MSRP is $5.99, but that's just splitting hairs...  I could see that being a reason...  The 3.75" Joe line outclassed Star Wars for many, many years, however I think Star Wars is much superior this year...   for once.

I'd be very surprised if the production version's any different than that.  Screw ports in a vehicle are every bit a part of the sculpt, and whether the Toy Fair one with the attrocious screwholes is a hardcopy or not it still is 99% likely those holes will be there.

The question is how they can be covered up now more than anything...  Hasbro hasn't glued a ship together yet though, that I can think of anyway, so I'd not hold much hope for that.  The mold toolings would have to be completely different for that to happen and those holes not to be there.

Plugs would be nice, but not Hasbro's style I'm thinking. 

As far as my issues with scale, the right side wing cannon extends BEYOND the nose of the ship.  That's just wrong...  This thing's all over the place with scale as much as the POTF2 X-Wing is.  I don't believe there's any reason this should run $80+ in cost, especially considering the sheer # of these Hasbro is going to inevitably sell with it being a general release item and not an exclusive (not to mention potential future repaints/reissues of it).

Like I've always said, if I can get a perfect 1:18 scale P-38 Lightning Interceptor, I should be able to get STar Wars fighters to-scale too...  This one I'm not 100% sure on that motto I have, since the ARC's actual dimensions are a bit of a mystery yet, but it looks like it's smaller than the FX X-Wing at this point, which is just wrong for a 3-seater fighter.

Hell, it's as big as the Jedi Fighters which are smaller than it in the movie...  That looks odd to me. 

To me, Hasbro can do better and I think they'd see a better reaction on vehicles in general if they tried a little harder.  Kids attention spans don't stick long enough to a toyline that the vehicles matter anymore I think...  At least not with Star Wars it seems.  Of course this could be a surprise hit...  The Gunship wasn't though, and that (even underscaled) I thought of as a REALLY nice toy for even the $40 pricetag.  This I have a lot lesser opinion of myself.

We'll see though.  Those screwholes seem so blatantly noticeable that you'd think a sticker sheet may cover them, or plugs...  I dunno.  Stickers would be the most hopeful thing anyone could want right now, like Deanpaul mentioned I believe.

If not, maybe someone will make a printable sheet people could just print up that matches the colors around each screwhole.  It'd appease the people who don't like the way it looks anyway and that's a pretty big step incase Hasbro just leaves it that way.

My souring of this vehicle's gone beyond the screwholes, but they didn't help by any stretch.

On other toys they're covered, so it's maybe entirely possible they will be here, but somehow I doubt it happens.  They are definitely unacctractive though, and take away greatly from the aesthetics of the ship overall.  Very obtrusive to the looks in this case.

The scale of the ship's truly attrocious though I think...  And with little reason for it to be so in my opinion.  Especially considering how that gun on the right extends beyond the nose of the ship...  This disappointed me probably most out of the vehicles.

Having looked at some of the images from the ICS book coming up though, it appears the Jedi Fighters maybe got trimmed down too, but I'm not sure on those...

I've come not to expect a lot from Hasbro on vehicles but those screw holes really leave a lot to be desired.  I don't think that was exactly necessary, and one can only hope there's plugs for them on the final product.  I'm gonna wager that isn't happening though.    I'd still be disappointed myself, but it'd be a nice nod to the people who just don't like the holes all over the right side.

Well I've got my baking soda, vinegar, and red dye ready...  I'll make it fun by god!

Yeah...

Episode 1 had it first, and it was TRU actually who did a Midnight Madness thing...  They made a big production out of it, and there were huge lines at TRU stores.  In some sense it was a madhouse and hectic.  I went to the Monroeville, PA store out of curiosity (I knew this stuff wouldn't be hard to get) and there were TONS of people.

For AOTC I don't recall TRU doing anything actually, but Wal-Mart stores people were pretty much heading to since they were open all night.  My WM was open so I tore up that way and there was maybe 12 people total...  I walked out with 3 TIE Bombers since they were the only things I wanted after seeing that horrible unveiling.

It was funny how there was all of like 12 of us, and yet there was all the E2 product and they REFUSED to take that plastic off the aisle (covering all the toys) till 12:01 a.m. exactly.    I had to pee and just wanted to get the hell home with my TIE Bombers.

And that was the day... 

This time around, nobody's said concretely what they're doing for E3.  WM's are almost all open 24 hours I think, so there's one stop to go to if you want...  Target I don't think is doing anything at midnight...  TRU I dunno.  I doubt it since they didn't last time.  It makes me believe they see it as too costly to keep the store open just for the geek crowd, but to me that line had to have proved profitable for the TRU I was at, I dunno.

People went nuts in 99 too, and I remember kids getting trampled and scalpers pushing people out of the way for Darth Maul figures...  it was pathetic. 

God Dammit.  I'm just staying away from this now...  But I'm printing out that bachelorette picture before I go.  But then that's it.  This is just too much confusion and curiosity-piquing material for me.

Vvvvvvelllllccoommmmeee...

Enjoy the frat house, as it were.  Anything comes up you wanna ask, feel free!

***scratches his head***