Monthly Archives: April 2019

What a surprising evening! We teased that the pre-order for Jabba’s Palace (Adventure Set) was coming very soon. And we approximated it would be Wednesday-ish. In actuality, Wednesday-ish translated into late Tuesday evening. We reviewed this spectacular product two weeks ago, so if you haven’t, be sure to check out our full review on it HERE. Thanks for being great sports about the teaser posts!  (If you haven’t yet, pre-order yours HERE

Hurry! Pre-order The Vintage Collection Jabba’s Palace Adventure Set with exclusive carded Han Solo (In Carbonite) and Ree-Yees!

UPDATE: It looks like it is going back and forth from ‘pre-order’ to  ‘out of stock’ so keep checking back. 

Tonight’s Visual Guide update takes a look at The Vintage Collection Chewbacca (VC141). Click below to have a look at this guide, and click here to read our full review.

Holy cow! A prototype of the vintage Kenner Bib Fortuna figure sold for £36,000 at Vectis auction. See the full story at BBC. Special thanks to JTA reader Chris M. for the alert to this story!

It was inevitable, but the Walmart exclusive Imperial TIE Fighter has hit rock-bottom clearance prices. While most stores are charging $40, many have marked it down to $19, and now we have evidence that it’s been found for $8! If you’re lucky, you can find one for $19.00 now as that’s the most common “cheap” price now. Special thanks to friend Colin for the alert last night. It is still $79.00 online. This vehicle should have had an MSRP of $39.99 set from the start.

NEW IMAGES ADDED INCLUDING COMPARISON SHOTS AND DIORAMA SHOTS! Well, it’s mind-blowing that it took Hasbro 15 years to get collectors a Chewbacca on a STAR WARS card back, but it’s finally here. Was it worth the wait? Decide for yourself in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

Up next for our TVC wave 21 Visual Guide updates is Lando Calrissian (VC139). Click below to check out our full Visual Guide. You can also check out our full review of this figure right here.

Pre-orders for the upcoming Wave 21 from The Black Series 6-Inch line have been out since they were announced at Celebration, but we wanted to remind everyone that you can still order them at Walmart.com for $17.97 each, the cheapest price so far (with free shipping). Click below for direct links if needed. These are listed to ship on July 1st. 

Ugh. Entertainment Earth has just sent out cancellation notices of the “never released” Walmart exclusive Force Link 2.0 Resistance A-wing Fighter (the red one now showing up at ROSS). It looks like eBay may be an only option for most of us unless this gets picked up by another discount retailer. What a shame.

It’s looking more and more like Wednesday-ish is the day, but it could turn on a dime. We’ll keep you informed of any last-minute changes. Keep it here for the latest updates!

NEW IMAGES ADDED INCLUDING COMPARISON SHOTS AND DIORAMA SHOTS! Let’s check out the “almost perfect” Lando Calrissian figure from Solo: A Star Wars Story. Hasbro, keep up the great work! See more in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

Tonight’s Visual Guide update features the Target exclusive Han Solo (Stormtrooper) (VC143) from The Vintage Collection. Click below for our full guide page, and click here for our full review.

We’re gearing up to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of The Phantom Menace JTA style! On midnight, May 3rd, on the 20th anniversary of Toys R Us’ Midnight Madness Event, we’re launching all-new Episode I-focused Research Droids Reviews. Additionally, we’re posting a “FlashBack” CommTech review of a past basic figure, already in our database, throughout the month of May. Stay tuned for the fun, and be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments in the reviews!

It looks like Amazon is gearing up to put The Vintage Collection wave 21 figures up for sale. Special thanks to JTA reader Craig F. for the alert! UPDATE: Imperial Stormtrooper added.

Let’s take a look at the TARGET exclusive Han Solo (Stormtrooper) figure. It’s excellent, especially the head sculpt! See more in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

As all of you are aware, Avengers Endgame is opening this weekend. And the movie already had a record breaking $156 million Friday in North America. And while it’s not really that important, I do wonder if Endgame might actually beat The Force Awakens and become the new number 1 movie in the all time domestic box office charts (unadjusted for inflation). Infinity Way also had a better opening weekend than The Force Awakens but eventually ended up making only about 2/3 of The Force Awakens’ box office. So, what do you think? Will Endgame beat The Force Awakens? And… do you think The Rise of Skywalker has any chance at all to beat Endgame and become the number 1 box office hit of 2019? It will be difficult to top Endgame’s opening weekend, that much is certain!

SNAP!

It’s time for a run of Visual Guides featuring latest from The Vintage Collection. Up first is the Imperial Stormtrooper (VC140). Click below for our full Visual Guide, and make sure to swing by our review for full details and discussion.

OK, The Vintage Collection Rogue One Imperial Stormtrooper (VC140) review is ready! We doubled the number of images and added a ton of comparison pictures. We also showed this figure in scenes from various parts of the Star Wars timeline, from the Original Trilogy to Disney Star Wars to animated series. Check it all out and read our thoughts on this near-perfect release. It’s the focus of our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

Check out the latest newsletter from our sponsor Brian’s Toys…

More Star Wars lightsaber chopsticks have arrived to bring force or darkness to your meals!  We have also been adding some juicy boxed vintage Star Wars vehicles & playsets.  Check out what we have to offer!

Here we go! We are thrilled to present you with a sneak peek of The Vintage Collection wave 21, and now all of the rough galleries and notes are completed. Check out the Imperial Stormtrooper (from Rogue One), Lando Calrissian (from Solo), Chewbacca (from A New Hope), Captain Phasma (from The Force Awakens) and the Elite Praetorian Guard (from The Last Jedi). Full reviews and updated galleries coming VERY SOON! In the meantime, check out their current statuses HERE.

We are excited to present you with a sneak peek of The Vintage Collection wave 21, but we had to start with the shining star of this wave first. The Rogue One Imperial Stormtrooper (VC140) figure is unequivocally the most significant Imperial Stormtrooper action figure Hasbro has ever produced. And while maybe not entirely perfect, you’ll quickly overlook the negative in favor of the positive. Sure, the armor around the ankles is a bit odd, but the rest of the figure is beautifully executed. Made from the body of the Walmart exclusive TVC Stormtrooper (Mimban) (VC123) figure and the portrait from 2016’s RO Imperial Stormtrooper figure, Hasbro seamlessly blended the parts together to create a monumental version of this member of the Galactic Empire. The figure has been given an all-new paint job, and the white is shiny and reflective, and not dull like most Stormtrooper action figures created before it. He only comes with an E-11 blaster, but that’s all this figure needs. The Imperial Stormtrooper has fantastic articulation and can attain any pose you wish. And the only negative is that Hasbro didn’t make enough of them. This figure needs a solid case pack stat. Please note that our Photo Gallery is NOT complete. We will be adding about 30-40 more photos when the review goes live, so be sure to come back tomorrow to check everything out.

Soon. We promise. More specific information coming soon!

Hasbro is finally going to face their Waterloo with the release of The Vintage Collection Rogue One Imperial Stormtrooper. We warned them the moment this figure was released that they need to work on solid case packs for it, but now we’re moments away from the figure’s release, and there are no solid case packs that any of us know about yet. If you were collecting in 2012, you know the nightmare most experienced with the Emperor’s Royal Guard. Well, get ready for Act II. There will NOT be enough 3.75″ super-articulated Imperial Stormtroopers to go around (unless Hasbro starts over-producing them which they should indeed do). So Hasbro, please start producing more and carry-forward this baby until the line ends.

For only $29+shipping through a third party seller… However I’m sure it will go on pre-order soon, so I recommend saving the page! Of note, Entertainment Earth is fluctuating between a May and June arrival, and some other sites show July, Amazon is not showing these to arrive till August. Somehow I find that more likely, but we shall see.

Let’s go back to the Revenge Of The Sith line and check out a vehicle that went through some crazy drama. We’re talking about Plo Koon’s Jedi Starfighter. It’s beautiful too! See more in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

Walmart.com has the upcoming The Vintage Collection Luke Skywalker (Crait) up for pre-order. Thanks to JTA reader Vadersaber for letting us know!

We have our first addition to the Retro Collection Visual Guide tonight. Click below to take a look at the Escape From Death Star board game, featuring an all-new retro-style Grand Moff Tarkin figure. Make sure to also check out our full review and comment on this set right here!

USAopoly, a board game company that, among other things, makes licensed Game of Thrones games  such as a chess set, Risk or a GoT themed Clue game, has struck a license deal with Disney Consumer Products UK. USAopoly will release several new Star Wars board and tabletop games, and their first release will be a light strategy tabletop game. USAopoly only has the license for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, which probably means Hasbro still has the exclusive license to make Star Wars themed board games such as Escape from Death Star in the US and elsewhere. Still, it’s interesting to see that Disney is diversifying their Star Wars licensees, especially in light of the Star Wars master license which will expire in late 2020. Are you interested in Star Wars board games and is that something you look forward to? Unfortunately, anyone in the US will have to import these new games by USAopoly from Europe.

JTA sponsor Entertainment Earth has listed The Vintage Collection wave 21 for pre-order (finally) with May availability!

Hasbro opens up the Retro Collection with a blast from the past, and then something old, but not really old. Check out the Escape From Death Star Game [Exclusive Grand Moff Tarkin Figure] set in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

SH Figuarts will soon announce an all new Star Wars action figure. A magazine scan of the brand new Return of the Jedi Boba Fett figure (a prototype was seen before) is making the rounds. So expect pre-orders to open very soon! Hasbro has yet to make a ROTJ Black Series Boba Fett, but MAFEX released both an Empire Strikes Back and ROTJ version a few years ago and it will be difficult to compete with the MAFEX Boba Fett who just looks like a miniature human with very crisp details and perfect proportions. However, MAFEX figures are also very fragile and you have to be very gentle with them. SH Figuarts can certainly tolerate more abuse, also the SHF figure will probably be somewhat less expensive than the MAFEX version. ROTJ Boba Fett is scheduled for a September 2019 release, he will be a regular release. I will post an update as soon as pre-orders open.

Update: see official photos on the Tamashii website! The figure goes on pre-order on April 26th!

Click for larger version

Other collectors and I are quite ecstatic over the potential the Retro Collection can bring to Star Wars collecting. Hasbro is smartly starting with the vintage Kenner 12-Backs as TARGET exclusives (coming May 12th by the way and not a day sooner). And the Grand Moff Tarkin is nearly a dream come true. (more….)

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Look what made its way to Hasbro Pulse. Special thank to all who wrote in to let us know.

Hasbro released their numbers for the 1st quarter of 2019 and overall the quarter was alright for the company. Hasbro reported revenues of $732.5 million and net earnings of $26.7 million. But what about Star Wars? Click through for more info!

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If you held off on picking up the 6-Inch The Black Series Rey’s Speeder, Entertainment Earth has it as today’s Daily Deal for $25.99.

Let’s finish up the canceled Walmart exclusive Cantina Bar Section Sets with Dr. Evazan (3 of 3). He received a significant upgrade from the 10097 POTF2 Cinema Scenes release. Learn more in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

We have a sneak peek of the Escape From Death Star Game with exclusive Retro Collection Grand Moff Tarkin figure. The set is nicer than expected. The key selling point here is the exclusive Grand Moff Tarkin figure obviously, but it’s also nice to get a modern chance at buying this old board game once again. I was thinking about the potential of The Retro Collection line, and the more I thought about, the more I likened it to the Hasbro equivalent of the “Infinities” comics. What would the vintage Kenner line have looked like if Grand Moff Tarkin (and others) were part of it? Because of this, I posed Grand Moff Tarkin alongside Kenner’s 1978 Star Wars figures and playsets, including the Death Star. The nostalgia this line creates is something that all original collectors will thoroughly enjoy. And the Retro Collection beautifully complements The Vintage Collection. Oh, and what about that sticker? If you recall, JTA reported that it was indeed a sticker and we pondered the ease of its removability. Simply put, the sticker is indeed easy to remove. You’ll need to be patient as it takes a couple of minutes to peel it off slowly, but it is possible not to damage the card back if you decide to do this. In the meantime, check out our early Photo Gallery of the boardgame and the figure. I can’t wait to see what Hasbro does with this line going forward. Bring on the Sandtrooper, the Rebel Fleet Trooper, and a black Death Star Droid! And so many others too!

Check out our latest Visual Guide of the all-new Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel), the second of two Star Wars Celebration Chicago exclusives spotlighting the 20th Anniversary of The Phantom Menace, featuring special 6-Inch scale commemorative card backs. Click below for our full Visual Guide, and click here to read our full review.

JTA sponsor Brian’s Toys just released their latest newsletter…

Check out our new selection of vintage Star Wars that was added this week!  Beasts, Vehicles, and other items that are sure to complete your collecting fix without breaking the bank!

Galaxy’s Edge will open on May 31st in Disneyland, California. If you want to visit Galaxy’s Edge between May 31st and June 23rd you will need a reservation. This reservation is free, but reservations are subject to availability. Specific details on how to get a reservation will be made available on Disney Park Blogs and Disneyland.com, May 2nd, at 8 a.m. PT. However, you will need a Disney Account in order to make a reservation, so make sure you have an account before you try to get your reservation.
If you want to secure a guaranteed reservation right now, you can also book a stay at the Disneyland Resort Hotel here. Guests who stay between May 31st and June 23rd will get a reservation, one for each guest. This reservation will be cancelled if you cancel your hotel reservation, though. I would assume that Galaxy’s Edge will be quite overcrowded in the beginning. So whoever wants to go there right after opening better has a high tolerance for stress. Anyway, if you want to go there in June, good luck with getting a reservation! And maybe you can send us a report and a few photos should you actually be able to get a ticket!

There will probably be slightly more people in Galaxy’s Edge on May 31st than in this photo…

Let’s play a game. There are two figures featured below (you can click on them to see the full images of each). One was shipped in a bubble envelope and was found underneath a 25-pound box from Plated.com on my doorstep. The other arrived in a standard cardboard box with air pillows by itself with no other packages around it. Can you guess which one came in the bubble envelope and which one came in a cardboard box? If I told you that Walmart.com was involved in one of the shipments, would that clear things up for you? You cannot make this stuff up, folks.

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When loose samples of Kitik Keed’kak (2 of 3) showed up on eBay in 2003, Hasbro crazily denied that this action figure was ever made. And they didn’t come clean until almost a year later. Discover all of the drama surrounding this controversial action figure Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

Tonight’s Visual Guide takes a look at the first of two Star Wars Celebration Chicago exclusives spotlighting the 20th Anniversary of The Phantom Menace, featuring special 6-Inch scale commemorative card backs. Click below to check out Darth Maul (Jedi Duel). Make sure to also check out our full review on this figure right here.

In case you missed it, you might have noticed that we created a “new” category for some of the special edition figures in The Black Series 6″ line with unique packaging. Originally titled The Black Series [Star Wars 40] line, we’re now changing the name of the collection to The Black Series [Anniversary Collection]. This category now also features The Phantom Menace 20th Anniversary figures. We did this to house all of the commemorative figures that pay tribute to an anniversary of a Star Wars film or line look under one grouping, typcially those that are outside of the standard line look. Specifically, replica vintage Kenner or Hasbro carded figures will go into this category going forward. This was necessary since they don’t fit anywhere else within The Black Series 6″ umbrella. We will also place all of the upcoming 40th Anniversary The Empire Strikes Back figures into this bucket as well.

Hello there! Several rumors for Episode IX are circulating on the interwebs. I believe it may be worth discussing them. So get ready to be potentially spoiled if you click through. If you want to spend the rest of the day blissfully unaware, then stay away! Or else you will be spoiled!

Beyond this, here be spoilers!

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We are going to be looking at some fantastic classic Hasbro products over the next few weeks. Let’s begin with the Wuher (Cantina Bar Section) (1 of 3) set which is a canceled Walmart exclusive. A few samples made it out of the factories in Asia, but they are very rare. Find out more in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

Jedi Temple Archives wishes all of our readers a very Happy Easter and Resurrection Day. We’d also like to wish everyone a Happy Passover as well. Thank you for being part of the JTA community.

We broke the news that this figure was coming in The Black Series 6″ line. Now, here it is. And it’s a gorgeous release. Find out more about Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel) in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

Check out the latest newsletter from JTA sponsor Brian’s Toys…

This week Sideshow has delivered on a masterful piece, the Legendary Scale Yoda.  One of the most powerful Jedi in the universe can be yours today!  Also check out the new vintage style Tie Fighter and Black Series Phasma that are ready to ship!

At Toy Fair 2018, Hasbro said that The Vintage Collection “repack” was going to be internationally available to help those in the foreign markets get another chance at these figures. Then these figures quickly transitioned to an “online only” type of exclusive. Now, it appears that they are a general marketplace wave and part of the regular assortment number. JTA reader Alexander C. found them at his local Walmart. Now I’m worried. This wave of all reissued figures could play the same part in clogging future NEW shipments of figures from arriving at retail. I take back my suggestion of adding new “photorealistic” figures into the line now. This approach will only work against the flow of new figures. There is no doubt about it.

I found the following photo on Reddit, where it was posted by a user who asked if this is a rare factory error…

Please click the image for maximum hilarity

So what do you think?

• yes, it’s an ultrarare factory error and this figure is worth at least 1,000,000,000 USD!
• two of the best action figures ever made can only get better when you combine them into one, best custom figure ever!
• dang, why didn’t I come up with that brilliant idea!
• some people are just terrible!
• I need a drink! No, make that two!

As usual, leave your thoughts in the comments!

Did you know that the Star Wars Celebration Chicago The Black Series 6″ Darth Maul The Phantom Menace 20th Anniversary figure is updated with “photorealistic” technology? The packaging is cool too. Check it out in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

The Mandalorian will debut its first episode in November on Disney+. Hasbro most certainly has a number of figures for the show in development or production even. Time to talk about what you want from Hasbro for the Mandalorian – both TVC and Black Series! Do you think we will get a dedicated wave or two for The Mandalorian? Or just a couple of figures here and there? My hope is that the Mandalorian won’t just be a huge hit for Disney+, but that Hasbro will give as at least as many figures for the Mandalorian as we get for any of the sequel movies. Figures we do need is the Mandalorian himself, with removable helmet, provided the character will ever remove the helmet on the show, plus Gina Carano’s and Carl Weather’s character, Werner Herzog’s Imperial, Giancarlo Eposito’s character, that droid co-pilot we saw on the Razorcrest, the female Twi’Lek that was glanced, the Incinirator Trooper, a Gonk droid (for 6 inch at least) and at least one or the other background alien would be nice.
With Episode IX on the horizon I think that the last quarter of 2019 will be focused on that, but maybe in the first half of 2020 we will get some great Mandalorian toys? Or will we just get the occasional figure here and there, similar to Rebels which has not received a single TVC figure yet and only most of the main crew in the Black Series? That would be somewhat of a disappointment, in my opinion. I think Hasbro should do more for the first live action Star Wars series. So what do you think?

During Star Wars Celebration Chicago we discussed the aesthetically displeasing name pill on the current The Vintage Collection figures and how Hasbro is “aware” of this and are looking into it. Admittedly, Hasbro struggled with this detail since the line’s earliest days, but it’s never too late to correct things. Many collectors hope Hasbro will remedy this soon for the line. Upon closer look at the name pill for the Retro Collection Grand Moff Tarkin, Hasbro interestingly perfected the name pill. They couldn’t make it better if they tried. So, there is no need to “look into this” because they’re already doing it. We only need them to apply to The Vintage Collection line next. What is getting lost in translation with The Vintage Collection line that they are getting right in the Retro Collection? Hasbro, can you please apply the same graphic design strategy for The Vintage Collection next? Thank you!

Cool! The Escape From Death Star Game with exclusive Retro Collection Grand Moff Tarkin is hitting some TARGET stores. The good news is that there is not a street date for this item. Use DPCI 087-10-0431. The set is $19.99. Special thanks to our anonymous source for the images and news.

Hasbro tried once before to show tribute towards The Phantom Menace with the Star Wars [The Phantom Menace 3D] line. It quickly became known as the “TPM 3D Debacle of 2012.” Rumors still abound today that retail was fooled into believing the 3D release of Episode I was an all-new Star Wars film. Because of this belief, they over-ordered product which resulted in typically nothing beyond wave 1 of any toy assortment ever making it to shelves. Even wave 10 of The Vintage Collection blocked the flow of future assortments (for nearly the rest of the 2012 calendar year). We say all that to ask you if Hasbro should do something to celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary (more than what’s been done already)? We’re gearing up for our little tribute here, but should there be a couple of waves of figures that pay homage to the first film in the Prequel Trilogy? Or should everyone let sleeping dogs lie? Is it time to refresh everyone’s interest in The Phantom Menace? Or is that not possible at this point?

Army-building changed forever with the release of Entertainment Earth’s exclusive 2005 OTC Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack sets. Let’s conclude with the Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [Colored With Battle Damage] set. It’s the focus of our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

You can now pre-order several figures from The Vintage Collection wave 22 on Amazon for $12.99 each. Thanks to JTA reader Michael for the alert!

While everyone was busy recovering from Celebration, Master & Apprentice made its way to door-steps on Tuesday. If you haven’t ordered it yet, make sure to swing by your local book shop to grab it, or order it right here on Amazon. 

Wow! You can pre-order most of The Black Series [Phase III] 6″ figures on Amazon right now for the low price of $17.99 each. Special thanks to friend Colin for the alert!

Most people here will probably remember the discussion about Kathleen Kennedy wearing a “The Force Is Female” t-shirt.
YouTube Channel Steele Wars did interview Kathleen Kennedy during SWCC and she was asked about that. And a very interesting tidbit was revealed: Kathleen Kennedy was genuinely surprised that that was even a topic or controversial, she didn’t know about any of the fan discussions. She then goes on and sets the record straight: the Force is in all of us (maybe even your cat). If you rewind the interview to the beginning you will also learn that Lucasfilm didn’t really have a plan for the whole trilogy, Kathleen Kennedy admits it in a very roundabout way, but it’s obvious that whatever plan they did have evolved a lot. .

The Steele Wars YouTube channel also revealed that Daisy Ridley really cannot get behind the idea of “ReyLo” (to the major disappointment of ReyLo fans everywhere, most certainly). The Steele Wars SWCC interviews are quite informative, so maybe check out some of the other videos as well. You can also find interviews with JJ Abrams, John Boyega, Naomie Ackie, Oscar Isaac and Anthony Daniels.

There are still some new SWCC interviews released. In this one here MTV News talks to JJ Abrams about how much the plans for the trilogy have changed since the beginning. JJ Abrams gives a very roundabout reply (which basically means: yes).

JJ Abrams also mentions in the interview that they weren’t looking to play games with audiences. Not every last little secret may be demystified, but they knew they had to give fans a satisfying conclusion. Also: JJ Abrams feigns surprise when it’s mentioned that Ben Solo is the only Skywalker left and that it must be him therefore that rises. JJ would never confirm or deny anything here, in true JJ fashion, but it begs the question if JJ has some other Skywalker in mind. JJ outright circled around the question if we will learn more about Rey’s backstory in IX. And he also confirms once more that he consulted with George Lucas before he even began writing the movie.

Although Hasbro is going through a learning curve with “photorealistic” technology for The Vintage Collection figures, most collectors agree what an incredible enhancement it is to the line. But now that Hasbro updated four action figure 2010 with this glorious new deco approach, it makes us want other figures updated with this beautiful enhancement too. As long as Hasbro keeps the “repacked” case assortments out of the main line and separate as they did for the first four figures, I think this could work out well for everyone.

As you know, we recently reviewed all four updated figures HERE. But are there other action figures from the first phase of The Vintage Collection that you’d like to see updated as well? Are some characters more important than others? Keep in mind that we’re only talking about human likenesses here, as they’re the only figures that Hasbro can implement this technology right now. So that should help to narrow down the candidates.

Army-building changed forever with the release of Entertainment Earth’s exclusive 2005 OTC Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack sets. Let’s continue with the Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [Colored Without Battle Damage] next. It’s the focus of our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

Check out some of the amazing custom cars, dubbed Road Squadron, on display just at the edge of the main convention center exhibit hall. 

It seems the prop builders from around the world outdo themselves every Celebration! This year was no exception as we were treated to a full-scale X-wing Fighter and a walk-through of the Millenium Falcon, just to name a few. Here’s a look at many of the props and photo ops from around the main hall. 

This year’s theme at the Diorama Builders Workshop was the Battle of Scarif. Click through to check out some of the Day 5 build gallery images of this amazing and fun feature at Celebration!

Fandango interviewed JJ Abrams at SWCC and he talked a bit about The Force Awakens, and adresses the criticism that the movie was too similar to A New Hope. According to Abrams they didn’t set out to copy any one Star Wars movie on purpose. Then he goes on and talks about what it meant to write the script for The Rise of Skywalker and how they (meaning JJ Abrams and Chris Terio) very much wanted to make sure that they are not inadvertently influenced by one thing for Episode IX. According to Abrams it was not about “let’s choose that one and make a riff on that”, which is a concern that was voiced by many fans. But still, according to Abrams The Rise of Skywalker is the culmination of Episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and it was their job to figure out how exactly it accomplishes that. You can watch the entire (quite short) interview on Fandango’s Twitter page or by clicking on the image below!

Click the image for the interview clip

The Celebration exclusive LEGO Darth Vader Bust is up at Target. Cost is $39.99 and is one per Redcard holder. Order at TARGET.com. Special thanks to JTA reader John L. for the alert!

Star Wars Celebration Chicago may have ended, but we have a few more galleries to post for our coverage. Check out our trip to the Droid Builders room, always an amazing experience! Get the full gallery right here!

Army-building changed forever with the release of Entertainment Earth’s exclusive 2005 OTC Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack sets. Let’s continue with the Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [White With Battle Damage] next. It’s the focus of our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

MTV News interviewed Kathleen Kennedy and she briefly talks about the things they are looking at, now that the Skywalker saga is coming to an end with Episode IX. Kathleen Kennedy mentions in the interview that some of the new characters from the last three movies (it’s not clear if she merely refers to the sequel trilogy here or the actual last three movies which include Solo and Rogue One)  may return in future projects.
She also talks about a 10-year plan for Star Wars which she is discussing with Benioff & Weiss and Rian Johnson.
Knights of the Old Republic is also touched upon briefly and Kathleen Kennedy confirms that they are talking about that all the time and that they are “developing something to look at”, without going into specifics. And lastly, Kathleen Kennedy also says that they have to be careful, that there needs to be a cadence with Star Wars, that it must not start to feel like too much. Kennedy then admits that they tried with Solo, to see if two movies a year might work, and she admits that it didn’t. But check out the full interview for yourself, you can see the clip on the MTV News Twitter feed (or click the image to go there directly). So, what do you think? Do you like the prospect of a KOTOR project and the idea of seeing some Disney era characters return in future movies (or series)? And of course there’s the prospect of a Rian Johnson trilogy. Latest news here is that whatever Johnson and Benioff & Weiss are doing will be closely coordinated.

Click the image for the video clip

All of the videos shown during the Mandalorian Panel at Star Wars Celebration have finally made it to YouTube in somewhat good quality. This is your chance to watch the two behind the scenes reels shown during the panel, the exclusive Mandalorian trailer and also the exclusive 5 minute preview of the pilot episode directed by Dave Filoni! Effects work  for some of the footage has not been finished yet apparently, but this will give you a good idea of what to expect. In my opinion The Mandalorian is absolutely on the right track, the look and feel of this show should make almost all fans very happy.

The Walmart exclusive TVC Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) figure has been found at a brick and mortar store in Virginia. I suppose it’s possible these could be returns from online, but it’s aesthetically pleasing to see them hanging from the shelves to cover up so much junk behind it. Special thanks to JTA reader Thomas N. for the image and news!

Walmart online has also added new figures to its pages, including the two featured below.

File under: Why Walmart should not have Hasbro Star Wars exclusives. Ouch! What’s the deal with the Walmart exclusive Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) figure for $32.50 at Walmart.com? I can’t wait for the Jabba’s Palace (Adventure Set) to list for $124.99!

Without a doubt, the best The Vintage Collection reveal for me is the convention exclusive Luke Skywalker three-pack. This set is the treatment the greatest hero of the Star Wars saga deserves. But I can’t help but think one way this set could have been improved. (more….)

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Army-building changed forever with the release of Entertainment Earth’s exclusive 2005 OTC Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack sets. Let’s begin with the Clone Trooper Troop Builder 4-Pack [White Without Battle Damage] first. It’s the focus of our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

We are wrapping up things on the convention floor with our final costuming And convention gallery! Click through for a look at cosplay and events from the final day of Celebration Chicago.

We stopped by the ANOVOS booth and checked out what they had to show off this year. Click through for our full gallery!

Check out what Bandai was showing off at their booth. Get the full gallery after the jump!

Now, that may surprise some, but the next Star Wars Celebration will be held in Anaheim next year already. So what things could Lucasfilm show off in 2020? Season 2 of The Mandalorian? The Cassian Andor show? The Obi-Wan series? Something new and unexpected? Will you attend? I suppose this is the perfect excuse to visit Galaxy’s Edge and to spend some time with your fellow Star Wars fans!

The MPAA released its annual report a short while ago. Unfortunately, since Solo failed to make the top five highest grossing movies of 2018, the MPAA report doesn’t offer a more detailed breakdown of the movie’s demographics, something we still had for The Last Jedi. However, the MPAA report has also a segment on home media performance. And here we can see how well The Last Jedi and Solo did. So click through for more info!

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The Star Wars Resistance panel was also held today at Star Wars Celebration Chicago. And while the livestream suddenly cut away from the panel, just as the the first episode of season 2 was about to be screened, we do have at least the poster to show you.

Click for much larger version

Apparently Tam will be a First Order cadet named DT-533 in season 2, which is supposed to pick up right after season 1 ended, with the Colossus in space and Tam with the First Order. Not much else is known at the moment, but more news will certainly leak. Will you follow season 2 of Resistance which will air later in 2019? I think season 1 was more or less entertaining, but had too many filler episodes in which nothing of consequence happened. Maybe things will pick up speed in season 2, now that the First Order is invading the galaxy and with the Colossus in space.

The Phantom Menace Panel was held at Star Wars Celebration just a short while ago and during the panel a video message by George Lucas for the fans was played. You can watch it here:

So The Phantom Menace is still one of George’s favorite movies and Jar-Jar is his favorite character. While some fans may disagree with him, he, as the creator, sees things from a different perspective and while The Phantom Menace has its faults, it still gave us many iconic scenes and even a few iconic characters. It was the Star Wars of a new generation. Not too much unlike the current sequel trilogy. Time will tell how we look back at the sequels in 20 years from now. What are your thoughts about The Phantom Menace? Were you there on release day? What do you remember? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Many of you are curious to learn more about the “clean variation” of the TVC Stormtrooper (Mimban) figure that showed up on tunghori’s eBay store recently. We received our sample and added images of it to our gallery in the RDR including comparison shots. Simply put, this clean version of the Mimban Stormtrooper should give us a pretty good idea of what to expect from the upcoming TVC Rogue One Stormtrooper. It’s without any battle-damage markings at all and possesses a bone-white color which makes it unique to the other Imperial Stormtrooper action figures received to date, and we’re glad to have the figure in our collections now. The figure, to date, has not returned to this eBay seller’s store. Check out the update gallery HERE. You can still order this figure HERE at Walmart.com too.

Want to see what Hallmark has on hand at SWCC? Get the full gallery after the jump!

The Vintage Collection repacks with new “photorealistic” deco are BACK IN STOCK at Amazon!

Click HERE for Darth Vader
Click HERE for Han Solo (Echo Base)
Click HERE for Luke Skywalker (Endor)
Click HERE for Princess Leia (Hoth)

I originally reported that the short interview with Tom Kane had been cut from the official recording of the livestream on the Star Wars YouTube channel. Several people commented that the clip is missing, I checked the recording by scrubbing through it two or three times and didn’t find it. But apparently it’s still there. Maybe I was just blind and didn’t see it. Anyway, you can find the clip around the 6 hour 36 minute mark. Nothing was deleted. Apologies for the confusion! 🙂

Are you excited for The Rise Of Skywalker? Then be sure to get the official t-shirt. Amazon has multiple colors listed for $22.99 each!

Here’s the review of the Jabba’s Palace (Adventure Set). It’s big, it’s beautiful, and you’re going to love it. Find out why this is a must-have purchase in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

It’s day 4 at Celebration Chicago and we are still going strong! Check out some of the amazing costumes, panels, and fun from today’s Celebration experience!

JTA reader Terminal Voracity sends a cool store report for the Walmart Exclusive TVC Stormtrooper (Mimban) figure. It’s now on Rollback at some retail locations. See images below for proof. By the way, you can still order the figure online HERE

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Well, I am not sure if Tom Kane is going to have a job after this. During an interview at Star Wars Celebration, he stated that for the last six years he’s voiced Admiral Ackbar. And he immediately explained his disdain for his character’s death in The Last Jedi. He said (paraphrased) “And I was not really thrilled how they blew him up outside of the ship. And I’m like who’s this Holdo woman? And nobody knows this. No one invested in this. Who is she? Why is she saving the fleet?” before the host interrupted him to change topics and looked nervously doing so. The host’s expression is classic. See the clip yourself before it gets edited out at the 3 hours 49-minutes mark of the live feed on YouTube.

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Holy mackerel. I am dumbfounded by The Vintage Collection Jabba’s Palace (Adventure Set). This is what I had wished for TVC since its inception back in 2010. And although it took almost a decade to happen, Hasbro finally gets it. When it comes to scenery and playsets and other things required to make the 3.75″ super-articulated masterpieces look more beautiful, this is one of the ways to do it. Jabba’s Palace (Adventure Set) comes with a solid plastic diorama of a cut of Jabba’s Palace. It then interacts wonderfully with the two figures exclusively included here, but also with so many other beautiful action figures produced years ago.

Exclusively included are TVC-carded versions of Han Solo (Carbonite) (VC136) and Ree-Yees (VC137). Han Solo disappointingly doesn’t come with “photorealistic” technology, but his paint operations are slightly improved from the 2015 release. His carbonite block is magnetized this time and hangs properly within the walls of Jabba’s Palace. Still, he’s based on The Empire Strikes Back, so we need a ROTJ-specific version of him. Seeing him carded this time in TVC-packaging is nice. Ree-Yees is markedly improved. The eyes look better than ever, and his coloring is brighter and more profound like it should be. And in all honesty, were it not for an exclusive retail set like this, we may have never gotten Ree-Yees packaged in The Vintage Collection. Both figures are a tremendous enhancement to this retailer exclusive, and make the $49.99 MSRP completely worth it for us.

The review is coming tomorrow, but feel free to check out the full gallery and other parts of the review right now. We worked up some cool scenes for you to enjoy and spent some time putting everything together for some screen-accurate presentations. Please leave your thoughts in the comments and be sure to come back for the full review tomorrow. By the way, our sample has a defect. The tauntaun’s right horn isn’t attached correctly, so we got stuck with an odd-looking trophy. Don’t let the error affect your appreciation of this set. Click HERE to check it out!

Discuss The Clone Wars Season 7 RIGHT HERE! Man oh man is this going to be a great “reboot” (I know it’s NOT a reboot) of the series!

The Mandalorian panel just closed a few minutes ago. Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni talked about the show and revealed a few details. Also on the panel were the three main characters Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano and Carl Weathers. And while not very much was revealed, almost nothing about the actual story, we did learn a few things! A sizzle reel was also shown, however, the YouTube stream faded to back when the footage was shown. But several Bothan spies were able to smuggle out the footage and we will show you some screenshots of the revealed footage! So click through for a look at The Mandalorian!

The 501st was asked to portray Stormtroopers on set – click for the much larger version

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BAD in an all-new scale revealed today at Galaxy’s Edge! Click below for a look at our full gallery of Galaxy’s Edge reveals from this morning! See our Instagram and Facebook pages for more!

Head to our Facebook gallery for an exciting look at some great 3.75″ Droid Depot color changing droids coming to Galaxy’s Edge INCLUDING a blue Lars’ Power Droid! See our Instagram and Facebook pages for more!

UPDATE: Full Facebook Gallery HERE

GameStop has the exclusive The Black Series [Phase III] Shock Trooper helmet for 50% off. Special thanks to JTA reader Vincent B. for the alert.

The Original Trilogy Collection Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter was the first release of this vehicle since 1997’s The Power Of The Force “2” release (and also a Toys R Us exclusive). It comes with a Darth Vader pack-in figure too. Learn more in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

Here’s a look at some of the fun costumes and activities from day 3 of Celebration Chicago!

There’s another unannounced The Black Seris 6′ figure coming from GameStop, and it’s part of a bundle with the Jedi Fallen Order video game. Click through for more.

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Respawn Entertainment (developer of Titanfall, owned by EA) finally revealed a trailer for the upcoming Star Wars Game Jedi: Fallen Order, in which you play an Order 66 survivor, a young male Padawan named Cal Kestis, who tries to blend in. Barriss Offee is supposed to be featured in the game as well. It was already revealed yesterday that the game will be single player only and that there won’t be any microtransactions.  So fans of story based games may finally get something from EA. The game has a release date of November 15th. There’s one thing however which raises eyebrows. Respawn merely released a story trailer, no actual gameplay footage was shown. Mere seven months before release you would think they have at least something to show. That they didn’t present any gameplay at all should make fans somewhat wary.
Maybe the game will once more be developed in typical EA fashion: big crunch time towards the end where the devs will code 24/7, six months straight, with the game still not really finished on release date and needing several patches post release. Let’s hope the game will actually be finished and more or less bug-free when it is released in November!

Hasbro has released official PRESS IMAGES and we have them in a gallery on our Facebook page. Check them out!

The Galaxy’s Edge panel is currently taking place at Star Wars celebration, and only a few minutes ago CNN Business posted an exclusive article about bringing Coke products to a galaxy far, far away. More…

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Kotobukiya was set up in two booths this year. While there was not much new to offer, their displays were very well done! Get the full gallery after the jump!

Since Diamond Select Toys is the new Gentle Giant, they featured all the latest mini busts and statues from Gentle Giant. Click through to check out our full gallery of the Diamond Select Toys booth!

Lastly, most products revealed yesterday are available for pre-order on Hasbro Pulse.

You can also pre-order the next wave of The Black Series Archive line on Amazon too!

Pre-order the next wave of The Vintage Collection figures on Amazon!

Pre-order the Amazon exclusive The Black Series [Phase III] 6″ Emperor Palpatine with throne room chair!

The Original Trilogy Collection STAR TOURS line featured the fourth and final wave of action figures from Disney’s STAR TOURS attraction. Let’s finish up with MSE-1T in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

Day 2 is a wrap! Click through for our full gallery of costuming and festivities from around the convention!

LEGO is celebrating 20 years with Star Wars, and their booth was fully themed for the event, including a brilliant display with a LEGO luck Skywalker coming ‘off the page’. You can check out our full LEGO gallery right here!

Affiliate and sponsor Entertainment Earth has placed the new merchandise up for order. Click through to see what’s available!

Also revealed earlier today on the Star Wars Show Live (around the 5 hour 4 minute mark) was the following: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will have NO microtransactions and NO multiplayer, it will strictly be a story focused single player game. The statement was made by Vince Zampalla, head of Respawn Entertainment, who develop the game. I suppose this news is something that should elate all gamers who have been asking for something like that for years now. Maybe EA have learned their lesson not just with Battlefront II, but also with missteps like Anthem. More details about Fallen Order will be revealed on Saturday, so stay tuned! But this news alone makes me a lot more excited for it.

Now that’s a very interesting tidbit which was revealed following the Episode IX panel at SWCC earlier today. JJ Abrams actually consulted with George Lucas for Episode IX and the return of Emperor Palpatine! Does it mean that some of George’s ideas made it into Episode IX? Or was JJ merely asking for some insight into the character of Palpatine? Either way it’s good to see that George’s input is still valuable, no matter how minor (the wardrobe scene in Solo) or major (Palpatine’s return) it may be. JJ certainly knows that the franchise owes everything to George Lucas and for him to have some input on the very last Skywalker movie is only appropriate, I think.

Tweeted by Star Wars Holocron on Twitter

Well, this is interesting. JTA reader bnicks87 sent me an image PROVING that the re-released TVC Darth Vader (VC08) figure has a running change. Our sample featured a two-piece removable helmet (dome/faceplate and collar), but bnicks87’s sample came with the original three-piece helmet. It looks as if only the earliest examples have the “Evolutions” helmet. Dang, it. I shouldn’t have opened mine.

During the Q&A at the Hasbro Presentation, the dreadful issue of the incorrectly designed “name pill” came up (and is something we’ve been complaining about since TVC’s return). While they were unable to answer definitely, Hasbro did concede that they’re looking into it. Hopefully, like other issues in the line, this also gets corrected as well. (Special thanks to JTA reader and friend Binary_Son for the graphic below and for helping to keep this a burning issue for super-articulated collectors.

A still image (or production photo) of Rose and Rey in Star Wars Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker was revealed earlier today. So without any further delay, here’s the photo:

And while I think that Rose looks a lot better than in her TLJ outfit, very official and all business, I can still only hope we will not get an action figure of her in that outfit, since it follows the more or less boring design language of Resistance costumes. The shirt appears to have the exact same design as Poe’s. So that means she probably also wears pants with a similar design and color: brown. I really, really hope Star Wars will eventually move beyond the current tan, beige, brown, grey, white and black color scheme. My toy shelf needs some more color!

Here is the gallery of the Hasbro showroom floor revealing all of the new stuff from the Presentation. Check it out on our Facebook page!

Earlier today the box art design for Episode IX toys was also revealed.

Expect quite a few of these boxes come October! It’s interesting that Kylo is the focus here and not Rey, for TLJ we had several characters on the box.

And here some news that will certainly go over well… apparently the announcement even received loud boos at the presentation: there will be three exclusive Black Series sets for Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge theme park. Click through for the pictures!

Yes, Hondo will come to the Black Series, no, you will not be able to buy him anywhere

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As we revealed yesterday, the three figures that make up the Skiff Guards three-pack will come individually carded. Look at how beautiful these carded figures are. More, please, Hasbro.

Oh man! There were some GREAT things revealed at the Hasbro presentation today at Star Wars Celebration. See them all in our gallery on our Facebook page. Click through for the notes!

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Let the hype begin! As expected we finally got the title of Episode IX earlier today when the Episode IX panel was held at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago! And on top of that we also got the very first teaser trailer. Click through for screenshots and a quick discussion of the trailer!

Rise, Lord Vader! 😀

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Head to our Facebook page for all the latest Hasbro reveals!

Click through to view it! Here is the teaser trailer! Sorry for the delay! We have site issues! Listen for the end!

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We stopped by to have a look at the amazing prop work from EFX. Check out our full booth gallery from EFX Collectibles. 

Affiliate and sponsor Entertainment Earth wants us to let our readers know that NEW Star Wars merchandise announced today will go for sale tonight at 9 pm PDT (midnight EDT). Click the image below for the direct link!

This year ROW focused on celebrating Celebrations with a look back at memorabilia from all Celebrations to-date. Check out the full gallery from our walk through at The Rancho Obi-Wan Experience!

Bloomberg interviewed Bob Iger and Iger dropped a very important announcement for Star Wars fans:
“We will take a pause, some time, and reset, because the Skywalker saga comes to an end with this ninth movie. There will be other Stars Wars movies, but there will be a bit of a hiatus.”

According to Iger Star Wars will have its focus on the shows which will stream exclusively on Disney+ for a while at least.
And Iger also said this: “We have not announced any specific plans for movies thereafter. There are movies in development, but we have not announced them.”

You may now speculate what “resetting Star Wars  means”. And we may all guess how long that hiatus will be. Two years? Three years? And what does that mean for Hasbro? Will they have the time now to fill in all the gaps? There are a ton of Disney era figures (mostly Rogue One and Solo) which should still be released, plus all the OT and PT figures we still need.
So, what do you think? Do you think it’s a good sign we won’t have new movies for a couple of years? Leave your thoughts in the comments! Thanks to JTA friend Steven U. for the alert!

The Death Star just exploded . . .

We took a walkthrough of the Galaxy’s Edge booth to check out a taste of what’s to come at the park. Click through for our full gallery!

The Celebration exclusive LEGO Darth Vader Bust is up at Target. Cost is $39.99 and is one per Redcard holder. Order at TARGET.com. Special thanks to JTA reader John L. for the alert!

All relevant details about Disney’s streaming service were revealed yesterday. And Disney+ may be an offer that many won’t want to refuse! Click through for all the details!

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Check out our gallery of events, fans, cosplay, and more from Day 1 of Star Wars Celebration Chicago!

The Original Trilogy Collection STAR TOURS line featured the fourth and final wave of action figures from Disney’s STAR TOURS attraction. Now let’s look at 3T-RNE in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

The Vintage Collection repacks with new “photorealistic” deco are BACK IN STOCK at Amazon!

Click HERE for Darth Vader
Click HERE for Han Solo (Echo Base)
Click HERE for Luke Skywalker (Endor)
Click HERE for Princess Leia (Hoth)

UPDATE: All sold out at $12.99 each.

In case there was any question, all three figures featured in the upcoming Skiff Guards three-pack will each be individually carded, and NOT set up like a Special Action Figure set. These will be revealed tomorrow.

New The Vintage Collection and The Black Series [Phase III] 6″ figures based on The Clone Wars are coming soon in the line…. but will they be announced for Celebration Chicago?

Good news! It appears that The Retro Collection call-out on the front of the card backs is a sticker! Special thanks to friend Steve U. for the image and alert!

Celebration Chicago is officially underway and our first stop is at the Hasbro booth. There will be more reveals after their presentation tomorrow. Check out our full gallery from the Hasbro Booth right here!

Our sources tell us (and we’ve seen the images) that The Vintage Collection Chewbacca featured on the floor of SWCC is BACK to the A New Hope head sculpt (both loose and packaged). Something must have gotten lost in translation with the recent press images of the figure we discussed last week. But we will find out what’s going on with this figure for sure. Stay tuned for images and more.

The Original Trilogy Collection STAR TOURS line featured the fourth and final wave of action figures from Disney’s STAR TOURS attraction. Learn about G3-5LE in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

Mark Hamill was a guest on the Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast the other day and during the podcast he shared his thoughts about the current state of the Star Wars franchise. When asked if audiences may be tiring of Star Wars, this is what he replied:

“Yes,” Hamill said. “I’m not gonna tell them how to run their business, but is there a possibility of ‘Star Wars fatigue’? Yeah, I think there is. I’ve experienced it, to a certain degree. But they never listen to my ideas anyway, so who needs ’em?”

Perhaps Mark’s opinion on the current state of the franchise should worry Disney? Also, you cannot help but always feel a certain level of disappointment in Mark Hamill’s words when he speaks about Star Wars these days. And you can’t shake off the felling that Mark is not entirely convinced Disney is doing the right thing with Star Wars. So, what do you think? Is there Star Wars fatigue? I am not entirely sure there is, I think Star Wars merely needs fresh ideas, all new characters and movies that are not beholden to the OT era so much with rehashed ideas and nostalgia. Star Wars needs to move forward. Leave your thoughts in the comments!

eBay seller tunghori has loaded up his eBay store with the latest The Vintage Collection figures including Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) and Ree-Yees among others! Special thanks to JTA reader Mark for the alert!

The Original Trilogy Collection brought forth another TIE Fighter vehicle Learn more about it in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

It looks like Hasbro is finally doing right by Emperor Palpatine, as the long-rumored Force lightning is getting paired with the previously released figure and two additional portraits! And an all-new THRONE ROOM CHAIR! Awesome! How excited are you for the new The Black Series [Phase III] 6″ products getting announced at SWCC?

An image has surfaced on social media showing a supply of TVC Jabba’s Sail Barge (The Khetanna) vehicles near Hasbro’s booth. (UPDATE: While they look like Jabba’s Sail Barges, they’re apparently not.) Are these for sale? And if they are is this a breach of the crowdfunding rules/contract? Or is this a supply of the reserved amounts for international collectors only? It gets so confusing sometimes.

UPDATE: We’re hearing from people on the floor that there are no Jabba’s Sail Barge vehicles for sale at SWCC. There are different products inside of these boxes.

Tomorrow I’m making my trek north to Chicago to kick off JTA’s coverage of Celebration Chicago! If you are attending, make sure to stop by at one of  our giveaway times and say hi! I will be on-location to cover various areas of the show, including panels, costuming, booths, and more, while Paul, Caleb, and Thomas will be on the home-front posting news to the front page! JTA will be giving out our swag at the Diorama Workshop (booth 3511) at predetermined times (click through for our full giveaway schedule). We’ll also be joining up with various other groups to give away our chase cards. A big thanks to Frank Diorio and his team at the Diorama Workshop for hosting us for our giveaways! We will also be teaming up with Jedi News for our card giveaways at the Diorama Workshop, so make sure to grab some of their swag when you stop by!

We’ve put together a portal page which we will update each evening after the day’s events collecting all of our coverage for that day. You can find a quick link graphic in the top right corner of our page for easy access. We’ll also be adding images throughout the event, so make sure to follow us on Facebook so you can see the galleries as they are added. We’ll post links here on the front page as we fill the galleries. 

May the Force Be With You!

With special thanks to JTA reader Matthew C., we’re alerted to an Instagram user who’s taken his Jabba’s Sail Barge to the beach to shoot some incredibly beautiful images. Check them out on Instagram!

You never know what you’re going to find Star Wars toy-related at ROSS. JTA reader and friend Josh M. located a Quay Tolsite action figure for $4.99 on the shelves. Oh, and let’s not froget about that red A-wing Fighter! Insanity.

The Vintage Collection repacks with new “photorealistic” deco are IN STOCK at Amazon!

Click HERE for Darth Vader
Click HERE for Han Solo (Echo Base)
Click HERE for Luke Skywalker (Endor)
Click HERE for Princess Leia (Hoth)

In case you’ve forgotten it, this year we’ll not only get a new Star Wars movie, but there’s also a new Star Wars game in development, which is supposed to be released in late 2019. EA is not the most popular video game company (and I am being nice here), but after several cancelled story based Star Wars games “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” will most likely see the light of day. Amazon is already listing “The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” book on their page. And they even updated the page and added a cover graphic for the book. So what you see below is apparently the official logo of the game. It’s in line with the movies and previous EA games. However, this will be the first Star Wars game developed by EA which actually focuses on story. You will play as an Order 66 survivor, a few years after the events of Revenge of the Sith. And remember, the game will be canon. I am curious what they come up with and somewhat excited for this game. Let’s hope it will give us a worthy successor to games like KOTOR and won’t be yet another cash grab and lootbox travesty. EA needs some good press for a change, especially following games such as Anthem.

You saw our sneak peek just a couple of hours ago. Now here is the official RDR post for the Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) (VC144) figure. It’s excellent. See a ton of comparison pictures and a detailed review on this superb figure in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you’d like to see something that we didn’t cover yet.

Here we go! Our Research Droids Review on Lando Calrissian (Skiff Guard) (VC144) is completely finished and ready for you to check out. Despite the circus surrounding Walmart’s stock availability and alerts, shipping statuses, multiple authorizations, and changing arrival dates, I am so happy the figure is finally released for all of us to enjoy. One of my most favorite characters in the Original Trilogy, I am thrilled that Hasbro perfected this iteration of him for The Vintage Collection’s return. Aside from the missing skiff guard blaster, I am unable to find a single complaint with the figure itself. But the figure’s packaging is a whole other bowl of wax for criticism. This review’s official launch is tomorrow, but you can get an early look at right now! Don’t forget to leave your thoughts about this long-awaited updated figure in our comments! There are a ton of comparison shots with Jabba’s palace aliens, earlier versions of this character, and diorama scenes.

Heading to Chicago for Star Wars Celebration? You had better pack in a bigger backpack! The SWAG is off the charts this year. Our friends over at the SWAG Crew Facebook group have been tracking any and all SWAG they’ve seen posted, an

d the final count came in at over 2800 pieces! Click through to browse through the massive gallery of fan-made SWAG!

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How many of you out there would like to know that there could be a famous classic Original Trilogy Star Wars beast in Episode 9? Well, click through for more!

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Tonight we are adding the GameStop exclusive The Black Series [Phase III] Imperial Jumptrooper to our Visual Guides. Click below to access the full guide page, and click here to read our full review.

And finally, we’ve also learned that the Galaxy Of Adventures line will add its first vehicle to the collection. This one will also be based on Episode 9 as well.

We’ve also just been apprised of a Galaxy Of Adventures Droid 3-Pack based on Episode 9 characters. It will be moderately priced.

We’ve just learned that a second, “TIE Fighter”-sized, TVC vehicle is coming forth into the line. It’s described as a medium-sized TVC vehicle, and although we don’t know for sure what it could be, it should be announced shortly. It retails for a little more than double the price of newly revealed Skiff, but it’s hard to judge as it’s a foreign currency which is always in motion. Could this be an X-wing Fighter or something similar perhaps to match the TIE Fighter? We’ve also seen UPC and assortment numbers for this item.