Monthly Archives: September 2023

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

Iron Studios unveils their latest release in their 1:10 scale statue line, Ahsoka Tano. Click through for complete details and gallery images. This is now available for pre-order at Sideshow Collectibles.

(more…)

The Black Series [Phase IV] Tala Durith (Imperial Officer) figure is another boring release in the lineup. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!

The Black Series [Phase IV] Inquisitor (Fourth Sister) figure is beautiful, and to us, reminiscent of a popular female superhero. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!

Nielsen have updated their streaming charts and added the third Ahsoka episode! So how did the third episode (or the show as a whole) do in its second week? It did “ok”. Click through for more!

(more…)

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

Sideshow Collectibles has opened up pre-orders for the Hot Toys Sixth Scale Chopper figure. 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.

Sideshow Collectibles has opened pre-orders for their latest sixth scale figure from the animated The Clone Wars line, Cad Bane. Click here for the pre-order page and details.  Cad Bane joins Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, and Ahsoka Tano in this growing lineup. 

Hot Toys is adding an incredibly well-done Chopper to their Sixth Scale Collection! Click through for complete details and gallery images.

(more…)

She has a big head. And a boring costume! The Black Series [Phase IV] Vel Sartha figure is alright, but nothing extraordinary (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!

Last week I said episode six of Ahsoka, “Far Far Away”, is some of the best Star Wars on Disney+. Fast forward one week and episode seven is in many ways the counterpoint, it is in some ways the worst Star Wars on Disney+. How is this possible? Why is Ahsoka so terribly uneven? Now on the surface the current episode is fun, it has lots of ‘splosions, lightsaber action, space action, it has a swift pace and yet even more memberberry cameos. On the surface it’s never boring. But when you look behind the curtain you find there isn’t some Oz, there is nothing, just a vacuum of nothingness. The plot of this episode is plain stupid when you think about it all for just one second. No other way to put it. So click here to read my spoiler review for “Dreams and Madness” and let’s discuss the penultimate Ahsoka season 1 episode!

Too many consonants! The Vintage Collection Krrsantan figure is stunning, but why can’t Chewbacca get this kind of love? (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!

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

Entertainment Earth has dropped pre-orders for both the Ahsoka and The Book of Boba Fett Retro Collection figures announced earlier this year. Click below for pre-order pages:

Click here for the full Ahsoka case assortment 
Click here for the full TBOBF case assortment

The Black Series [Return Of The Jedi 40] Bib Fortuna figure is a marked improvement when compared to its first release. What did Hasbro do to make it look better? (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!

The Vintage Collection Boba Fett’s Throne Room playset is exquisite, but how could Hasbro call it that during the 40th Anniversary of Return Of The Jedi? Anyway, check out this spectacular creation! (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!

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

Pre-orders are now live for Hasbro Pulse Premium members. Click here to browse the products on Hasbro Pulse! This includes the PulseCon exclusive The Black Series Starkiller & Stormtroopers set. We will update this post with the general release pre-orders at 5 PM.

UPDATE: General Release items added below!

The Vintage Collection

• Jedi Knight Revan & HK-47 2-pack (Entertainment Earth • Pulse)
• Director Orson Krennic (Entertainment Earth • Amazon)
• Chopper (C1-10P) (Entertainment Earth • Amazon)
• Professor Huyang (Entertainment Earth • Amazon)

The Black Series

• Baylan Skoll (Entertainment Earth • Amazon)
• Shin Hati (Entertainment Earth • Amazon)
• Roleplay Sabine Wren Force FX (Entertainment Earth • Amazon)
• Roleplay Captain Rex Helmet (Entertainment Earth • Amazon)

Full cases via Entertainment Earth:

• The Vintage Collection Wave 41 (includes Director Krennic and Chopper)

Here are all the newly revealed Black Series figures from the Hasbro PulseCon livestream!

• Baylan Skoll
• Shin Hati

These are the only new figures revealed! Just two. But at least good ones.

Outside the US Hasbro will release a wave of archive figures for more casual fans, so these will not be sold in the US:

• X-Wing Luke
• Darth Vader
• Bo-Katan
• Stormtrooper

There will  be two new premium roleplay items!

• Ezra’s/Sabine’s lightsaber
• Captain Rex’s helmet

And there were also some pipeline reveals!

• Darth Vader (A New Hope)
• The Mandalorian
• Phase I Clone Trooper
• Mandalorian Night Owl

The pipeline reveals are targeted at more casual collectors!

The new items will be available in spring 2024, pre-orders go live today at 4 pm ET for Pulse Premium members and 5 pm ET for the plebs!

Click through for a few photos and a very interesting factoid about the popularity of The Black Series vs The Vintage Collection, because there was an online poll during the stream….

The Ahsoka MVPs are coming to the Black Series!

(more…)

Here’s the breakdown for today’s PulseCon 2023 The Vintage Collection reveals. Pre-orders start at 4 PM Eastern on Hasbro Pulse for Pulse Premium members, and everywhere else at 5 PM Eastern. We will post a pre-order breakdown for all reveals at that time.

The Vintage Collection

• Jedi Knight Revan & HK-47 2-pack (Fan Channel) – Spring 2024
• Director Orson Krennic – Spring 2024
• Chopper (C1-10P) – Spring 2024
• Huyang – Summer 2024

Pre-orders for the final two Rebels mural carded figures (Sabine & Chopper) will be announced in the first few months of 2024

Pipeline Reveals:

• Cal Kestis (Imperial Officer)
• Mandalorian Judge
• Phase II Clone Trooper Troop Builder Pack 

Click through to tune in to this year’s PulseCon. The continuous livestream will run until approximately 3:30, with pre-orders starting at 4 p.m. Eastern for Hasbro Pulse Premium Members, and all fans beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET. You can also tune in directly at YouTube.com/HasbroPulse.

Star Wars coverage will begin around 12:20 PM Eastern. After the Star Wars coverage, we will break down all the reveals!

(more…)

The Black Series Jabba The Hutt & Salacious B. Crumb set is expensive but nice. Will you celebrate 40 years of Return Of The Jedi by purchasing it? (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!

Nielsen have updated their weekly streaming charts today and it is the first time they include Ahsoka. As you remember Ahsoka dropped two episodes on the same night, and Disney even changed their release strategy for the series, releasing the episodes at 9 pm in the prime time slot, contrary to all of the previous shows where the episodes dropped in the middle of the night. So how did the show do? Not good. Not good at all actually. Click through for all the details!

Boom….

(more…)

This week’s character posters from Ahsoka episode 6 feature a great line-up: Grand Admiral Thrawn, Ezra Bridger, Captain Enoch, and the Nightsisters. Click below to check them out!

The Vintage Collection The Mandalorian’s N-1 Starfighter is a remarkable release. The all-new addition to the line has features and details that set a new standard for a mid-size-range vehicle. However, what isn’t so mid-size is its MSRP. That said, Hasbro went above and beyond to create an authentic, screen-accurate, and gorgeous vehicle to complement the action figures they make from The Mandalorian. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!

“Far Far Away” is in some ways the best Star Wars Disney+ has to offer outside of Andor. Ahsoka was off to a really rough start but episode six is a huge improvement once again, and one reason may be that Ahsoka herself is completely absent from this episode, other than for the first two minutes. So the episode can instead focus on the interesting characters of Baylan, Sabine and Shin and we also get the entrance of Thrawn and the return of Ezra of course. It turns out “Far Far Away” even attempts to and succeeds in recreating some of the original Star Wars magic. And we learn why the Jedi should really die, something that many people didn’t like at all when Luke said it in The Last Jedi. But after this, and the previous episode, you may understand why this would actually be a good idea, when we talk about how the Jedi really were. So there is lots to talk about, click through to read my spoiler review and let’s discuss the latest Ahsoka episode!

Hasbro launches PulseCon 2023 this Friday starting at 11 AM Eastern. The four-and-a-half-hour event will run until 3:30 on YouTube.com/HasbroPulse, with pre-orders opening at 4 PM Eastern for Hasbro Pulse Premium Members. Pre-orders will open to all fans beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET. 

The Star Wars brand is slated to kick off at 12:20 Eastern. 

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 Senator Gani Riduli (#449) and Riyo Chuchi (#450). Two new cards will be released each Tuesday and only be available for one week. Click here to view the entire Star Wars Living archive, including individual print runs.

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

shopDisney has added a new reissued 5-pack of droids in a Droid Depot set, featuring R1-J1, B-R72, L4-R6, C2-B9 and EG-01. These are in-stock and available to order for $59.99.

Update: As mentioned in the comments, this is a reissue to a previously released set. 

The Vintage Collection Tusken Raiders “troop builder” set is a major disappointment. Well, unless you’re the type of collector who swallows everything Hasbro gives you and is happy about that. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!

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 Leida Mothma (#447) and Lieutenant Gorn (#448). Two new cards will be released each Tuesday and only be available for one week. Click here to view the entire Star Wars Living archive, including individual print runs.

Check out the Speeder Bike/Scout Trooper & Grogu vehicle set from The Vintage Collection. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty good. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!

Here are the latest Character posters from Ahsoka episode 5, featuring Clone Wars versions of Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and Captain Rex. Click below to check them out.

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

Entertainment Earth has opened up pre-orders for the SDCC exclusive The Vintage Collection Krrsantan Deluxe figure. Click here for the pre-order page.

You may have faint memories of Kathleen Kennedy announcing a Lando series several years ago (it was the event at which she also claimed the Kenobi series has been fully written, before the writer was fired and they rewrote the entire show from scratch). Then we heard literally nothing for ages…  and people were wondering if the series was just cancelled without ever acknowledging it. Then the person supposed to write the series gave an interview not too long ago and complained about how he had not heard from Lucasfilm in over a year and he wondered if he’s too gay or black for Lucasfilm (it’s the guy who wrote and directed the massive Haunted Mansion remake flop, so Lucasfilm ignoring him may have other reasons). Probably to spite him after these inane comments Lucasfilm announced literally on the next day or so that Lando has a new writing team: Donald Glover, who played Lando in Solo, and his brother Stephen.

And now Stephen said in a podcast yesterday that Lando is no longer intended to be a show, but a movie… and Variety later ran their own story with official confirmation from Lucasfilm –  to which I can only say… REALLY NOW? Click through for more!

(more…)

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

Pre-orders are now open for the Target exclusive The Black Series Snowtrooper (Holiday Edition). See below for the full list of Holiday Edition figures currently up for pre-order (some of them are out of stock, but keep checking as they pop in and out frequently).

• Jawa & Salacious B. Crumb (Fan Channel via Entertainment Earth)
• Ewok (Fan Channel via Entertainment Earth)
• Mandalorian Scout (Amazon)
• Purge Trooper (Fan Channel via Entertainment Earth)
• Snowtrooper (Target)
• KX Security Droid (Walmart) (still awaiting pre-order)

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

Pre-orders are now open for the recently announced The Vintage Collection Darth Vader (Showdown) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Showdown) 2-pack. Click below for available pre-order options:

• Entertainment Earth
• Amazon

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

Entertainment Earth has The Vintage Collection The Mandalorian’s N-1 Starfighter in stock and ready to ship. Get 10% off and free shipping via our affiliate link. 

The latest Ahsoka episode should delight any fan of The Clone Wars. And fans of Anakin Skywalker / Hayden Christensen will also get their fill this time, actually we get Hayden Christensen’s best scenes in Disney Star Wars yet, much better than what Obi-Wan Kenobi gave us, Hayden gets substantial screentime in this episode. But then there are also space whales… a lot of them! Either way there is much to talk about again, so please click through to read my spoiler review for Shadow Warrior and let’s discuss the grand return of Anakin Skywalker (again)!

CBR.com has officially revealed the former The Vintage Collection pipeline reveal 2-pack featuring Darth Vader (Showdown) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Showdown). Look for this Fan Channel exclusive to go up for pre-order tomorrow at 1 PM Eastern at $39.99. Get the full details and additional images after the jump!

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

If you missed it the first time around, Entertainment Earth has the former Best Buy exclusive 2019 The Vintage Collection AT-ST Raider with Klatooinian Raider available for pre-order once again. 

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

Sideshow Collectibles has opened pre-orders for the Hot Toys Sixth Scale Sabine Wren (TMS111). Click here for the pre-order page.

Hot Toys officially announces the sixth scale Sabine Wren (TMS111) figure as seen in Ahsoka. Click through for complete details and gallery images.

(more…)

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

The Black Series Deluxe Krrsantan is currently in stock and ready to ship at Walmart.com. Thanks to JTA reader Tommy for the alert!

Update: Be sure to check our comments for more details, but this is either showing up out of stock once you try to check out or if you are successful, the wrong figure is shipping (ROTJ 40th Anniversary Boba Fett).

This week’s Ahsoka character poster features Carson Teva. Too bad they totally recycled the image of his character from The Mandalorian Season 3!

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

The Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary The Black Series Jabba the Hutt & Salacious B. Crumb set is now available at shopDisney. At $89.99 it also qualifies for free shipping. Click here for the product page.

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

Several more Holiday Edition The Black Series figures are now available for pre-order. Click below for pre-order links!

• Jawa & Salacious B. Crumb (Entertainment Earth)
• Ewok (Hasbro Pulse)
• Mandalorian Scout (Amazon)
• Purge Trooper (Fan Channel via Entertainment Earth)
• KX Security Droid (still awaiting pre-order)
• Snowman Trooper (still awaiting pre-order)

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

Pre-orders are now open for the Amazon Exclusive Ahsoka Tano and IG-87 Assassin Droid Carbonized 2-Pack. 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.

The first of this year’s Holiday Edition The Black Series figures is now up for pre-order. Click here to pick up the Amazon exclusive Mandalorian Scout (Holiday Edition).

After a massive push in the closing hours, the latest The Vintage Collection HasLab featuring The Ghost closed with 21,526 Backers. After reaching the threshold for the final tier at 17,000, the final 8 hours tacked on another 4,500+ backers. Congrats to all who secured this piece for your collection!

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

Several Walmart exclusives are once again in stock and available to order. Click below for direct links. Thanks to JTA reader Jon for the alert!

Update: Tech (Mercenary Gear) Is also available

• Clone Commander Jesse
• Clone Commando
• Tech (Mercenary Gear)

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

The Black Series Carbonized continues with this Amazon exclusive set from Ahsoka featuring Ahsoka Tano and HK-87 Assassin Droid. This set goes up for pre-order tomorrow at 1 PM Eastern for $59.99. 

I am very busy with Starfield but I did set apart some time today for Ahsoka of course. Fallen Jedi is the Ahsoka episode that will get people talking. The episode was light on plot and favored action over dialogue this time, which absolutely is a positive in this case. Baylan finally gets more screentime too and we learn a few things about him or at least what his mindset is, but of course there’s the one big thing that has people talking… so click through to read my spoiler review so we can all talk about that big thing!

Backers of The Ghost can rest easy now that the third The Vintage Collection HasLab is fully funded, unlocking all tiers with just over 8 hours remaining. Now it remains to be seen as to how Hasbro plans to offer the final two Ghost crew members on the mural cards. 

There are still a few more hours to back if you are on the fence…

UPDATE: and the final number of backers is 21,526! Not as much as for the Razor Crest, which had about 6,600 more backers, making the Ghost the 2nd most successful Star Wars HasLab. However, the Ghost is more expensive so all in all the Ghost brought in almost $1 million more in total money than the Razor Crest.

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 Dewback (#445) and Tatooine Sand Beast (#446). Two new cards will be released each Tuesday and only be available for one week. Click here to view the entire Star Wars Living archive, including individual print runs.

Tier 2 UNLOCKED! With 1 day and 8 hours left (as of this posting) the HasLab The Ghost sits at 14,189 (and counting) and has unlocked the second tier (Kanan Jarrus). Zeb sits waiting at 17,000…

Click here to back The Ghost!

The last time the Hasbro Star Wars brand saw an ARC Commander Blitz action figure was in 2011 in the animated The Clone Wars line. Now we have a realistically-styled, super-articulated version. Check it out! (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!

The Walmart exclusive ARC Commander Blitz is now arriving at doorsteps. JTA reader Travis reports in on the condition of arrival, and it might actually surprise you. How has your order fared?

Will wonders never cease? After receiving an email from Walmart that my order was delivered, I dreaded the usual disappointment I am always left with after getting an order from them—the inevitably crushed figures in a plastic mailing bag.  But today I was shocked to find a cardboard box from Walmart waiting on my front porch.  In it were two well-packed, undamaged Commander Blitz figures.  In a hobby where wins seem to be few and far between, I’ll take this small victory.  All the best to you folks and thanks for all your hard work!

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

Amazon has the Micro Galaxy Squadron Ahsoka Tano’s Jedi Starfighters Set up for pre-order for $24.99. Click here for the product page.

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 Paz Vizsla (#443) and Ice Spider (#444). Two new cards will be released each Tuesday and only be available for one week. Click here to view the entire Star Wars Living archive, including individual print runs.

This week’s featured character posters are Jacen and Mon Mothma. There was also a bonus mid-week poster featuring the Lothcat.