I got my set in the mail from JediMAC recently and I'm still formulating opinions... 

I'm against the grain on the E2 Anakin.  I don't mind him much really...  He's not the best headsculpt but better than some.  Ya know what irks me more than anything?  The accessories (or lack there-of).

Like only one saber blade, no hilt/removable blade for Vader, etc...

The ankle joint's silliness is frustrating to me when I see it because how easy would it have been to even re-used SC Anakin's feet ya know?

Also, am I crazy or didn't Anakin wear basically the same outfit in E2 and E3?  I'm not saying I like Hasbro to cut corners or anything, but ya know I don't think I'd have minded if E2 and E3 Ani's shared an identical body.  I thought the costume was the same...  If not then I see their logic.  It looks the same to me though (another reason the ankle joints are annoying too since they have the molds to do that).

I like the set though, immensely.  I think it's one of the neatest things in the line.  This is a great idea they've got (albeit one that I think has been discussed in collector circles before Hasbro came up with it...  I hate to give them too much credit ), so I hope we see more Evo's down the road.  Even the "bad" with these is so low the good is about all I can think of.

I've heard a bit of interesting news about Sam's Club lately that goes beyond this stuff, but I'm not surprised to hear Star Wars in there too.  They've been doing stuff like this every now and then so that's a good thing.

I'm curious if the figures will be different though...  THAT will suck.

Thanks to our own JediMAC, I finally got an Anakin set...

Holy **** this is great.  Not without flaw, but great...  The packaging is probably the best I've ever seen,a nd these sets prove Hasbro can put out superb quality at a very fair price.  I mean, this packaging is about 100x more elaborate than VOTC, and 3 figures with a lot of gear for $20 is a deal compared to $30 for 3 VOTC figures.

Some skimping here and there, and some of it is incredibly lame and inexcuseable.  Also, some areas that could've been skimped to save cash in production weren't and there's a sense that if done intelligently you could get "more" out of these as far as quality, but in the end I have to say that these sets are still great...  or at least this one is.

Thanks Matt, a TON!  Now I only need to find 2 more Anakin sets for the kids, one or two more for me, and then onto all the Sith and Clone sets I want.  Oh joy, oh joy, especially when I couldn't find a goddam Anakin set on my own.   

Considering that Matt has 11 pages of positive feedback just here at JD (god only knows how many pages deep his feedback threads are at other sites!), I doubt my latest positive trade with him is even adding much to this.

Once again, Matt hooked me up with stuff I can't find for the life of me.  I've lost track of how many times I owe him for all the help he's given me.  Matt's among the greatest in the hobby as far as making this hobby a fun and easier thing for everyone.  He helps people routinely, at his own sacrifice, and that's an asset to the collecting community that too many have not given him his due respect!

Matt hooked me up with the SDCC Leia, an Evolution Anakin Set (that I can't stop messing wtih, and a KFC Anakin variant. 

Thanks Matt, I owe you yet another one for all this loot!  I'm sure I'll be begging for help again sometime soon, haha.

The A-Wing was abundant here too Jason.  While I love the ship, it did clearance here as well.  It went pretty fast though as there weren't a ton.  I remember the B-Wing being rather abundant.  I know they sold at first but then sat...  That initial rush died on them.

The only 12" speederbike fig I wanted was the Scout and that was a set I never saw...  Same with the Y-Wing when we first got Targets in this area.  That was non-existant here.

Target's REAL spotty with exclusives and I'm always sorta bummed to hear when they get one.  TRU's the best at distributing exclusives I think.

What isn't addressed is why they became such horrible shots and only about a 10th as efficient as the Clones in the PT. 

There are EU answers to this though...  And some film evidence that discounts Stormies being "bad" at their job as well.

First, the Dark Forces game was the first EU attempt at explaining the E-11's ineffective accuracy.  It fits with what the E-11's actually earth-based counterpart is.  It's a small, sub-machine gun.  For WW2 buffs it's the equivalent of a Thompson compared to a Garand...  The Garand was a much more efficient weapon at long ranges and in squads, but the Thompson was a one-man wrecking crew in short-ranges, and a good single-man support weapon for a squad.

Dark Forces shows the E-11 as being not WILDLY inaccurate, but it's not a gun you aim unless you "modify" it with a tactical scope (arguably this is a secondary setting for the gun, kinda like the stun setting they have, that requires modular parts to enhance the gun...  It's still not perfect long-range weaponry though).

The Clones have a similar support weapon too...  The one that climbs the crabdroid and empties a clip is seemingly similar to the E-11.

So DarkForces (and subsequent games in that series) have sort of established the E-11 as just an inaccurate gun...  If we take those into account, it works.  They're rapid fire, "spray and pray" type weapons, and if all your guys are carrying that it's a crazy scenario.  Plus the E-11 seems to be a sidearm of some sort in the Empire as well...  Some Sandtroopers carry them while also carrying a larger, longer-barreled weapon that is presumeably more accurate.

It's possible the gun such as Chewie's Stormie rifle he runs around on the Death Star with, or other "Sandtrooper" weapons are then the weapons issued an Imperial "in the field" while the E-11 becomes somewhat a secondary weapon in some cases.

The gun Chewie has, interestingly enough, had a rack of them in the Hangar Control Room...  Could be that the more accurate gun is there to fire from the control room should a situation like that arise.  A wide open space like that hangar, and that'd make perfect sense really to have a little stash of those from a high vantage point like that.

Anyway, second point about Stormtrooper accuracy...  They're only seemingly inaccurate with main characters in Star Wars.  That I can buy into as "it's just a movie".  I mean, it has to be that way really, so reality sort of goes out the window.  "Heroes Luck" is what I chalk it up to then.

But when the EMpire's attacking Hoth, clearing out the Tantive IV, or frying Ewoks...  They're fairly efficient with the E-11.  The Tantive IV troops are mowed down like crabgrass.  Hoth troopers fall back from not only armor assault but also a noted mechanized infantry push who seemed armed with support guns and E-11's exclusively (from what we could see...  Unseen in any SW situation is always a major variable to consider...  The troops we do see are clearing a "tight" space out though so the E-11 does make sense there again).

Lots of possibilities for either argument as to Clones, recruits, or a mix of the two...  I've always felt Stormtroopers got shafted on their efficiency though.  When compared to their Rebel enemies (who are quite capable soldiers themselves depending on if you buy into EU or not), the Stormies are deadly efficient.

I hate them both, however I still prefer shopping at Target.  Mine still allows DPCI searches though so I dunno that that is a nationwide thing.

WM's **** for distribution though and has tanked another toy line I like so currently I hold more anymosity towards them.  They start offering gasoline on the cheap cheap though and my opinion may be swayed.

Honestly I like K-Mart more than both.  They've been a good company up here that has had more steadily reliable distribution over the 10+ years of the line.