Monthly Archives: February 2021

And here is The Black Series Archive Grand Admiral Thrawn to finish out February. What a surprise addition to The Black Series Archive line! (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 12!

OK Hasbro, let’s play a game. And it’s probably going to come across as “let’s make a deal.” There is a lot of conspiracy theory, inconsistency, and no follow-through when it comes to The Vintage Collection versus The Black Series line. But one thing is certain. Collectors of super-articulated 3.75″ action figures are growing increasingly frustrated, to the point of weariness. You’ve admitted that the interest in The Vintage Collection and the excitement expressed by collectors has overwhelmed you. You, in so many words, said that you were impressed by the community’s passion in the line and that you’d be doing more for us as time moved forward. That hasn’t come to pass, unfortunately. So, here is what we’re proposing. How about, for one whole product year, you produce whatever you do for The Black Series [Phase IV] 6-inch line for The Vintage Collection 3.75-inch line? (more…)

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Have you checked out the aftermarket values on The Vintage Collection Cara Dune (Carbonized) figure? Wow.

Stop by and check out the latest releases from Gentle Giant: A New Hope Darth Vader Mini Bust, and The Clone Wars Bo-Katan Premier Collection Statue. Both are now available for pre-order.

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The next two cards from the weekly Topps Star Wars Living Set are now out. Featuring the iconic blue starfield and the impressive artwork of Kris Penix, check out Therm Scissorpunch (#181) and Seventh Sister (#182). Each Tuesday, two new cards will be released and be only available for one week. Click here to view the entire Star Wars Living archive, including individual print runs.

After just hearing about these “pipeline” figures in a recent Hasbro livestream, we’re rather surprised to see prototypes already! They look incredible! Head over to our friends at Banthaskull.com for more pictures! I’m very excited for these releases. IG-11 being all-new is shocking in a really good way. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Image courtesy of banthaskull.com

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Yesterday’s The Black Series reveals are now available to pre-order on various online outlets. Click below for links!

• Wrecker (Entertainment Earth, Amazon, Pulse)
• First Order Stormtrooper Electronic Helmet (Entertainment Earth, Pulse)

Get ready for The Bad Batch! Set to debut on Star Wars Day!

Hasbro has just revealed The Black Series [Phase IV] Wrecker figure from The Clone Wars The Bad Batch. Pre-orders coming soon!

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It’s hard to believe after all the drama the Incinerator Trooper went through that you can still buy this troop building figure at retail. The quantity limit is still set to 2 per purchase, but you can combine him with some other figures to still get the free shipping, such as what’s left of the Carbonized Collection. And, if you like to play the lottery, you can always try the figure simply listed as Star Wars-lucas Star Wars Vintage Figures.

It’s almost as if Hasbro doesn’t realize that there is a hit series on Disney+ called The Mandalorian. It’s also almost as if Hasbro doesn’t want their products front and center at Big Box retail. And if we’re honest, it’s almost as if there isn’t a Star Wars toy line at all anymore when it comes to visiting the toy aisle physical retail shops. So why does Hasbro need brick-and-mortar again? (more….)

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Happy Tuesday, Toy Runners! This week’s toy runs have availed me no new figures, however I took the chance to update my shelf displays and would like to share a photo. If you have new finds this week I’d love to see them, but let’s use today’s article to show off your collection! Click here to leave a comment!

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The Walmart exclusive The Vintage Collection Din Djarin & The Child has hit Walmart stores ON CLEARANCE. JTA reader Nathan B. found them for $10 each in the clearance aisle. He writes “I’m in Columbia Missouri. Longtime reader/lurker. They have 50 Din and Child The Vintage Collection for $10. Was so unbelievable to see a shelf like this I thought I would share.” Once again, can The Vintage Collection get a fair shake on anything?

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Society6 extended their Star Wars art selection with a new range available today. Click through to check out their entire line-up for some fun art to decorate your Star Wars rooms.

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Here is The Black Series Archive Clone Commander Cody. What a disappointment! (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 12!

A breathtaking new video has popped up on YouTube, from May 21, 1980 — the day of The Empire Strikes Back’s release — of a Toys R Us featuring industry people as well as customers and employees talking about the Star Wars Kenner toy line. It is one of the most expansive and detailed videos I’ve seen from this time period in Star Wars collecting. I highly suggest checking it out. Special thanks to JTA reader Paul V. for the alert to this beautiful video. Seatbelt yourself in for some precious 1980 special effects! (more….)

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The next two cards from the weekly Topps Star Wars Living Set are now out. Featuring the iconic blue starfield and the impressive artwork of Kris Penix, check out Loth-Cat (#179) and Beru Lars (#180). Each Tuesday, two new cards will be released and be only available for one week. Click here to view the entire Star Wars Living archive, including individual print runs.

Christmas 1983 was one of the greatest years for Star Wars toys. The Return Of The Jedi line included some of the most incredible Star Wars toys ever produced by Kenner. As we quickly approach the 40th Anniversary of the film, we’re going to offer some suggestions for you to produce for us to relive those wonderful days of old. Our next suggestion is The Vintage Collection Sy Snootles And The Max Rebo Band. Kener didn’t release these characters separately in the basic figure line. Instead, they created a special multipack so young kids could acquire the band in one fell swoop. We’re thinking this method would be best for the modern line as well. Either in a specially-boxed multipack or a Special Action Figure Set, we hope Hasbro gives us Sy Snootles And The Max Rebo Band in The Vintage Collection (and all based on the original version of the band, NOT the Special Edtion) for the 40th Anniversary. We should also note that Hasbro must include a puppet version of Sy Snootles!) Special thanks to JTA reader Joey P. for the mock-up artwork!

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Both pre-orders are now live for the Hot Toys Boba Fett sixth scale figures. Click below for the pre-order pages on Sideshow Collectibles’ website

Hot Toys is also releasing a Deluxe Version of Boba Fett from The Mandalorian, complete with a second figure featuring Temuera Morrison’s portrait. Click through for the complete gallery!

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Hot Toys officially reveals Boba Fett as he appeared in his ‘vintage’ armor in season 2 of The Mandalorian. Click through for complete details and gallery images!

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New Zealand Mint’s popular Guards of the Empire Silver Coin Collection continues for 2021 with the fearsome Knights of Ren.

The Knights of Ren were an enclave of masked warriors wielding distinct weapons for ranged and close quarter combat. They were elite, merciless enforcers of Kylo Ren’s dark will. Each one dressed all in black but wore a unique helmet and wielded their own signature weapon. They first appeared in a vision during the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens™ and made their formal debut in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker™, the final instalment of the Skywalker saga.

Click through for complete details…

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Gamestop.com currently has The Vintage Collection Cara Dune in-stock and ready to ship. Thanks to JTA reader Chris for the alert!

UPDATE: This didn’t last long! Now listed as Not Available.

There are some fantastic action figures released or forthcoming in The Vintage Collection. Hasbro does surprise periodically. But there are many others that they haven’t updated yet for the line, which I am finding to be very problematic. I decided to look at each George Lucas-era Star Wars film, one by one, and pick the most obvious omission of a character from the film and not yet represented in The Vintage Collection. Because choosing one character proved almost impossible, I also chose a runner-up, thereby giving two options that are almost equally important for The Vintage Collection’s inclusion. As I tallied everything up, I discovered that Hasbro has a LOT of work to do, unfortunately. And they need to start banging these out right away. (more….)

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One of my favorite Disneyland blogs, Endor Express, shared some wonderful photos of the new Galaxy’s Edge trading post in Downtown Disney, Anaheim.  Will you be going to the outpost any time soon? What exclusive items would you like to buy the most? Let us know in the comments!

Images courtesy of endorexpress.net

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Hot Toys dropped another teaser post, this time giving us a glimpse at their upcoming Bo-Katan sixth scale figure. Look for the full reveal coming soon!

Her armor may have been with her family for three generations, but this collectible figure of the gifted warrior and legendary Mandalorian heiress will join Hot Toys’ Star Wars™ The Mandalorian™ collectible series shortly!

Alright, alright. It’s time to have the talk. We want to know everything you want, but what is the one ALL-NEW item do you believe HASBRO MUST PRODUCE for The Vintage Collection to properly celebrate the Return Of The Jedi 40th Anniversary in 2023? Is it a new Shuttle Tydirium? Is it Sim Aloo or the Max Rebo Band? Or perhaps you want a new Amanaman? Or is it something else they’ve never attacked previously? We want to focus on all-new tooling in this article, but if there is a re-release you’re desperate to see, feel free to mae it known! Let us know in the comments!

Hello, Toy Runners! I’m happy to be back, and today I have another custom figure to share with you. It’s been pretty slow lately with collecting. No new preorders, and nothing being shipped lately. Unless you’ve gotten the most recent TBS/TVC waves earlier than most collectors, we’re in a bit of a lull. What do you do when you’re not getting new toys? Let us know in the comments!

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Hasbro needs to go all-out for the 40th Anniversary of Episode VI. In our continuing series of Return Of The Jedi 40th Anniversary suggestions for Hasbro, we’d like to suggest the Jabba The Hutt Action Playset with a pack-in Oola action figure (on The Vintage Collection packaging). We’d ask that Hasbro put together the dais and accessories from 2010’s Star Wars [Shadow Of The Dark Side] Jabba’s Throne set, the Jabba The Hutt figure from 2015’s TBS [P2] Jabba’s Rancor Pit multipack, and a specially-carded Oola action figure (also from the 2010 set). JTA reader Joey P. put together some mock images of what the set could look like. Let us know how you feel about this idea in our comments!

Tonight we are adding The Black Series [Phase IV] Moff Gideon (TM08) to our Visual Guides. Click below for the full Visual Guide page. You can also read our full review of this figure right here.

My wife was busy with her sister yesterday doing some Star Wars photography of her own and put together a fun little photo session combining one of my favorite things with one of hers. Enjoy some Star Wars Valentines from her and JTA!

Chuck and I had a great time decorating at Christmas with his Star Wars collection.  Since we both love Star Wars, it seemed fitting that we continued it with a Valentine’s holiday that celebrates LOVE.  Thanks to a fantastic Etsy seller, JurneyShop, I was able to find adorable Star Wars themed wooden beads and candles! Nothing says love like droids, Han and Leia, stormtroopers, clone troopers, and battle droids!

Jedi Temple Archives has literally been a part of my entire married life.  From concept to fruition, I could not be prouder of my talented husband.  I may not know all the characters or what movies they are from, but I know that they are amazing…and we both love them all!

Click through for some more fun photos, and if you are trying to talk your significant other into some Star Wars decor, maybe some of the subtle Star Wars stylings of JurneyShop will convince her. 

Courage makes heroes, but trust builds friendship.

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BREAKING NEWS! Also, a production sample of the new The Vintage Collection Princess Leia (Bespin Escape) has hit on Facebook. Special thanks to JTA reader Geeker Things for the alert. Image courtesy of Michael Nads from The Vintage Collection Facebook Group. The figure looks amazing…. but that card art! Yikes!

BREAKING NEWS! A production sample of the new The Vintage Collection Boba Fett on the revised Return Of The Jedi card back (as well as The Child) hits on Facebook. Special thanks to JTA reader Darth Eddie for the alert! Image courtesy of Michael Nads from The Vintage Collection Facebook Group.

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The next two cards from the weekly Topps Star Wars Living Set are now out. Featuring the iconic blue starfield and the impressive artwork of Kris Penix, check out The Armorer (#177) and Slowen Lo (#178). Each Tuesday, two new cards will be released and be only available for one week. Click here to view the entire Star Wars Living archive, including individual print runs.

There are confirmations out there that Hasbro is canceling Cara Dune action figures in The Vintage Collection and The Black Series [Phase III] 6″ lines. Comicbook.com has the story.

You will certainly remember The Vintage Collection drama about Darth Revan. Hasbro originally announced plans to put Revan on a vintage card, but hopes of collectors were dashed when they found out that Revan would be yet another repack of an old sculpt and not a new figure. Fans were unhappy and told Hasbro on fansites what they think about repacking the old Revan.

And then TVC Darth Revan was canceled, because of fan feedback, or so Hasbro said. Collectors felt that Hasbro had actually listened to them and was happy. Someone is claiming to contradict that. New information coming from toy industry veteran Scott Neitlich (he worked at Mattel and has industry contacts) has surfaced that casts the story in a new light and you will not believe what he says happened! Click through for the full story and please sit down, because you may find it hard to believe what I am about to tell you.

Darth Revan

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Do you want to check out a gallery of images of one of Hasbro’s nicest The Black Series [Phase IV] 6″ figures? Moff Gideon is gorgeous! Check it out! (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 12!

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Now that they’ve canceled her character, expect the toys to disappear too. Grab Cara Dune from The Vintage Collection carbonized line before it’s gone forever!!

Our friends over at Jedi News had a Q&A with the Hasbro team and asked the question about the Paploo card back that we brought up a few weeks back. Head over to the full Q&A to find out if any changes are coming… (spoiler alert: they’re not).

A new Boba Fett figure based on his appearance in The Mandalorian is a foregone conclusion, and Hot Toys is the first to make the announcement. While not an official announcement, they instead sent out a teaser image of him featured in his recovered armor. Look for the full announcement soon!

Gina Carano is no longer employed by Lucasfilm. Late Wednesday night the news broke that following a controversial post by Carano on her Instagram Lucasfilm decided to cut all ties with the actress. I will show a screenshot of Gina Carano’s (deleted) controversial Instagram post after the jump and provide some commentary. Before you click through to read the full story I want to remind everyone to be polite and civil in the comments!

We will most likely not see Cara Dune ever again

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Don’t answer that. But, it’s worth pointing out that the solution seems to be quite simple: Don’t offer pre-orders for your exclusives. When you have your exclusives ready to go, put them live on the website ready to ship! The one thing in common for all of the 2020 exclusive mishaps with ordering has been they were all pre-orders. We’ve now seen it with almost all of the 2020 exclusives: plenty of availability once they put them up for ORDER, and NOT pre-order. As of this posting, there are STILL Incinerator troopers available, after all that angst. There is still the Holiday Edition Snowtrooper available, after many pre-order cancelations. And the wave of The Clone Wars TBS figures have been in and out of stock for weeks (The Mandalorian Loyalist is currently available). The TVC Mandalorian and The Child figure set is apparently sold out, but when it WAS finally put “In Stock” last month it was available for almost 2 days, so there was plenty of time to order it. 

So, is this what is happening with their 2021 wave of The Vintage Collection figures? Collectors have been waiting and searching for these to show up for pre-order. But, perhaps they HAVE figured things out and we won’t see these listed in-stock until the time comes that they are ready to ship. In case you missed any of them, here’s the list of 2020 exclusives, some of which are still available, and some that are still fluttering in and out of stock. 

Hasbro, Christmas 1983 was the best Christmas for many young Star Wars fans like myself. The Return Of The Jedi line included some of the greatest Star Wars toys ever produced by Kenner. As we quickly approach the 40th Anniversary of the film, we’re going to offer some suggestions for you to produce for us to relive those wonderful days of old. Our first suggestion is The Vintage Collection Rancor Monster. Please use 2009’s The Legacy Collection Jabba’s Rancor beast, and then include two pack-in figures: The Vintage Collection Malakili (Rancor Keeper), a repaint of 2009’s Legacy Collection BD21 figure, and The Vintage Collection Giran, a repack of 2009’s Legacy Collection BD22 figure. Thank you. A release like this will not only give new collectors a chance to acquire the beautiful rancor beast but also check off another Kenner 96, in addition to getting out a rare figure going for a lot of money on the aftermarket. Thank you.

Hello Toy Runners, it’s Tuesday evening, and a fine time for a TRT. Please click here to post your weekly finds, collections, and customs in the comments!

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Let’s take a somewhat closer look at Hasbro’s earnings report from Monday! What does it actually mean that Star Wars sales grew by 70% (!!!) in 2020? How can Star Wars toy sales even grow so much? It sheds some light on how disappointing sequel trilogy toy sales figures must have been. And how much did HasLab contribute to the 2020 sales growth?
The earnings call was also quite revealing, because Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner (probably inadvertently) officially admits that kids don’t buy action figures! Click through for all the interesting details and a discussion!

Hasbro can be happy

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 According to CNBC, “sales of [Hasbro’s] licensed content from entertainment studios fell 12% to $1.08 billion for the full year, [but] its sales of Star Wars grew by 70% over that period.” That’s a pretty hefty percentage for a single year. What on earth, do you suppose, could have possibly contributed to such an increase in sales? That’s rhetorical, by the way. The article without stating it directly basically says “The Mandalorian was really great for business.” Do you expect Hasbro to increase their product due to these sales? How much do you think The Black Series vs The Razorcrest campaign contributed to these numbers? Let us know what you think in the comments!

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You can go to any Walmart or Target store in your area and find almost every single Hasbro Star Wars product except for The Vintage Collection and The Black Series 6″ lines, save for a few 6″ remnants like Jyn Erso and Janna. And it’s been this way for much too long. What is going on here? How can Hasbro get all of the future and current peg-warming products out to retail with little effort? (more…)

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Good friend and reader Trevor (lemon327th) has just finished with his Instagram give-away of a custom LEGO JTA trooper, and has officially launched his customs store where you can now pick one of these gems up for yourself. Whether you are a LEGO collector or not, a cool little JTA trooper will look good sitting on your desk! Click here to check out his full range of customs for your Grand Army of the Republic! Make sure to use code LEMONS for a site-wide discount.

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Order the Walmart exclusive wave of The Black Series figures:

• Ahsoka Tano
• 332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper
• Mandalorian Super Commando
• Mandalorian Loyalist

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It looks like the Walmart exclusive The Black Series Snowtrooper (Holiday Edition) figure is also back in stock.

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Go Now! The Walmart exclusive Incinerator Trooper is IN STOCK as of this posting!

UPDATE: It’s flashing in and out of stock, so don’t give up and keep checking back! I was finally able to get an order in!

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HURRY! Two of the four Walmart exclusive The Clone Wars 6″ figure are IN STOCK! Special thanks to JTA reader and friend Mark for the alert!

• Mandalorian Super Commando
• Mandalorian Loyalist

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Pre-orders are now open for the Gaming Greats The Black Series Cal Kestis!

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It looks like the Gaming Greats line has finally made the jump to The Black Series [Phase IV] packaging with the reveal of Cal Kestis from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. ForbiddenPlanet.com has this up for pre-order for UK viewers right now. No word on when these will go up at GameStop. A big thanks to our friends at Fanthatracks.com for the alert!

UPDATE: PRE-ORDER THIS FROM GAMESTOP HERE!

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If you are looking for a chance to pick up an extra set or two of the Special Action Figure Set Skiff Guard 3-Pack, head over to GameStop.com! They currently have this for $18.99!

This is part of their $18.99 DAILY DEAL, where they have select figures, all for $18.99. Check out the full selection here!

UPDATE: After many were able to order this set at that price, it seems GameStop.com has now readjusted the price back to $44.99. Let’s hope they honor the sale price for all of us who were able to take advantage of it.  

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The TVC Imperial Death Trooper is available from a third-party seller for $13.00 with FREE two-day shipping. There is limited stock. Once they’re gone, they’ll be available from Walmart for $17.68. Special thanks to JTA reader and friend Mark for the alert!

The Stormtrooper Star Wars Toybox figure is finally here! Check it out! (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 12!

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The next two cards from the weekly Topps Star Wars Living Set are now out. Featuring the iconic blue starfield and the impressive artwork of Kris Penix, check out Bantha (#175) and Tusken Raider (#176). Each Tuesday, two new cards will be released and be only available for one week. Click here to view the entire Star Wars Living archive, including individual print runs.

The Mandalorian received a nomination as “Best Television Series (Drama)” for the upcoming Golden Globes earlier today! The other nominees in the category are “The Crown”, “Ozark”, “Ratched” and “Lovecraft Country”.
Last year The Mandalorian was completely overlooked by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that awards the Golden Globes. The HFPA is an organization of ca. 90 foreign journalists who report on US entertainment news for foreign media.
Do you still care about these award shows? The Golden Globes have somewhat of a shifty reputation in entertainment circles, because a club of fewer than 100 journalists from countries like Russia, India, South Korea, Bangladesh, Austria or Germany decide on who wins what and earning a membership in the organization is somewhat of an intransparent process. But a Golden Globe win is still coveted by most in Hollywood. However, the only memorable thing about last year’s Golden Globes was certainly Ricky Gervais’ roast of Hollywood actors and few probably remember any of the winners. Unfortunately Gervais won’t host the show this year, instead Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will co-host. The Golden Globes will be awarded on February 28th. Will you watch the show to see if The Mandalorian can win?

Golden Globe Award

The Darth Vader Star Wars Toybox figure is a retool of the first version. This time it has a new head sculpt. Why didn’t they just re-release it under the same number? (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 12!

LEGO customizer and JTA reader Trevor (lemon327th) has made in our honor a custom-designed LEGO JTA Clone Trooper and is giving one of them away via his Instagram account. Head over to give him a follow and see what you need to do to get ahold of this cool trooper design! And, on Friday he’s launching his store page to showcase all of his work, including the unique JTA trooper. So, if you don’t win, you can certainly still army-build a JTA Clone Trooper Legion (I know what will be going on my desk soon). Great job Trevor! We love it!

Hello Toy Runners! We return to our regular weekly programming of Toy Run Tuesday, and today I have a couple photos of a custom figure I’m working on. You’ll get to see some behind the scenes photos of a more in-depth custom. It may be shocking to behold! Or not. Just click here to take a look for yourself.

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The General Grievous Star Wars Toybox figure is excellent. See why you may want one for your collection. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 12!