Unkar's Thug is here!  He's masked, he has a swell vest, and he's a normal height for an action figure.  But what is under the mask? That, I don't know.  Speculate wildly, or read this review.   Read on!

For The Force Awakens, Hasbro outfitted R2-D2 with a completely new harness that features energy blasters.  For those of us who have been waiting 19 years for the cryptotoyological toy to show up, here's one!  The R2-D2 itself is similar to the Mission Series release from a while back, but the shade of blue is different.  Read on!

The Jakku Scavenger actually has a name - it's Teedo, and it's on the back of the box.  This little guy comes with Unkar's Thug and BB-8, making up one of the best figure set values in the current toy line.   Did you get yours?  Get looking for one, or order it online.  Read on!

Today, let's look at a new C-3PO!  This one comes with R2-D2, and he's got more than a red arm and two gold legs.  The torso has been resculpted a bit, and you'll find a few other tweaks between him and the similar Mission Series version from a couple of years ago.  Read on!

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There is another!  And apparently, there's a variant.   My BB-8 was packed with a Thug and a Scavenger, plus it even has a hole in the base for stands - and I'm told not everybody's does.   Functionally he's the same as the Millennium Falcon BB-8, which has been voted "Most Likely to be Stolen" by Entitled Collector Magazine for the month of October.  

However, the sculpt is different and the deco has been changed too - he's cleaner, whiter, and has different panels.   Want to see more?  Sure you do - read on!

A common complaint in moves these days is that the trailers give away the whole plot and show all the best parts.   The new trailer for The Force Awakens debuted just now, and in just over two minutes you really don't know a heck of a lot more than you knew from the previous teasers or the cardbacks of the toys.  It's neat, you see some cool stuff, you'll even get to hear Han Solo comment on what is one of the great legends of our lives - so go ahead and watch it.

It's new!  The 3 3/4-inch Guavian Enforcer showed up and boy howdy do I love this target-faced goon.  I may never be able to prove that he's paid product placement for the big red dot, but I can prove that it has cool armor and a very shootable face.  Read on!

For the first time in years - not counting teaser posters - a Star Wars film has adopted the digitally swabbed collage over the classic painted posters of old.  In the article Star Wars: The Force Awakens Theatrical Poster First Look, In-theater Exclusives and More at StarWars.com, you'll see the poster as well as some news on tickets, the trailer, and the obligatory 7-movie marathon where, like with Star Trek in 1991, you may sit long and prosper.

An interesting note about the poster - if you zoom in, you'll notice Mark Hamill is given second billing behind Harrison Ford, yet doesn't appear on the poster (as far as we know).   Leia's new hairstyle can be seem, barely, behind Han Solo.

A number of gifts are being given away at select screenings, so far they are things like lanyards, magazines, and glassware - no toys or figures.

This retooled Chewbacca has a different head - and some other pieces - when compared to the Armor Up version.  Presumably more are coming, but this is the latest one right now.  It comes packaged with the Millennium Falcon and his claim to fame is the bulky communications gear.  How retro!  Is it any good?  Read on!

Another Finn!  This one comes with the Millennium Falcon and sports unique communications equipment - so it's different.  He has a blaster, five points of articulation, and the same basic sculpt you've seen with a bunch of changes.  Read on!

The big 6-inch version of the First Order Snowtrooper Officer is out as an exclusive, but this is the 3 3/4-inch one.  It's nice!   It's also a different sculpt with different deco from the regular Snowtrooper, beyond just the shoulder pad - fascinating!  Read on.

The Jakku Landspeeder version of Finn is, surprisingly, quite different.  The head looks better, the leg pose is improved, and he can more easily fit in vehicles.  It's great!  If you're thinking about getting this one, you probably should.  Read on!

There are two BB-8 action figures so far - this is the 3 3/4-inch one that comes with the Millennium Falcon.  It has some dirt on it, and one point of articulation. I assume it will be the most-stolen action figure of the year, but let's see how it shakes out.  I like the droid, I like the vehicle it comes in - will you?  Read on!

Also in stores now, the new Millennium Falcon from The Force Awakens.  I saw it at Toys R Us (and got one from Entertainment Earth), and the going rate is currently $139.99.   It's the same size as the vintage Kenner one from 1978, with lots of new bells and whistles - and the figures fit in it pretty well, to boot.   Motion-sensing sound effects, a light-up targeting computer, and a "dirty" BB-8 figure are just some of the highlights.

...I'm also quite taken with the Nerf dart launcher.  That sucker is super strong, and really fires across a room nicely.   While not as big as the legendary 2008 version of this toy, I'm having plenty of fun with this one so far.