Monthly Archives: September 2021

On to the next Visions short! The Elder is a rather simple tale about a Jedi master and his padawan and their encounter with a Sith, but it’s pretty well done. So let’s talk about The Elder!

Sayonara!

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We don’t have the energy to complain about The Black Series 50th Anniversary Luke Skywalker figure on the front page, so if you want to hear more negativity about these exclusive, click through. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 13!

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Pre-orders are open for the latest Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary The Black Series release George Lucas (In Stormtrooper Disguise). Click below for pre-order links!

• Entertainment Earth
• Amazon
• Hasbro Pulse
• GameStop

Poster art with the official release date has landed on the official Star Wars social media pages. Look for The Book of Boba Fett to debut this December 29th!

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The Photo Real update on The Black Series 50th Anniversary Han Solo is a nice update, but does the upgrade make the figure worthy of your repurchase of it? (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 13!

Long-time JTA reader Tim W. found the latest The Vintage Collection figures at his local Target! Teebo, Emperor Palpatine, IG-11, and the long-awaited Lando Calrissian make up the wave! They’re out there folks! Click through for more!

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Lucky collectors are locating Antoc Merrick’s X-Wing Fighter at their local Target stores (if you even know who this character is). Be on the lookout. Thank you to JTA reader Jeffrey S> for the report!

JTA reader Derek H. came across an interesting find at his local Target. These were available for a limited time online, so it’s likely a return. It’s interesting to see a convention exclusive in a retail store, however.

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You can now pre-order the GameStop exclusive The Black Series RC-1138 (Boss)! Click here for the pre-order page.

This post contains affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, JTA may receive a commission if you click and make a purchase.

Lucasfilm continues to celebrate 50 years with another Vintage-style The Black Series release: George Lucas (In Stormtrooper Disguise), paying homage to the creator himself. Featured in a The Black Series 6-Inch Vintage Card Back, replicating the 2006 mail-away exlusive, look for this to go up for pre-order on Amazon on September 29 at 1 PM Eastern (link not yet active). StarWars.com has the full story.

T0-B1 is yet another wildly different take on Star Wars. The short revolves around a droid called, you guess it, T0-B1 who becomes a Jedi… yes you heard that right. So let’s talk about T0-B1!

Pinocchio Wars

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This week I got some new toys! One in particular is a modern update to a vintage Star Wars collectible I’ve wanted for a long time. I’m really happy I got this as it showed up on Hasbro’s eBay store only for a short time, and I wasn’t able to secure the vintage counterpart before the value shot up recently. Check it out by clicking here!

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Hasbro placed the worst figure from the original The Black Series 6-inch line on the worst Star Wars action figure card art. It’s literally a lose-lose situation with the Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary Greedo figure. Why Hasbro? Why? (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 13!

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Entertainment Earth is celebrating their own Mando Monday with the launch of The Mandalorian products from Funko, Loungefly, and Picnic Time. This includes TWO Entertainment Earth Exclusive Pop! Vinyls! Click through for the full line-up. 

• The Mandalorian Dark Trooper with Grogu Glow-in-the-Dark Pop! Vinyl Figure – Entertainment Earth Exclusive
• The Mandalorian Hologram Glow-in-the-Dark Pop! Vinyl Figure – Entertainment Earth Exclusive
• The Mandalorian The Child Using the Force Deluxe Pop! Vinyl Figure with Lights and Sound
• The Mandalorian Boba Fett and Fennec Shand Pop! Moment
• The Mandalorian Marshal Pop! Vinyl Figure
• The Mandalorian Fennec Shand Pop! Vinyl Figure
• The Mandalorian Luke with Child Pop! Vinyl Figure
• Star Wars Original Trilogy Enamel Pin 3-Pack – Entertainment Earth Exclusive
• Star Wars Animated Series Enamel Pin 3-Pack – Entertainment Earth Exclusive
• The Mandalorian Series Logo Enamel Pin – Entertainment Earth Exclusive
• Rogue One Logo Enamel Pin – Entertainment Earth Exclusive
• The Mandalorian Grogu Always Hungry On-the-Go Lunch Cooler Bag – Entertainment Earth Exclusive
• The Mandalorian Mythosaur Skull Cutting and Serving Board – Entertainment Earth Exclusive

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Fans of Republic Commando get to look forward to the addition of RC-1138 (Boss) to The Black Series Gaming Greats line, exclusively at Gamestop. A big thanks to our friends at Jedi News for the alert!

There is almost universal praise for The Ninth Jedi. And for good reason. The 21 minute short is an ideal starting point for a true Star Wars sequel. If you ignored all Star Wars Visions shorts so far make an exception for The Ninth Jedi, it is the Star Wars fans deserve! So let’s talk about The Ninth Jedi!

When not everything turns out the way you expect it

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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 Sio Bibble (#241) and Paploo (#242). 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.

For me, the “in the pipeline” reveal of Figrin D’an in The Vintage Collection was one of the highlights of Hasbro’s latest fan event presentation. One of the most notoriously overlooked characters from A New Hope that never made it into the Kenner line (the closest we got was a painting of them in the Creature Cantina playset), the modern line didn’t do us that many favors either. The action figures of these characters were either exclusive releases, grouped in a multipack, or came in a white box without any fancy packaging. The Vintage Collection Figrin D’an will be the first carded Bith character in the basic figure line…. ever. How amazing is that? Its inclusion also makes me want to ask a few questions to Hasbro. (more….)

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Since The Legacy Collection, Jedi Temple Archives has made consistent noise about the lack of updated characters from The Original Trilogy Collection and The Saga Collection “Vintage” lines. In response, Hasbro has always felt that the figures in these lines are generally good, and while some could use updating, they hold up well. (more….)

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After the frantic The Twins, The Village Bride chooses a much calmer, serene tone for its story. But is the short any good? Let’s talk about episode four of Star Wars Visions: The Village Bride!

わたしはジェダイ!

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Oh man, Hasbro opened a can of worms with the newly revealed DROIDS Boba Fett, See-Threepio (C-3PO), and Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2) for The Vintage Collection. Not only have we pleaded for Hasbro to produce these for us in a 3.75-inch scale for years now, but we’ve also been working behind the scenes suggesting TVC product concepts with major retailers. We’re glad to see this brainstorm come to fruition. (more…)

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The third Star Wars Visions short, The Twins, may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s not only a huge improvement over the previous short, at its core it’s also actually pretty intriguing. Let’s talk about The Twins!

Cutting a star destroyer in half with a lightsaber is a thing now

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The amazing Target exclusive The Vintage Collection and The Black Series Droids figures will be going up for pre-order at Target this morning at 9 AM Eastern. Links will go live once the product page is active. Good luck… You’re gonna need it.

UPDATE: PRE-ORDERS ARE SOLD OUT!

• The Vintage Collection Droids Artoo-Detoo (R2-D2)
• The Vintage Collection Droids See-Threepio (C-3PO)
• The Vintage Collection Droids Boba Fett
• The Black Series Droids Boba Fett

GameSpot has revealed four new figures available for preorder on September 24th, 2021. Check out their article for the main reveal. What do you think of these repaints? As far as gimmicks go, this one is pretty good!

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Tatooine Rhapsody is the second of the Visions shorts and it couldn’t be any more different than the first episode. But is it any good? Let’s talk about Tatooine Rhapsody!

One Word: No

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Hasbro’s eBay store has some pretty good deals across their range of toys, but most notably right now is the Target exclusive The Black Series Range Trooper (Holiday Edition). It’s currently available for $22.99. This was one of the harder ones to get if you were after the Holiday figures, so it won’t last long!

Let’s check out another character from The Mandalorian Disney+ series. Koska Reeves enters the 6-inch line. It’s not perfect. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 13!

Disney released all nine Star Wars Visions episodes early Wednesday morning. Since I am neither well versed in anime (I do watch a few shows and movies – few of the usual ones though – so, I am far from being an expert) and my knowledge of Japanese cinema is limited to the occasional Akira Kurosawa and Godzilla (sorry, Gojira) movie I will not provide proper reviews and a few details and things may go completely over my head. But what I will do is provide a few thoughts here and there and I also want to give you an opportunity to talk about the new series here on JTA! Since all nine episodes were released at once it would be too much and too confusing to talk about them all in one article, instead I will post one article each day, for the next nine days or so where we can talk about Visions! So let’s begin with “The Duel”, the first of the Visions episodes. And yes, there will be some spoilers, so if you don’t want to be spoiled you should stay away from the Visions articles! Click through for the short discussion!

The award for silliest hairstyle in Star Wars no longer goes to Rafa Martez

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If you haven’t ordered these just yet, ShopDisney.com has listed the Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary POTF [Red] figures, and $2 cheaper than Hasbro Pulse. Thanks to JTA reader Scot for the alert!

Unbelievably, The Black Series [Phase IV] General Lando Calrissian proves that the line is getting better and better. If you don’t believe us, see it for yourself!. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 13!

Welcome back folks! It’s a fine Tuesday afternoon and I want to report on my weekly findings and new collectibles! I hope to see yours in the comments. Click here to check out my new custom! It’s such a shame Hasbro hasn’t made these already for either scale.

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Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently committed to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that there needs a modern counterpart for every classic Kenner figure. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done, and we’ll figure out where we are step by step. Today we assess 4-LOM.

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A book about the Star Wars producer Howard Kazanjian titled Howard Kazanjian: A Producer’s Life by late author J.W. Rinzler was released posthumously last week. For the book Rinzler also interviewed Marcia Lucas, who won an Oscar for her editing work on A New Hope. She was very instrumental back in the 1970s to make the original Star Wars the movie we all love. She also worked on the other two original trilogy movies, but her work was uncredited. In the new Rinzler book Marcia Lucas doesn’t mince words when it comes to the sequel trilogy. She outright says that neither Kennedy nor Abrams “get the magic of Star Wars”. Click through for the full quote.

Marcia and George Lucas

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Quantic “Who”, you may ask. Quantic Dream is a French video game studio known for story driven games like Detroit: Become Human, Indigo Prophecy (aka Fahrenheit), Heavy Rain and Beyond Two Souls. According to gaming website DualShockers Quantic Dream has been working on a yet unannounced Star Wars game for the past 18 months. With how long the production cycle for these kind of games is the game may not see the light of day for another two or three years.
Would you like a Star Wars game in the mold of Detroit: Become Human, i.e. in the style of an interactive movie with various elaborate set pieces? Quantic Dream games are usually not very action driven and what action there is is usually handled via quicktime events, so I wouldn’t expect lots of lightsaber duels, but a game which has a heavy focus on the narrative with various branching storylines that can result in very different outcomes. Since EA made very little with their exclusive Star Wars license it will certainly be welcome when the franchise will soon get a wide variety of games, from a KOTOR remake to a sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order and now possibly even a Star Wars game with a heavy focus on the story by Quantic Dream.

Update: According to Kotaku’s sources the Quantic Dream Star Wars game may not follow at all the mold of previous Quantic Dream games and could instead be open world and more action focused!

A pivotal scene early in Detroit: Become Human

Brian’s Toys’ latest update features 68 new items added to their Vintage catalog. Click here for the full newsletter!

JTA reader Nick has found images of the card backs to the latest The Vintage Collection announcements on Zavvi. We find numbers to a slew of figures including VC200 Emperor Palpatine, VC205 Lando Calrissian, VC206 IG-11, VC207 Teebo, VC223 Lobot, and VC224 Bib Fortuna. Check out the images!

StarWars.com continues their look inside the upcoming Star Wars: Visions series with a look at the ship. Click here for the full article. Star Wars: Visions drops on September 22. 

Gentle Giant launched pre-orders for 3 new products today. Click below for the pre-order pages:

• The Mandalorian – The Mandalorian with Grogu Premier Collection Statue
• The Mandalorian – Ahsoka Tano Mini Bust
• The Clone Wars – Bo-Katan Mini Bust

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Pre-orders are now open for the next book in the Art of series of Star Wars books, with The Art of The Mandalorian (Season 2). Click here for the pre-order page on Amazon.

As if its clearance at Target and Walmart weren’t enough, JTA reader and friend Robert F. found the deluxe The Black Series 6″ Jar Jar Binks at Ollie’s.

It’s time to meet the villains of Star Wars: Visions. Head over to StarWars.com to check out their latest preview of the upcoming anime series.

Fans of VR can now download the latest expansion from the Tales From The Galaxy’s Edge VR series: Last Call. Click through for the full press release.

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StarWars.com has posted their next update for the upcoming Star Wars: Visions, set to premiere this month on Disney+, this time focusing on the Droids of the series. Click here for the full article.

This post contains affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, JTA may receive a commission if you click and make a purchase.

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 Wuhur (#239) and Taun We (#240). 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.

Hello Toy Runners! This week I got the last of my preorders in the mail. I ended up with a case of Purge troopers, and 2 of each of the Ahsoka wave. It was a pretty great week. Along with those, I received an order of in-galaxy currency to add to my collection of various Star Wars monies. I don’t have the kind of cash flow it takes to collect high end prop replicas of sabers and blasters, but metal money is a relatively inexpensive way to get into the prop side of Star Wars collecting. Check out my additions by clicking here…

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Funko and Macy’s unveil a new Grogu-themed Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade float. Yahoo! has the full story!

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Star Wars: Visions is set to premiere this month on Disney+, and StarWars.com has a nice feature showcasing the heroes of the series. Click here for the full rundown as Executive Producer Josh Rimes and Producer Kanako Shirasaki share some insight to get you prepared. 

Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently committed to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that there needs a modern counterpart for every classic Kenner figure. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done, and we’ll figure out where we are step by step. Today we assess Imperial TIE Fighter Pilot.

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After getting a dozen destroyed Princess Leia (Endor) figures from Walmart online, I have to admit that this is a sight for sore eyes. However, I found them on the bottom shelf nowhere near the Star Wars section. Why do things have to be this way?

If you’re still looking for the Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary The Vintage Collection figures, be sure to check your local Walmart’s clearance section. JTA reader Jon M. found Paploo and others hanging with clearance stickers on them there.

Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently committed to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that there needs a modern counterpart for every classic Kenner figure. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done, and we’ll figure out where we are step by step. Today we assess Zuckuss.

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Jedi Temple Archives would like to take a moment and remember the 2,977 innocent people that died and the 25,000 injured on the 20th Anniversary of this evil terror attack. Our lives are forever changed by this event, and we wish peace and love to the families directly affected by this.

Rumors circulated for quite a while, but now it’s official, the legendary Knights Of The Old Republic video game will get a remake. Sony announced at their Playstation showcase that Aspyr Entertainment, Sony Interactive Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games are developing an extensive remake of the video game which was first released in 2003. Not many details were provided, but it was announced the game will be remade from the ground up and that it won’t just be the same old game with updated graphics, the game will also get new features, but Sony promises that the integrity of the story and characters will be mantained. This is certainly the way to go, while KOTOR was a fantastic game for its time its game mechanics are very dated and a mere graphics upgrade would certainly not be enough for a new generation of players who never played KOTOR before.
No release date was given, the game is still in early development. In my opinion a late 2023 release date would make sense, in time for the 20th anniversary of the original release. The game will be a Playstation 5 exclusive at launch, a PC version will be launched at a later date, probably a few months later, if KOTOR will have a similar release schedule like games as Days Gone or Death Stranding which were console exclusives at launch as well and launched on PC a couple of months later.
Are you excited about the KOTOR remake? Also, dear Hasbro, you now have plenty of time to release all new KOTOR figures (i.e. not lazy repaints) just in time for the video game launch!

Darth Revan will return

We were floored by the announcement of the Stormtrooper build-up pack yesterday. Hasbro let us know that they plan to continue with releases in that format, which begs the obvious question… What battle packs do you want to see next? The stormtrooper set is a great place to start, but this new option provides so many opportunities that we’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about some of those possibilities. 

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Pre-orders are live for yesterday’s The Vintage Collection and The Black Series announcements. Click below for product pages (We’ll add links as we find them)! The Walmart exclusive carbonized wave will not go up for pre-order until October 7.

Click here for the full Entertainment Earth listing of products
Click here for the full Hasbro Pulse listing of new products

The Vintage Collection

• Bib Fortuna (Entertainment Earth • Amazon)
• The Emperor (VC200) (Entertainment Earth • Amazon • Walmart)
• Lobot (Entertainment Earth • Amazon)
• Lando Calrissian (Entertainment Earth • Amazon • Walmart)
• Teebo (Entertainment Earth • Walmart • Amazon)
• IG-11 (Entertainment Earth • Amazon • Walmart)
• Stormtroopers Troop Builders (Pulse • ShopDisney)
• TVC Case with Emperor, Lando, IG-11, Teebo (Entertainment Earth)

Retro Collection 

• Stormtrooper (Prototype Edition) (Target Exclusive)

The Black Series

• Jet Trooper (Gaming Greats) (Gamestop Exclusive)
• The Mandalorian and Grogu (Target Exclusive)
• Princess Leia Organa (Yavin 4) (POTF Card Back) (Pulse)

The Black Series Credit Collection

• The Mandalorian (Amazon Exclusive)
• Kuiil (Amazon Exclusive)
• Greef Karga (Fan Channel: Entertainment Earth • Pulse)
• Moff Gideon (Best Buy Exclusive)
• The Armorer (Gamestop Exclusive)

The Black Series Rey Skywalker Force FX Elite Lightsaber

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Most pre-orders from yesterday’s livestream don’t start until 1 PM Eastern today, but the full case assortment that includes Lobot and Bib Fortuna is currently available for pre-order on Entertainment Earth. Click here for the pre-order page. 

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I forewarned you to pick up The Original Trilogy Collection Lobot (OTC #20) figure because I knew Hasbro wouldn’t include the awesome accessories that came with the neo-classic figure. Get him now before he’s gone forever. You’re going to want that space-aged laptop and communicator, trust me.

Hasbro, we will give you proper congratulations for choosing the RAREST The Vintage Collection figure to re-release for us. But is there any way you could think outside of the box and go a step further? How much more would it have belabored you to include an alternate helmet of the 332nd Company (Ahsoka Tano’s Clone Trooper), so we can pair them with the glorious Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore) (VC202) figure you just released. Let us get this straight. We have The Black Series [Phase IV] version of this character and a 5-inch Galaxy Of Adventures version, but you can’t include a second helmet and give it to us in a 3.75-inch scale. You hurt us! We know “newness” to a figures counts as a new figure, but it would have been WORTH IT here. Oh, and please continue to pick candidates from JTA’s Top 25 Better Choices For The Repack Case Assortments poll.

Hasbro, there are some collectors who like the Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary The Power Of The Force “2” packaging. That’s fine. But if you must release figures in it, can you please get it right? Princess Leia (Ceremonial Outfit) (not “Yavin IV”) came in the final unique packaging of the Kenner/Hasbro The Power Of The Force “2” line, in “starburst” FlashBack and CommTech packaging, not the original red/green card backs. This version of Leia was also part of  “The Princess Leia Collection” but that was different packaging too. Are you familiar with the different original modern toy line looks? Do you perform the appropriate research? It’s probably too late to fix, but you should, at the very least, know the error of your ways.

At the end of today’s Hasbro Livestream, we got our first look at the packaging for the upcoming HasLab The Razor Crest. Click through to check it out!

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Patrick announced on Today’s Livestream that the HasLab Razor Crest will not be shipping this fall, but is now delayed until “Early 2022” due to the large number of backers that funded the project. It looks like we will have to wait a little longer for this ship to arrive!

The Target exclusive Antoc Merrick’s X-Wing Vehicle will NOT be going up for pre-order. Hasbro revealed today that this set will arrive directly to store shelves. 

Today’s livestream offered little new things for The Black Series, instead it would be more appropriate to call it “The Exclusive Repaint & Repack Series”… Click through for all the reveals!

UPDATED with photos and additional info and commentary!

I put a new teaser image here to celebrate the occasion!

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Hasbro revealed more Retro Collection and The Vintage Collection specialized figures today, including prototype and carbonized figures. There are also more Original 96 figures to add to the line, including the reveal of VC200. Click through for the detailed breakdown and discussion. Here’s a summary of what was announced:

The Vintage Collection (general release) (Pre-order September 9, 1 PM Eastern)

• The Emperor (VC200)
• Lobot
• Bib Fortuna

The Vintage Collection Troop Building Set (Pre-order September 9, 1 PM Eastern) 

• Stormtroopers (Hasbro Pulse, ShopDisney)

The Vintage Collection Carbonized Figures (Walmart) (Pre-order October 7, 1 PM Eastern)

• The Armorer
• Incinerator Trooper
• Moff Gideon
• Shoretrooper

Retro Collection (Target) (Pre-order September 9, 1 PM Eastern)

• Stormtrooper (Prototype Series)

The Vintage Collection Pipeline Reveals

• Yoda (repack)
• 501st Clone Trooper (repack)
• Mandalorian Death Watch Airborne Trooper (new release)
• Figrin D’an (new release)

UPDATE: Details and images added

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Hasbro’s next Star Wars Livestream starts in under an hour, today at 11 AM eastern. Join the Livestream on the Hasbro Pulse YouTube channel, and then head back here after to discuss as we break down all of today’s announcements. 

You can also click here to watch live and discuss!

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Entertainment Earth has opened up more pre-orders for the in-demand TVC Rogue One Imperial Stormtrooper (VC140). Click here to pre-order an army of this figure.

Our friends at Fanthatracks have a first look at one of today’s upcoming announcements: Princess Leia Organa (Yavin 4) on a Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary commemorative The Power of the Force green card back. Head over to Fanthatracks for more images. 

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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 Wrecker (#237) and Lieutenant Mitaka (#238). 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.

We discussed preorders a couple weeks ago, and one thing I forgot to mention is that they always seem to come all at once! I had more than 20 figures drop this week, but 6 of them were delayed on Amazon. Nevertheless it is a really good haul! Click here to check it out and leave comments of your own new toys!

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Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently committed to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that there needs a modern counterpart for every classic Kenner figure. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done, and we’ll figure out where we are step by step. Today we assess Bespin Security Guard [B].

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This post contains affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, JTA may receive a commission if you click and make a purchase.

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 Ponda Baba (#235) and Doctor Cornelius Evazan (#236). 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.

Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently committed to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that there needs a modern counterpart for every classic Kenner figure. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done, and we’ll figure out where we are step by step. Today we assess (Twin Pod) Cloud Car Pilot.

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JTA reader Jon M. found some impressive-looking Star Wars masks at his local Walmart. As we approach Halloween season again, it’s interesting to see the focus once again on George Lucas-era characters. Star Wars masks are often second-rate, especially at a Walmart price point ($31.88), but look at the details here, especially the Tusken Raider. These are pretty impressive. Click each thumbnail image below for a closer look!

Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently committed to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that there needs a modern counterpart for every classic Kenner figure. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done, and we’ll figure out where we are step by step. Today we assess AT-AT Commander.

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Today, we wrap up our The Mandalorian-themed run of Visual Guide updates with another Mandalorian from the covert on Nevarro, the Heavy Infantry Mandalorian (TMS010), also known as Paz Vizsla. Click below to check out Paz Vizsla in our full Visual Guide. This is the way.

Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently committed to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that there needs a modern counterpart for every classic Kenner figure. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done, and we’ll figure out where we are step by step. Today we assess Luke Skywalker (Hoth Battle Gear).

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The Entertainment Earth Exclusive Jumbo Grand Moff Tarkin Jumbo Vintage Kenner Figure, inspired by events in Star Wars: A New Hope, represents the latest in a series of Jumbo action figures spotlighting the entirety of the Star Wars saga. Featuring classically styled sculpting, etails, and including a removable command staff, this poseable figure is styled to resemble the Star Wars figures of old, but at an epic 12-inch scale. It is manufactured to exacting standards, and comes packaged in a resealable clamshell blister card.

Up next for our Hot Toys sixth scale Visual Guide updates is The Mandalorian and The Child (TMS015), this time featured in his full beskar. Click below to check out this set in our full Visual Guide.

This set is still in stock and available to order at Sideshow Collectibles.

Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently committed to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that there needs a modern counterpart for every classic Kenner figure. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done, and we’ll figure out where we are step by step. Today we assess three versions of C-3PO (Removable Limbs).

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It’s extremely rare when we post non-Star Wars news, but a momentous announcement like this forces me to break format. I remember in 2008 how excited I was for the new The B-52s album that came 16 years after their last studio record. But how about waiting four decades for an announcement like this one? The “Supergroup of the 70s,” ABBA, have just released two brand new songs today (I Still Have Faith In You and Don’t Shut Me Down), announced a new full studio album entitled Voyage for a November 5th release, a new Christmas song release, and an avatar “tour” which features the band live in a modern way thanks to ILM! Let me say, every previous music industry announcement pales in comparison to this news. ABBA is being praised for “saving” 2021, and I can’t agree more that this is the joy many of us need about now. Listen to the songs. Go ahead, “lower” your standards. They’ve barely changed at all. NPR has the full story.

Are you curious to know what’s under the helmet of The Vintage Collection Luke Skywalker (Endor) (VC198)? JTA reader and friend Alientek performed the surgery. Would you believe that Hasbro tooled hair on this figure? Why couldn’t they go “all the way” and include the helmet as a removable accessory? Ridiculous. See our full review and picture gallery and this figure’s wave HERE.

The second wave of The Vintage Collection Lucasfilm 50th Anniversary 3.75-inch figures are arriving from Walmart, and we’re getting many reports that they’ve continued to ship them one per box or envelope. And the envelopes are sometimes padded, and others times not. How do they afford all of these shipping costs? (Mine arrived one per box and envelope too, and the ones in the envelope were in better condition than those shipped in a box! Special thanks to JTA readers Ken P. and Matt R. for the images!

We are sticking with our The Mandalorian-themed Visual Guides with a few additions from the Hot Toys sixth scale line. First up is The Mandalorian (TMS007) in his OG armor. Click below to check out the complete Visual Guide.

Hasbro just announced their new Fan First Wednesday livestream event for September 8th, 11 am ET / 17:00 CET! New toys will be revealed! As usual, the livestream will be available on the Hasbro Pulse YouTube channel! We will post the link in time!

Will you watch the livestream? What are your expectations? Will Hasbro launch the Rancor HasLab on September 8th as well?

We wrap up the Visual Guide updates from The Mandalorian wave of Retro Collection figures with the addition of Moff Gideon. Click below for the complete Visual Guide. Make sure to also check out our full review of this figure right here.

If you missed any of our Retro Collection Visual Guide updates, head over to our Retro Collection guide page to check out the full run.

Welcome to another entry in our The Vintage Collection: The Ninety Six column. Hasbro recently committed to collectors that they will be “focusing” on characters in The Vintage Collection that fall under “The Ninety Six” banner. If you’re new to this, it means that there needs a modern counterpart for every classic Kenner figure. Between 2020 and 2021, Hasbro’s made an admirable effort by focusing on these characters. But there is more work to be done, and we’ll figure out where we are step by step. Today we assess ARTOO-DETOO (R2-D2).

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