Both ships look cool!  I'd even get Cade Bane's ship just because I think Hasbro did an excellent job with their P-38 fighter and the new deco looks neat.

I've not been checking my area too religiously as of late, but at least one of my area Wal Marts still has 6-8 of the AT-STs and they have the little green price sticker reading "Was -- Now $43.95."  I didn't scan one, but the tags are probably right.  I'm sure they will actually get discounted in due time

Sidious looks great!  I wonder if the hood can be removed to reveal Palpatine's head

Got the Imperial and Rebel Pilot sets for $12 each yesterday.  Two for the price of one is a good deal with these

So when exactly do the new episodes for Season 2 start again?  Thanks!

Jesse James brings up some interesting points in his post regarding the prices, and I will have to agree with him.  I have the CW Y-Wing and it is a good attempt by Hasbro, but falls short of what it could have been, especially for the price.  While it was a ship that I had to get, it was by no means a bargain for the $70 I spent on it.  Large vehicles do not need to be cut out completely, however. What Hasbro needs to do is simply adjust their prices better for what they make or simply make fewer of the larger more detailed items and cater those items towards the collector market that is getting them.  

I am first and foremost a collector of the 1:18 scale military items Jesse James mentioned above and the ratio of detail versus the price point have always been greater than what Hasbro has offered.  Really one cannot compare a 1:18 scale P-51D Mustang made by 21st Century Toys to the similar-priced Hasbro X-Wing and never mind the larger 1:18 scale aircraft and vehicles.  It only seems that in recent years Hasbro is addressing the detail issue on their vehicles, so we get items like the new AT-ST and retooled TIE Interceptor that start to better approach the scale and level of detail that is seen in the military collecting world.  Greater levels of detail will necessitate higher pirces, but that would make the items more worth it in the end.  

What is all the more interesting is that the companies that produced the 1:18 military items were much smaller than Hasbro and catered to a very limited collector market.  That limited focus did spell the demise of two companies that produced the models - most notably 21st Century Toys - but that company was tiny with nowhere near the staff, organization, or market clout that Hasbro possesses.  Far more people buy and collect Star Wars items than 1:18 scale aircraft and tanks, however, the 1:18 manufacturers traditionally kept their prices low on more complex models and with a fraction of the resources that Hasbro possesses and only a fraction of the conusmers.  

That said, I really see no reason why Hasbro cannot continue to make larger, better scaled, and highly detailed toys/models even if they were produced on a limited scale and geared more towards collectors.  They would be able to spare the resources and still turn a profit.            
  

I want to say that the new AT-ST and the improved TIE Interceptor were the best vehicles I got this year, however, I did technically pick up my big Millenium Falcon this year (January 2009) and that just about tops any vehicle made for the modern Star Wars line in my opinion   Other vehicles were also well done, including the Magna Guard P-38, Corporate Alliance Tank Droid, Octapura Droid, Republic Fighter tank, and even the CW Y-Wing to an extent.

Figures are a little more difficult for me as I sort of pick and choose with them, liking some and not others.  To just name a few, I liked the ANH Spacetrooper, Rebel Technician (from the Yavin Scramble pack), the ANH Obi Wan Kenobi, Imperial Scanner tech, Snowspeeder pilot Luke, and of course, Willrow Hood