I know it's dangerous to speculate on future prices, but with the glut of ROTS vaders, I could see this exclusive  (Crispy Ani) being cheaper than original price on the aftermarket in a few months.

I don't think I want it too badly, but if it shows up for 30-40 I may take one.

Nice Kubrick story on the front page Jeff- I'm looking forward to series 6 just a little bit more now. I would imagine we will start seeing these things show up overseas later this month? Or is late June more likely?

Even at $25.00 each, these are a better value than the basic carded figures. And these are unique figures, unlike the skirmish pack with two good and two bad repacks. But since that one is $20.00, it is a good value too. With all the $10.00, $12.00, and $15.00 figures this year value is going to be more scarce than any UGH.

I was under the impression that the greatest hits version coming later this summer was a #41 based Tactical ops trooper- is that incorrect?

Everything mentioned here makes sense, it is too bad the license has been treated this way.
If they can't afford tooling to make another mid-size ship that people have been clamoring for (Sith infiltrator, cloud car, etc) Than what are we doing with choppers and transformers? Those things took some cash to get rolling, and had a pretty poor chance of being successful. Now that sours retail on Star Wars (it occupies shelf space and doesn't sell), which convinces Hasbro it needs to focus its' efforts on other brands. Sideshow is a nice example of someone taking a Hasbro licensed scale that has been on the market for 11 years and making it work- Give buyers a quality product with a clear way of purchasing it while it is desired, and watch it succeed.

And there is no denying that the first two waves of figures were doomed to fail to capture the interest of new young fans who have only experienced the prequels or even only Revenge of the Sith. I love OT toys, but 1st quarter 2006 was nothing short of abandoning the kids new to the line. The only PT items available were mini-figures at a 9.99 price point and metal ships. After 80 odd figures in 2005 for one movie, that was quite a change.

And don't forget UGH- making it even harder for kids and collectors to find what they want.

I picked one up today, and I am pretty impressed. Considering single figures are costing us $7.00 each, 4 for 20.00 (2 of which are great clones) plus a senate pod is a great value. That's not something we get to say a lot this year (cough SWSHOP $15.00 basic figs cough).

Maybe Morbug should doctor up some photos of baby seal clubbers and CG in some Ewok babies instead. Now That would make for a talked about avatar... 
Although I have to admit, I cheer for the stormtroopers everytime. I think the emperor should have said something like "A legion of my most cross-eyed and muscle-atrophied troops await them."

It does happen sometimes, but you can always cancel the order before it ships. I have really decreased my trips recently, choosing to wait for my cases to arrive for Tatooine and VTSC. If I happen to run into either while I am at the store, I can get me my extra troopers-