Ten years sure makes a huge difference, doesn't it? (more....)

File this under "We don't set the retail price, retail does" response we get from Hasbro all of the time. Distribution woes, fewer products each calendar year. Disregard for 3.75" super-articulated figures. Now this (not that it's anything new). Walmart's algorithmic pricing is at it again. While not a huge gouge, TBS6 Ahsoka Tano is in stock for $27.27 (and sold by Walmart.com, we checked). This may be a perfect example of why maybe Big Box retail needs to be under some sort of contract with Hasbro and the way things get priced. Instances like this over time create frustration and burn out and downright animosity. These figures are EXPENSIVE enough at MSRP. They shouldn't be sold by a legitimate retailer for more than what Hasbro suggests.

Do you hear the crickets? The biggest Star Wars film of all time has come and gone.... and apparently so has the momentum for great Star Wars collectibles. How is there nothing new out there to keep appetites whetted or news to keep the dying collector base remotely interested or invested? Do Hasbro and other licensees really only need the casual gift buyer/parent now as well as the new fans that show interest from the latest Star Wars property? I wonder what SDCC is going to be like this year. Will it be as awful as all of the convention coverage that surrounded The Force Awakens, or are we actually going to see some stuff this time around? What are your hopes and dreams for the Star Wars line? Will we have another debacle this Fall with Force Friday 2.0? Or do you think there will be even less? Will things change for the better? And will we see a strong return of super-articulated 3.75" figures instead of the pitiful eight we received between 2015 and 2016? To Hasbro: if you've given up on collectors (of which I am partially empathetic), can you just get out some sort of exclusive that finishes up the modern counterparts to the vintage Kenner era? Then you can dump us completely. Thank you. Your thoughts please.

Is the collector-focused Star Wars line sabotaged? Is Hasbro's toy line in general always going to be like an upstream battle? Are we being told what we should like? Yeah, that sounds about right in this day and age. (more....)

Sigh. I don't know what your areas look like obviously as I live outside of Philadelphia and don't get out that much. And your own mileage could greatly vary (I doubt that honestly). But I have to admit that I am already exhausted of seeing nothing in the Star Wars sections but big blue pegboard at Walmart, starry black pegboard at TARGET and off-white pegboard at Toys R Us. This is a NEW STAR WARS MOVIE PRODUCT LAUNCH so my brain is unable to compute how stores aren't inundated with Hasbro's The Force Awakens products. Compressed schedule or not, Hasbro is ALWAYS playing catch up. Is this unavoidable? Isn't Disney upset? Secondary (i.e. not important) sub-lines like Hero Mashers and Micro Machines have managed to make their way to stores, but the core basic figure, well, let's just say that thank goodness I go on about 1% of the toy runs I did during the 2006 – 2012 golden era years of Hasbro. What have your experiences been? If it wasn't for online, I don't think I would have anything for my collection or JTA to review than what I found beyond Force Friday. Let's hope Hasbro's promises of a product-filled November do indeed come to pass. It HAS to otherwise it's going to be a very disappointing Christmas for young Star Wars fans.

If you recall, the biggest announcement by Lucasfilm in years that a new Star Wars was made in the middle of Hurricane Sandy. As one of the many people affected by it (thank goodness I just lost power for about a week and nothing else), I missed all of the social media posts and official online announcements. I only found out about it via texts from friends. Star Wars passion was once again invigorated to new levels with this news and the joy and cheer could be felt across the Star Wars community. Collectors in particular were already beginning to get excited for new Star Wars toys and we thought the new film couldn’t come soon enough. (more....)

How are ya'all making out finding all of those confirmed released Rebels figures? It's still drier than a desert in my area and from what we're hearing from our readers it's about the same for them. (We are strictly talking USA here because internationally these figures have been relatively easy to secure....) One thing is for sure. It couldn't be any worse for a toy line to have concurrent media support and not have any figures in stores to buy. Will these figures finally arrive way too late after the fact? With more and more online shops pushing out their availability dates from April/May 2015 to "temporarily out of stock" for wave 1 and new waves showing a laughable January 2015 estimated release date, we wonder if the whole world has gone mad. Anyway, let us know what you're seeing in your areas.

The disappointment with Hasbro is palpable in the Star Wars collecting community. We have all aired our grievances loudly, but it seems that is all we've been doing since the demise of The Vintage Collection and it all seems to fall upon deaf ears. Between the dreadful paint operations on both kids' and collectors' figures (despite a confirmed instance of Hasbro rep stating that there are no differences between the two), the reduced articulation in the "collector" line and barely any changes in bottle-necked distribution, many of us our scratching our heads on how we arrived at this awful state of affairs after so many wonderful years of a fun and happy hobby. But what if there are solutions out there that we just haven't thought about yet? (more....)

Today is not a great day for me. I feel I want to use the word melancholy to describe it, but that wouldn’t be completely accurate either. Usually when I am unsettled I write disjointedly. You will need to deal with that today because I will indeed be all over the place. I can’t seem to pinpoint the exact reason for my moodiness. I blared a live album of The B-52s on the way to work today and there has been no stress upon my arrival, so I should be up in spirit. I suppose something elsewhere, elusive has got me down. In general, passive-aggressiveness, utter/total disrespect for colleagues, and hatred is filling our community. It’s a wonder that we even like Star Wars at all. I am surprised we’re not moaning about the new Star Wars film being tentatively titled “Episode VII”. Or maybe some are. It has nothing to do with an imbalance of my serotonin levels. It has nothing to do with me being unhappy as a Star Wars fan and collector. But the universal negativity is enough to steal the joy away from a clown. (more...)

Don’t worry folks. The purpose of the acerbic title to this article is to catch your attention. It’s not meant to imply genuine hostility, nor is it meant to describe any true feelings I have towards my well-respected colleague. Without coming across as sappy, you should probably know that it was both Adam May and Adam Pawlus at Galactic Hunter that helped inspire and perhaps shape the direction JTA took when I came aboard in late 2008, as I became more vocal on the site. And I respect their tireless hard work more than words can express. (more....)

You have seen The Black Series 6" wave 3 completely analyzed in our Research Droids Reviews now. While the anticipation and excitement for this line is palpable, there are still some things that just aren't meeting the mark. Longtime JTA and personal friend Rich Alot weighs in on a specific issue that he feels is really affecting the line. Click through to read his thoughts and be sure weigh in on the issue in our comment.

A big thanks to all our readers who have supported JTA over the years. This year's Toy Fair coverage has been the most successful in our ten years of going to the event. I was sidelined by more freakish weather and Paul was able to hit the frontlines with me running support this time. Now, I feel I must take a page from Paul's notebook and express a rant on the state of Star Wars Fan Sites and the general "I take everything around me for granted" web site viewer... read on at your own risk.

Today marks the official 2-year anniversary of the release of Episode I 3-D product. Stores officially (as per Lucasfilm edict, though many stores didn't honor it and leaked figures as early as December or even November of 2011) unveiled their Episode I 3-D displays full of The Vintage Collection, Movie Heroes, The Clone Wars, Discover The Force (Walmart exclusive), vehicles and other product on January 30, 2012 and that was the first time many of us saw TPM 3-D items in stores. (more....)

The rising costs of action figures has been a topic of great debate over the last few years. Collectors just want to see cheaper action figures, yet Hasbro continually explains that resources and materials just aren’t the same as they were even a few short years ago to accommodate this. There has been a severe change in audience of who actually buys action figures. Some may not see the buying trends of action figures as science, but we beg to differ. What goes up, must come down, and it is basic scientific principles like this that are being ignored and ultimately hurting the Star Wars brand (again, we're not pointing fingers.... yet). Technology is wonderful, but it’s making many classic toys obsolete, and many articles have been written foreseeing the demise of the action figure, take them or leave them. But maybe it's time for a paradigm shift and find new ways to give this line new life. It has got to be right before us. Right? (more....)

You know something? There is almost no reason to toy hunt any longer. Do you know how hard that statement grips my heart? I fear the days are long gone of confidently knowing that you could visit any Walmart, Toys R Us or TARGET and come home with a bag full of goodies. Now we just pray that stuff geared for us will fit on the shelves with other product clogging the shelves that is clearly not for us or walk into a toy aisle and see nothing at all (except rotting TPM figures). What stuck in my craw today was the featured promotion a certain electronic shampoo bottle is getting. Now before you argue with me that these are for kids and Star Wars in general is for kids, let me ask you when was the last time your walked away happy from any of the stores we patronized the last (almost) 20 years? (more....)

Yeah, it's time for another one. I have been waiting weeks to do cartwheels in the hallway at work when the Slave I and TIE Interceptor from The Vintage Collection would go up for pre-order. The will of the Force deemed that to be today. But instead of cartwheels I had to say a prayer to maintain composure and not take my chagrin out on co-workers when I saw the MSRPs. In fact, I almost pulled a Dana Scully at the end of the season 8 episode 14 of The X-Files. (more....)

I had intended to hold off a while writing about the disconcerting news that the animated The Clone Wars line is dead. But I accidentally broke my favorite irreplaceable coffee mug last night and it has set me into a very melancholy mood for which I must redirect my anguish elsewhere. Click through for more.

In a spirit similar to Belma Buttons and Tovah McQueen, I give Hasbro a version of my own Reality Check because time is of the essence to do something important with the basic figure line. Let's all encourage them to act positively before they lose their way with it. It is only our goal to steer them back into the will of the Force (as well as into the hearts of collectors again) in this article and nothing more. Click through for more details.

It's a cruel summer because the last wave of The Vintage Collection will sustain a cruel fate! It’s been a while since I voiced my opinion about Hasbro's decisions and the distribution of Star Wars figures. And I need to get something off of my chest. Click through if you’re interested.

Don't worry, this isn't a rant. I am sure many of you are completely over the long-winded responses and varied comments to my Movie Zeroes article. Although I received a lot of support over the article, I did receive some criticism and it came in the form of emails that didn’t make their way into the comments module in the article. (Some did as you can see.) I wanted to clarify some of my points I intended to make because I don’t want JTA to become Jedi Temple Warchives (thanks Mike!) despite wanting everyone to have their own voice. I also feel some misinterpreted my words somewhat as well. Click through to read.

While this latest rant may seem like I am misdirecting my discontent at "bad" parenting (hey, some of my closest friends are "bad" parents), I can assure you it's not and instead all directed at Hasbro. I shouldn't be more excited over digging out my Revenge Of The Sith figures for the Research Droids Reviews than the new stuff hitting the shelves (but there is sadly no contest). Click through to see what's going on in Paul's pea-brain today.

Nothing is more irritating than not getting what you want. And while we cannot be petulant collectors, sometimes we just don't understand what Hasbro is thinking sometimes. They've overstayed the welcome of 2006's TSC C-3PO (SAGA 042) figure and forced it down our throats for much too long. With a brilliant 3PO protocol droid sculpt from 2009's The Legacy Collection, Hasbro, please, we urge you to use this to bring us our next C-3PO action figures (unless you can bring us an all-new super-articulated sculpt WITHOUT removable panels and gimmicky action features). Click through to see an amazing "faux custom" in the forums at Yakface.com to prove to you how awesome this figure will be.

It's time to voice another rant. What JTA will be calling the Star Wars [The Phantom Menace 3D] line look, it definitely has a few good moments, but it is starting off by metaphorically leaping off of a high-diving board with no water below. Are you interested in what we have to say? Then click through to read more!

Hasbro - please stop sending wave 5 to TARGET and Walmart. We need wave 8 and 9 instead. Please don't make cleaning off the pegs moot by cluttering them up again with the least impressive wave in the entire The Vintage Collection. You loaded Walmart's floor displays with it and now your stocking this wave on the pegs. We don't need any more incorrect Han Solo (Yavin Ceremony), Build A Droid R5-D4 or yellow 212th Attack Battalion clone action figures... among many other carried forward figures ANYMORE!

Yeah, it’s another rant and I won't apologize for it. Click through if you dare.....

It's déjà vu all over again for us and likely déjà entendu for you. And usually after we rant, the figures start showing up in droves, so consider this an Indian rain dance. Click through for our latest thoughts on the latest missteps of Hasbro.

It's so sad at this point that we are actually beginning to feel sorry for Toys R Us now. Proof that Hasbro shouldn't be scalping kids and collectors with an obscene price for a mid-size vehicle, the Y-wing Bomber is STILL mercilessly sitting at Toys R Us stores (in general) and they can't even give it away at half price. If you still need this item, it's available for $34.99 each this week. It still doesn't come close to the $12.50, $17.50 and $20.00 deals at Walmart, but it's still a whole heck of a lot less than the obscene $69.99. Interesting how they can sell the Republic Attack Shuttle for $79.99 or a BAT-AT for $99.99 now (2 years after this vehicle's release), isn't it!? Hasbro, we've always told you price is a major problem. Hopefully you'll keep this in check going forward! Click through to see how many THIS Toys R Us store had in stock!

As promised, here are more of your fellow collectors' frustration written out "professionally" for Hasbro employees to read and digest. Let's hope some of this penetrates to those that really need to hear this! Click through for all of the details.

Between the lackluster 2011 Comic Con presentation and the overall lack of respect for all things Original Trilogy, we once again make our grievances known to Hasbro and even include a few of our readers' comments into the mix as well. Not only are there more questions than ever, it's quite possible that another generation of collectors will be lost thanks to The Vintage Collection's direction and lack of Original Trilogy focus. This one is a doozey folks. You'll need plenty of time to read it all. Click through for a complete rant.

If you haven't checked out our Research Droids Reviews page on the 12" Commander Cody (212th Attack Battalion) figure, what are you waiting for? It's the greatest thing that Sideshow Collectibles has created to date and could already easily be the best figure of the year. This is a figure not to miss! We just cannot believe how expertly they've captured every detail on this Star Wars character in 12" form. You've got to check out this brilliant figure! Check him out!

On our travels this morning, we noticed another sneaky price increase at our local TARGET. Whether this has already happened in your area or not (no one has written in to let us know), Saga Legends have now hit $8.99 each. To Hasbro we say that this is unacceptable. Yup, we're on another emotional rant. And apparently so are you! Join in by leaving your own comments on this stressful topic - your fellow collectors have already begun! Click through for our latest.

We'll be upfront with you. Customizing is not our strong point. We don't touch exacto knives, glue and soldering irons. We'll leave that to the experts, like our friends at ImperialShipyards.net and Yakface.com. But we do have enough parts in our collection now to make some cool updates to some of our favorite action figures with simple part swapping. JTA (with some inspiration from a figure we saw from the cool guys at DewbackPatrol.com) has "played" with some of our action figures and culled together some ideas for Hasbro to maybe consider in The Vintage Collection. There is a reason we're doing this. Since Hasbro is encouraging us to order online, we feel they've got to meet us half way. These are just inital suggestions, a jumping off point for Hasbro.Click through to see what we've proposed.

Dear Hasbro - We don't think you are meeting collector demand. Click through for more....