It looks like the Mace from the Saga Jedi Council Cinema Scene to me... they just added the same ugly over-sized robe to him.

The Good:

- VTSC Biker Scout:  Loved him.  Great articulation on an Imp Army builder = bliss.  I really hope they get around to the Snowtrooper in the next batch of "Vintage" re-issue figures...

- VTSC Endor Han:  Loved him.  Great articulation on one of my favorites.  I really hope they get around to Bespin Han in the next batch of of "Vintage" re-issues figures...

- R5-D4:  Now I can finally throw away that POTF2 mostrosity!  Yay!   


The Bad:

- Commander Cody:  I liked him, but he really needed better legs to be great...

- Scorch:  Another great figure that could have really used better legs...



The Ugly:

- Poggle the Lesser:  Did he need to be re-issued?

- Holo Ki-Adi/Maul/Cody/Obi-Wan:  I'm tired of Holo figures...

- Vader/Vader/Vader/Vader:   Pick one and stick with it.  There was no need for Hoth Vader, Bespin Vader, H&V Vader, DS2 Vader, etc.  Just pick one carded version and keep that ONE version shipping through the year.

You need to get with Ron Artest and Sac-town

He did look pretty good last night... though the T-Wolves still managed a win.   

I think TO is a self-centered loudmouth and often the cause of many team distractions, but as a Wide Receiver on the football field, he definitely isn't overrated.

When he is healthy and focused, he can be one of the most dangerous receivers out there.  Same goes for Randy Moss.  I think they suffer from distractions (self-caused by ego), but they are still great receivers.

When I think over-rated, I tend to think about guys like Rick Mirer or Ryan Leaf.  Those guys were overrated... 

<and I don't consider a repaint or kitbash as a new anything either>

Well, unfortunately for you, Hasbro does consider Clone repaints and kit-bash figures as "new" when it comes to these exclusive Battle Packs.  In fact, when you look at the all of the 2006 exclusive Battle Packs (not just THFG BP), you'll see that the majority of the "new" items in them are just repaints/kitbashes.

- Target Skirmish in the Senate: Senate Pod (new item)
- Target Skirmish in the Senate Shocktrooper (#41 repaint)
- TRU Hunt for General Grievous: Fordo (Kit-Bash)
- TRU Hunt for General Grievous: Clone Heavy Gunner (Kit-Bash & Repaint)
- Target Mace Windu's Attack Battalion: Clone Trooper (#41 Repaint)
- Target Mace Windu's Attack Battalion: Clone Commander (2007 Airborne Clone Repaint)

October...

$354.99  January
$240.39  February
$100.78  March
$111.68  April
$179.68  May
$112.07  June
$648.07  July
$451.33  August
  $21.96  September

$264.96  October


Stuff I bought in the past month:
2006 Saga Ep3 GB Wave (2 carded)
2006 Saga Naboo Wave (10 carded and 10 openers)
30th Anniversary Commemorative Tins (3 openers)
Internet Exclusive Kir Kanos/Carnor Jax 2-Pack (1 opener)
Target Exclusive Mace Windu's Attack Battalion (1 opener)
TRU Exclusive AT-AT Biker Scout (1 opener)
400% Kubrick Darth Vader (1 opener)
Shipping Expenses (Padded Mailers and Tape)

 

Another expensive month ($250+).  Not as bad as the summer, but  all those End-Nab-ooine figures from EE along with the 400% Kubrick Vader were budget breakers this month.  It's funny how despite still buying a TON of Hasbro figures this year, the lion's share (nearly 60%) of my $$$ spent this year has been on Kubrick related stuff (carded, 400%, series 6).   

I don't like the idea of a just a few of them in the basic figure line - they'd be out of place and kind of silly to display alone.


But, if they do what they were originally planning to do:

action figure four packs will feature 8 x 11" movie poster replicas, and will include a special base to showcase the figures and posters.

I'd be all over those.  By doing 4-packs with a poster backdrop and base, I think they would be a neat display item for the SW room.

They are not "street dates" though, they are the Target planogram reset dates. 

The Target corporate offices send out planograms to the stores with a suggested reset date (in the latest case for the SW aisle it's 11/19).  That way, the majority of the Target stores will switch over to the new aisle set-ups at approximately the same time and 90% of the Targets will look the same when customers shop there.

To ensure that there is product to go on that set of shelf arrangements, Target will often hold back new items so that they have them for the reset date (and don't have the blank spots on the shelves). 

Target has always done this, the planogram re-set dates are just waaaaay more visible when it comes to Star Wars toys.  There is a bunch of stuff in the backroom (like the Tin Sets and Mace Windu Battlepack) that Target is holding simply for the reset date.  It allows them to "refresh" the toy aisle so that once a month (or so) there is new product out there. 

It happens all the time with other toy lines too, but they are just not as visible as Star Wars.  For example, last month, my Target had the Mattel JLU 6-pack (with exclusive Doomsday) in the backroom for weeks, but they did not stock them until they set up the new DC Comics endcap planogram in mid-October.  If you watch the toy section as a whole, you'll notice that every month there is some kind of reset somewhere on the shelves.

I think the Target planogram dates are just way more visible these days because way more people know and use the DPCI numbers to try to get stuff from the backroom.  Without having those DPCI numbers, you would never know about a "planogram date" - you'd just walk into the store and find new stuff one day.

I think the dates are more visible too because many frustrated store managers come up with the "street date" story as an excuse not to go get stuff.  Despite what those managers say, there is no Target corporate policy against getting something for a customer when asked (if fact, to the contrary they are supposed to do everrything possible to satify a customer with a question).