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Hasbro tried once before to show tribute towards The Phantom Menace with the Star Wars [The Phantom Menace 3D] line. It quickly became known as the “TPM 3D Debacle of 2012.” Rumors still abound today that retail was fooled into believing the 3D release of Episode I was an all-new Star Wars film. Because of this belief, they over-ordered product which resulted in typically nothing beyond wave 1 of any toy assortment ever making it to shelves. Even wave 10 of The Vintage Collection blocked the flow of future assortments (for nearly the rest of the 2012 calendar year). We say all that to ask you if Hasbro should do something to celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary (more than what’s been done already)? We’re gearing up for our little tribute here, but should there be a couple of waves of figures that pay homage to the first film in the Prequel Trilogy? Or should everyone let sleeping dogs lie? Is it time to refresh everyone’s interest in The Phantom Menace? Or is that not possible at this point?
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Army-building changed forever with the release of Entertainment Earth’s exclusive 2005 OTC Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack sets. Let’s conclude with the Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [Colored With Battle Damage] set. It’s the focus of our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.
![Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [Colored With Battle Damage]](/galleries/2019/Review_CloneTrooperTroopBuilder4PackDOTC/Review_CloneTrooperTrooperBuilder4PackDOTD_storyboard.jpg "Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [Colored With Battle Damage]")
Tags: 3.75" Super-Articulated, Battle Of Geonosis, Clone Trooper (Phase I), Clone Trooper Captain, Clone Trooper Commander, Clone Trooper Lieutenant, Clone Trooper Officer, Clone Trooper Sergeant, Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack, Phase I Clone Trooper, Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, The Original Trilogy Collection
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You can now pre-order several figures from The Vintage Collection wave 22 on Amazon for $12.99 each. Thanks to JTA reader Michael for the alert!
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While everyone was busy recovering from Celebration, Master & Apprentice made its way to door-steps on Tuesday. If you haven’t ordered it yet, make sure to swing by your local book shop to grab it, or order it right here on Amazon.Â
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Wow! You can pre-order most of The Black Series [Phase III] 6″ figures on Amazon right now for the low price of $17.99 each. Special thanks to friend Colin for the alert!
Tags: 6" Figures, Affiliate Advertising, Amazon, The Black Series [Phase III]
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Most people here will probably remember the discussion about Kathleen Kennedy wearing a “The Force Is Female” t-shirt.
YouTube Channel Steele Wars did interview Kathleen Kennedy during SWCC and she was asked about that. And a very interesting tidbit was revealed: Kathleen Kennedy was genuinely surprised that that was even a topic or controversial, she didn’t know about any of the fan discussions. She then goes on and sets the record straight: the Force is in all of us (maybe even your cat). If you rewind the interview to the beginning you will also learn that Lucasfilm didn’t really have a plan for the whole trilogy, Kathleen Kennedy admits it in a very roundabout way, but it’s obvious that whatever plan they did have evolved a lot. .
The Steele Wars YouTube channel also revealed that Daisy Ridley really cannot get behind the idea of “ReyLo” (to the major disappointment of ReyLo fans everywhere, most certainly). The Steele Wars SWCC interviews are quite informative, so maybe check out some of the other videos as well. You can also find interviews with JJ Abrams, John Boyega, Naomie Ackie, Oscar Isaac and Anthony Daniels.
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There are still some new SWCC interviews released. In this one here MTV News talks to JJ Abrams about how much the plans for the trilogy have changed since the beginning. JJ Abrams gives a very roundabout reply (which basically means: yes).
JJ Abrams also mentions in the interview that they weren’t looking to play games with audiences. Not every last little secret may be demystified, but they knew they had to give fans a satisfying conclusion. Also: JJ Abrams feigns surprise when it’s mentioned that Ben Solo is the only Skywalker left and that it must be him therefore that rises. JJ would never confirm or deny anything here, in true JJ fashion, but it begs the question if JJ has some other Skywalker in mind. JJ outright circled around the question if we will learn more about Rey’s backstory in IX. And he also confirms once more that he consulted with George Lucas before he even began writing the movie.
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Although Hasbro is going through a learning curve with “photorealistic” technology for The Vintage Collection figures, most collectors agree what an incredible enhancement it is to the line. But now that Hasbro updated four action figure 2010 with this glorious new deco approach, it makes us want other figures updated with this beautiful enhancement too. As long as Hasbro keeps the “repacked” case assortments out of the main line and separate as they did for the first four figures, I think this could work out well for everyone.
As you know, we recently reviewed all four updated figures HERE. But are there other action figures from the first phase of The Vintage Collection that you’d like to see updated as well? Are some characters more important than others? Keep in mind that we’re only talking about human likenesses here, as they’re the only figures that Hasbro can implement this technology right now. So that should help to narrow down the candidates.
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Army-building changed forever with the release of Entertainment Earth’s exclusive 2005 OTC Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack sets. Let’s continue with the Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [Colored Without Battle Damage] next. It’s the focus of our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.
![Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [Colored Without Battle Damage]](/galleries/2019/Review_CloneTrooperTroopBuilder4PackCOTC/Review_CloneTrooperTroopBuilder4PackCOTC_storyboard.jpg "Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [Colored Without Battle Damage]")
Tags: 3.75" Super-Articulated, Battle Of Geonosis, Clone Trooper (Phase I), Clone Trooper Captain, Clone Trooper Commander, Clone Trooper Lieutenant, Clone Trooper Officer, Clone Trooper Sergeant, Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack, Phase I Clone Trooper, Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, The Original Trilogy Collection
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Check out some of the amazing custom cars, dubbed Road Squadron, on display just at the edge of the main convention center exhibit hall.
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It seems the prop builders from around the world outdo themselves every Celebration! This year was no exception as we were treated to a full-scale X-wing Fighter and a walk-through of the Millenium Falcon, just to name a few. Here’s a look at many of the props and photo ops from around the main hall.
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This year’s theme at the Diorama Builders Workshop was the Battle of Scarif. Click through to check out some of the Day 5 build gallery images of this amazing and fun feature at Celebration!
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Fandango interviewed JJ Abrams at SWCC and he talked a bit about The Force Awakens, and adresses the criticism that the movie was too similar to A New Hope. According to Abrams they didn’t set out to copy any one Star Wars movie on purpose. Then he goes on and talks about what it meant to write the script for The Rise of Skywalker and how they (meaning JJ Abrams and Chris Terio) very much wanted to make sure that they are not inadvertently influenced by one thing for Episode IX. According to Abrams it was not about “let’s choose that one and make a riff on that”, which is a concern that was voiced by many fans. But still, according to Abrams The Rise of Skywalker is the culmination of Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and it was their job to figure out how exactly it accomplishes that. You can watch the entire (quite short) interview on Fandango’s Twitter page or by clicking on the image below!
Click the image for the interview clip
Tags: Fandango, Interview, JJ Abrams, Star Wars Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
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The Celebration exclusive LEGO Darth Vader Bust is up at Target. Cost is $39.99 and is one per Redcard holder. Order at TARGET.com. Special thanks to JTA reader John L. for the alert!
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Star Wars Celebration Chicago may have ended, but we have a few more galleries to post for our coverage. Check out our trip to the Droid Builders room, always an amazing experience! Get the full gallery right here!
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Army-building changed forever with the release of Entertainment Earth’s exclusive 2005 OTC Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack sets. Let’s continue with the Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [White With Battle Damage] next. It’s the focus of our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.
![Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [White With Battle Damage]](/galleries/2019/Review_CloneTrooperTroopBuilder4PackBOTC/Review_CloneTrooperTroopBuilder4PackBOTC_storyboard.jpg "Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [White With Battle Damage]")
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MTV News interviewed Kathleen Kennedy and she briefly talks about the things they are looking at, now that the Skywalker saga is coming to an end with Episode IX. Kathleen Kennedy mentions in the interview that some of the new characters from the last three movies (it’s not clear if she merely refers to the sequel trilogy here or the actual last three movies which include Solo and Rogue One) may return in future projects.
She also talks about a 10-year plan for Star Wars which she is discussing with Benioff & Weiss and Rian Johnson.
Knights of the Old Republic is also touched upon briefly and Kathleen Kennedy confirms that they are talking about that all the time and that they are “developing something to look at”, without going into specifics. And lastly, Kathleen Kennedy also says that they have to be careful, that there needs to be a cadence with Star Wars, that it must not start to feel like too much. Kennedy then admits that they tried with Solo, to see if two movies a year might work, and she admits that it didn’t. But check out the full interview for yourself, you can see the clip on the MTV News Twitter feed (or click the image to go there directly). So, what do you think? Do you like the prospect of a KOTOR project and the idea of seeing some Disney era characters return in future movies (or series)? And of course there’s the prospect of a Rian Johnson trilogy. Latest news here is that whatever Johnson and Benioff & Weiss are doing will be closely coordinated.
Click the image for the video clip
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All of the videos shown during the Mandalorian Panel at Star Wars Celebration have finally made it to YouTube in somewhat good quality. This is your chance to watch the two behind the scenes reels shown during the panel, the exclusive Mandalorian trailer and also the exclusive 5 minute preview of the pilot episode directed by Dave Filoni! Effects work for some of the footage has not been finished yet apparently, but this will give you a good idea of what to expect. In my opinion The Mandalorian is absolutely on the right track, the look and feel of this show should make almost all fans very happy.
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The Walmart exclusive TVC Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) figure has been found at a brick and mortar store in Virginia. I suppose it’s possible these could be returns from online, but it’s aesthetically pleasing to see them hanging from the shelves to cover up so much junk behind it. Special thanks to JTA reader Thomas N. for the image and news!
Tags: Hasbro, Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard), The Vintage Collection, Walmart
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Walmart online has also added new figures to its pages, including the two featured below.
Tags: 6" Figures, Affiliate Advertising, Hasbro, The Black Series [Phase III], The Black Series Archive, Walmart
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File under: Why Walmart should not have Hasbro Star Wars exclusives. Ouch! What’s the deal with the Walmart exclusive Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) figure for $32.50 at Walmart.com? I can’t wait for the Jabba’s Palace (Adventure Set) to list for $124.99!
Tags: 3.75" Super-Articulated, Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard), The Vintage Collection
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Without a doubt, the best The Vintage Collection reveal for me is the convention exclusive Luke Skywalker three-pack. This set is the treatment the greatest hero of the Star Wars saga deserves. But I can’t help but think one way this set could have been improved. (more….)
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Army-building changed forever with the release of Entertainment Earth’s exclusive 2005 OTC Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack sets. Let’s begin with the Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [White Without Battle Damage] first. It’s the focus of our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.
![Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [White Without Battle Damage]](/galleries/2019/Review_CloneTrooperTroopBuilder4PackAOTC/Review_CloneTrooperTroopBuilder4PackAOTC_storyboard.jpg "Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [White Without Battle Damage]")
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We are wrapping up things on the convention floor with our final costuming And convention gallery! Click through for a look at cosplay and events from the final day of Celebration Chicago.
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We stopped by the ANOVOS booth and checked out what they had to show off this year. Click through for our full gallery!
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Check out what Bandai was showing off at their booth. Get the full gallery after the jump!
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Now, that may surprise some, but the next Star Wars Celebration will be held in Anaheim next year already. So what things could Lucasfilm show off in 2020? Season 2 of The Mandalorian? The Cassian Andor show? The Obi-Wan series? Something new and unexpected? Will you attend? I suppose this is the perfect excuse to visit Galaxy’s Edge and to spend some time with your fellow Star Wars fans!
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The MPAA released its annual report a short while ago. Unfortunately, since Solo failed to make the top five highest grossing movies of 2018, the MPAA report doesn’t offer a more detailed breakdown of the movie’s demographics, something we still had for The Last Jedi. However, the MPAA report has also a segment on home media performance. And here we can see how well The Last Jedi and Solo did. So click through for more info!
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The Star Wars Resistance panel was also held today at Star Wars Celebration Chicago. And while the livestream suddenly cut away from the panel, just as the the first episode of season 2 was about to be screened, we do have at least the poster to show you.
Click for much larger version
Apparently Tam will be a First Order cadet named DT-533 in season 2, which is supposed to pick up right after season 1 ended, with the Colossus in space and Tam with the First Order. Not much else is known at the moment, but more news will certainly leak. Will you follow season 2 of Resistance which will air later in 2019? I think season 1 was more or less entertaining, but had too many filler episodes in which nothing of consequence happened. Maybe things will pick up speed in season 2, now that the First Order is invading the galaxy and with the Colossus in space.
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The Phantom Menace Panel was held at Star Wars Celebration just a short while ago and during the panel a video message by George Lucas for the fans was played. You can watch it here:
So The Phantom Menace is still one of George’s favorite movies and Jar-Jar is his favorite character. While some fans may disagree with him, he, as the creator, sees things from a different perspective and while The Phantom Menace has its faults, it still gave us many iconic scenes and even a few iconic characters. It was the Star Wars of a new generation. Not too much unlike the current sequel trilogy. Time will tell how we look back at the sequels in 20 years from now. What are your thoughts about The Phantom Menace? Were you there on release day? What do you remember? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
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Many of you are curious to learn more about the “clean variation” of the TVC Stormtrooper (Mimban) figure that showed up on tunghori’s eBay store recently. We received our sample and added images of it to our gallery in the RDR including comparison shots. Simply put, this clean version of the Mimban Stormtrooper should give us a pretty good idea of what to expect from the upcoming TVC Rogue One Stormtrooper. It’s without any battle-damage markings at all and possesses a bone-white color which makes it unique to the other Imperial Stormtrooper action figures received to date, and we’re glad to have the figure in our collections now. The figure, to date, has not returned to this eBay seller’s store. Check out the update gallery HERE. You can still order this figure HERE at Walmart.com too.
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Want to see what Hallmark has on hand at SWCC? Get the full gallery after the jump!
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The Vintage Collection repacks with new “photorealistic” deco are BACK IN STOCK at Amazon!
Click HERE for Darth Vader
Click HERE for Han Solo (Echo Base)
Click HERE for Luke Skywalker (Endor)
Click HERE for Princess Leia (Hoth)
Tags: 3.75" Super-Articulated, Affiliate Advertising, Amazon, The Vintage Collection
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I originally reported that the short interview with Tom Kane had been cut from the official recording of the livestream on the Star Wars YouTube channel. Several people commented that the clip is missing, I checked the recording by scrubbing through it two or three times and didn’t find it. But apparently it’s still there. Maybe I was just blind and didn’t see it. Anyway, you can find the clip around the 6 hour 36 minute mark. Nothing was deleted. Apologies for the confusion! 🙂
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Are you excited for The Rise Of Skywalker? Then be sure to get the official t-shirt. Amazon has multiple colors listed for $22.99 each!
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Toy Reviews
