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Never Forget - The ICMG Petition

NEWS ARCHIVES

December 2004


Defender Wishlists II: OT Final Results


Thanks to all of the people who participated in our Wishlists. The final tally for the Tournament of Champions was taken and here are the results:

1. Hem Dazon (ANH)
2. Hermi Odle (ROTJ)
3. CZ-3 (ANH)
4. Chief Chirpa/Lumat (ROTJ)
5. Tonnika Sisters (ANH)
6. Yarna D'al Gargan (ROTJ)
7. Bom Vimdin (ANH)
8. General Veers (ESB)
9. Ice Cream Maker Guy (ESB)
10. R5-D4 (ANH)

Look for Prequel Wishlists early next week and we'll try and forward these results to Hasbro by Toy Fair. With Episode III being the heavy focus of 2005, let's hope we see these 10 in 2006!

Thursday, December 30, 2004 | Scott Pearson

Cantina Aliens &Titanium Series Ships Hitting Walmart

SoCal Walmarts were hit hard with the Cantina wave today, and there were additional sitings of the new Titanium Series of Die Cast ships as well (X-Wing, Tie, Falcon, Slave 1). Not to mention most Walmarts are running some pretty good clearance prices on their older figures right now. So ya' might want to stop by your neighborhood Wally World today...

Tuesday, December 28, 2004 | Matt Colman

Darth Vader Sprinkler System... and Slip and Slide!

Yes, you heard right. Darth Vader is finally ready to do some yard work, or at the very least, water your grass for you! I came across this new, and as of yet unheard of, collectible at a Target store tonight. I thought it was the Vader talking bank at first glance, but then noticed it was slightly different... It's basically a similar nice looking 10"ish Vader figure (like on the bank), that stands atop a Death Star base, into which you can screw a garden hose. Vader then spins around, and the water actually flies out the end of his open-ended lightsaber!

It's definitely a unique item, and upon first glance, you might not even realize it's actual "sprinkler" purpose, until you read the text on the box - it's function is that cleverly disguised! It was located on the shelf right below the Star Wars figures, and rings up at $10. So if you're into keeping your lawn up to snuff, this piece is for you! Happy sprinkling!

UPDATE: Apparently this is to keep the grass green for the new Star Wars "Slip and Slide" that I just saw at Target this afternoon as well!

Tuesday, December 28, 2004 | Matt Colman

Year's End Review-A-Thon!


UPDATE:
Just a reminder to all you out there that the JediDefender.com Review-A-Thon rages on as a feature here at the site, and that many of the reviews have dedicated topics in The Reviews section of our Forums here at Jedi Defender.

Come in and express your opinions you share (or disagree) with the figures that were reviewied, or whip up your own reviews and post them to share. It's a great way to kill some time over your holiday break!

Read on for the full list of reviews, and even links for them too.

Monday, December 27, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Happy Holidays!


Santa's got a brand new ride this year... Careful what you ask him for folks!

Happy Holidays from all the Jedi Defender Staff to all of You!

Friday, December 24, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Defender Wishlists II: Original Trilogy Tournament of Champions


Time to see who is the cream of the OT Crop! All of the ballots and votes have been tallied, now its time to see who the ultimate 10 are. List 10 and 10 only and you MUST pick from the ultimate list . If you vote for someone else, that vote will be discarded. Votes will be taken via e-mail or in our forums. Click on through for the list of 30.

UPDATE:Just a reminder that the Tournament of Champions is continuing. The contest will end next week on December 30th. Keep those lists coming!

Thursday, December 23, 2004 | Scott Pearson

Vintage Display On Shop Star Wars


An interesting item has surfaced on Shop Star Wars.com for your viewing and purchasing pleasure. The item is what appears to be a nice vintage stand for you old-schoolers out there.

The item is to ship in May, and says that this is the first of 6 planned dioramas/display stands. Pretty interesting little item that came out of nowhere there, and good news for vintage guys who've maybe been looking for a new way to display their classic figures. The text also claims this will be a U.S. ShopStarWars.com exclusive.

With a $69.99 pricetag, it's not cheap, but it is definitely an interesting item to surface. Click the image and learn all about it.

Thursday, December 23, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Gunships Inbound... Roger Roger


Code 3's latest offering is set to take off for pre-orders on December 27th to the company's "guild members". The Republic Gunship shows, to this reporter, a distinct increase in quality from Code 3's previous releases, and a pretty sharp looking collectible. All good news to you readers out there!

Featuring docked speederbikes in the ship's hold, Clonetrooper and Yoda minifigures, sliding cargo doors, and articulated turrets, the Republic Gunship is looking pretty good. Click the image above, and read all the vessel's little details that are included.

Thursday, December 23, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

StarWars.com's Best Of '04


StarWars.com unveils their opinion of the best of '04 at their website this evening. Click the image above of one of my favorite things to come out of the Star Wars brand this year (and one of StarWars.com's as well), and learn what their top 10 list is.

I'm not so sure I agree with everything they're saying, but they definitely have some good choices! This has been the best year in collecting for me for quite some time though, I must admit. Way to go '04!

Wednesday, December 22, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Diorama Delight At C3


StarWars.com comes at us with even more Celebration III goodness as they announce the return of the diorama building event this time around.

The event is hosted by Frank "Niub Niub" D'Iorio of Niub Niub's Universe fame, and it turned out an absolutely incredible Tatooine diorama at the last convention. This year the participants will create a highly anticipated Death Star Diorama. I've got some ideas of how to do one impressively myself if Frank needs any help. ;)

Click the image above though, and learn all about the scheduled event this time around!

Wednesday, December 22, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

BBTS has Galactic Heroes and Cantina Wave IN STOCK


JediDefender sponsor BigBadToyStore has the latest wave of Galactic Heroes in stock! This includes Jedi Luke and Gamorrean Guard, Jawa and Tusken Raider and Lando Skiff and Skiff Guard. Also in stock is the Cantina Wave of Myo, Feltipern Trevagg and Dannik Jerriko.

Tuesday, December 21, 2004 | Scott Pearson

Celebration 3 Fan Booths Announced


Click the image above for some great news on the fan booths granted space at Celebration III this upcoming year, and I'm proud to say that two groups I'm affiliated with are going to be at the convention.

Forgotten Force Ultimate Resource Guide (FFURG) customizing group who will make their first C3 appearance, and also the Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society, my sort of Star Wars collecting alma mater.

Great news with lots of other dedicated groups, so be sure to check out StarWars.com for all the rest. Maybe one of your favorites is on the list too!

Monday, December 20, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Animated's Hitting Retail


Word on the street is the new Animated Figures are hitting shelves around the country, with the intitial offerings showing up at Wal-Mart. Keep your peepers peeled then for the latest animated goodness from Hasbro!

Monday, December 20, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

"Deadline" Photonovel Is Back


If any of you are a fan of Customizing and Fan-Fiction stories, then Dan Curto's "Deadline" photonovel series may be for you. Hosted through Curto's Custom Alliance, the series is worth checking out to see the creative efforts put into the story as well as the figures.

Click the image above to check it all out.

Friday, December 17, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Oh K-Mart You Rascals


Not to be outdone by the other retailers recent price hikes, K-Mart has upped their figures to anywhere from $6.99 to $7.39 (depending on your locale). The good news is that I just found the Post-OTC Coruscant and Naboo waves at my local K-Mart (as has JediMAC out in SoCal earlier this week).

The bad news is that they were listed at these crazy new prices. I can honestly say that this is probably the most I've seen a Star Wars figure sell for at a regular brick & mortar retailer. But at least K-Mart is currently running a 10% off "sale" (using that term loosely), which I believe is for this week only. Wow, thanks.

Thursday, December 16, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Titanium Series Arriving Now


Just a quick update on the Titanium Series... These have been spotted at a Wal-Mart here in Pittsburgh, PA just recently, and reports from around the net are concurring with our local find as well. A little earlier than expected, and just in time for the holidays!

Thursday, December 16, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

New Code 3 Ships Announced!


Code 3 e-mailed it's Guild Members today, announcing some of their new products we're due to see in 2005, including the AT-AT, Darth Vader's Tie Fighter, and the AT-ST! Looks like plenty of love for fans of the Original Trilogy!

Don't forget that their Republic Gunship is due out soon as well!

Wednesday, December 15, 2004 | Matt Colman

Celebration III Collector Panels

StarWars.com updates with some new Celebration 3 news! Head on over to the Official Site to read up on the various Collector Panels planned for Celebration 3!

Tuesday, December 14, 2004 | Jeff Smentek

The Dark Side of Chocolate

StarWars.com updates with news on one of the many Episode 3 promotions you'll see next year. This time, it's the debut of the "The Star Wars M-pire". The highlight of the Star Wars M-Pire promotion is the world debut of M&M'S Chocolate Candies in dark chocolate. Head on over to check out the rundown on 72 collectible candy packages that will be available starting April 2, 2005.

Tuesday, December 14, 2004 | Jeff Smentek

Vader and Boushh in May from Gentle Giant

  

The Official Site brings some news today about a few upcoming releases from Gentle Giant Studios. Click on for the rest of the details.

Tuesday, December 14, 2004 | Dave Castle

Year's End Review-A-Thon!


It's taken some time, but Jedi Defender is proud to bring to you the first ever Review-A-Thon, with yours truly at the helm of the reviews. Read on for all the details, and just who you can look for in the reviews section.

PS: Special Thanks to JD Staffer Brad for the lovely renaming of our reviews section to: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly... Figure Reviews by Jesse James. I really appreciate that, and the rockin' banner that Brad created. Very indicative of my "style", if I may say so... And I may.

Monday, December 13, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Defender Wishlists II: Original Trilogy Tournament of Champions


Time to see who is the cream of the OT Crop! All of the ballots and votes have been tallied, now its time to see who the ultimate 10 are. List 10 and 10 only and you MUST pick from the ultimate list . If you vote for someone else, that vote will be discarded. Votes will be taken via e-mail or in our forums. Click on through for the list of 30.

Monday, December 13, 2004 | Scott Pearson

Cartoon Network Star Wars Contest


Click the image above for a chance to enter Cartoon Network's latest Star Wars push, and possibly pick up some great prizes to boot!

Prizes include a "DVD Viewing Party", Star Wars Trilogy on DVD, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker FX Lightsabers, and more. Check it out folks, it's worthy of a try at least.

Sunday, December 12, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Japanese TRU Exclusive Kubrick Box Set Released!


The Japanese Toys R Us exclusive Kubrick boxset containing Paploo, Spirit of Obi-Wan, Bespin Han, R2-Q5 and R5-D4, was released today! Reports in our forum indicate these have been flying off the shelves in Japan. Again, this Kubrick set is exclusive to Japan only.

Saturday, December 11, 2004 | Scott Pearson

Cantina Wave at Retail


Making an appearance at Toys R Us stores around the country is the new "2005" Cantina wave - just in time for Holiday shopping! I was able to find them myself at my local Minnesota Toys R Us. Also note, the Hasbro price increase is apparently now beginning to take effect, as these figures were priced at a whopping $6.99. Happy Hunting (if you dare to wade through the crowds)!

Saturday, December 11, 2004 | Scott Pearson

Koto Wookiee News


StarWars.com updates with the latest news on the upcoming Kotobukiya Chewbacca. The latest in Dark Horse's series of imported models, Chewbacca stands 15" tall and is packaged in a giant color window-box. He is set to debut in March 2005 for the price of $99.99 at a retailer near you.

Thursday, December 9, 2004 | Jeff Smentek

Try SWG for Free


StarWars.com has the scoop on a great new freebie that is packed-in with the newsstand version of issue #79 of Star Wars Insider. Included with the magazine is a free trial disc that allows you to try Star Wars Galaxies for 14 days free. If you're interested in trying out this great MMORPG for free, pick up the latest Insider at a newsstand near you!

Thursday, December 9, 2004 | Jeff Smentek

Buy a Part of George's History


Have you even wanted to own a really rare piece of Star Wars history? Well, now’s your chance! Christie's will be auctioning off one the original Stormtrooper protoype helmets next week. Click on through to read the full story for all the details!

Thursday, December 9, 2004 | Jeff Smentek

New Clone Wars Episodes Gallery Online


Want to see the latest offerings from the upcoming Clone Wars episodes due out in 2005? Well for Clone Wars fans with the ability, there's some luck over on StarWars.com.

Currently there's a great preview gallery up showing lots of new characters, creatures, and vehicles from the new episodes, and they're only available to Hyperspace members. If you're one, click the image above to go check them out!

Wednesday, December 8, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Possible Scam On Ebay

I actually don't have a lot of activity at Ebay myself, but I read this at Rebelscum.com and I feel it's a good idea to reiterate it here to our viewers as well. Sharing the warnings is a good thing, and thanks to anyone passing this information around.

Wednesday, December 8, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

The Skinny on Attacktix

So, one of the biggest mysteries about the upcoming Return of the Sith swag is the mysterious new Hasbro collectible called Attacktix. We've received some word on what's in store! Click on through for some details.

Tuesday, December 7, 2004 | Scott Pearson

Defender Wishlists II: Return of the Jedi RESULTS


The votes have all been cast and the long awaited results for the Top 10 most wanted Return of the Jedi figures are as follows:

#1 Chief Chirpa/Lumat
#2 Hermi Odle
#3 Yarna D'al Gargan
#4 Romba/Warok
#5 Klaatu (Palace)
#6 Moff Jerjerrod
#7 Sergeant Doallyn
#8 Luke Skywalker (Endor)
#9 Bib Fortuna
#10 Sim Aloo

So for the second straight year, those fuzzy furballs from Endor take the crown! Thanks to all who voted and look for the Defender Wishlists 2004: Original Trilogy Tournament of Champions, shortly.

Tuesday, December 7, 2004 | Scott Pearson

Knights Of The Old Republic 2 Is Go


Knights of the Old Republic 2: Sith Lords is here finally for the X-Box. Click the image above to hear all about it, and this game's getting pretty good marks so far so it's going to be a must-have for Star Wars gaming fans I do believe!

Tuesday, December 7, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Clone Wars DVD


The Official Site has broken the news that the Clone Wars Animated Series Volume 1 (The first 20 chapters) will be coming to DVD on March 22nd. The day before, March 21st, will see the premier of Volume 2 on Cartoon Network.

Monday, December 6, 2004 | Scott Pearson

Priceless Collections, Star Wars Style


It appears the History Channel is having an upcoming show that is going to feature Steven Sansweet's collection. Read on for all the skinny, and check HistoryChannel.com by clicking the image above for the show's air time.

UPDATE:

Just a quick reminder about the "Priceless Collections: Boy's Toys" show on the History Channel tonight. The Super Collection of Steven Sansweet is going to be on display in the program. It's always fun getting a glimpse, so tune in and set your VCR if you are into taping anything and everything Star Wars too!

Monday, December 6, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Pittsburgh Toy, Comic, & Childhood Collectibles Show UPDATED


It's time once again for the bi-annual Pittsburgh Toy Show. My hometown doesn't get many shows in, but this is the biggie for those of us living in the "City of Champs".

UPDATE:

The show started today and goes on tomorrow as well. I was there this morning and scored some nice upgrades to my loose vintage set for a good price, some of the Ohio vintage gurus were in town I heard, and the local Pittsburgh (And State College) guys were out in full force from the Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society!

Try to hit the show up tomorrow if you're within driving distances of it. It's a good one!

Saturday, December 4, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Free Shipping @ K & C Collectibles

K & C Collectibles is offering FREE UPS ground shipping until December 15th to all customers who order $50.00 or more. Your shipping address must be within the continental USA. Free shipping does not apply to pre-order items.

Saturday, December 4, 2004 | Chris Berry

Cantina Wave Up Close And Very Personal


Presented here are some loose shots of the upcoming Cantina Wave. pictured left to right above are: Myo, Feltipern Trevagg and Dannik Jerriko. These are some of the best figures Hasbro has ever done, click on through for lots more shots!

Friday, December 3, 2004 | Scott Pearson

Episode III Sneak-Preview at Hasbro!


Hasbro updates today with the official word on the upcoming Revenge of the Sith Sneak Preview Wave! Great new shots of the upcoming 4 figures and vehicle included in the Sneak Preview wave, due to retailers in February of 2005! If you're avoiding spoilers you'd better stay away, but if you're looking for the latest news then head on over for a look!

Friday, December 3, 2004 | Jeff Smentek

Priceless Collections, Star Wars Style


It appears the History Channel is having an upcoming show that is going to feature Steven Sansweet's collection. Read on for all the skinny, and check HistoryChannel.com by clicking the image above for the show's air time.

Thursday, December 2, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

Clone Wars Animated Wave 3 Carded

Seller countchar has carded samples of the Clone Wars Animated Wave 3 for sale on eBay. Click on through to the auctions for a look at the 3 new figures carded - Anakin, The General, and ARC Trooper, as well as a closer look at the new flavors of Clone Trooper: Red, Blue, and Yellow!

Thursday, December 2, 2004 | Jeff Smentek

EE Holiday Jawas Arrive


Want to take a closer look at the 2004 Holiday Jawa 2-pack, the latest exclusive product at Entertainment Earth? Well then, just click on through for a few new boxed shots of the festive scavengers!

Wednesday, December 1, 2004 | Jeff Smentek

Hasbro Sends Out Missiles


Did you buy a Target exclusive Slave 1, only to discover that your Boba Fett was missing his jetpack missile? If you were brave enough to write Hasbro and ask for a replacement, fear not! This lucky reporter recieved his replacement missile today in the mail! If you haven't written to Hasbro for your replacement yet, head on into our Forums and find out how you can get a replacement too!

Wednesday, December 1, 2004 | Jeff Smentek

Star Wars: Universe Huge?

Huge Miniatures is a bit of an oxymoron, but Universe Huge is the reported name of the new Miniatures line that will come down the road to accompany the Clone Strike, Revenge of the Sith, and currently the Rebel Strike series.

Yes, there's rumors jumping ahead to sets after sets that we haven't even gotten yet, but this is good news if it holds. The "Universe Huge" line-up is supposedly going to be packed with minis that don't fit the norm. Could we be getting a Rancor, or Bantha? What about vehicles and such? It's all possible, as these things were in the original Miniatures line many years ago, and were cast metal back then to boot!

Well, one thing is for sure, if you're into miniatures collecting you either need to gain some self-control and quit, or get ready to pull the remaining strands of your hair out tracking all these minis down.

Wednesday, December 1, 2004 | Jesse McCracken

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