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The StarWars.com voting for the Fan Choice poll is up now! Interestingly, Ben Skywalker did not make the cut, and Emperor Palpatine - who got 0 votes here and I don't believe I saw on anyone else's top 6 - did. Well, at press time Doctor Aphra (Marvel) and Ahoka (Rebels) are tied for the lead, so click here to vote for them or not! If history is any indication, a close vote usually means we get both figures.
Here's another one you probably don't have - this Darth Maul I've seen only a couple of times, and mostly at Big Lots! so far. But they're not doing a lot of restocking here, so the 6-inch $6 figure is something you may want to chase down. Why? Read on!
We got a lot of entries, a lot of possible ballot stuffing, and a lot of definitive ballot stuffing for the 2017 Fan Vote. As stated, we weren't going to take duplicate entries from the same person - and in some cases it was difficult to tell if the entries were part of an organized effort or the same individual, so we left it in for now. So who were the winners? I'm glad you asked.
The Imperial AT-ACT Driver is pretty cool - and at least locally, Hasbro shipped a bunch of this exclusive to Target stores. I'm still seeing them this week! It's basically the same as the Scarif Stormtrooper with new deco, but to me that's a pretty valid reason to buy a figure.
Because sleeping is for the weak, we're now tallying our winners for Fan's Choice right now. We won't be revealing it today, but you can probably guess who's in the lead if you look at our comments on the original post.
More as we have it - the second round of voting is going to start real soon, too!
This 6-inch Darth Vader comes with a cool display base and as such, costs more than an average figure. It's nifty! Hasbro included details on the helmet you don't normally see on their Darth Vader toys. Read on!
And if that weren't enough, surprising no one, Hasbro will make good use of its Imperial Officer body types to bring you Grand Mofff Tarkin later this year. It will include the Interrogation Droid, and look menacing.
If you're enjoying stomping the pavement to find R5-D4 at GameStops this weekend, good news - you can do it again in November! For a couple of bucks north of $20, the Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot variatnt Inferno Squadron Pilot should be up for grabs in November. It's like the TIE Fighter Pilot you have but with more red.
Last year at San Diego Comic-Con, Hasbro confirmed the winner of the Fan's Choice vote for the 6-inch The Black Series line - and it was Jaina Solo! She was in most of the novels since 1991 in some form or another. And that Jaina Solo had a massive, not remotely suspicious last-minute massive vote bot of sorts. Well. Anyway, we're getting her and here she is in a black pilot's suit. The Star Wars character was retconned out of the continuity with the Disney takeover, so don't be totally shocked if this happens again this year.
Grand Admiral Thrawn is coming! I know, Thrawn just left the building in Star Wars Rebels, but a 6-inch action figure melding his classic novel cover look with the uniforms of Star Wars Rebels is on the way. A normal version is coming for retail stores, and his art collection comes with the deluxe San Diego Comic-Con edition. It's worth noting that the exclusive version will be $49.99 this July, while the normal The Black Series one will be in the usual $20-$25 range. Ask yourself this - why should your toys have a better art collection than you do?
Historically Hasbro has had "plussed up" toys sold at San Diego Comic-Con International - better accessories or variant deco are frequent upgrades. This time around Hasbro will offer two different versions of Luke's Landspeeder. A $59.99 mass retail version will be made, with a $89.99 one with weathered paint, an engine, and seemingly more gear for the big convention. Which should you get? Whichever you can find.
Our pal Shannon sent in some images from Orlando at Star Wars Celebration confirming Hasbro will be un-retiring The Vintage Collection yet again in Spring 2018. (It'd go nicely with the new Han Solo movie.) For those of you who are old, you may recall this is the fourth time Hasbro has relaunched the faux-1978-1984 format. The only confirmation I have (not being on the floor) is that of Rey on a The Force Awakens cardback - so if you missed the figure now on markdown at Walmarts for $5.86, you're in luck! All we know is that the Fan's Choice line is coming and, I hope, the format will return for a good long time.
Update: It's over! We're back with Fan's Choice! Hasbro has asked for your input on the next new 3 3/4-inch The Vintage Collection action figure. It's going to be just like last year - you can leave a comment below or email me at this address, and I'll tally the results. Last year the ballot box got stuffed for Jaina Solo, this is your chance to vote for a future 3 3/4-inch The Black Series action figure.
Note: Please do not request figures that have already been released or announced. Please do not send duplicate entries. Please do not send a list of characters - only one will be counted.
Here are the rules per Hasbro:
The info just keeps rolling in! Hasbro's PR department informed us that Commander Gree is coming to Toys R Us as an exclusive. When? We don't know, but the 6-inch The Black Series figure looks pretty sharp.
More information as we have it - and it's nice to see the prequels getting some love out there.
