Hugo Weaving seems like he would be PERFECT as an Imperial commander of some sort.  Just the way he carried himself as Schmidt in Captain America had that sort of arrogance that I think you could associate with a high ranking Imperial officer.  A little over the top, but he definitely could have hung in a scene with someone like Peter Cushing. 

Michael Fassbender seems like he could go either way.  I think he's got the range to play either an Imperial or a new generation of Jedi Knight.

There's also word that Benedict Cumberbatch has been lobbying for a role, too.  I think he'd be fantastic as an Imperial as well.

I did a WTF when I saw that BBTS wasn't offering the Wasp on her own and then read your post, Jman. It's probably the same old story:  female action figures statistically do not sell well.

The Darth Maul story arc was really able to sum up what it is to be Sith.  While The Clone Wars was really a ruse by which Darth Sidious was able to manipulate forces throughout the galaxy in order to attain power, it was so grand in scope that it wasn't so easy for viewers to grasp the complexity of his schemes.  Darth Maul's plots and machinations were more easy to grasp.  And the conflict between the Sith themselves was very cool to see.

Not seeing the story culminate in animated form is absolutely a big letdown.  I had also stopped reading the Star Wars comics a couple of years ago.  This might be cause to get back into them, but I would really have preferred some sort of DVD/BluRay release to bring the series to a close.

Saw all of the 2nd wave of Mission Series 2-packs today.  I thought that some of the sculpts and paint apps in the first wave looked pretty good.  But these didn't seem that great.  Even the Darth Maul, which I had been kind of looking forward to, was kind of a disappointment.  The paint apps on this second wave just did not impress me in the least.

Amazon now has a listing for The World of Ice and Fire - The Official History of Westeros and The World of A Game of Thrones.  George R.R. Martin has discussed this book before, and it's supposed to be a reference book that encapsulates much of the history of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.  There's no cover art at this time, and the release appears to be October 28th, 2014.  Here's the blurb from the listing:

 

If the past is prologue, then George R. R. Martin’s masterwork—the most inventive and entertaining fantasy saga of our time—warrants one hell of an introduction. At long last, it has arrived with The World of Ice and Fire.

This lavishly illustrated volume is a comprehensive history of the Seven Kingdoms, providing vividly constructed accounts of the epic battles, bitter rivalries, and daring rebellions that lead to the events of A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO’s Game of Thrones. In a collaboration that’s been years in the making, Martin has teamed with Elio M. García, Jr., and Linda Antonsson, the founders of the renowned fan site Westeros.org—perhaps the only people who know this world almost as well as its visionary creator.

Collected here is all the accumulated knowledge, scholarly speculation, and inherited folk tales of maesters and septons, maegi and singers. It is a chronicle which stretches from the Dawn Age to the Age of Heroes; from the Coming of the First Men to the arrival of Aegon the Conqueror; from Aegon’s establishment of the Iron Throne to Robert’s Rebellion and the fall of the Mad King, Aerys II Targaryen, which has set into motion the “present-day” struggles of the Starks, Lannisters, Baratheons, and Targaryens. The definitive companion piece to George R. R. Martin’s dazzlingly conceived universe, The World of Ice and Fire is indeed proof that the pen is mightier than a storm of swords.

Looking over the 6" Hobbit line, I've got to say that I'm a little disappointed.  After all, the ONLY Dwarf they've produced is Thorin.  REALLY?!?!  The movies have really started to get you invested in the company of Dwarves, and you only make Thorin so far?

The sculpt looks cool, all things considered.  I think 5POA is with us for the time being, so at least Hasbro is investing in some decent sculpts.  This is definitely a nice advance look at what we'll see at Toy Fair in a few weeks.  Although I don't know that we're going to see a super-extensive line for REBELS.  I think Hasbro may end offering fewer figures over the course of the year like we've seen with some other properties.

I wonder how long til we start seeing these on Chinabay?

Street date of 03/2014?  They'll probably trickle in from Asia in February.