It's an interesting mix of a wave, although the absence of core characters is a bit of a head scratcher.  I guess Hasbro's approach is changing.  Plagueis is definitely a cool concept.  And Neyo seems to be a step forward as far as phase II Clones go.

I definitely like Vizam.  Although that figure appears to essentially be a resculpt of the Nikto from the POTF2 skiff guards cinema scene.  That figure did need updating, so this is fine by me.  For my tastes, if Hasbro is going to work their way through resculpting the older goons from Jabba's palace, I'd like to see them alternate those releases with new characters.  I agree that a new Yakface would be in order.  The POTF2 version is weak in comparison with modern figures.  But please don't do things like that at the expense of getting new figures out.

Definitely surprised that we haven't seen some figures like the A-Wing pilot and the realistic Captain Rex.  Maybe the Hasbro panel will shed some light there?

I think that's just marketing.  Keep things fresh and different to keep eyes looking.  I understand the thought.  It's not all about the collectors obsession with it but rather the buying public at large.

+1

Packaging changes are really about *SEEMINGLY*  keeping things fresh with the public.  And a superficial thing like a packaging change will do that.  We all walk down the toy aisle and after a while we become used to seeing certain things.  But when new packaging gets introduced it can catch the eye of a potential customer and get them wondering "Hmmm, what's this now?"

I agree some of the best stuff was in this line and will miss it. Would have been a good place to slot in a few of their "realistic" TCW offerings.

Regarding the Yoda line sets, I think the overall sales were hurt by the fact that neither Walmart nor TRU ever really sold these. At least not in any #'s. You only see them in Targets anymore. I must have bought 2-3 each of the Dropship and AT-Rt sets too. After awhile, even for customizing they get old, y'know?

TRU did sell the Class I vehicles, but the new price structure brought these over that $20 price mark.  And I think that's why collectors balked at buying them at TRU.  Target had a much more competitive price point.  And as we've seen over the years at Target, they are very aggressive about clearancing out stock that isn't moving.

Over the past week I've seen plenty of the Class I vehicles at closeout places like TJ Maxx.  At $12.99 each these are more attractive, but since I already got them all at full price, why should I buy them again?

NP.  For a second I thought that the WBB at JTA was rumor mongering again.  But in this case, just trying to grab traffic from another site's story.

I have to take that with a grain of salt.  Especially since no reporter from JTA was actually in attendance at SDCC.

They did.  I watched the quick bit, and she wasn't in there.  Which is fine, since that particular killing was a creation of the show, and not in A Storm Of Swords.

Could this be the first figure of wave 3?  GH gives us a look at the 6" Obi-Wan Kenobi (Revenge Of The Sith)

I think the articulation issue with kids is part of the overall "disposable" theme.  Case in point?  Some family members of mine gave their kids the BMF Falcon as a Christmas gift.  IMHO, that's an AMAZING gift.  And those same kids?  They got an AT-TE as a gift, too.  What did the kids do with them?  They played with both vehicles for a few months, but that was it.  The last time I can recall seeing them play with either vehicle was only a few months after they'd received them, and after that the Falcon and AT-TE both just sat, unplayed with and in pieces.

Is this indicative of how every kid is playing with their Star Wars toys?  I can't say for certain.  But there does seem to be a much shorter attention span with this new generation of kids.  And I think that what we're seeing from Hasbro as well as other manufacturers are less intricate offerings, since the current crop of kids doesn't seem to appreciate the more elaborate items.