Monthly Archives: November 2023

You must check out the Gamorrean Guard/Admiral Ackbar/Yak Face/Mon Mothma/Wicket W. Warrick/Emperor’s Royal Guard multipack from the Retro Collection. It’s awesome and full of surprises! (more….)

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It’s that time of the year again to look back and to reminisce. So it’s a good opportunity to talk about your favorite action figure of the year! The rules are very simple: name your favorite Star Wars action of the year you bought in 2023 and it would be ideal if you did not name some vinyl cape Jawa you bought on ebay for 10,000,000,0000 quatloos (congratulations though), but a figure that was actually released in 2023 or at least in this decade. Anything goes. SH Figuarts, Hot Toys, Black Series, Vintage Collection, Mission Fleet, Funko Pop – whatever you like best. Feel free to also name your most favorite non Star Wars action figure you bought this year in addition to your favorite Star Wars figure, because most here certainly collect more than just one thing. I will tell you my picks after the jump!

Bruce Lee’s goddaughter who is also an accomplished martial artist as a Star Wars action figure. Will she get at least one vote? 

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Pre-orders are now open for the Hot Toys Captain Rex (TMS119) 1/6 Scale Figure. Head over to Sideshow Collectibles for the pre-order page.

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Amazon has added a pre-order listing for the newly revealed The Vintage Collection Phase II Clone Trooper Builder Pack. Click here for the pre-order page.

Hot Toys has revealed their next sixth scale figure from Star Wars: Ahsoka. Captain Rex (TMS119) was only seen in flashbacks during the show and is not too much different than the previously released Rex. This new version does come with a few new pieces of armor supporting his Phase I look, including a Phase I helmet. Click through to check out the full details and gallery images. 

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The Black Series MagnaGuard figure should have been sourced to Revenge Of The Sith, but whatever. It’s a lovely figure, nonetheless. (more….)

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Entertainment Earth has opened pre-orders for the recently announced The Vintage Collection Phase II Clone Trooper Builder Pack. 

Click here to pre-order from Entertainment Earth.

The Target exclusive The Black Series 2 pack featuring a Phase I Clone Trooper Lieutenant and 332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper is now available for pre-order. Head over to Target.com for the pre-order page.

Update: Pre-orders have sold out.

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Amazon has another The Vintage Collection price drop, this time The Mandalorian’s N-1 Starfighter is on sale for $99. Click here to grab the deal.

Today’s Gift The Galaxy campaign also revealed a new The Black Series clone trooper set featuring a Phase I Clone Trooper Lieutenant and 332nd Ahsoka’s Clone Trooper. Look for this Target exclusive set to go up for pre-order tomorrow at 1 PM Eastern (but hey, it’s Target so the pre-order will go live… sometime). Click through for more details and images.

Hasbro has announced their next The Vintage Collection Builder Pack: Phase II Clone Troopers, featuring a few shinies, Ahsoka’s 332nd trooper, and a 501st trooper. These will be available via Hasbro Pulse starting tomorrow at 1 PM Eastern, and later on ShopDisney. 

Get more details on this week’s Gift The Galaxy announcements.

The Darth Vader (Duel’s End) figure from The Black Series line turned out excellently. But is it as good as The Vintage Collection version? (more….)

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Entertainment Earth is celebrating Cyber Monday with 25% off all in stock merchandise, plus free shipping on orders over $39. Use code CYBER25. This sale runs through Tuesday, November 28th at 11:59 PM PT.

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 Leia Organa (#467) and Freya Fenris (#468). 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.

You have THREE CHOICES to add Morgan Elsbeth into your Star Wars collection, but the version from the Retro Collection might be the biggest waste of your money of the trio. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. (more….)

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I hope all the American readers of JTA have digested their turkeys by now and you are all having a great weekend, no matter where you are from. Since nothing all that much is going on in Star Wars land (and that won’t really change until the next Disney+ show is released, which will probably be Skeleton Crew), I would like to talk about something that is at least tangentially related to Star Wars: everyone’s most favorite movie studio in the entire multiverse, Walt Disney. Because Disney’s fate will of course ultimately have an impact on Star Wars.

So what exactly do I want to talk about? Well… as it seems Disney may have set a new world record this November, and for the full year even. They have lost the most money with their entertainment division ever, as in “the entire history of Hollywood”, this November alone sets a new record and all time high for how much money a studio can lose in just a couple of weeks. How? Why? Click through for more!

They have all the reason to be shocked

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Hasbro must get Marrok from the Retro Collection into The Vintage Collection quickly. (more….)

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The Black Friday sales continue with a great price drop for the TVC Deluxe Paz Vizsla, now just $13.24. Click here to grab one!

UPDATE: Back up to $26. Hope you were able to take advantage!

UPDATE 2: It’s back down to $13.24 in case you missed it the first time!

Hasbro needs to get this version of the HK-87 Assassin Droid from the Retro Collection into The Vintage Collection. (more….)

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Jedi Temple Archives wishes all our viewers and their families a very Happy Thanksgiving! 

It’s an older meme, Sir, but It checks out

Hasbro released a stunning set of Imperial Officers in The Vintage Collection through their Builder Packs assortment. It turned out well. (more….)

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We are continuing our look at The Vintage Collection’s Pre Vizsla (VC299) by adding him to our Visual Guides. Click below to check out the full Visual Guide page, and don’t forget to stop by and check out the full review as well. 

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Amazon has dropped the price (again) for the TVC Special 3 Action Figures set from Obi-Wan Kenobi. You can now get this for $20.68. 

There are plenty of Black Friday markdowns on Amazon, so keep checking back for the deals!

Hasbro didn’t do much work to produce The Vintage Collection Pre Vizsla figure, but you probably won’t care. This figure is awesome.. (more….)

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Dave Filoni is further climbing up the ranks at Lucasfilm. Today it was announced that he has been promoted to Chief Creative Officer. What that means is that from now on Dave Filoni will no longer be a mere advisor who is maybe brought on when a project has already been in development for a while, Filoni will now work much closer together with Kathleen Kennedy and he will be involved with all upcoming projects already at the inception phase and thus have a direct impact on the early development of new projects. Click through for more!

Dave Filoni with mandatory cowboy hat at Star Wars Celebration 2023

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Amazon has plenty of The Vintage Collection and The Black Series on sale for Black Friday (Way too many to list). Click below to browse the deals!

UPDATE: Amazon is also having a “2 for 3” deal right now that includes many newly released items. Click here to browse the items available for this promotion (Use the ‘brands’ filter to choose only Star Wars items)! Thanks to JTA reader mechabug for letting us know this in the comments!

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Walmart.com currently has the 2023 LEGO Advent Calendar on sale for $20. Thanks to JTA reader Mike for the alert!

Unless you live under a rock you will have heard of Disney’s latest box office disaster. The Marvels is a colossal flop at the box office, so colossal, that it will not just be Disney’s biggest box office flop ever, it will be the biggest money loser in the history of Hollywood, period. But this is not about The Marvels, the question is if this unmitigated disaster will have an impact on Star Wars. Why? Because Disney should be in panic mode right now and sadly, there are quite a few similarities to what Marvel is experiencing now and what may happen to Star Wars in the the near future. If all of Kathleen Kennedy’s plans ever come to fruition. So let’s discuss why The Marvels may impact Star Wars, what the similarities between the two franchises are, and what any of that means! Click through for more!

Oops!

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JTA regular Oofa informed me that Hasbro seems to have pulled all the Selfie Series pages from Hasbro Pulse, both in Europe and in the US. When you go to Hasbro Pulse all you can find is a barebones FAQ and one of the questions is “Can I Order Hasbro Selfie Series?” and a tight lipped reply that merely states that Hasbro is no longer accepting new orders.

This is yet another major embarrassment for Hasbro, since they had only introduced the Selfie Series 2.0 recently and talked about it at length at one of the recent livestreams where they highlighted all the improvements and new options you have. But it seems not enough people were willing to pay the price or wanted a vanity figure of themselves. This is yet more bad news for Hasbro who have generated almost nothing but bad press in the past 12 months with revenue nosediving, their stock price in free fall – it is currently at $41.11, which is the lowest it’s been in the past decade – Star Wars and Marvel toy sales circling the drain and a controversy about Dungeons & Dragons when Hasbro tried to monetize the license (basically the ruleset) that created a massive fan backlash and resulted in a PR disaster for the company and hilarious backpedaling shortly thereafter. Add the, never officially acknowledged, not even once, massive failure that were the pfp boxes for their action figure lines and the hasty return to traditional boxes with plastic windows and trays.

And now the Selfie Series is dead. Before that Hasbro’s “Starting Lineup” figures failed. But it’s not over yet, a terrible Q4/2023 is still upcoming, Hasbro already issued a warning with their last earnings call. One wonders how long Chris Cocks can remain as CEO of the Pewtucket toy company. His “operational excellence” is maybe not as excellent as he thinks it is.

Did you ever order a Selfie figure for yourself? Do you know anyone who did?

Thanks again to Oofa for the heads-up!

Another one bites the dust – Hasbro Pulse website screenshot

Hasbro finally fixed the back panels on the reissued The Vintage Collection R5-D4 figure by making them red. That’s all we have to say. This is huge, folks.. (more….)

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Amazon has several Special Action Figure sets marked down right now:

• Obi-Wan Kenobi 3-pack – $24.99
• The Bad Batch 4-pack – $38.49
• Jedi Survivor 3-pack – $34.58

We have another Visual Guide update from the deluxe line of The Vintage Collection. Click below to check out the Tusken Warrior & Massiff. You can also read our full review of this set right here.

Hasbro finally makes things right by giving collectors an all-new, highly detailed Chopper (C1-10P) action figure. It’s a lot of fun. (more….)

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The next two cards from the weekly Topps Star Wars Living Set are now out. Featuring the iconic blue starfield and the impressive artwork of Kris Penix, check out Anakin Skywalker (#465) and Super Battle Droid (#466). 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.

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Amazon has several Builder Packs on sale for about $8 per figure. Click below to take advantage:

• Imperial Death Trooper Builder Pack – $32.29
• Rebel Soldier (Echo Base Battle Gear) Builder Pack – $31.49

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Amazon has several The Black Series Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary figures on sale. Click below to check them out:

• Paploo – $17.49
• Biker Scout – $17.49
• Princess Leia (Endor) – $12.98

Hasbro seems to believe that General Hera Syndulla is worthy of the VC300 designation. Whatever. At least this egregious misstep doesn’t take away from the beauty of this action figure (more….)

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Add yet another entry on the list of cancelled or “forever on hold” Star Wars projects. According to an insider report the KOTOR remake is dead. It’s not currently worked on. Which is basically the same. And at the recent Embracer Group earnings presentation from last Thursday the CEO refused to make any comment when he was asked about how he feels about the KOTOR remake. Rumors about the project being on indefinite hold had swirled around previously, allegedly Lucasfilm was not happy with the quality of the work presented, game development was switched to another studio belonging to the Embracer Group, none of that seems to have helped the project.

I feel a KOTOR remake could have been good, of course it could also been a disaster, especially if had been reimagined for “modern audiences”. They had hired new writers (some of which did not really inspire fans with any confidence) which meant that the story could have changed, or at least the dialogue. Either way, it seems the remake will no longer happen.

Why is it so difficult for Star Wars projects to actually get made? Would you still like to get a proper KOTOR remake? Or at least a remaster? To make the game enjoyable for newer fans who would not be happy about the (for 2023) bad graphics, clunky combat and otherwise archaic gameplay mechanics?

“Outlaws”, the open world Star Wars game developed by Ubisoft, is still on track fortunately, and definitely not cancelled, however, as things look the game may get delayed, tentative original release date was “early 2024”, latest reports claim a release after April 2024 in Ubisoft’s new fiscal year is more like it. So Star Wars fans will at least get one new game in the not too distant future. But anyone who hoped to be Revan again in a much improved KOTOR is out of luck.

We will not see them again any time soon

HAPPY LIFE DAY! Today’s Featured Visual Guide update celebrates the 45th anniversary of the cringe-worthy cult classic: The Star Wars Holiday Special. Click below to check out The Vintage Collection’s Chewbacca (Life Day). You can also indulge yourself with more Life Day goodness by checking out a full review of this figure. This Hasbro Pulse/ShopDisney exclusive is still available at ShopDisney.com.

If you missed out on the TVC  Chewbacca (Life Day) figure on Hasbro Pulse, ShopDisney now has it in stock and ready to ship. Click here for the product page.

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Pre-orders are now open for the Hot Toys Ahsoka Tano (TMS118) 1/6 Scale Figure. Head over to Sideshow Collectibles for the pre-order page.

I am Ahsoka the White. Hot Toys reveals their latest sixth scale version of Ahsoka Tano (TMS118), featured in her newer style white/grey outfit from Ahsoka. Click through for the full gallery and details.

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Remember when all those crazies got mad at us when Hasbro canceled the 2007 30th Anniversary Collection Darth Revan re-release after we told them not to re-release it? And remember when those same crazies believed that Hasbro just forgot to add the figure into the lineup instead of canceling it, thanks to that fake news on YouTube? Well, our work has paid off. Now, we have an all-new, super-articulated, and exquisitely detailed Darth Revan action figure. Sometimes, getting people mad pays off, so we’ll continue to upset them. (more….)

Thank you for reading Research Droids Reviews: Season 15!

The Pre Vizsla 6-inch figure from The Black Series line is this character’s first realistically-styled action figure. It uses primarily old parts but looks fantastic regardless. (more….)

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Entertainment Earth is having a pre-Black Friday sale featuring Buy One Get One 50% Off on all in-stock action figures. Head over to browse the selection!

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Amazon currently has the Jawa & Salacious B. Crumb (Holiday Edition) available for $19.59. Click here for the product page.

The General Hera Syndulla 6-inch figure from The Black Series line looks excellent, but our sample has a defect. Is it universal? (more….)

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Entertainment Tonight published an interview with Taika Waititi yesterday and in it Waititi was of course asked about his Star Wars movie, which was announced all the way back in 2020. What did Waititi say? Click through for the full story!

The state of Star Wars movies in 2023

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The Krrsantan Deluxe figure from The Vintage Collection has fewer accessories than the San Diego Comic-Con version but an all-new portrait. Will you be getting this version, too? (more….)

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Up next for our Visual Guides is the Deluxe Dark Trooper from The Vintage Collection. Click below for the full Visual Guide page. Make sure to also stop by and check out our review.

The Director Orson Krennic figure from The Vintage Collection is from a wave where the packaging changes for the better (reminiscent of when collecting was a happy time). Oh, and the figure is good too! (more….)

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We finish looking at the 40th wave of The Vintage Collection with Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars: Ahsoka. Unfortunately, it’s just a repack. (more….)

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Our next Visual Guide update features the Entertainment Earth exclusive ARC TROOPER (Umbra Operative) (VC237). Click below to check it out! You can also check out a full review of this figure in our review database.

Now let’s look at The Vintage Collection’s Luke Skywalker (Jedi Academy) figure from Star Wars: The Book Of Boba Fett. (more….)

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Um, OK? Let’s take a look at The Vintage Collection’s Morgan Elsbeth figure from Star Wars: Ahsoka. (more….)

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The next two cards from the weekly Topps Star Wars Living Set are now out. Featuring the iconic blue starfield and the impressive artwork of Kris Penix, check out Raspar Six (#463) and Imperial Police Droids (#464). 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.

Let’s take a look at the latest wave of The Vintage Collection and let’s continue with the HK-87 Assassin Droid figure from Star Wars: Ahsoka. It’s another excellent release. And at least TVC collectors get the staff! (more….)

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We’re continuing our updates to the TVC Visual Guide with the addition of the Walmart exclusive ARC Commander Blitz (VC282). Click below to access the full Visual Guide, and click here for access to our full review.

Let’s take a look at the latest wave of The Vintage Collection. Let’s continue with the Grand Inquisitor figure from Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi. It’s another excellent release. (more….)

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Earlier today Disney released their numbers for Q3/2023, which is Disney’s fiscal Q4/2023, and for the full fiscal year. If you are one of those who hope the Walt Disney Company will crumble and die, I have bad news for you: total revenue for the full year is $88.9 billion, a plus of 7% compared to 2022, and total operating income (before taxes) is $12.86 billion, a plus of 6% compared to 2022.

With that Disney did not quite meet expectations by analysts but still had a pretty solid year, all in all. However if you look at the details there are a few things which are somewhat worrying or at least not as great. And yes, that includes Disney+. Click through for more!

Disney keeps swimming in money

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Pre-orders are now open for the Hot Toys sixth scale Marrok (TMS117). Click through for the pre-order page.

Hot Toys reveals another release from Ahsoka today. Click through to check out the full details and gallery for Marrok (TMS117)!

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Let’s take a look at the latest wave of The Vintage Collection. Let’s begin with the Grand Admiral Thrawn figure from Star Wars: Rebels. It’s essentially perfect. (more….)

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Our next Visual Guide update from The Vintage Collection features the amazing Darth Vader (Death Star II) (VC280) from wave 38. Click below to check out the full Visual Guide. Make sure to also check out our full review of this figure. 

Let’s take a look at the Retro Collection Ahsoka Tano figure. Hasbro already released this figure in the line. But this time, it comes with a soft-goods cloak. (more….)

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The Holiday Edition The Black Series KX Security Droid is currently in stock at Walmart.com. Thanks to JTA reader Mike for the alert!

I would like to talk about something today that has bothered me for quite some time: the apparent lack of any perceived value you get for your money when you buy a Star Wars action figure at full price. You pay too much and get too little and then the little you get is also quite often wrong in certain ways. Is Hasbro cutting too many corners? Click through to read more!

Spot the Hasbro product in this photo

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Let’s take a look at the Retro Collection Sabine Wren figure. It comes with a nice amount of accessories. (more….)

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Here’s the Visual Guide for the repacked Clone Captain Howzer (VC210) (the clone formally known as Ballast), now available as an individual card release. Click below for the full Visual Guide, and click here to read the review.

November 17, 2023, celebrates the 45th anniversary of The Star Wars Holiday Special and the public consciousness of Life Day. Hasbro created the Chewbacca (Life Day) figure to commemorate this and hopefully make The Vintage Collection collectors happy. It worked for us. (more….)

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We are finishing up Wave 36 in our The Vintage Collection Visual Guide with the addition of the Artillery Stormtrooper (VC263). Click below to check out the full Visual Guide. You can also read all about this figure in our full review right here.

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 R2-BHD (TOOBY) (#461) and Admiral Raddus (#462). 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.

Sigh. The Retro Collection General Hera Syndulla figure is what you might expect it to be from this line. (more….)

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The final episode of Ahsoka has been added to the Nielsen streaming charts! How did the episode perform? The Ahsoka finale also competed with the first episode of Loki season 2 – which franchise had the upper hand? Star Wars or Marvel? And how does the Ahsoka finale compare to all the other major season finals we’ve had on Disney+ thus far? Click through for all the details!

Shin shows Captain Marvel who’s the boss on Peridea

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The Black Series [Return Of The Jedi 40] Stormtrooper figure is not screen-accurate. But it’s a nice figure nonetheless. (more….)

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Walmart.com has their exclusive The Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Legend) in stock and ready to ship. If you pre-ordered this it should be shipping now.

Up next for our The Vintage Collection Visual Guide updates is the repacked Klatooinian Raider (VC266). Check out the full Visual Guide by clicking below! You can also read our full review right here.

The Black Series [Return Of The Jedi 40] Darth Vader figure has a major design flaw. We can’t believe this slipped by Hasbro’s quality control. (more….)

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Columbia has revealed their 2023 Star Wars line: The Skywalker Pilot Collection. Click through for the full press release and details. 

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The Hasbro Pulse/ShopDisney exclusive The Vintage Collection Chewbacca (Life Day) is available to order on Pulse right now for Premium members, and for everyone at 2 PM Eastern. This will also be available on Shopdisney. 

Update: Now available for everyone on Hasbro Pulse.