If you haven't yet got him, the Admiral Ackbar (The Black Series 6-Inch)  is probably at a Toys R Us near you right now.  He has a cool blaster, an opening mouth, and one of the better alien paint jobs I've seen in a while - I like it.  Read on!

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C'ai Threnalli is a new character with removable helmet and a Force Link chip.  The Flame Trooper is posed with both hands on the weapon and a new pose, perfect for troop building.  Finn vs. Phasma brings the duel from the end of the movie to life, with a new pike for Phasma and a new pose on the figure plus an all-new 3 3/4-inch Finn in First Order disguise.

Order yours now!

This week in Q&A - I assume you've seen The Last Jedi by now! Let's talk about Chopper! He's not in that movie but we'd like him in new colors. And box storage, and my uninteresting answer as to how I store my old boxes. Oh - and Episode IX. It's a mystery, and it's two years off!

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

The single-carded Rey (Jedi Training, The Last Jedi Line Look)  is a lot like the one in the two-pack - but there are minor difference.  Minor differences.   Do you need them all?  You might, if you're obsessive like so many of us.  Read on!

In the old days, we'd see the same figure sold for year - now we're getting minor changes not just in the toys, but the movies too.  The First Order Stormtrooper (The Last Jedi Line Look) has a new helmet, a second blaster, and a slightly different pose in addition to its sound chip.  Is it time to build another army?   Read on!

This week in Q&A - I assume you've seen The Last Jedi by now! Yoda! Let's talk about Yoda. And Force Ghosts - can we talk about more of those yet? Also Luke's lost hand, a story which remains a mystery.

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

Yet another list of Kmart and Sears store closures has been posted, furthering the former retail giant's goal of exiting several states.  This batch is set to close by mid-April, and this may be your last chance to visit the once-proud Kmart.  Thousands of years ago Kmart was king over Walmart and Target, and today both Kmart and Sears combined have just a few hundred stores left.   When going on your toy hunts, enjoy your stroll through those aisles as we're in a constantly changing era.

Let's start the new year with a figure that's really good, but kind of boring.   Finn (Resistance Fighter) looks a lot like the Jakku version of the hero from the last movie, thanks in part to the hair, blaster, jacket being the same.  The shirt, pants, and boots are new.  It's a good figure and - surprisingly - a lot of slow-to-sell figures seem to be evaporating at my local big box stores.  If you can still find Finn, should you get him?  Read on!

This week in Q&A - I assume you've seen The Last Jedi by now! More new characters... are probably not coming any time soon. And Unsolicited New Figures... are still unsolicited. And let's keep talking about The Last Jedi, because if you haven't seen it by now I would advise taking a break from reading fan sites until you do.

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

Things like this didn't happen for new movies when George was still around.   Poe Dameron (Resistance Pilot, The Last Jedi Line Look)  is a new mold - and that's why I hate it.  If it were a repack, it'd be a repack - an economic necessity.  If you look closely and compare it to The Force Awakens Poe figures, the textures are new, there are changes to the copyright markings, and it has added wrist joints.  But the wrinkles on his uniform are identical. The head sculpt still lacks heroic scruff.   They made an entirely new mold for a figure that the hardcore fan already has two, perhaps three times over. Is it worth buying this individually carded figure?  Read on!

Available at a Toys R Us near you, this  Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 2,440: Rey (The Black Series 6-Inch, Premium Exclusive) is a wee bit more expensive than will likely make you happy.  She has a planet-specific base that isn't quite true to the movie scenes, but there are die-cast metal accessories and more bruising.  You get a lot of stuff in a nicely-sized box, but is it worth tracking down?   Eh.  Read on!

This week in Q&A - spoilers from toys! It happens - but sometimes we get red herrings. And The Last Jedi toy pricing - it's like we're back in the 1980s. Also get Snoked and get your Snoke figures before they go out of style.

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

After a few years of constant movie releases with no real reset - or that reset to a line filled with collector-friendly and kidvid-handy classic characters every couple of years - sales really are down.  The Hollywood Reporter writes Star Wars 'Last Jedi' Toy Shipments Down Sharply From 'Force Awakens' - which, with fewer waves of figures and tons of leftover stuff from the last two years in circulation, makes a lot of sense.

Any aging fan can tell you that there are high points and low points - figures started to get blown out cheaply as the original trilogy wound up, becoming dusty and unsold as the 1980s wore on.  

This is a good one.  The General Leia Organa (The Last Jedi Line Look)  has a good head sculpt and a nice paint job, a great improvement over the (let's say) distinctive eyebrows from the last movie's 3 3/4-inch Leia.  Should you get one?  Yes.  But still, read on.

If you've been to Target you probably saw the Luke Skywalker (The Black Series 6-Inch, Premium Exclusive).  It's good - but it's $10 more than the regular one for a stand, a metal hand, and some cloth parts.  Is it worth the upcharge, or rebuy?  Read on!