one of these - in Figure of the Day very soon, but it seemed prudent to give you the lowdown on this awesome gift set now just in case you were waffling over buying it or just a couple of single figures.   This 4-pack costs less than 3 individual figures at most stores, plus sports one exclusive figure and accessories to boot.  When you see the Takodana Encounter you'll say "Octopus, right?"  (I think that's what it is, I never took Japanese.)

If you like you can order this item at our sponsor Entertainment Earth or on Amazon.com.

This action figure set comes in a box that's pretty much the same size and shape as last year's "Digital Release" boxed sets for all six films - on a shelf, this would look very nice next to them.   In it you'll find Finn (repack of individual figure), Rey (repack of individual figure), BB-8 (the Scavengers version), and Maz Kanata (new).  The two "combine weapons" are gone, but instead you'll find a lightsaber hilt, a lightsaber, and a trunk - the perfect place to store your priceless religious heirlooms in the basement of a bar.  In short: you'll be wanting one.

Want to be a part of the Hasbro booth at Comic-Con this year?  Here's your chance!   Hasbro sent along some new information to us today regarding taking some fan photos, and sharing them with the rest of the world in San Diego come July.   Want to know the full details?  Or better yet, want to participate?  Keep reading.  Update: background photos are now available.