Tonight at my local Target (Champlin, MN) I managed to score the exclusive Fighter Pods Tin. The packaging is presented similar to how the TAC Commemorative Tins were issued and includes 10 exclusives, 8 Series 1 reissues and 6 black/red Fighter Pods balls. You can check out our exclusive image gallery for this set on Facebook.
Toys’R’Us has the exclusive Speeder Bike with Scout Trooper in stock and at Buy one, get one 50% off. Stock up your Imperial Forces today!
UPDATE: Sold Out
Thanks to a report from our friend DarthChuck, collectors of the Fighter Pods line can expect to see the Target Exclusive Darth Maul Tin (087-06-1178) in stores the week of October 10.
Reports are surfacing all over with finds of the Kmart Exclusive Ewok Scouts and Endor AT-ST Crew sets hitting stores. A special thanks to my friend Jeff over at JediDefender for securing a set for me.
For fans of the Fighter Pods out there (all 1% of you), I found the blind “Mystery” bags for Series 3 at my local Target this morning. Collectors of this line will want to be on the hunt for these 5 exclusive Fighter Pods Rampage figures (only found in Series 3 bags): Super Battle Droid, Luke Skywalker (Endor Gear)*, Wicket W. Warrick, Scout Trooper and Jawa.
UPDATE: The packaging for the Fighter Pods is incorrect as it shows the X-Wing Luke Skywalker (with blaster) as exclusive for these bags, that figure is actually exclusive to the Series 3 X-Wing Vs TIE Fighter set.
After my suggestion via twitter that Hasbro should have included an alternate display arm for the Speeder Bike to pose them at varying heights, I realized they inadvertently did! If you assemble the cannon base in its tripod configuration, you can mount the speeders right on top. I’ve added 3 more images to the toyguide entry to showcase this discovery.
The Yakface Toyguide updates resume today with the addition of the Target Exclusive Darth Maul Returns Battle Pack from 2012 “Darth Maul” Collection and The Clone Wars.
PROS: This set is a bit of an anomaly but a welcome change from Hasbro as this set not only includes 2 all-new figures but a repack of a hard-to-find figure as well in the armored Savage Opress. Couple that with the fact that this set is (currently) only $19.99 make for a lot of happy collectors. The designs of the new “cyborg” Darth Maul and Nightsister are excellent in both articulation and deco – areas that have been points of consternation with fans of Clone Wars line. On an accessory note, the lightsabers can be removed from the red “spinning force attack” accessory and assembled into Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber. If you’d like to see how the spinning accessory works, check out our YouTube page.
CONS: There are very few issues will this set but there are 2 that are pretty obvious and consistently noted among collectors of this line. The first is the fact that we aren’t given a proper Mother Talzin, which is surprising considering her importance to this story arc. Hasbro explained this as not having enough lead time to develop a proper figure given the fluidity of the design changes for the show. The second is that collectors have wanted another chance at the armored Savage and thankfully we got it, but sadly without his signature lightsaber from his earlier basic card release.
Head to the toyguide for the full image gallery and to judge for yourself whether this set 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.
Toys”R”Us is having a special sale this week on LEGO and Hasbro action figures, vehicles and rollplaying items. All LEGO construction sets are 30% off and the Hasbro Star Wars items are Buy one get one 50% off – perfect for those looking for the new Speeder Bike and Battle Packs!
We’ve have received reports that the Target Exclusive Darth Maul Returns Battle Pack has started hitting retail on the west coast (California) the east coast (Florida) and in the southwest (Arizona and Texas). Happy hunting (087-06-1175)!
Entertainment Earth announced via Twitter today that they will be offering a new Star Wars exclusive next week on Wednesday. Any guess as to what it might be???