Sorta knew this was coming, but...

Seemingly Cancelled Clone Wars Items, courtesy of Greg's master list.

Some of that I wasn't so sure I could recall what was done, and what wasn't, but it seems there's definitely some canned items in there.

Not a CW item, but the list also seems to confirm Mother Talzin from the Target pack wasn't meant to be an animated figure at all, as people were guessing at the time she was revealed.

I've bought NINE Jedi figures in the last week...  9.

6 from TRU multi-packs.  1 Vader.  1 Anakin.  And this Luminara Undulli... 

Not ONE has a flippin' unlit lightsaber hilt.

Eat a dong on that one Hasbro.

PROS:

-Articulation...  Once again Hasbro excels at making a figure poseable.  Unfortunately they also excel at making all the articulation pointless...  But yeah, they made this figure poseable.

It rocks 14 points of articulation, kind of a standard thing these days.  Mostly ball/socket joints...  It's good.  I mean, it's supposed to be good...  right?  RIGHT!?

-Paint Aps...  I'm not sure what's exactly right about it because Luminara has a pretty detailed look to her.  My sample seems pretty perfect though.

The little markings on her chin are perfect, as are her eyes...  if this is the way she should look, it looks great to me.  It's all very tiny little paint aps on this characters face I'm noticing.  Her hair is also perfectly painted and no straying at all.

The figure's outfit has some fairly, by today's standards, ornate paint aps too...  There's bronze on her gauntlets and sash...  the details aren't maybe what they would've been 6 years ago, but they're pretty great and ornate by today's paint ap standards. 

-Sculpt...  This is, to me, the finest Luminara figure they've ever done...  Her face is very calm and zen-like.  It's a look she seemed like she sort of had going on in the movies in her brief scenes, so I like that the figure expresses that serene nature.

The hat is sculpted so it fits JUST perfectly on the figure's head...  It has folds and wrinkles that look just perfect.

The design on her gauntlets and sash are pretty ornate and detailed.  They really look good, and she even has a nice little broach detail that brings her shirt together with tiny wrinkles where it is cinched in.

-Accessories...  Luminara comes with a removable hat for the first time, a saber, and a removable cloth cloak...  All are nice accessories, and other than the inability to move her head any direction than forward due to the hat falling off, it's all nice stuff.

What isn't nice is a lack of a saber hilt...  Good lord.

CONS:

-Price...  $9.99 sucks, let's get this out of the way now.

-No Saber Hilt...  ALL Jedi should have them...  I can't believe I've gotten 9 new Jedi figures this week and not one has an unlit saber hilt.  Pathetic cost-cut on Hasbro's part.

-Poseability Issues...  Luminara's new figure is the definition of the saying,  "all dressed up and nowhere to go".

She's sporting 14 points of articulation but, due to her costume's design, you can't make her hold a saber with 2-hands...  Something all Jedi should be able to do.  She's able to pull off some cool poses, but she battles wielding the force with one hand and her saber with the other I guess.

Her hat, while a nice touch that it's removable, falls off if you try to pose her head any direction but forward.  It's a drapey fabric hat, and the drapey fabric sculpted on the plastic hat means it's going to sit one way, and one way only.

Now...  How bad is this poseability flaw?  So far, we've had no less than 3 distinctly different Luminara Unduli figures...  One's a pre-posed nightmare from 2002, and the other 2 are simply repaints of her ROTS figure which was a marked poseability improvement.

NONE have a head you can pose well because of her goofy-stupid headgear.

Soooooooo, this figure is an improvement by far... She's a good deal more poseable than all previous incarnations.  But you won't pull off really dynamic looks I'm afraid.

She makes me think it's probably best that most Padme's are kept a saltshaker because those ornate duds don't work well with articulation they render useless, and she did nothing in those outfits. 

Luminara did stuff.  She kicked ass I guess at some point.  So it's nice you can try and pose her...  Customizers may want to try their hand at a cloth hat of some sort, so you can make use of the poseability.

She also has some arm movement inhibited by the draping of her upper arms...  It makes a 2-handed saber pose difficult at best, and because the arms need to be raised a bit for the pose to actually work, again it pops the contrary little hat off her noggin.

So is the removable hat a good thing?  Well, the last Luminara wasn't any more poseable, so I guess.  A cloth hat just needs made I guess.  Good luck.

OVERALL:

I think the best thing I can say is, thank god she's not my favorite Jedi...  She's far from perfect, but perfection seems impossible due to the design of this character's costume.

She can stand "at attention" in a nice neutral pose, and that's about it...  with her hat on.  With it off, she's all kinds of fun to pose.  She never is seen without it, but she is fun to pose without the hat. 

Buy at your own risk for rage...  For me, I'm calling this one as it is what it is, and unless they lose their minds and try a cloth hat to help poseability issues, I honestly don't care if they never do this again.

I didn't buy Ani yet because I was waiting for him in my Wave 2 case...  Wow, what a shock, and in a good way.

PROS:

-Sculpt...  Hands down this is the finest in a LONG (far, far too long) line of AOTC Anakin Skywalker figures.  It's been since 2002, and while the Evolutions figure was sufficient to me, I can easily say now just how wrong I was in accepting that figure.

This new Anakin is sporting the most accurate poofy-haired portrait of Hayden Christansen I've ever seen, and I really think some of his ROTS sculpts are exquisite.  This one trumps them all.

The face is plain...  not really expressing anger or sadness or whiney punk bitchness...  It's just plain and neutral, and I dig it.

The hair, the braid, the facial features...  Someone should pat the guy who sculpted this on the back, and promptly get him working on Han, Luke, Leia, and all other main human hero figures from here on out.

The arms are sculpted at the joints JUST so perfectly, so they can hold a saber with 2 hands.  Simply perfect, and no corners cut on the robes to make it look awkward.

Speaking of the robes, there's a depth at the sides that is incredible...  It shows how large the outer tunic is and broadens Christensen's shoulders a good bit revealing his youthfully slight build.

Standing next to a Stormtrooper figure, it's clear to see they made him tall too...  A must, no?  Yes, a must.

-Paint Aps...  My sample is perfect.  The eyes, the hair, etc...  I'd have liked to have seen a LITTLE extra detail to the belt, and ANY detail to his Jedi braid (it's unpainted except for the hair color).  that said, the eyes, tunic colors, boots, belt details...  They're great.

Small details are going away...  I hate seeing that.  The small paint aps really highlighted sculpting details.

-Articulation...  This Jedi Wannabe sports a whopping 12 points of articulation, and most is ball/socket work...  I'm glad to see the torso does NOT sport ball joints though, as I feel Hasbro far overdoes the use of that articulation on that particular part of a figure.  It can look atrocious on a figure without armor, so I appreciate them scaling that back a bit.  Plus it adds cost...  It's a point I largely can live without.

The ankles were a huge surprise...  they're a ball joint that lets them pivot left right plus forward and backward, while turning.  It's a truly improved and amazing articulation point. 

You want your Jedi in wild "doing the splits" crouches, ready to spring out of the pose and pounce on his enemy?  Hasbro made it possible to achieve that level of extreme poseability.

-Mechano Arm Included...  It's small but Hasbro included his mechanical arm, and you have to have that.  It'd have been a major flaw not to include that.  I wish you could remove his arm all together for some war wound looks too.

CONS:

-Accessories...  Annie comes with, basically, only one accessory...  a lightsaber, lit.  That's it.

How, in 2013, Hasbro doesn't include a saber hilt (unlit) with EVERY Jedi they ever make, I do not know.  But in the span of a week, I have seen 2 4-packs of Jedi, Darth Vader, and now AOTC Anakin, and ALLLLLLLL without a lighsaber hilt for their belt.

Almost all these figures have a hole for a hilt to plug into, but no hilt.

I'll give Ani a hilt for his belt, but it's a huge kick from Hasbro not to include one on their dime.  $10 figures deserve better.

-Price...  $9.99+ Sucks.  Again.

-Under-appreciation From Collectors...  Yes, this CON is all you...

You suck this time.  You haven't bought this figure, and oddly he's the pegwarmer of the Wave 1 so far.  He's warming because YOU won't buy him because YOU think you don't need him.  YOU need to suck it up though and buy, because this figure is really far superior to what you think it is.

This is a definitive figure...  They're rare when Hasbro gets them THIS right, so quit complaining they made him because deep down in places you don't realize and talk about at parties, this is a figure you want.  You're just too goofy to see it yet.

OVERALL:

You're welcome...  That's said to the thank you you'll send my way after you buy it because I'm just that kinda influence on you.

But seriously, no, do buy this figure...  It's far superior to what you have.  You'll see it when you get this.  Much like the new Ceremony Luke, I'm amazed at how new this is, and how much better it is than what I had.  You will be as well, I think.

He's not new, he's not really been asked for, and he really came with less than past figures who used the same sculpt.  How could he be good?  Well, he's ok, but good is stretching it.  Here is why.

So I got my case of Wave 2 TBS 4" figures yesterday, and just am now getting around to opening what I can...  I figured I'd start with the crummiest first since I like to have my mood improve as I go through a case of figures that cost me $120...  And since I know some of these are meh, I knew where to start that I wouldn't be too shocked.

The Stormtrooper actually surprised me at how bad it is though...  Perhaps it's my sample, but it's really underwhelming. 

PROS:

-Articulation...  Hasbro's got this formula down, when they want to.  For the most part this is indisputable.  The "new" Stormtrooper sports 14 points of articulation and only 2 of those aren't ball/socket joints.

That's poseability folks.  Short of ball-jointed wrists what more can you ask for?  It's great.

-Weapons...  Not that you get a lot, but you get two you probably don't have a ton of.  The 3-piece fold-out-stock Stormtrooper pistol is here, and appreciated.  Hasbro put out enough of the old single piece blaster that I think we all have plenty of extras.  This new multi-piece one is maybe a little too chunky but it's cool and different.

You get the Stormtrooper/Sandtrooper rifle too...  I don't have many of these, so I take more.  Yay.

-Sculpt...  For my money, this figure is fine.  It has the slot in the back for the Sandtrooper backpack, as it uses the Sandtrooper's sculpt, but that's fine by me.

You'll have some gripes about helmet detailing...  Some are better than others as Hasbro goes, and this helmet doesn't seem like the worst Stormtrooper bucket they've done, and not the best.  I'm fine with it as it is.

CONS:

-Paint Aps...  I can't tell if it's mine, or they're all like this, but mine may have some of the worst paint aps I've ever seen on a figure.  The one armpit, a solid 1/4 of the paint is missing and looks as though it made its way to the back side of the armor.

The helmet's details seem off with more paint bleeding than usual.

His feet are painted black though, that's nice...  Hasbro skips that sole deco on the shoes a lot anymore.

-Fewer accessories than Sandtroopers...  OK, so I hate when you get less than you did with the same figure.  That's the case here.  Hasbro should still include the Pauldron and pack because, well, why can't you just give us the same stuff you gave us before or at least replace it.

Don't want to make it "inaccurate"?  Fine.  Give us the TVC Tarkin figure's Mousedroid then!  Great idea right?  Right.  I'd take that.  But don't just cut accessories out.

I appreciate the rifles I got, but that Pauldron and Backpack needed included or replaced with something more Death Star centric.

-Price...  $10 sucks for figures, and for one like this it really sucks.  It's the killing force in people NOT wanting to buy more Stormtroopers.  Who can afford extras of figures they already have at this point?  Blah.

-Holster on the belt (mine's horribly warped to the point I laughed about it...  I can fix that though, no biggie) doesn't fit either gun included.  Why then include a holster at all?  Just give a plain belt.  Or a new/different belt.  Or just the Sandtrooper belt.

OVERALL:

I appreciate Hasbro trying to keep the ubiquitous Imperial Soldier on the pegs.  There was a time collectors were irate they didn't make a better effort to feed army builders.

Unfortunately, Stormtroopers have steadily been hitting the beaches of retail since 2007 in various forms/incarnations, and the formula is slightly tired now...  Not only is it slightly tired, but at $9.99 or more a piece, army building isn't dead...  Hasbro killed it.  You can't ask people to squad build, much less army build, at these prices.

As a figure in general it's adequate.  If you didn't have a Stormtrooper because you lived a hermit lifestyle till now, you now can get one.  But it'll cost you, and if the paint's as bad as mine then you got hosed and should look for an older one for less.

My idea?

$20.99 new E-Web Cannon set...  Completely foldable legs, otherwise pretty simple snap-together pieces to make a new to-scale gun.  Include a general Veers update (use the TVC AT-AT Commander with a new head and I'm happy), and a Snowtrooper...  A new head would be neat, but whatever.  The gun needs a gunner is all.

$15.99 2-packs...  Battle of Hoth themed sets, to be specific.  One set, a Hoth Rebel Trooper head variation (new head and hat), with a new weapon.  And a Repacked TVC Echo Base Trooper.

Second set is a different Hoth Rebel Trooper Head variation (again, new head/hat, new gun or the basic rifle with this one perhaps), and a kitbashed Hoth Rebel Technician/Taun Taun Wrangler (mostly just the Echo trooper with a new head/hat).  Each set includes one piece of a Hoth Computer Station (which nicely compliments Torryn Farr!).

Just thinking about the quality of the K-Mart sets...  I'd be happy seeing them carry forward with the $21 and $16 format...  One nice big accessory update, and 2 nice 2-packs of army building fun that's quasi-new but not really.

I could see this expanding to other larger accessories too...  A new, better curved bar section, perhaps?  Or a Vehicle Maintenance Energizer?  Possibly an update of some other mini-rigs like the MLC-3 or CAP-4?  Small things, very OT-centric...  I think these would be awesome if they kept rolling out once a year.

A smaller line of ships isn't my cup of tea but could a Stormtrooper transport make this line?  What else?

What's the most awesome pose you've gotten a figure into?  The one you called your wife in to see, and she rolls her eyes.  The one the kids went, "That's awesome!", when they saw it.

I put the Clone Sgt. on my desk in a simple "at attention" pose...  It's calm, passive, but that menacing helmet and the clean armor.  It just screams that scene where the Empire's military might is basically born.  The rifle's resting against his shoulder delicately...  I love it.  Never really put a Clone in this pose, but I could imagine a hundred of them with appropriate officer colors mixed in would look pretty damn cool this way.

Not dynamic by any means...  but it inspired me.

You know you've done this too...  You know you've achieved some pretty cool looks with your figures, and you don't want to admit you were playing with your dolls posing your action figures for display.

Trailer posted for a comic, which is cool unto itself.

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/star-wars-trailer-offers-look-george-lucas-original-050000518.html

This will be the first comic series I've been excited about for Star Wars in quite a while and it won't even be part of the EU.  Go figure.

I plan to wait for a complete bound set of this though.