Looking for older news posts?
Be sure to visit our News archive!
Anyone familar with “Betteridges’ Law of Headlines” will immediately know the answer to the question… so spoiler: no. They haven’t. Sure, they made money with Star Wars, quite a bit, but they paid $4.05 billion for Lucasfilm in 2012, which has to be recouped before you can talk about actual profits. For the first time (I believe it is the first time) it’s not some YouTuber who is eternally angry which can be used as a source for this, but Forbes magazine! However, since Forbes only covers the movies I will add other things like merchandise, video games and, well, everything!
All the Star Wars movies and many Disney+ shows are produced in the UK. The reason for that is tax incentives. However, this also means Disney has to provide detailed financial statements in the UK and those are public, i.e. if you know the names of the production companies (think Blue Harvest) you can easily look up how much money Disney/Lucasfilm actually spent on something, and this includes all the movies and various shows. And those numbers are quite… something. If you thought movie budgets at Disney and Lucasfilm are out of control… you ain’t seen nothing yet!
Money sinkhole
 |
|
|
LEGO is already gearing up for Star Wars Day with several new releases and GWP (Gift With Purchase) items. Click through for the complete listing.
|
|
|
Things go boom in this week’s episode of The Bad Batch! In “Juggernaut” the team once again tries to find out the location of Tantiss, for the n-th time this season, but this time for reals! It turns out Crosshair knows of yet another way to locate Tantiss… something he failed to mention all this time before “because”. So off we go! Meanwhile Omega is back in the lab on Tantiss and gets a full tour of the facility by Dr Hemlock who turns out to be a graduate of the Dr Evil Medical School for Aspiring Villains. And someone please give Emerie Carr a long, long hug, this episode proves she needs one! So there are things to talk about this week… primarily about how stupid (Disney) Star Wars can be… even if entertaining on the surface! Click here or on the banner for the my full spoiler review of Juggernaut and let’s discuss the latest The Bad Batch episode!
|
|
|
Walmart is clearing out more figures at low prices, this time the Carbonized The Vintage Collection figures. Click below to take advantage of some great prices:
Update: Prices dropped again
- The Armorer (Carbonized) –
$6.78$6.03 - Shoretrooper (Carbonized) –
$6.99$6.19 - Moff Gideon (Carbonized) –
$5.31$4.89 - Incinerator Trooper (Carbonized) –
$7.92$6.89
|
|
|
Just in case you have not checked out Steve Evans’ latest The Vintage Collection checklist, he’s added all of the latest announcements. The previously skipped VC271 will be the single-carded Dark Trooper release. Head over to check out all the latest additions.
|
|
|
Ubisoft dropped their brand new story trailer for Star Wars: Outlaws today! Release date for the open world (galaxy…) game is August 30th!
The trailer tells you about the basic setup, Kay crossed some underworld bigwig and yet another scoundrel wants her to steal something from him to buy her freedom. But the trailer also hints at being more to Kay than meets the eye… The trailer is mostly about the very basic setup, we also know now when the game is set: between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Which means Kay could cross paths with a few famous people in her adventures… In fact, one (technically speaking two) are already seen in the trailer, Han in Carbonite and Jabba, whom Kay meets on Tatooine.
Ubisoft will offer three day early access if you buy the ultimate or gold edition of the game which will also come with the season pass. I remember a time when early access aka “beta testing” was free… now it’s a privilege. Anyway… in my opinion the game looks very, very promising, Ubisoft can be accused of many things, but open world design is usually their forte, even if recent missteps like Skull & Bones were pretty disastrous, but if Outlaws is anything like the Assassin’s Creed / Watch Dogs / Far Cry games (only with better (side) quest design and less repetitive) this could be the Star Wars game people have been looking for.
Are you interested in Outlaws? Will you want to play the game? Click through for the trailer!
They REALLY love Tatooine…
|
|
|
Micro Galaxy Squadron collectors can pick up the Evasive Action Battle Pack for $18.09 on Walmart.com. Thanks to JTA reader Mike for the alert!
|
|
|
Holy smokes! The Vintage Collection Jango Fett Deluxe figure is about as perfect as action figures become these days. Aside from the price and its lack of accessories, it is flawless. (more….)
|
|
|
The Black Series [Phase IV] Darth Maul (Old Master) figure mainly uses existing parts, but there is some newness here too. The figure turned out well. (more….)
|
|
|
The Black Series [Phase IV] Darth Vader figure is old but still lovely. What’s up with its single-digit assortment number when it’s a mainline release? (more….)
Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!
|
|
|
Pre-orders are now open for the Hot Toys Sixth Scale Anakin Skywalker (Clone Wars) figure. Head over to Sideshow Collectibles for the pre-order page.
|
|
|
Hot Toys unveils their latest sixth scale figure: Anakin Skywalker (Clone Wars) (TMS129), as seen in the Ahsoka Clone Wars flashback scenes. Click through for details and gallery images.
|
|
|
The Black Series [Phase IV] The Mandalorian (Mines Of Mandalore) figure is nice, but it looks like a lot of other figures from “The Mandalorian.” (more….)
|
|
|
Another The Bad Batch double feature this week! And a lot of things happen for a change. We even get the best season 3 episode thus far, and of course it’s about someone other than Omega or the Bad Batch (just like in season 2). And the series also goes full circle… so there’s lots to discuss this week! Click on the banner or here to read my spoiler review of Identity Crisis / Point Of No Return and let’s discuss the latest two episodes!
|
|
|
Just announced, Tales of the Empire will feature six all-new animated shorts. Similar in style to Tales of the Jedi, these shorts are set to premiere on May 4th. Get the full details here, and click through to watch the trailer!
Tags: Promotional Poster, Tales of the Empire (Disney+ Series), Trailers
|
|
|
The Black Series [Phase IV] Anakin Skywalker figure based on The Phantom Menace looks excellent, but does it have enough things? (more….)
|
|
|
It’s time for another mini pre-order day. Click below to pre-order the WonderCon The Black Series and The Vintage Collection reveals:
The Vintage Collection
- Kanan Jarrus (Entertainment Earth • Amazon)
- Ezra Bridger (Hero of Lothal) (Entertainment Earth • Amazon)
- Garezeb “Zeb” Orrelios (Deluxe Packaging) (Entertainment Earth)
- The Vintage Collection Wave 5 (Includes Kanan Jarrus & Ezra Bridger)
The Black Series
- Momaw Nadon (Entertainment Earth)
|
|
|
The Black Series [Phase IV] Cad Bane figure based on The Book Of Boba Fett turned out exceptionally well. (more….)
|
|
|
Hot Toys announced a The Power of the Dark Side-themed touring exhibition starting this month. They are making their first stop at Cityplaza in Hong Kong from April 27th to June 2nd. Their latest promo teases both Revan and Lord Starkiller!
The Power of the Dark Side is beyond comprehension…Hot Toys will unveil a new touring exhibition certain to seduce all with a taste for power! “Star Wars: The Power of the Dark Side” shall open its doors this April and none shall remain uncorrupted within its walls! In the cities of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, Shanghai and more, all who enter will be granted an audience with the icons who have shaped this era of shadow! (How many of these characters can you recognize?)
Tags: Hot Toys: Sixth Scale Figures, Sixth Scale Figures, The Power of the Dark Side
|
|
|
The Black Series [Phase IV] Padmé Amidala figure is another perfect release. Will this open the floodgates for other much-needed Prequel Trilogy characters? (more….)
|
|
|
Walmart has also dropped the TVC Speeder Bike and Scout Trooper down to $18.03. Click here to take advantage of the deal!
Tags: Price Drop, Speeder Bike & Scout Trooper, The Vintage Collection, Walmart.com
|
|
|
Walmart has dropped prices even lower on a few The Black Series figures. Click below if you still need these:
- Boba Fett (Tython) Jedi Ruins – $8.38
- Boba Fett (Credit Collection) – $7.93
- KX Security Droid (Holiday Edition) – $14.55
- 1-JAC – $14.55
- Scout Trooper and Grogu (Holiday Edition) – $14.80
- Vice Admiral Rampart – $9.97
- Imperial Officer (Dark Times) – $13.98
- Clone Shock Trooper – $11.41
UPDATE: more figures added to clearance, and prices dropped again
Tags: Credit Collection, Price Drop, The Black Series [Phase IV], Walmart.com
|
|
|
Hasbro announced several new figures today from The Vintage Collection and The Black Series at today’s WonderCon panel. Pre-orders will go up on April 3rd at 1PM Eastern:
The Vintage Collection
- Kanan Jarrus (VC318)
- Ezra Bridger (Hero of Lothal) (VC319)
- Garezeb “Zeb” Orrelios (Deluxe Packaging)
The Black Series
- Momaw Nadon (ANH07) (Fan Channel Exclusive)
Head to LaughingPlace.com for more details and images
Update: Click through to watch the entire panel
|
|
|
Iron Studios’ 1:10 Scale Night Trooper completes this display trio to create a very nice diorama. Click through for complete details and images.
|
|
|
The Iron Studios update features Grand Admiral Thrawn from Star Wars: Ahsoka. Get all the details after the jump!
This is available to pre-order at Sideshow Collectibles.
|
|
|
Toy Reviews
