Via the Star Wars Galactic Hunter Figure of the Day Blog: Scout Trooper (Red Tech Speeder Bike / Epic World of Action). The classic deco at stores is being cleared out, but this red "tech" variant has been showing up online. The figure itself is the same, but the bike has some added paint with clear red plastic accessories. It's weird, so I like it - but good luck tracking it down outside online sellers. Read on!

On Monday night, the HasLab Republic Gunship ended with 9,771 backers.  If you look at it now, it's 10,541 with the Coleman Trebor stretch goal unlocked.  Presumably these are late-adds from overseas, non-Pulse markets.  Well, congratulations backers, everybody gets a dino man!  

It was a nail-biter, but the Star Wars The Vintage Collection LAAT/i Gunship barely squeaked out the minimum order quantity in the afternoon and finished at 9,776.  Unless there are more surprise orders to put in there, that means it's the first Star Wars HasLab to fund without meeting a single tier.

The nail-biter continues as Hasbro's Star Wars The Vintage Collection LAAT/i Gunship funding period ends in just over 22 hours.   It's has a pretty good weekend, with a shot of orders Friday morning bumping it up from 4,700 to 5,384.  It just passed another milestone, having passed 6,000 Sunday night.  Right now, it stands at 6,076 and continues slowly ticking up.

Will it fund?

On Friday morning fans were in for a bit of a surprise, as the Republic Gunship jumped up and down, presumably adding non-Hasbro Pulse pre-sales to the grand total.  At press time, it's at 5,384.   It hasn't made the first goal of 8,000 yet, but it's a huge net gain over Thursday, which was just over 4,700.

There has been news.  A sticker sheet has been added to the package, adding some deco options for fleet building.  An "unboxing" video showing off the prototype in a home environment has been added.  

There are about two days and 21-ish hours to go, and it's kind of an unknown how this is going to end up.  It's trending behind other The Vintage Collection items,  slightly ahead of The Black Series Rancor, but behind the funding goal of 8,000. 

And of course, some of us are still waiting for our Cantinas to ship. (Me, I can't wait, I've been digging out all the aliens.) I'll be watching the ticker all weekend, because this is a surprising project that hasn't gone as expected.  (And because the Cantina isn't here yet.)

This one is a bit more of a nail-biter than usual. I know you know, but in case someone didn't, Hasbro's Star Wars The Vintage Collection LAAT/i Gunship is a crowdfund project that ends in about a week. The $449.99 ship currently has 4,122 units old of a floor of 8,000. Will it make it?

Over the weekend, MrStevie18 posted a ton of HasLab Republic Gunship pictures from its showing in Canada. Really! There are a lot! These new angles may show you thinks you missed before, so be sure to give it a look.

You will, of course, need some new figures to go with it.  Lucky for you, Hasbro has done a ton of great Geonosis-adjacent figures that are on the market right now.  I put together a page with some of them so you can check them out and start shopping.   A lot of collectors seemed to tune out between 2008 and 2014, and there were loads of ultra-obscure humans with lightsabers designed specifically to go with a Geonosis Arena collection.

The Star Wars The Vintage Collection LAAT/i Gunship is up for pre-order/funding consideration for about 14 more days. It is currently 3,751 / 8,000 units backed, so if you want one?

It's time for another Q&A flashback for me to celebrate me writing about toys for 30 years! How self-centered!

Today: Is it safe to take apart the Republic Gunships? (From 2006!)

It's kind of timely.   I've been going through older toys and seeing some weird oily sweat as well as discoloration due to the ravages of time.   Read on!

It's time for another Q&A flashback for me to celebrate me writing about toys for 30 years! How self-centered!

Today: Vehicles - why do people pay so much for old ones? (From 2011!)

Read on!

Want a Republic Gunship next week?  You have options.

Some fans have asked the question "How would you feel if the new HasLab Republic Gunship didn't fund?" It would be incredibly unfortunate. The ornate model is loaded with detail, stands, ammo, figures, and the fanciest paint in the mass-produced moderately-priced vehicle business. It would be bad... but there are ways to fill that gap in your collection.

The good news for those who are OK accepting older toys is that Hasbro has been busy. Nobody can take away the massive legacy of toys that Hasbro already manufactured.   Literal millions of action figures, vehicles, and playsets are out there - many in the original packaging - and you can buy them any time you like.

From 2002 to 2013, Hasbro produced seven action figure-sized Republic Gunships. The Vintage Collection one is very expensive above $700, and the Crumb Bomber just seems to be plain rare. The rest are now all fairly inexpensive given their size, age, and how many fans probably skipped them. And if you back the Gunship and just want one right now, you have some options on eBay.

2002 Saga Attack of the Clones Republic Gunship - buy-it-now on eBay for a sealed box is $245. This is pretty much the same as the TVC 2013 release, except for the figures (which can be had separately with slight changes) or the Gun Pods (ditto.)

2003 Clone Wars Command Gunship - sealed box buy it now is $300-$350, plus or minus shipping. Interestingly this was the cheapest of the Gunships, selling for a shockingly cheap for the time $29.99 when it was brand new. The deco was not based on any particular on-screen appearance.

2005 Revenge of the Sith Republic Gunship - many are up buy-it-now for $250. I am pretty sure this wasn't based on any particular on-screen appearance.

2006 The Saga Collection Gunship - current listings are mostly over $450, but sold listings are under $350. It seems unlikely this particular version will make a return appearance, so it might even be worth picking up now. It was a Toys R Us exclusive, and I remember running around trying to find this one. It was superb.

2008 The Legacy Collection Republic Gunship last sold for $320. This "Lucky Lekku" model was exclusive to Walmart and featured unique nose art. As with all of the ships, open box models are a lot cheaper on the secondary market.

2009 The Legacy Collection Republic Gunship (Crumb Bomber) is in short supply. I don't see any boxed ones for sale, and "sold" listings are $300 or more for unboxed samples.  No boxed samples of this Toys R Us exclusive seem to be for sale at this time at any price.  This release was notable not only for its distinctive nose art, but retooled side doors.  The cargo doors now fully enclose the vehicle, and the doors behind the cockpit fold down.  Additional firepower was added to the cannons with more fold-out firing rocket launchers.  If you only bought two Gunships, odds are this would be one of the two you'd want to get.

2013 Toys R Us The Vintage Collection Republic Gunship - This one is expensive. At an SRP of $119.99, it was the most expensive version before the HasLab, no doubt resulting in many fans skipping it. Heck, I almost skipped it as it was one of the most expensive vehicles ever made and nearly $80 over the price of the original mold. "Sold" listings are above $700. This one is very similar to the 2002 Republic Gunship, and features added stickers, 3 pack-in figures (which are repaints of other releases), and two Gun Pods. Other than the stickers, the 2002 model is probably a perfectly viable substitute for most fans displaying the open toy, with the packaging itself being a huge draw.

Hasbro just announced the Star Wars The Vintage Collection LAAT/i Gunship. Due in the Fall of 2026, this heralds the "Return to Geonosis" where you can probably buy new versions of figures that you may already own - but if not, you'll get a crack at new superior versions.

This ship is $449.99 and needs 8,000 sales to fund. You get rockets, and a display stand. It has an incredible new gimmick - swappable nose art. This is way better than stickers that you can remove and replace (that will break down over time.) However, the figure tally is pretty weak with only 2 Clone Pilots in the box by default. Additional stretch goal figures include Coleman Trebor, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin - all of which have two or more action figure releases in various 3 3/4-inch collections. There are no debuts here - everything exists in another format, many of which were in the more kid-driven eras.

While once $20, the Star Wars Rebels The Phantom shuttle is now out of production. Fans take Hasbro vehicle engineering for granted, because even the kid stuff was pretty spectacular. This one had three slide-out cannons, fold-out wings, an articulated rocket launcher, plus an opening cockpit and an opening rear. There was some room for accessory storage, plus a back seat for another figure.

Via Amazon (yes this is a sponsored link): STAR WARS SW 4INCH Figure Vehicle Pack . It's actually an Epic World of Action IG-11, Grogu, and Speeder Bike set - and I believe it's an exclusive. The product listing doesn't have a name and it's not labeled as an exclusive, but I haven't seen it elsewhere so who knows what might happen in other stores in a few days. It's not bad for the asking price - pretty much the same as a regular retail Speeder Bike, with more stuff in the box.

Give it a look.

Another ship you might want if you're buying old-style figures, the Star Wars Rebels Inquisitor TIE Advanced Prototype is long sold out - but it was superb. It has wings you can fold open, seating for one, and two launching rockets. If you're looking for ships for your various Inquisitors, it's pretty good. The only place it might come up short is stability - the jointed wings aren't as stable as traditional wings, or a flight stand.

Another classic! I made this video in 2015. For a shining moment Hasbro, Disney, and Lucasfilm decided to make a toy line and a TV show that shamelessly borrowed the Kenner and Ralph McQuarrie aesthetics, resulting in a surprisingly wide-reaching line of vehicles and a few action figures. There were bikes, walkers, transports, shuttles, starfighters... it was a decent time to be alive.

And if you have Retro figures, you should dig these ships.