Has anyone seen this in action at a show to understand the features?  Do the doors open?  Does it have lights/sounds?

As I recall the original smaller version they sold years ago didn't have operable doors, etc. and I ended up selling it because it was kind of lame.

Screaming deal at my local Costco.  $26 for a bundled battle pack two pack.  Awesome deal if you want some older figures. Random assortment of bundled Battle of Orto Plutonia, Rishi Outpost Attack, Holocron Heist, Clone Troopers and Droids, Jedi Showdown.

I was looking at the paper the other day with photos of the last space shuttle launch when my 3 year old asked me if we could go ride "the rocket ship".

Without getting in the politics of the space program, funding, etc - I think its a shame we wont have another significant manned space flight for at least another ten years, and likely longer.

Growing up in the '70s I loved everything space.  They still had moon landings in the early 70s and were quickly transitioning to the space shuttle.  It was an awesome thing to think about and see.  I can remember my first trip to FL included a stop at Cape Canaveral, right after Disney.  I remember being so excited to see all the stuff and remember a presentation on the ceramic tiles they were going to put on the space shuttle to dissipate the heat or re-entry.

Its sad to think my oldest son isn't going to see a significant launch until in to his teenage years at the earliest.  I'm also cynical that after a few more administrations and changes at NASA its going to be 20+ years before we do anything other than ride a Russian rocket to the *yawn* international space station.

After one day of kid play I've officially lost one of the small railings on the top of the AT-ST.  Maybe it will come out in a diaper load tomorrow.

The other two came off, but I found them.  I'll super glue them on later if I can locate (and sanitize) the missing third one.

I just found out that HBO is running a free preview on Directv this weekend.  So I set the DVR to record the first episode.  As best as I can tell, I've read enough of the first book to be able to watch it.

Watched the premier last night with the free weekend on DirecTV.  I haven't read the books but have been following the discussion in the threads.

I hope I don't piss anyone off, but I found the premier a bit underwhelming.  Lots and lots of setup, but not a whole lot of action, and unfortunately the setup seemed to be mostly around power plays to control the throne, which didn't really grab my attention yet.  I also found all of the characters, their lineage, motivation, and alliances a little hard to follow after just one hour. 

I think they might have been better served with a two hour premier to get you deeper in to the story, get you more interested in the characters, etc., and show some action.  Seriously, it was 60 minutes of talking with maybe 90 seconds of action (unless you count the random T&A).  But at this point I don't feel too bad about not having HBO to see this.  If everyone raves about its greatness I might eventually track it down on Netflix.

Season 2 was awesome.  The introduction of the Tailies added some great characters and "red shirt" fodder.

I sold a pile of stuff this year, coming out net $400 in my pocket.  That is the first time that has ever happened.  Hopefully I can continue the trend for 2011 and eliminate a lot of my extras.