I was thinking of figures that I'd like to see get minor upgrades (major would be cool too, if done well, but minor upgrades to already pretty good figures is what I'm thinking).  What are the figures you'd like to see get these minor tweaks?  Like, as an example, Stormtroopers getting the ball-jointed hips and coming with maybe a new E-11 and rifle like we're going to get...

I'm into that figure, just not his utterly shite helmet and rifle.  If the helmet and rifle are better than initial pictures, I kinda dig that figure a lot, actually.

My first figure...  Commander Bly.

We've gotten a version or two of Bly, but none have been quite perfect...  They're neat, but I'd gladly take a new one using the ball-jointed hips Clone, maybe a cloth kama, and god-willing a completely accurate paintjob.  Not major tweaks there, as all that pretty much exists.  The only thing new would probably be a removable helmet and possibly a headsculpt (perhaps one that matches his CLone Wars animated headsculpt's look somewhat).  I like the removable helmets, so I'm biased there, but I know CHEWIE doesn't dig them, so I sort of left it off as a major upgrade.  I suspect it would happen though.

I'd live without Bly getting redone though, is my point.  But it's the kind of tweaks that would make me happily rebuy him too. 

This is probably the direction Hasbro will go, with many figures, I believe.  The precedent is obviously there...  Taking something that exists, and doing a little bit to it to make it "better".  I think it's a big part of the realistic line's future.  Hell, it's already in the Clone Wars line even.

As per the front page...

Suffice it to say, he's got a pretty good shot at a figure in the near future. 

But as always, nothing's confirmed till Hasbro, blah blah blah...  but yeah.

Articulation appears as though it'll be limited.  Like I said on the front page, perhaps more of an accessory to a figure, than a figure.

I figured since the pre-season has kicked off, it's time to start the new regular season thread... 

Console Energy Center (Igloo 2?) opened tonight.  What a monumental occassion for me.  I'm going to be very sad to see the Civic Arena go.  I'm already planning to buy a chair or two, if they go for sale.  They're talking about putting some of the stainless steel dome parts into the ceiling of the new building as decoration.

The Penguins looked sharp...  err, well they sounded sharp anyway as it wasn't televised tonight.  a 5-1 win over Detroit.  Osgood looked like **** though too.

The Penguins are stacked and will have some interesting cuts to make.  Jordan Staal's going to miss the opener because of a nagging issue from last year's playoff loss to Montreal.  Hopefully he'll be back soon because he's a monster of a player, and fast becoming one of my favorites.  Crosby left the game early with a minor hip flexure, nothing serious, but didn't want him playing with it for no purpose.

I'd like to get to one game this year at the new arena.  That's my goal...  Well, that and Winter Classic tickets.  Not counting on the latter though. 

Fantastic work at the new arena though.  I guess the boards are a little lively though, but they're just settling in and finding the little nuances of it out right now.  The goalies are saying the boards are similar to Detroit's in some ways.

Bill Guerrin is on a try-out-basis with Philly.  I'm bummed about that because he's a great guy, and got involved in charity and stuff here locally immediately, and wanted very badly to stay because his family loved it here.  I'm just bummed he's not been brought back.

Anyway, hockey is here!  Yay.

Oh, and one of the funny kinks they have to work out at the arena is the horn was pumped directly into the mic, so when a period came to a close this booming loud horn would go off full tilt.  Mike Lange and Phil Bourque were cracking up about it and I guess Lange took over and was turnign the volume down.

I have all 3 Target Lava Reflection Figures I'd like to sell as a set... 

Obi-Wan Kenobi MOC
Anakin Skywalker MOC
Darth Vader (including the ticket I was given the morning I bought him since it was a lottery system) MOC

I liked them as a set, but I'm trying to cut down on my carded stuff and this is a set I'm cutting out I think, after much thought.

I'd like $30 for the set of 3 + $5 shipping.

PM me if you're interested.

They posted a video tonight on StarWars.com where Filoni answers a Question someone mails in, and so on...  Seems like an on-going series.

I found it kind of interesting that the question was regarding seeing Plo Koon without his mask on in the series, and the answer evolved into a bit more.

First, I found it interesting that Filoni was pretty easy to say "Would I follow how he looked in the EU or the Hasbro figure?  I don't know".  He did say he'd confer with Lucas on it, but it is just one more nail in the coffin for EU's importance IMO...  To so freely disregard it like that seemed telling to me.  He didn't say he wouldn't of course, but he seemed like it probably wouldn't be even a concern that they consider how Plo's look is established already.

Second though, I found it interesting how he has wanted more characters to have subtitles, but that the constraints of the series don't allow for it.  To me, that's huge, and makes me somewhat disevow the voices of the characters in the toon...  It's like the constraints of video game EU, having to allow for the dynamics of the game, or the constraints of the movies themselves having to condense time so the movie flows better and more quickly.  IE: The trip to Bespin from the asteroid field was probably pretty long, but the films can't show it.  The Rebel fleet's trip to the DS2 was probably a good while (and thus the Rebels were on Endor a while), and the films just can't show it.  Those things have always been of interest to me because I never felt the movies conveyed time/distance well.

Likewise the toon has to rely on more english-speaking than is maybe desired, but because it's a kid's show, and kids can't necessarilly read quickly, the subtitles get shelved.  It makes me view some of the characters differently.  Like Bossk...  I didn't like Bossk talking.  I do like him growling/slithering with his noises like in ESB though, and I sort of take Filoni's comments to maybe mean he's viewing them as though they're speaking their native languages as well, not English.  I had hoped for more subtitles myself, but I guess that's one of those things they have to bend for the series regardless of how much sense it would make.

Sounds like a new vehicle slipped into the 2010/2011 stuff...  2010 I guess from the sounds of it. 

Curious to see good pics of this.

I figured it's a good time to maybe talk about some of the 2010 Legends figures as we got images of what appear to be the re-issue of the new Battledroid sculpts.

Here's some pics...


Click each image to check them out!

So, this sorta seems to answer whether or not the eyes are being fixed on the battledroids...  At least so long as these hold up as production figures.  Kind of weird that one seems fixed, and the other isn't fixed.

So I cracked him open...

He's really cool.

Of course he's rocking all the articulation of the Evolutions Boba, which is more than adequate...  I mean, I'd gladly plunk down for another Boba in the future with ball-jointed hips, but this one's quite good.

The headsculpt's nice and accurate to the character (I guess), however the helmet's a snug fit.  It fits, just snug.  And speaking of the helmet, I REALLY hope they someday soon go back to working range-finders that can pivot...  I miss those, don't you?  No?  Well piss off then.

The colors are vibrant, and I found the deco actually above-par for the line lately.  There's very little straying.  If I had a gripe, it's a lack of fine detailing being plugged in there though.  There's some silver/black on the left gauntlet, but nothing on the spikes of the shoes, very little on either gauntlet (and it could have some silver dabs), and the tools in the shin pockets could use a dab since they are there and all.  The backpack has a nice mix of colors though, the belt's pouches got painted (but no silver for the buckles...  does silver paint cost a lot?), and so on...  A logo on the chest that's accurate, and a Bantha skull on the left shoulder that I THINK is accurate are nice.

The helmet has nice details, but no scuffing/scrapes.  I think either way can be viewed as accurate since it's based on comic stuff.  A non-dented helmet would've been my choice, but that's me.  I'm sure they went with whatever was with this figure's molds, and thus we get a dented helmet.

The one flaw I have with it that I think is actually annoying, and worth voicing, is that the backpack doesn't plug in snugly.  It's more snug than with the cloth cape though, but it still pops out relatively easily.  Annoyhing?  Sure.  Deal breaker?  No.  I like him regardless.

Basically, thsi figure's lightyears ahead of the 2008 repainted Fett, which was raw sewage IMO, and one of the times a "new" figure got passed on by me in my grand effort to get away from paying for pure rubbish.  This is a massive improvement.  Not perfect, and would've required a new belt at least to make him more accurate, but the paint's PRETTY good for these days, and the headsculpt's a nice addition, and obviously it uses a vastly superior figure as the base...  I'm content now with Jodo Kast.

A thumbs up from me then...

PRO'S

-Great articulation
-Good paint applications (love to see these improve across the line though, but these are above-par)
-New headsculpt seems accurate
-Appropriate accessories

CON'S

-Damn pack still doesn't plug into Boba's back very well
-A couple more minor spots of silver would go a LONG way on this sculpt
-The helmet's a tad small for the headsculpt
-I want some f'n movable rangefinders on Mando's and ARC Troopers and stuff.  I miss those!

OVERALL

Buy it...  $8.99 for an exclusive figure isn't common (Though $8.99 for basic figures = lame and overboard).  K-Mart getting something this cool isn't common.  Hasbro seemed to be making an apology figure with this one.  I can't say how you would feel about having already bought the 2008 repaint Jodo Kast, and then buying this, but it's a worthy upgrade...  I'm sure it stings a bit more if you have the last POS on your shelf though.