Galactic Blogger » unreleased

Shame Is The Name

Adam_May — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:42:34 +0000

"Stormy Sevenspire was a Jedi archaeologist ("picker") who survived Order 66 through sheer miscommunication and went to ground when Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi sent out their order to do so from the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Using archaeology, instinct, and unfettered skill, he lives to find other Jedi who heeded the call to go-to-ground." —— Character bio, The Legacy Collection

As one of the few characters in the EU (hey, Lucas approved the name and back-story) with an active voice, Stormy Sevenspire is officially throwing his hat into the ring to be your Expanded Universe candidate.

Stormy Sevenspire actively supports the resurrection of the Jedi Order, and, along with his assistant, they weave among thieves to salvage important Jedi artifacts and send spy reports to the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire.

Stormy Sevenspire is the only candidate in the running who has been "manufactured", and this is the only chance that will allow others to own a piece of Jedi history!

On August 8th, when balloting begins, remember the name Stormy Sevenspire. The rare chance to choose a figure through Hasbro’s Star Wars Fan Choice voting is a rare opportunity to steer the course at Hasbro. The power is yours!

More information will be available at StormySevenspire.com.

I Am Two People(?)

Adam_May — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:10:30 +0000

With all love and respect for Hasbro (which I have an over-abundance of) these are two different officers. We were told that the officer that didn’t make it into the previous Endor-themed Shield Generator Assault Battle Pack would be used in the upcoming Battle for Endor Battle Pack, but (as you can see) he’s not the same. Now everyone knows I am not fond of figures going "unreleased". I still want my Swamp Obi-Wan Kenobi and real OOM-9 from the canceled Trophy Asst. (circa 1999). Both figures were actually produced, and they sold quickly on the "grey market". They just never made it to any store shelves. (I’m still kicking myself for not buying them when they were around $25/per loose.)

OK, so… I know Imperials are sorta generic, but do my eyes deceive me? Are these guys the same? If not, why the change? Discuss…

“…with my head on the bar”

Adam_May — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:28:42 +0000

Who? What? (Definitely not a GG product.)

Does anyone have any good theories?
(Click image for cool spinning action!)

Thanks to Elan Armada for sending it in.

***Please note that "Image Presented By…" does not imply
ownership of the photo, only the bandwidth that people use.***

Phill writes in with the winning ticket! "The Hammerhead is the work of the uber-talented Trevor Grove… He’s also responsible for a number of Sideshow products including the recent Premium Format KotCS Indiana Jones." (Sadly, that means it’s not in 3¾" scale.)

I’m Looking Forward To Going Back

Adam_May — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:55:47 +0000

OK, so, let’s break this down.

The official word from Hasbro is: "No comment."

The unofficial word is that this concept has been passed around "the table" for some time now.

The image was taken in September 2008 by some over-enthusiastic Star Wars collectors. (Remember kids —— don’t do anything that can land you in jail.)

Image by Ashley "Delaton", Used According to Fair Use Law

So that brings us to another playset piece that seemed to get further along, only to get shoved aside. Dagobah! A swamp planet with one obscured sentient being, Yoda, the Jedi Master in exile. Dagobah —— in its playset form —— was a kid favorite in the 1980′s. It featured prominently in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It is almost mind-boggling that Hasbro (especially in its then-new role as steward of the line) didn’t jump at the chance to wow us – the fomenting collector community – in the fading years of the 1990′s.

Click to Enlarge —— Thanks to BH

The piece above is made from metal-work, polymer clay, resin and plastic. This set certainly got further along in concept than a foamcore model. Key points that stand out are the see-saw that would have been cast in clear plastic (seen at right) to levitate R2-D2; floating supply tubs; and the stump that would provide the centerpiece for Yoda’s hut (and you can see the outline where that hut would land).

More ominous is what would happen on the other side of that metal-formed tree? We can only imagine. (One can guess the date of this piece based on the still-prototype paintjob "buff" Dagobah Luke Skywalker.) Its expansive focus, and potential to break up into themed-out pieces that could accommodate and center around R2-D2 and other figures, it offers a tempting look at what might have been. The set, as I know it, rests safely in the hands of an anonymous collector.

Now, a side rant here, is that, or is that not the same snake (seen left) that we only first received with the Vintage Original Trilogy Collection version of Yoda? If so, shouldn’t we have about 14 of those stockpiled from all the Yoda figures released in the interim? Another side rant, I want those crates!

For the record, my dream Death Star actually would require multiple releases. I want an expansive (and expensive) area to fight from the Emperor’s Throne Room and plenty of space to make that happen. I also want all the basics from Star Wars: A New Hope. They don’t meld well together. And where do I park my BMF???

My head swirls, and, as today is Morrissey’s 50th birthday, I wish a happy bidet (thanks Mel) to ‘some old queen or other”. As my own tribute, I encourage you to eat without cruelty this Memorial Day weekend.

A Plastic Doll With A Fresh Coat of Paint…

Adam_May — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:55:37 +0000

If you click it twice, it embiggens! Woo hoo!

Surreal… never in my life did I think I’d see that. The caterpillar eyebrows that arch up on the sides. The weird pout and sneer from being raised on Elvis and Bowie as cradlesongs. I’m not sure if they made my eyes green or not, but they change colors on me at the weirdest times. (In a lot of pictures they’re Sith Red, which I do not color correct.)

The next phase is to pick a body and weapon. I’ve asked for the Darth Nihilus body with a lavender-bladed double saber (like Asajj Ventress or Mariss Brood). We’ll see how that works out. I’ve also requested a specific name and a job (er… profession). Who knows? I could meet Indiana Jones out there in the astral plane if I play my cards just right? (Well, and keep hiding from the Empire enforcing Order 66.)

I think, although they’ve continually surprised me, that it’s all finished soon. I offered to fly up to Rhode Island to guarantee his secure passage, but I’d have to be bound up and wheeled around like Hannibal Lecter. The last time I was up there I saw the 1¼-up Ephant Mon sculpt and a real-scan image of Ewan McGregror, and I think I blacked out for a bit. I think I also tried to scale one of the many Mr. Potato Head statues, but it’s all hazy after they handed me a goodie bag.

All things considered, I’d say they’ve done a bang-up job. I know a lot of the forum critters give him endless lip and grief, but I have to thank one Mssr Derryl D. DePriest who has been a champ through all of this. When I call him screaming about my dimples and my pronounced ergotrid (that’s the weird bit between the nose and the lip) he would ask me how I got his home number, why I’m calling at 4:30am, and hang up promptly. (That’s just a joke since I know some of you take things way too literally.) However, that bit is called the ergotrid, so sayeth Google.

Now, I’m supposed to remind you all again that despite my obvious star quality and boss sideburns, no matter how much you write to Hasbro’s customer service I’ll never be released as an Imperial Technician, a Galactic Bounty Hunter, a Jedi Archaeologist, or even as generic character #36b. (See, if I were actually desperate, I’d write out Hasbro‘s address in Rhode Island here, but I’m not desperate. I think you just have to write to Hasbro, Rhode Island. They take up half the place anyway.)

So you readers have a look, and tell me how fug I am despite Hasbro‘s miracle-working sculpt. Send me e-mails telling me that I’m worse than that Hilton lad who is on all the bad cable channels. Just remember… I haven’t picked any prize winner this week, and, well… more flies… honey… vinegar… Southern sayings.

Oh yeah, and remember… products and colors may vary. Don’t be hater!

Don’t leave it all unsaid, somewhere in the wasteland of your head…

Adam_May — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 22:00:38 +0000

OK, I promised myself that when I finally had Blogger’s Block, I’d do this. Here it is. This is the rarest HASBRO (and Star Wars related) artifact EVER. EVER people. Do you get me? I know because I saw the rest of them meet their merciless fates in the maws of journalists, web-sters, and anyone you can imagine who could lay hands on one. (Our own Mike Sullenger said it was "really, really good".) Me? Never! I hid mine and smuggled it through security to spend a chunk of a year in my freezer.

Now ladies and gentlemen (and gentledroids, I suppose), I present to you the Hasbro Cookie.

So, since it’s a holiday weekend, and there’s probably Sweet FA to do, it’s open blog time. Write what you want, as long as it’s not spam, and have fun.

Normally I’d be covering Dragon*Con here in Atlanta, but they do not consider my efforts to be beneficial to the convention. So this particular Labor Day weekend, I’ll actually be laboring on my own homestead and hoping for toy news to pop up.

As I said open comments, open blog… just not spam, and have fun. Ta!

He’s Happy, So Leave Him Alone

Adam_May — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:54:39 +0000

This is a sort of letter to the Grand Poobah of Toys (Sir Derek of Lucasfilm) and Sir Derryl of DePriest, both of whom are head honcho types for the Star Wars toy line. Two weeks ago when I bought my Build-A-Droid sets from Wal*Mart, I was heartbroken to find that the Luke Skywalker figure I had purchased was (essentially) the same as the "Vintage" figure from The Saga Collection. (The silver straps were, uh, yeah, uh, dumb.)

Gone was the goonie, happy face that may or may not have screamed "CARRIE!" as he jumped from his X-Wing Fighter that had just destroyed the Death Star. In its place was the sombre, stern, and determined face of the Luke Skywalker who destroyed the Empire’s ultimate weapon.

Where’s the joy? If I destroyed the Evil Empire’s ultimate weapon (in this case the iPod), I might crack a smile and scream "CARRIE!" no mattter who was listening. The fact that it all turned into a big medal ceremony (where Chewbacca was obviously cheated, which is a travesty of justice) would only make me smile even more. (Hey, where’s my goofy smiling Ceremony Luke Skywalker figure?)

Over the years we have had worse figures (Monkey Faced Leia anyone?) and we’ve survived. So what did "Happy Face Luke" (a/k/a Stoner Luke) do so wrong. He really represented a figure at a moment that we, as collectors, wish to preserve (certainly more than Innaccurately Painted Pilot Battle Droids on STAPs). Please note: Battle Droid Pilots, while blue, do not have backpacks. I don’t think they pilot STAP vehicles, and they don’t have totally inaccurate Episode I era heads. (The rest can be overlooked for the sake of toy aesthetics..) Inaccurate Battle Droid heads a la Episode I are vile, and they should all be destroyed.

Where was I? Oh yeah, Happy Luke Skywalker. What, pray tell, is wrong with this figure? Yes, I know he looks stoned to certain people, but my euphoria at saving the Galaxy would look even more "happy" than that. (See all the pix from the recent trip to LFL — I don’t smile for ANYONE!)

So c’mon guys, even if it’s just a brief release on StarWarsShop.com give us a small nod. I promise you that at least a fraction of the people who saw Star Wars in its original release weren’t exactly sober.

(Click image twice to enjoy mega-sized!)

Seasick, Yet Still Docked

Adam_May — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:31:27 +0000

The first photo we’ve all seen of the "study" model for the lost Shadows of the Empire vehicle Prince Xizor‘s Virago, but what about these other two? Are these foamcore (Hasbro) models just for study, or do they (along with packaging solicited at Toy Fair) indicate this ship’s further advancement? You be the judge.

Study Model Circa 1995

Hasbro Foamcore Study Model Circa 1995

Hasbro Foamcore Study Model Circa 1995

So you decide. Is this vehicle cool enough to warrant release, or should it stay in the dark archives of Hasbro?

Take me to place I’ve been dreaming of…

Adam_May — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:33:05 +0000

Last year Target stores had a really good deal on the Dyson Animal vacuum that I wanted so badly I signed up for a Target "Redcard" (Visa) to get the deal, whatever it was. Later, just after Black Friday, as part of their winter holiday promotions, Target hosted a sweepstakes called "Wow or Never" to popularize the "Redcard", where specific purchases would automatically enter the cardholder into the various sweepstakes. (No purchase was actually necessary to enter, but the purchases created automatic sweepstakes entries.) Target‘s exclusive Ultra Battle Packs were the automatic entry items for a prize of a trip to LFL in San Francisco, a tour of the facilities, and an action figure made in the winner’s likeness. Of course, I bought the Ultra Battle Packs (full price, no special deals or discounts – no waiting for clearance), and figured I’d use my new "Redcard" with just a little fantasy of winning the contest.

On December 24, I received a package from Target’s corporate offices. I won. It took months for me even to believe it was true, and not some elaborate hoax by a couple of people I know. Even now that flights and hotels are scheduled, I’m still in a partial state of disbelief about it. I didn’t rob anyone, steal from anyone, or smear anyone’s name to win the prize. My name was just picked out of a hat of the people who bought those Ultra Battle Packs with a Target "Redcard". So this summer, a friend and I are going to Lucasfilm Ltd. to tour the place, and I’m going to have an action figure made in my likeness. Yes, an action figure of me, the dude you read about here and there who writes weird pieces about unreleased toys (mostly) on GalacticHunter.com.

It was the best Christmas present any 30-something year old boy could receive. I don’t know if I’ll still be blogging about toys by the time I’m traveling to LFL, but I’ll take a lot of pictures (assuming they let cameras in), and surely some site will want to take a picture of the figure.

The Never Played Symphonies / The Public Image / Honey You Know Where To Find Me

Adam_May — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:49:09 +0000

Oh yes, three obscure Morrissey titles, so I’m a little bit fired up today.

Now, as I posted previously, my partner (of 12 years) had a motorcycle accident over the past weekend, and yesterday he underwent major surgery to repair damage that could have left our "family" in all sorts of peril. That’s life. That’s what all the people say. (Or so sang Mr. Sinatra.) This all relates to my release of the images of the BMF Millennium Falcon, and I’m just going to put it out there for you, the few, the reading public, to know about.

After the release of the pictures, our Editor-In-Chief, Michael Sullenger, was contacted by the publishers of The Star Wars Insider (Titan Magazines, based out of the United Kingdom) to inquire about where the photos came from. Being English and all, I know that the publishers may not be familiar with our quaint laws and provisions, so I issued a statement:

"Unfortunately, I am unable to provide any information regarding the source of the photos. The Constitution of the United States of America protects journalists and their sources from such disclosure. (This includes the entire staff of GalacticHunter.com.) Being a news-gathering organization, I’m sure that Titan Magazines can appreciate the significance of protecting the very foundation of the free press. Unfortunately, based on this very principle, I cannot comment any further."

Mr. Sullenger, our editor-in-chief, has been out of the loop for a bit due to a career advancement and a family tragedy. I am solely responsible for my own editorial decisions, just to clear that up.

I was later contacted by a third party (from another prominent Star Wars site) who asked if I would object to speaking to a representative from Lucasfilm Ltd. to clear up whether or not a specific person had sent the BMF photos to me. I agreed to do so, and I assured the LFL representative (who is as nice as pie, might I add) that I did not know, had never met, and did not receive the photos from the person-in-question. This was all apparently at the behest of Hasbro (and I’m not sure if this is the US or UK division).

Hasbro allegedly suspect this person, who has previously written for the previously mentioned prominent fan site, and they (again allegedly) insist that the photos came from him. I have made it 100% clear that the images did not come from this person to me, and I don’t believe they came from anyone remotely associated with him. I’ll even go so far as to say that (to the best of my knowledge) the images surfaced from a non-European source.

Apparently, while I was sidelined by the above-mentioned personal matter (i.e. the surgery), this all progressed in a negative manner. I received an e-mail this morning asking me to provide material means by which the photos may have been relayed. My response is the same as above. I cannot, I will not, reveal any source or materials, despite my menial, unpaid position as a blogger, I still stand by my protections as a citizen of the United States who provided information to the public in a press context.

As of this writing, I am throwing the ball into the court of Hasbro (US or UK). Contact me directly, or let this issue drop. The Millennium Falcon has appeared at a major international trade show, and it was photographed for the world to see. What is the problem? I’m here. I’m waiting, and I hope you’ll have some form of civil discourse with me about the whole issue. If anything, the "leak" of these photos has only piqued and raised interest in the piece, and even your own press release conceded that such a piece couldn’t stay under wraps forever.

Now to show off some stuff that was developed and totally unreleased, I present to you these cool 16" (and totally collectible) Queen Amidala dolls from the Episode I ‘Queen Amidala Collection‘ that never saw the light of day. (If anyone has them, I’ll pay top dollar, just contact me!) This is why people like me actually work to document and present these pieces as news, in the hopes that we can build public support for products that may be on shifting sand. We want these large, collector pieces. If a BMF was made, and no one ever saw it, would it make a sound if it was nixed? (Note to Diamond Direct — please resurrect these figures in your new 1/4 scale line!)

These, too, are big things that should never have stayed "under wraps", and due to their lack of publicity, they were never released. Do you see a connection at all?

So have a look, and I’ll post more and more unreleased stuff as I uncover it. (I’ve recently received a cache of cool unreleased goodies, and it’s coming right around the bend — hang in there.)

P.S. There’s one other key point I’d like to make in regard to this whole BMF issue, and I’ll try to be brief.

Because I’m working in a volunteer capacity for GalacticHunter.com, and I am shy with crowds, I drew up a written agreement with the GalacticHunter.com owners that excludes me from attending public appearances and social gatherings. As a result, I don’t mingle with the staff at various levels of LFL, Hasbro, or other related entities, and only attend full trade shows (e.g., Toy Fair) as a photographer and volunteer writer. Therefore the chances that I would have met the writer in question, or anyone close to him, are practically nonexistent. (Trade shows like Toy Fair are not exactly "social" mixers, and I’m happy to attend anything in the atmosphere of business.) I’m not good at glad-handing, and the site ownership respects that. I’m much better at documenting and tracking down information. I prefer to remain away from stories. Any personal aspects of my interaction with the site go here. I rarely even post in our own forums, except the Q&A section, since I submit the questions.