The Official Star Wars Blog has updated today revealed a half dozen posters for the traveling Star Wars: Identities exhibition. Head on over to view all of the intricate details making up these posters! Hopefully all of these will be available for purchase in the not-too-distant future.
All posts by Jayson
Ralph McQuarrie 1929-2012
Ralph McQuarrie, the visionary artist responsible for what we’ve come to know as the look and feel of Star Wars, passed away yesterday at the age of 82. Visit StarWars.com to read a note from George Lucas on his passing and be sure to visit the official Ralph McQuarrie website to view many of his magnificent works.
JTA Special Vintage Report
Our friends at Jedi Temple Archives have posted their annual special report comparing the original Kenner Vintage figures with their definitive (or in some cases not) modern counterparts. Head on over to read what figures are due for a modern upgrade or need to be represented in the “modern era” of collecting.
The Force is Strong with LEGO
Despite the weakened economy, LEGO announced today that with the help of the Star Wars and Harry Potter licenses, their profitability and market share for 2011 surpassed it’s main toy competition Hasbro and Mattel. You can read their full press release at LEGO.com
Lost Line Card Back Gallery
For your review, we’ve also added a gallery showcasing the “Lost Line” cardbacks which will be exclusive to figures at SDCC then available later as “chase” cards at retail. Click through for all the images and then weigh in with your thoughts on this series in our forums.
Bespin Battle and Naboo Duel in High-Res
The acquisition of the Toy Fair Presentation has given us a better look at those controversial Battle Packs. Click on through to check out high-res versions of each sets and continue the discussion in our forums.
Toy Fair 2012 Hasbro Presentation
Hasbro has finally released the Toy Fair 2012 Star Wars Presentation to all fan sites. Obviously you’ve seen everything by now but it’s still worth sharing. Click on over to our show coverage gallery for all the slides.
New Clone Wars Case Up for Pre-Order
Entertainment Earth is also taking pre-orders for Clone Wars Wave 2 case assortment which features the new Republic Commando Boss and Phase II Rex. The case breaks down as follows:
1x Republic Commando Boss
1x Anakin Skywalker
1x Clone Trooper (Phase II)
1x Captain Rex (Phase II)
1x Obi-Wan Kenobi
1x Commander Cody (Flight Pack)
1x Plo Koon
1x Aqua Battle Droid
1x Savage Opress
1x Cad Bane
1x Yoda
1x Aayla Secura
Vintage Wave 4 Rev. 1 Case Up for Pre-Order
Entertainment Earth has updated tonight and is now taking pre-orders for the delayed Vintage Collection (Evazan, Wedge, Nom Anor, etc.) case assortment which breaks down as follows:
1x VC75 Qui-Gon Jinn (Phantom Menace)
1x VC77 Ratts Tyerell and Pit Droid (Phantom Menace)
1x VC92 Clone Wars Anakin Skywalker
1x VC93 Darth Vader (Episode IV)
1x VC95 Luke Skywalker (Hoth)
1x VC87 Luke Skywalker (Lightsaber Construction)
1x VC58 Aayla Secura
1x VC59 Nom Anor
1x VC60 501st Clone Trooper
1x VC56 Kithaba (Barada)
1x VC57 Dr. Cornelius Evazan
1x VC28 Wedge Antilles
Toyguide Update: Ric Olié & Naboo Pilot (Walmart Exc.)
The Yakface Toyguide updates resume today with a “two-for-one” special since they are both so closely related. We continue on with the addition of Ric Olie (9 of 12) and the Naboo Pilot (10 of 12) from Walmart’s exclusive “Discover the Force in 3-D” collection.
PROS: Hasbro makes the most of its tooling budget here with two “all new” figures. While Ric “Captain Obvious” Olié was a great figure in 1999, this new version is simply great, especially the likeness of actor Ralph Brown. The generic Naboo Pilot is no slouch either. He features a completely nondescript portrait making him the perfect army builder for any Naboo display or hangar diorama so you’ll want a few to pilot those new N-1 starfighters due in a couple weeks, but they’ll work with the original 1999 vehicle just fine. Finally, the inclusion of the soft goods overcoat completes both of these figures nicely as does the removable helmet, both of which are unique sculpts to each figure.
CONS: Having two virtually identical figures as separate, concurrent exclusives seems like a odd move, but the line has to pay for all those other repaints and repacks some how, right? The color of the plastic coat seems a bit too brown when compared to the on-screen costume. In another strange move, the Naboo Pilot, not Ric Olié, will be making his way to the Vintage Collection – everybody say it with me – pegwarmer!
Head to the toyguide for the full image gallery and to judge for yourself whether these figures are worth adding to your collection.
You can also weigh in with your impressions on the figures we add to our toyguide on facebook and in our forums.