Today in Figure of the Day: R2-Series Astromech Droid Silver and Blue MK II!  It's a lot like the last R2-D2, but not - other than the dome, each piece has slightly different tooling and a lot of deco tweaks.   It's for completists only, but at this point that's a lot of us.  Read on!

Today we look at the Disney R2-Series Astromech Droid Black and Gold (not Goldie R3-S6), which is pretty close to the Separatist droid from the TV show.   It's black, it's gold, and it even has some silver in spots.   It's arguably worth the trip to get this one, or if you're me, it's worth pestering friends to help you out until it shows up in the mail.   Read on!

This week in Q&A: We look at the future of 3 3/4-inch action figures, in that it might not have one. And figure articulation, again, because why not? And more astromech droids because by volume, that's where the big action is this year.

And hey, send in your questions for next week. Read on!

It's time! Order your Star Wars Clone Trooper Dirty Penny Version Hikari Sofubi Vinyl Figure - an Entertainment Earth Exclusive - Free Shipping in the USA! Only 250 are being made and at least one is spoken for - so go order yours before you miss out! You won't be sorry, these are really cool figures.

One of at least a few droids to be redone in the Droid Factory, this R4-Series Astromech Droid Blue (MK II)  is actually fairly different - it's not just a slightly different shade of blue, but the paint masks on the dome are different, too.   Even though at first glance it looks the same, it's not - you can see some pretty striking differences when you click here to read on.

A store chain I've never heard of has Star Wars toys that shouldn't exist, at prices you probably won't want to pay - $19.99 gets you one carded Legacy Collection figure from the doomed 2012 line.  Carded samples were known to exist in the hands of a few (OK, 1) private collector so this is something of a shock.  Click here for more at Yakface.com, click here for Rebelscum's report.

At press time I am unsure if any are different (or how different) from the figures that eventually came out in Amazon's boxed set or the first wave of Black Series releases, but you can all take solace in the fact that there are no truly exclusive characters to be had here.

The R3-Series Astromech Droid Silver  is pretty good - I daresay this is the dome to end all domes.  It works with every body configuration I've tried so far, it just matches nicely.  As such, you should get a few - I just have the one, so go get me some more while you're at it.   Read on!

You don't know that you want the R9-Series Astromech Droid Silver, but you do.  The colors work really well here, and the previous brightly colored versions - while nice - aren't quite as cool as this release.  You can get it at Disneyland now, but if you aren't going there to build it you can read on!

Ad: Order theStar Wars Black Series 3 3/4-Inch Action Figures Wave 8 Case from Entertainment Earth now! The 6-inch Wampa, the new 3 3/4-inch Mosep, and many other new figures are up for grabs if you're fast - so order your singles, sets, and cases while you can. Some new Transformers are up as well!

Another day, another droid!  Our pal Shannon helped me out so now we're going to look at more robots starting with the R7-Series Astromech Droid Gold.  It's a new Disney droid - notable in that the "Hasbro" name has been scraped off the figure's legs now - and you can get it on your next trip to Anaheim.  More are coming later this year, we hear, but how is this one?  Read on!

This week in Q&A: Let's talk things changing because they will change, and that's going to happen. And how does the Avengers product line foreshadow what we can expect for Star Wars next year? Oh, and while we're at it let's talk toys-to-life some more, because it sounds like a prison sentence even though what we're really discussing are Skylanders.

And don't forget to send in your questions for next week. Read on!

Ad: Order yours now! Only 750 of the Star Wars Prism Boba Fett Premium Hikari Sofubi Vinyl Figure will be made, and here's your chance to order one.  Click here and pre-order today, he's due in August and can be yours!

This week in Q&A: Let's talk unreleased figures - there are a bunch of them, but if they aren't released, then what are they? Also Disney hunting. What should you go for? Also Titanium vs. Hot Wheels, the greatest showdown since Eisenhower vs. Hippies. Also there's a link to a great talk with Derryl DePriest regarding big G.I. Joe toys and that line's future - which may be a good read for a possible look at our own future. I gotta go pack my bags for an unrelated thing now.

And hey, send in your questions for next week. Read on!

Someone you don't know exited a movie you don't know anything about.  According to a report on StarWars.com, director Josh Trank is no longer associated with the upcoming Star Wars side-movie.   Josh Trank is also associated with this year's Fantastic Four movie.  Coincidence?

Despite being a "secret," one of the worst-kept factoids of the new movie has been of a big merchandise launch on September 4, or "Force Friday."  In an attempt to replicate the free publicity train provided by news reporters, radio stations, and fans in line back in May of 1999, you are once again being asked to line up at midnight to fork over hundreds of dollars on toys which history tends to show being worth nothing on eBay in a couple of years, because the good stuff comes later.