If you're the kind of person that collects a lot of toys, you might be aware of Family Dollar as one of those "value channel" stores that carries a number of off-brand and budget big-brand toys, as well as the temporary exclusive distributor of Jolt Cola (despite never having any stock, not that I'm bitter.)   They were one of the few stores in the USA that frequently stocked the $7ish 6-inch simplified Hasbo Star Wars and Marvel action figures, as well as the "Authentics" Transformers this year - and very few of their items cost only $1. And now there will be 390 less of these stores, so says CNN.

I really like the Imperial Patrol Trooper (The Black Series 6-Inch).  You can see elements of other troopers in here, like shins from various Rogue One troopers, a helmet that looks like a mutant Stormtrooper, and body armor that's vaguely recalling the 1983 Biker Scouts.  Read on!

I'm writing that as a question, but the answer is probably "yes."  Onell Design have been dropping about 1 Kenner-colored tribute figure every month, and we've been looking at the likes of Hammerden, Greeden, and Pheytooth as they come up.  At 9:30 PM EST this Thursday, Onell Design will be releasing new figures. But we don't know which ones yet, because that's a big part of the fun.

(Update 2/5/2019: a comment in that posting from Onell Design confirms the identity of the figure in question. And he doesn't like you.)

This week in Q&A - The future of the license is still not fully known! It's true! Getting old, with less to buy. Well, that's life. Surprises? Well, we've had a few in the last few weeks.

Read on!

My pal Phil pointed me to a Thingiverse page by Tony "Isotelus" Kramer with dozens of 3-D printable droids and it's pretty impressive.  While Hasbro and Lucasfilm focus mostly on the main characters, fan-made creations may be more and more common as these made-on-demand figures look pretty spiffy.  If you have a 3-D printer (and I don't) you may wish to give these a try. 

This Rio Durant (Solo: A Star Wars Story line look) is a little tough to find, but you can still grab it if you're able to find one.  He has removable goggles, two blasters, and a ton of articulation.  Read on!

Over at EW, you can preview Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge merch.  The good news - there are custom droids.  The very good news - I don't see any 3 3/4-inch scale stuff just yet.  (I break out in hives trying to think of how to gather parts from those bins from one or more states away.)  

It's Val!  As Force Link 2.0 fades into memory, the last wave is something you should chase down - there were some good figures in this one.  Val turned out particularly well, and as the only 3 3/4-inch Val you probably should go ahead and get one. Read on!

This week in Q&A - Baby got back! The back of Jabba's Palace. Of course I took a picture for you. Vintage! Is it required? Lando ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Be sure you send in your questions for next time. Our mail bag is empty. Read on!

A few weeks ago Onell Design shipped out Hammerden, a Hammerhead-colored take on the Pheyden action figure.  It's pretty cool!  I posted a review here.  It has since sold out, but along with Greeden and Pheytooth it's a pretty swell group of aliens.

This Stormtrooper (Galaxy of Adventures) is in tubes and possibly in a store near you. The detail and plastic are above and beyond what we've seen in the past, as is his height.   It's pretty spectacuar, and you're being charged accordingly.  Is it worth it?  Yes.  Is it worth army building at that price?  Read on!

This L3-37 (The Black Series 6-Inch)  is a nifty release from Solo: A Star Wars Story. She has a lot of astromech parts and is a self-made bot according to lore!  The articulation is good, the deco is nice, and the design is totally unique.  Read on!

This week in Q&A - Vintage Verility! How long can it last? Bad joints! They may be legal, but why are they still a thing?  Also I'm at Toy Fair so I didn't know if this would go up - now I need more questions!

Be sure you send in your questions for next time. Our mail bag is empty. Read on!

Star Wars goes Kenner! Six reissues and one new vintage-style "ReAction"-esque figure are seemingly exclusive to Target, and of course sold out preorders in seconds. Hopefully Target and Hasbro don't pull a Spinosaurus and keep them coming all year long!

Star Wars: The Black Series! The 6-inch line showed very little you hadn't seen (or seen hinted at) before. The presentation had Doctor Aphra and her droids, plus the previously seen Chopper and Ezra Bridger. More surprising were 20th Anniversary Episode I "vintage" packaging for Celebration in Chicago.