This post will hopefully be a fresh start for Galactic Blogger (that’s me). Here at Blogger HQ in Atlanta we’ve had some bumps in the road, which, hopefully, are now very far away in the rear view mirror (but always closer than they appear). Let’s move forward, shall we? (Don’t bother asking. We’re talking death, heart attacks, and the stuff that makes Desperate Housewives a hit TV show.)

I didn’t attend Celebration IV in Loose Angela because I’d sooner buy an Ice Cream Maker Guy action figure than go to a show in a city where a "Paris Hilton" is a combination treatment at the Free Clinic. I don’t like Star Wars dress-up "Trekkie" style, and I’m not fond of lines that stretch so long that I could stay at the Sunset Marquis for a day and never lose my place in line. In short, I hate this stuff. (I have, however, dutifully begged my friends who are going to hook me up with exclusives.) I’m apathetic and antisocial, I’m not stupid.

As for what was shown at Celebration IV, I’m so excited about Hermi Odle that I had to go dust my Jabba’s Palace paperstock diorama, and figure out where he’d be placed. (Ahem, Hasbro, it’s time to re-release that set printed on some sort of plasticized paperstock, please.) Yoda and Kybuck are a real treat for those of us who love Clone Wars. C-3PO and Salacious Crumb looks fantastic to me, but I’ve read others criticizing the figure for not being vac-metallized. Seriously, and I say this with love, when did collectors start comparing the Hasbro toy line to the high-end collectibles? They’re toys, people. I appreciate extra articulation and nice paint apps, but I also realize that it might be hard to vac-metallize a figure and work in some weird eye-ball hanging out of its socket. There really is only so much they can do in those factories over in China. I’m pleased with the Visionaries General Grievous. I’m stoked about "Leia Starkiller", and I don’t even mind the video game dudes. (I’m not a gamer, sorry.)

Han Solo (Bespin Torture) is a doozy of a figure. (What happened to the extra torso Hasbro?) I’m only slightly less-than-thrilled with the new 4-LOM because he’s missing some of the droidly armature on his arms, but it’s an evolutionary step in the right direction. The A-Wing Pilot is a work of art. Ewoks are always welcome. I actually like the new style for the Spirit of Anakin Skywalker, but if it doesn’t include a head for an old school Sebastian Shaw Anakin Skywalker, I’ll be displeased. Hasbro‘s choices for end-of-the-year kitbashes boggle my brain. With few exceptions (Holographic Darth Vader, the "Poncho" Clone Trooper and the Astromech) they’re pretty unpleasant concepts.

On the Battle Pack front, I’d actually love the STAP Attack pack, except for the highly inaccurate E1 era headsculpt on the Battle Droid Pilot. The Hoth Patrol set is very kid-friendly, but it doesn’t do much for us collecting types. Finally, the ARC-170 Crew pack is a really great way to offer us value-for-money. If Hasbro and Target can coordinate to have this and the vehicle on the shelves at the same time, I don’t see why they won’t fly off. (No pun intended.)

The new Comic Book Asst. 2-Packs are stunning, and that’s all that needs to be said.

New vehicles… wow. Just amazing. And the promise of playsets to come? Who would’ve thunk it?

Continuing our look at the development of the line over the years, here’s another curiosity. The set above was the Jedi Spirits (above labeled simply "Spirits") in its infancy for the proposed Classic Edition which would’ve preceded the Episode I line. Wouldn’t a nice new set of  "Spirits" in the new mode (softgoods and detailed articulation) be a nice surprise down the road?

EricVonG — please contact me. Mail to your address keeps bouncing. (Contact hath been made.)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 at 12:12 pm and is filed under Daily Blog, Prototypes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.