Pens were a huge disappointment this year obviously.  They're looking forward to another high draft pick, and some of our talent that currently is "elsewhere", but overall the year really sucked for us obviously.

On the bright side, Crosby turned out to be better than the expectations put on him.  I think you're wrong that he doesn't deserve top Rookiee honors.  Youngest player to put up 100 points in a season, plus on the worst team of the season, plus that's not going into the leadership qualities he really REALLY exemplified this year.  He stepped up even during their infamous 18 game skid and didn't lose heart despite being shat upon nightly.

I think he's everything he was touted as and more.  He's a single bright spot in a dismal season (though they did improve down the stretch so there's some hope).

Going into the playoffs I'm gonna pull for the Bruins.  They're a team I've always liked...  New Jersey I don't mind either.  I'll stick with an East team just because though, either way.

I just hope any bars I go to have games up and don't flick to other crap like the NBA or anything.

I think it'd actually make a nice boxed set.  If Hasbro would get off their ass and make a seated one (poseable knees on all of them wouldn't HURT exactly) , and include the 6th band member, the set would be a nice exclusive I think.  Nice display box and all that stuff.

For me to rebuy it though I'd need an improvement though.  Bendable knees on all figures, SIX band members instead of 5, and the seat/instrument for the one Modal Node to sit around on and play his whatever that thing was.

They were really not bad figures at the time or today.  If those little tweaks were made, I'd be ok with a rebuy to get improved Modal Nodes.

There's no crying in politics man!

Get ahold of yourself!

*grabs Jeff and slaps him*

Buying the win would be so comically petty and lame that I don't know if I want it to NOT happen.  

Not that the whole thing isn't about buying wins anyway and whatnot, but yeah, whoring up as many phantom accounts as you could to win it all at the end "just because you can afford it", would be too priceless really.  And not unexpected, and I agree with Josh it'd be easy enough.  I could find 10 people to give accounts to, and I don't have a lot of friends even...

It is all "fun" though!  Yay!

Where's my hindenberg photo of fun falling on everyone?

but I'm underwhelmed

Us too, look for a big newspost on it in the near future!   

Strike foils on all ships are supposed to releave heat stress generally...  That's what I've read and makes a bit of sense.  On the B and X wing fighters there's cannons on the ends...  Y and A Wings have fewer cannons overall, so perhaps the heat issue isn't as big an issue with them?

Or it could not be linked to the cannons at all...  Though gaming shows the engines, shields, and lasers are all interlinked energy systems on ships (the "ELS") and thus one affects the other...  During the civil war's beaming technology developments those too interlink and advance the productivity of the ELS(B) then on small ships.  Probably in some similar but smaller fashion to what destroyers and capital ships in general have.

I can buy the whole heat disipation thing though for "S-Foils" on really anything (not just fighters).  If we're talking maneuverability though, I dont' think that S-Foils have much impact...  When you look at any SW fighter, none of them appear aerodynamic in the slightest.  The way they fly in atmosphere I believe probably is mechanics more than design.  They can obviously vertically take-off as evidenced on Yavin IV, so I think they likely stay in the air more via their "technology" than anything else...  Maneuverability and such then probably isn't much different than in space I'd think.  Thus that lets the Rebel Speeders be the superior weapon on the field for certain circumstances...  They are more built for the atmospheric flight while the space-capable craft are capable of atmospheric flight but sometimes there needs to be something specific for it.

On another note, I've never liked the whole attempt to tie the ARC-170 to the X-Wing...  While there's vague physical similarities, the EU shows there's also dozens other fighter types by dozens other manufacturers (including Incom) that bear the same "look" and shape...  And many of them are closer in purpose/style than the ARC-170.  For me it's a matter of Lucas overdoing it on trying to tie one trilogy to the other... 

The ARC-170's S-Foils I don't see as being exclusive to that design then.  Many ships by many companies can feature swing-wing designs for similar reasons, or maybe other functional purposes.

The ARC-170's 3-man crew, weaponry, and other features really imply it has a purpose wholely unique of that of the X-Wing fighter from the classic trilogy...  I don't see it as much of a precursor to the XW so much as it being just (perhaps) made by the same manufacturer...  Perhaps they realized the advantage of heat disipation and wanted to incorporate that in the XW then or whatnot.  I however dont' see a direct evolutionary link between the two fighters.  I stick with the EU line that the Z-95 Headhunter was the real grandfather of the T-65, and that the ARC-170's a ship unto itself with no (known) future in Star Wars.

Oh man, Target has a run for their money from TRU then.  Nice scores at the giraffe hangout guys.    Time to put TRU BACK on the routine stops list.

I try to use the rationale that I keep the packaging and display it...  It's some of the only figures i am willing to do that with (Evolutions, etc. get the same treatment).  They are really "basic" figures though...  I'd give Hasbro the softgoods accessories argument too since they're a costly addition to toys.

Ultimately though, they're what we should get in general...  Ankle articulation cut here and there of course, and regular waist joints instead of ball/socket joints and complex construction, but overall they're the quality level we should be getting with $7 basic figures, no doubt.  Hopefully some day the Star Wars line can catch up to most of the other toy lines out there in that regard.   Came close with the OTC line, and ROTS.