Wow, my list was 60% true to the final results?!?!  That's kind of trippy.  But overall I like the results of this year's list.

Methinks that someone at Hasbro might have referred to the wrong comic title in their Q&A response.  Heir To The Empire seems much more likely, as that's the first appearance she made in the whole scheme of things.  Did they just mix them up because they both have the word Empire in the title?

Here are my ten:

HOTH
-Hoth Spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi
-Wedge Antilles - Snowspeeder Pilot gear
-Luke Skywalker - SA Snowspeeder Pilot gear, with removable helmet, lightsaber, blaster & holster, grappling hook & mine
-Hoth Rebel Trooper (Echo Base) - Super-articulated 
-Princess Leia - Hoth Gear - Super Articulated


BOUNTY HUNTERS
-Zuckuss resculpt

DROIDS
-E-3PO - Cloud City Protocol Droid
-R5-M2 - Echo Base Astromech Droid

CLOUD CITY
-Treva Horne
-Wiorkettle

I was wondering if anyone else had caught that.  Could we see something in the future like Sith Lake? 

I'm cool with most of these.

1.Cal Alder
2.Toryn Farr
3.Wyron Serper
4.R5-M2
6.Derek "Hobbie" Klivian
7.Wes Janson
8.Captain Lennox
9.Captain Needa
11.Bridge Technician
14.Lieutenant Sheckil
16.Bespin Guard #1
17.Bespin Guard #2
18.Bespin Guard #3
19.E-3PO
20.Willrow Hood "Ice Cream Maker Guy"
21.Treva Horme
22.Utris M'Toc
23.Wiorkettle
24.IG-88 B
25.Princess Leia (Medical Frigate)
26.Luke Skywalker (Medical Frigate)
27.Lando Calrissian (Smuggler)


And I'd add a few more...
-Treat Williams as either a Bespin Guard or Rebel Trooper
-Rebel Trooper with Tauntauns
-Rebel Trooper in trench "We've spotted Imperial walkers on the south ridge"
-Rebel Trooper in trench w/ facial hair "Come on"
-SA resculpt of Snowspeeder pilot Luke w/ all his gear (holster, blaster, mine, grappling hook, lightsaber)
-SA resculpt of Snowspeeder pilot Wedge
-Hoth version of Force spirit Obi-Wan

The ludicrous thing that this thread screams out to me is that nobody is investigating WHY Hasbro felt the need to scale the Sith Infiltrator down.  And it all boils down to WalMart.  WalMart remains Hasbro's biggest account, is the US's largest retail outlet for toy sales, and as a result holds great sway over what Hasbro can and cannot sell.  If WalMart does not want a $39.99 Sith Infiltrator in their stores in a non-movie year, then Hasbro has to fall in line.  In fact WalMart holds that kind of influence with a number of manufacturers who want their products in WalMart stores.

So is there outrage over that part of the equation?  Not really.  Because people don't want to look that deeply into the issue.  Personally it makes me want to avoid WalMart stores at all costs.  And for the most part I do except for when they have an exclusive.  I'd rather shop at Toys R Us and Target stores.

Now did Hasbro miss the boat on the Sith Infiltrator?  Yes.  They had their window of opportunity and let it pass them by.  They should have produced this in 1999 when Star Wars was DOMINATING toy sections.  In 1999 they could have made the Sith Infiltrator in a scale that might be more appropriate, but probably would have been somewhat scaled down in order to sell at a $39.99 price point.  WalMart would have carried it at that time.  But like I said, that time has passed and I'm sure there are a number of people at Hasbro who wish they could do the EPISODE I line all over again.

It does seem like the vehicle case packouts are being steered in certain directions.  After all of the talk on a number of message boards complaining about another Jedi Starfighter repaint, look what we got in the most current assault vehicle case:  the Saesee Tiin Jedi Starfighter is one per case, and the white TIE Fighter is packed in that case in greater numbers.  In this regard it seems that Hasbro is listening to collectors, but they're still interested in getting older vehicles out to people who are coming late to the party.

The guiding force here seems to be Hasbro's desire to keep the major hero vehicles in the mix.  And the people buying those pieces don't appear to be the core collecting crowd that's out here on the web day in, day out.  Hasbro is going by sales numbers when they come up with reissues like the Obi-Wan Kenobi starfighter which has now been a part of three seperate lines.

Here's my personal hope:  that the talk of a hyperdrive ring in the Q&A sessions was real, and perhaps the reason we're getting these reissues is to have something on the market that could mate with that hyperdrive ring.

Any more reports of the ROTS wave being found in the U.S. of A?

I saw a couple of dealers with 30AC figures at the NY Comic Con over the weekend, but I haven't seen them at regular retail.