I posted this over on GH, but I'll post it here, too...

My droids made it from ToyRocket yesterday (thanks guys! that was fast!) and I cracked open the package tonight. The R2 figure kicks some major butt! That is a great figure for what could have been a simple lump of gray metal. There is so much detail on the body and on the legs, plus the added fun of the droid's little "spider" arms. R2 is definitely worth it.

The 3PO on the other hand has an odd slouch to him. In McQuarrie's painting he appears to be standing straight, but the figure just can't quite match that pose ... and it's frustrating. I know Lucas has always said his original version of 3PO was of a fast-talking, slick used-car salesman; but the McQuarrie painting always made me think of a very proper and polite personality, a gentleman (and not in the prissy, effiminate way 3PO was ended up portrayed, and which only became more over-the-top and goofy in each subsequent film). Well the slouching figure matches Lucas's vision more than McQuarrie's interpretation of the droid. I think I liked McQuarrie's better.

...but R2 definitely kicks ass! 

Well ... ass!  The Hasbro site only lists the Luke figure as COMING SOON now, and if you try to click on the button it says the item is currently unavailable.   I'll keep checking back and hopefully I'll be able to snag a couple.   (grumble:grumble:grumble ...  The one day I don't check the collector sites #@%#$% ... grumble:grumble:grumble)

For those of you who have the initial offerings of this line, what do you think of them?  Are they worth the pricetag?

I really think they're worth the pricetag, but do some shopping around to get the best deal.  I had the first 5 maquettes on pre-order with EE for something like $79.99 per piece.  After talking to some other collectors that turned me onto razorsedgecollectibles.com, I was able to get them for $64.99 per piece, and quickly cancelled my orders with EE.   I've been extremely pleased with each maquette (with Boba Fett still being the best and most dynamic).  Sure they can now be had for cheaper than retail on eBay (except for the Black&White variants), but we all know that eBay's a crapshoot.  These maquettes do have a lot of delicate features, i.e., the wookie braids on Boba Fett, that can snap off pretty easily, and if the maquette arrives broken, I appreciate the peace of mind knowing that I purchased from a reputable retailer rather the some Joe Blow off eBay.

I didn't bite on the Clone Wars maquettes (no regrets except that I could've resold some of them to pay for several more OT maquettes that will hopefully be produced later on), but I couldn't resist the OT pieces.  For the old school trilogy fans these are a real treat.  I'm even moving away from the Hasbro-centric mindset and starting to pick up more of these high-end collectibles and I think in the long run I'll be more satisfied with my collection.  If you're on the fence, I'd say pick one up and see if you like it (I'd recommend the Fett), as the first three can each be had for under $50 with some work on eBay.

Well, I took the plunge and pre-ordered a set yesterday.  I don't know if I'll get any other Kotos, but this one's just too cool to pass up.  I ordered with Mike @ Razorsedge.   I've ordered quite a few maquettes from him and had no problems.  Mike's price is not as cheap as the price list from Andrewstoyz, but I can pay with my Paypal account, which keeps it off the credit card, which keeps the wife off my case ... Bonus! 

I know! There's just something about a gal with an FU attitude that drives me crazy too! 

So, Christina really liked the Force Unleashed action figures, too?   Wow, then that means that we have, like, so much in common then.  Maybe I should give her a call...

I found these this am, but the case had appo, kashyyk, jedi luke, scorch, 2 yodas, a green clone from aotc, vader's droid, an obi wan, R5-A1, just a strange mix really. I was looking at vader's droid, and I thought there was an error on the spelling of darth listed somewhere (I'll go thread hunting in a moment to find it) but I noticed mine has a grammatical error on the back figure summary. It reads: "The outer darkness of his fighter and droid mirror the inner darkness of new the sith lord"  Looks like Yoda's writing copy for Hasbro.
Also Maces droid had a Fett holo, maybe this is old news too, but I expected a good guy-

I get the feeling that QC on this last batch of figures was pretty much tossed out the window.  From Mace's droid being packaged with a bad-guy holo-figure, to figures being packaged with incorrect movie stands, and finally the poor grammar/spelling all point to an obviously slapped-together-at-the-last-minute-so-we-can-make-some-easy-money wave of figures.   You'd think this would be signs of a struggling license that the company was trying to pinch every last penny out of, but didn't Hasbro, Inc., have pretty good earnings in 2006?  And, with the incredible figures coming in the 30AC line, this whole "Final 22" offerings is just an odd collection of figures.

Hmmm, never before noticed the two handy-dandy white "handlebars"