Our friends at YodasNews have posted a QnA with uber-collector Steve Sansweet where they touch on topics of the new Ultimate Action Figure Collection book, Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm and the future of Rancho Obi-Wan. Give it a read.
Vintage Falcon Price Drop Next Week
Our friends at Jedi Temple Archives have received advanced notice that the Toys”R”Us exclusive Vintage Millennium Falcon is dropping down to a more reasonable $179.99 next week.
Smuggler’s Gambit Available for Download
StarWars.com has post the audio file for Kyle Newman’s Star Wars: Smuggler’s Gambit – A Han Solo Adventure which we saw performed live at Celebration VI.
Set your speakers to hyperspace and buckle up for a rip-roaring, all-new Star Wars adventure – Smuggler’s Gambit — starring everyone’s favorite scoundrels Han Solo and Chewbacca! Performed in the spirit of the classic Star Wars NPR radio dramas and set in the Original Trilogy era, Smuggler’s Gambit tests Han and Chewie’s commitment to the cause as they venture off to reclaim their glory days, only to realize that their decision to help the Rebellion take down the Death Star was not without consequence…
Pig Heaven!
Our friends at Jeditemplearchives.com are reporting some fantastic news for those of you with a Five Below store in your area… head on over there for the full scoop!
Deluxe Dropships Landing
One of the cooler deluxe items from the Clone Wars has started showing up in heavier numbers recently, with sightings at various Wal-Mart and Target stores. Keep your eyes peeled for this one as two of the three times I’ve seen it, it’s been stuffed behind dust collecting Darth Maul speeders and also some STAP vehicles.
Of course if you don’t luck out and find one soon, there’s always a good chance that you’ll see these dumped at places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls next year…
Older Waves Continue to Surface
By most accounts, this has been a dismal year at retail for the Star Wars line, starting with a massive overproduction of the first wave of vintage, followed up by Hasbro carrying forward far too many TPM figures in subsequent waves that ended up creating a terrible logjam at retail – so many amazing figures this year have been nearly impossible to score at retail thanks to this disaster.
However, there are still rays of hope, as with Christmas rapidly approaching, retailers are beginning to stock the pegs a little more frequently with waves we expected to be able to find over the summer (better late than never, right?).
If you’re brave enough to fight the crowds at retail, and are persistent enough, you just might be able to score a few late gems this year – I’ve personally seen the Evazan wave three different times (all at different retailers) over the past two weeks, and other forum members are reporting similar finds.
Collection Spotlight: MarkVader72
Tonight we spotlight the awesome collection of forum member MarkVader72 – he has a great setup filled with numerous carded vintage gems, alongside some very cool assorted items spanning different Star Wars lines and years.
Check it out after the jump!
Sponsor News: K & C Collectibles
K & C Collectibles is offering all customers 15% discount on in-stock merchandise. The discount code is “Cyber2012“. This offer starts today November 25th at 8:00am EST through midnight Tuesday November 27th, 2012. Offer not valid on pre-order items. All merchandise will earn 2x – double reward points. We have added a variety of new items to our inventory.
Customizer Mega Spotlight
Our forum members continue to pump out amazing work at a staggering pace – now’s the time for another spotlight!
First up, forum member YakFace has made a huge splash in the forums with his OT specific customs – you do not want to miss this update – check it out here.
We’ve also got a stellar gallery by forumite my kind of scum, who has posted some very impressive customs as well.
Need to satisfy your Clone Wars fix? Then be sure to check out the latest update by Peakob1, who once again hits another round of customs out of the ballpark.
Last but not least, forum member Stronox updates with a terrifying trio of Sith Lords, which you can join me in drooling over right here!
Toyguide Update: VC105 Emperor’s Royal Guard
The Yakface Toyguide updates resume today with the addition of the Emperor’s Royal Guard (VC105) from the Vintage Collection.
PROS: The Emperor’s Royal Guard gets a full retool for 2012 and the figure is, for the most part, perfect – aside from a few nitpicks of course. The all-new body is fully articulated with 14 POA and well-tailored soft goods robes. He is loaded with accessories as well, allowing it to be displayed as a Royal Guard or as a member of the Royal Guard Academy from the Crimson Empire comic series.
CONS: While the new “ERG” succeeds on most levels, for me, it falls a bit short in a couple of areas. First, I think the color of underlying body is too red and would have looked better in a more maroon color, as used on prior versions, bringing it closer in appearance to the 1983 coloration. Second, despite the fact the figure is trying to pull a two-in-one here, I don’t necessarily like all of the Imperial logos plastered all over it. Finally, it’s a shame that Hasbro didn’t go the full nine yards and give this figure a Kir Kanos-specific likeness -complete with lightsaber scar – but again opted for another generic bearded sculpt.
Head to the toyguide for the full image gallery and to judge for yourself whether this figure is 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.