Can't say that I care for the way these figure look.  I think the second wave at least has some cool character choices to suit the concept.  The Obi-Wan & Darth Maul set is cool from a lineup perspective.  But the execution is in line with everything else in the 2013 Legacy Collection:  it's disposable. 

That's the mantra for the whole Legacy Collection.  I don't know where the disconnect is between Hasbro's message and collector perception.  They've been saying they want to do a kids line.  THIS IS IT.  THIS IS THE KIDS LINE.  IT'S NOT MEANT TO PLEASE COLLECTORS.

As for this Clone Wars Darth Maul being in the mix?  It's definitely disappointing to see that figure dumbed down to the 5 points of articulation level.  But if you're a student of action figure history, this is the way things have been done.  Just look back to 1999/2000 and the EPISODE I line that accompanied the release of THE PHANTOM MENACE.  A lot of collectors were taken aback by the poor quality of the main Jedi figures in that line.  The first few Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn figures were pretty dreadful.  Lo and behold, several months down the line Hasbro comes around and offers much better sculpted and articulated versions of both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon towards the end of that line.  And guess what?  Hasbro has done the exact same thing in other years, too.  They did it in the SAGA line for AOTC, and they did it in 2005 for the ROTS line, too. 

This playbook has been around for a while:  Get the inferior figures out there first and sell them because it's the only version of a character that people want.  Leave it out there for a while, and leave people thinking that this might be the only version they're going to get.  Then wait 6 / 9 / 12 months, etc.  THEN offer an improved version of the character.  What then?  Wait another 2 years, and offer the ULTIMATE version of the same character.  Hasbro is banking on the desirability of a character to support sales of the low grade figure, and over time they're going to cash in on the improved versions.  We've seen it too many times before to ignore the pattern.  And I think that's probably what we're in store for with Darth Maul from this final season of Clone Wars.

It doesn't get much more clear about the plot direction of the Avengers sequel when they reveal a title like Avengers - The Age of Ultron.

That title, plus the rumored inclusion of the Scarlet Witch, makes me think that the Vision might potentially be in the mix, too.

Angry Birds? 

****Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm passing on the whole Saga Legends line unless there's a figure that goes above and beyond.  Given what Hasbro has publically said about this line, I don't think that's going to happen. 

For years Hasbro has been trying to make Saga Legends/Movie Heroes/Etc a kid focused line.  But they were doing that by re-issuing figures that had originally been offered to collectors.  I think that methodology probably led to a good deal of confusion over Hasbro's plans/intentions for that line. 

This designs of the figures in this new Saga Legends line seem poised to clear up the confusion from previous year's lines.  The 5 points of articulation on completely new figures spell that out plain as day.  These figures are disposable.

And then, take into account the play patterns of kids now.  Kids today do not play like the kids of the 70's and 80's.  They generally do not focus on a toy that they've had for 1 or 2 years, but 1 or 2 months.  That short attention span is something that the toy industry recognizes.  Witness some of the movie offerings from both Hasbro and Mattel over the past few years.  A lot of those figures are very basic in presentation.

As with any new product offering, you can always state your position at retail.  And if a product isn't to your liking, not buying it speaks volumes.

I've actually seen kiosks in the mall where a guy will replace the glass on your iPhone or other smart phone with a large display.  Not sure about the cost, but I'm thinking that since that's what these guys do all day, they're probably pretty good at doing the replacement.

Box office results from Thursday early shows came in good  > $3 million.  That points to a fairly successful weekend.  I think this is a film we sci-fi geeks should support.  Del Toro indicated he'd like this to become a franchise, and given the great reception this has received I'm gonna pony up my cash to help that happen.

I think that the international numbers for Pacific Rim will probably be very big.  The concepts are very much an homage to classic Japanese monster movies like Godzilla and Anime movies.  Some of the cast looks good.  And Guillermo del Toro has done some awesome work from a purely visual standpoint.  He also understands that those visuals should serve the story, and not the other way around.

Mid-Atlantic? Wikipedia says that applies to upper class types,  film actors from decades ago and theater actors. It's very noticable to Americans when someone talks like, say Cary Grant.

Uh...

You do know that Cary Grant was English, right?

Hmm, a new Boba Fett mini-bust.  Has anyone else noticed that with some of the recent character choices, that Gentle Giant has been revisiting some of the hottest characters/pieces in the history of their Star Wars license?

-Boba Fett mini-bust
-Snowbunny Padme statue (this time it's movie-realistic and not animated)
-Blue Clone Trooper (statue instead of mini-bust)