beyond army building I'm a completist (loose), so variances kind of motivate me...  The OTC's testing my patience with that however.  I've skipped plenty from the OTC just because I didn't like the figure in the first place.  Bespin Luke comes to mind, which I find to be too pre-posed, and I hate the action feature.

That said, the army builders snag me quick...  This includes Jawas, Tusken, Gammorean Guard, TIE Pilots, Stormies...  I'll skip the biker scout however because, again, I dislike the figure overall and he's not variant enough to warrant it.

If I see Luke cheap at some point, I'll nab him...  Same with figures like X-Wing Luke, though my POTJ one's "toofless" already by my own handy work.

Same goes for other heavily changed figures I personally don't like...  Bib I'm still wanting to see in person before I buy it or not...  The sculpt's not my favorite, but perhaps the paintjob's really great?  I've seen pictures, and they don't impress me.

But, ultimately, that's my take on buying OTC...  Army builders have been my focus.  Unfortunately I've yet to see the Gam. Guard and Tusken...  Both figures that their new paintjobs wow'd me!

My take?  At this point, OTC's no better than initial waves of any other line Hasbro's put out...  Saga figures flew off shelves when they were "new" as well, so I'm not as blown away by the OTC.  Plus I think the carded completists were underestimated on this line too...

That said, I see pegwarmers...  Chewbacca, Spirit Ben, Dagobah Luke, X-Wing Luke, Bespin Luke, Bossk, IG-88, etc...  These figures aren't "flying" off pegs here.  Bespin Wave is now pegwarming here, but it's mostly just Lobot...  It helps that the CCP's just an awesome figure and Leia's got the female figure curse of moving good.

The Endor repacks haven't shown here yet, though I wish they would since they're figures I'm anxiously wanting more of...  The army builders are moving, though the TIE Pilot's a findable figure, which is good because I usually buy one or two every time I see him. 

To me, OTC's bogging down like any other line...  The shorter packed figures are moving quickly still, but that's just supply & demand at its basic level...  Carded guys are moving this line though...  I'd love to see #'s that show adults vs. kids in purchasing power on these.  Real exact #'s or something...  Not gonna happen, but it'd be interesting to see nonetheless.

There's a lot of good and bad in the OTC, just like Saga, and at this point I am seeing it bog down where the good's still moving and the bad is starting to sit...  Some of the good's starting to sit as well, just like with Saga.  It seems like most other lines to me.

The cards rock though...  It is nice to see black & silver instead of putrid blues, greens, reds, oranges...  Blah. 

I even have to admit that I'm saving some of the cardbacks because they're just that nice.

To me, the VOTC's the line that's moving.  Cases come in and go out...  Only ANH wave is sitting, and it only sits at select Wal-Marts that (for whatever reason) ordered TONS of just that one wave.

Bad news for the scale military toy world...

GP's site:

http://www.gpxd.com/Index.htm

is gonna be no more after a little while...  There's some brainstorming going on at his forum on a fix for this, and honestly this could be a HUGE chance for a cohesive group of guys to get together and make a ROUTINELY updated news site ala our very own JediDefender that brings you the best news first from companies like BBI, 21st, Power Team Elite, or even G.I. Joe and other brands...

Unfortunately, I dunno that such an enterprise will work...  I don't know how to make sites, or i'd single-handedl have thrown it together right now as a way of having an immediate change of power.

The guys at GP's are dedicated, even if I can't say I agree with them or their opinions all the time, and it's a shame GP's is gonna close shop.

I'm not arguing your points Morgbug, as I agree...  I don't like seeing Canuck teams falter, but the figures are against them.

My point is within Scott's entire point...  The real problem's profit sharing and a cap...  Copying the NFL to a tee so the NHL can prosper and competition is spread...  And then to Holographic Elvis's point about restructuring the rules and enforcing them as well, so the game itself is more to the fast-paced hockey that draws ALL fans in.

My post was in regards mostly only to Holographic Elvis's idea to close a ton of teams down.  You don't close off teams that are solid performers for the NHL and that will thrive in a competitive and economically friendly league.  My hometown being one of them... 

I think the expansion's out of control...  Not that I think Phoenix is doing that poorly as an expansion team but I don't agree with them taking a team from Canada for it.  Some of those teams I think are a bit much though, but not all of them.  Columbus and Florida (one of the FL teams) namely.

I think there's room for all these teams, but it's the league that's screwed up, not the small market teams which Pittsburgh turned into...  We weren't that way a little over 10 years ago though.  We were the dominant team in the league by far and away...  And fans still are supporting the Pens vehemently (though the arena thing's leaving a sour taste because we've got 2 stadiums we're paying on, and one's for a losing team that gives nothing back to the city *cough*pirates*cough*).

My post wasn't a shot at Canada, but rather a point that you don't close teams in the U.S. that have been here for ages, have a solid hockey foundation, have shown good performance, and have the ability to grow and expand, in favor of Canadian teams...  It's the same problem you've got in Winipeg, but in reverse...  I don't agree with closing shop and moving a team North or South of the border if they have a viable market, and Winipeg and Pitt both have that...

Columbus, Carolina, Florida, Nashville, Atlanta...  I dunno.  Atlanta's minorleage team always did well, but on those others I'm not so sure.  I mean, Columbus isn't even really a "major" city in Ohio beyond being its capital.  That's like saying Harrisburg's a major city in PA...  It's just not the truth.  It's our capital but Philly and Pittsburgh are considered the 2 "big names" here.  I'm perplexed on the Columbus decision.

Washington was the ONLY older US team on HE's list I agreed with, and that's because they are just not behind that team and never have been.  The caps would have dominant teams in the playoffs back when the Pens were winning cups, and you'd still see MORE fans from out of town than Caps Fans...  You don't see that in Philly, Buffalo, or NY though, and I'd say each isn't but a hop, skip, & jump from Pittsburgh as well...  No offense to any Caps fans here though, I just am speaking for what I've seen over all the years of playing them.

Anyway, I'm not in disagreement iwth your points MOrgbug, but I do disagree with catering to Canada at the cost of established U.S. teams just as the Canucks feel the same but in reverse order.

I say lock the NHL (teamwise) at what it is, sort out a salary cap and profit sharing, and revise the rules in grand fashion...  Then you'll see a game ready for expansion on both sides of the border.

Good call on the articulation count.

They said 13 points but the Stormie sports the same exact points as the Clonetrooper did...  Why they went with 13 in the preview I'll never know.  I do recall being quite worried about said count though, thinking Hasbro dicked us over on a wrist or something.

Thankfully they didn't.

Ya know what though?  The holster sucks.  Don't like how they did it one bit, but it'll do...  Blaster looks like poodoo in it though...  This would really hurt any other figure in my eyes...  Hell, the Stormtrooper's got a few flaws I'm noticing, and flaws that would really detract from ANY other figure, but this thing's so poseable I'm biased.

I saw someone at Scum complaining about a lack of hip ball/sockets...  He's getting a bit of a "you're nuts", which I see their point, but I also see his point as the Stormie's legs are closer together than other figures.  Lando's the same way actually...

Still, this figure's so kick ass, and I can get him into several running poses...  I'm happy as a clam, and he doesn't look out of place with the CT Stormie.  He'll "blend" witht hem I think.  I've been posing mine amidst a line-up of CT's and he gets lost in them.  Cool stuff. 

I live in Pittsburgh, I support the Pens, they still are drawing crowds even with the (arguably) worst team in the NHL last year, and the city's a big hockey town and has been since the team's inception.  Folding us isn't going to do anything but weaken an already crappy conference.

Financial woes for our team were business decisions gone sour, not a poor performance by the fans, so declaring a fold here isn't based on anything "current".  Lemieux just needs a new stadium and the Pens will be back...  Given that we just passed the gambling bill to help get a new arena, hopefully, things will turn around.  There's little talk of the team collapsing here at this point.

As for the other teams, I disagree with Buffalo as well, only because I think Buffalo's a good hockey town...  A good market, just again poor management (currently as well as in the past).  Phoenix is tough to say... 

Washington I agree with.  They usually have more Pens fans than Caps fans when we have games.  That's a telling sign that the sport's not viable there...  Columbus I also agree with.  It's not a team that had a strong showing last year as I recall, and I can't see it increasing.

Carolina had solid sales last year I thought...  I could be wrong.  They always seemed to have big crowds to me.

Florida should have one team, not two, I agree.

I saw so little of Atlanta and Nashville last year to even know what was up that I'd hate to judge, but those are pretty foreign lands for hockey.  Atlanta's had solid minor league performances though over the years, so....

To me you fold who doesn't help the game at all.  Folding a ton of U.S. teams at the cost of Canadian teams that are equally (or worse off) financially inept isn't the answer.  It's not good business...  Tradition or not.

I'm as old-school as the next hockey fan today, and I hate seeing Canadian teams fold, but they're not carrying the NHL to warrant the closure of TONS of U.S. markets in their favor.  It's not the CHL, it's the NHL.

Pittsburgh's been a huge advocate for NEW major rule changes and BIG enforcement of them...  So I agree with tweaking things for a more wide-open game.  Lemieux's always pushed for that, from the height of his playing on into his ownership years.

I think the rules changes and enforcement are the #1 problem of the NHL, and the next is salary...  Salary Cap's the greatest thing that happened to the NFL.  It'd be the greatest thing to happen to the NHL, even if it is pointless to argue about that...  It's still the biggest "issue" the NHL faces as a whole.

Matt, think you can make it out here since we go to Hooters? 

Seriously though it is a good time, if not a bit of a small show...  Though the December one's the largest one we have actually.  Still, it's no SDCC, but it's fun and we all almost always go home with something.

I know I always buy up the random junk some table is selling...  Got a bag of MLC 3's for customs one year while the table catty-corner from him was trying to sell me one in sad shape for $10.  The bag of 3 were complete and parts were in there for like 3 more...  And I got it for $7.

I found a MIB (inserts, and no stickers applied) A-Wing there years and years ago, a MIMB B-Wing sealed, and my telescoping Luke (long before all the repros of him started to show).  It does yield some interesting fruit at times.

I picked up.....

1 BBI Chopper pilot (green blackhawk pilot)
1 of each of the new accessory sets.

The new weapons packs are cool, and have tons of heavy weapons.  LAW rockets are what I think the one thing is at least, and there's a LAW thing that's on a 2-handled control/sight thing.  I saw it on the history channel once (I think on Q&A) and it is a computer sighted LAW rocket?

Cool stuff, and customizeable for Star Wars if you're creative (wink wink!).

Lots of rocket launchers, a 3-piece morta that's neat, some extras of the pistols an M-16 with grenade launcher, the SWAT figure's sniper rifle (not sure of its make), etc.

They're pretty great sets, so keep your eyes open...  I wish they'd do some weapons from other countries though.    RPG's, AK's, Dragunov's, and such.