Still no sign of this wave at any of the big 3 in my area.  I was expecting Target to put them out along with their reset, but all we have are the same Sandtroopers, ROTS Clones, 2 Dengars, and a CCP that we've had since at least January.  Literally the only thing that has disappeared in that time were the yellow helmet ROTS Clones that the Hasbro rep pulled.  Ugh.

I'm probably going to wind up buying two of the Fordo figure (to display in both configurations) when I eventually find him, but was curious as to how easily removable the kama/skirt piece was.  I didn't know if taking it off required ripping the material itself.

If it wasn't for this board and the very kind and helpful people who inhabit it, I'd have major holes in all aspects of my collection, and I've tried to do the same for others when I can.  JD really has made collecting fun instead of (which, as today has shown, thanks to Hasbro, as usual) the increasingly headache inducing chore it can be at times.  Thanks JD!

And count me in on the contest, whenever it starts later this week. 

The whole situation with this set is just ridiculous and I can't wait to hear them try to defend their actions.

Knowing Hasbro, they will either blame the collectors for "not being enthusiastic enough to fly to SDCC and get the exclusive(s) there", or they will ignore it completely, acting like nothing whatsoever went wrong.  Then, if they finally do have to address it (say, through the various Q&A websites asking the same question, similar to what was done earlier this year when all the sites sent the same distribution question regarding the SW line), they'll say that "consumer support for Indy in 2008 was very low" and that due to that, they will not be making more sets of the "lost" wave.  Ironic that the wave has technically been "lost" twice now.   

I picked this up at my local TRU the other day and since I saw a lot of people on the fence, I figured I'd give a bullet-points review of the toy that will hopefully help some people make a decision one way or another on it. 

First of all, the paintjob is much more subdued than I thought it would be, but that's actually a good thing.  It doesn't have the gaudy look of the 2004 OTC version, and the reddish-orange markings on the new version are done sparingly yet well.  It truly looks like a "just off screen" version of the ship, but for all I know, it was actually present in the Battle of Endor. 

The plastic is also much more "cream" colored when compared to the heavily distressed white/gray of the 2007 TRU exclusive version (the one which included the R5 droid and pilot, and the one I'm going to be comparing the new version to the most in this "review").  The new version has a lot more tan paint on the "cables" along the back sections of the ship (as opposed to the 2007 version, which just had a lot of gray brushing for wear, which I liked).  There's not much, if any, brushing on the body of the new Y-Wing, which I think kind of hurts it a bit in the detail department.  Still, the new version doesn't look bad, per se, it's just kind of unremarkable when put alongside the 2007 version.

The engines themselves are once again painted orange with "burn" details around the nacelles, although the orange is a bit brighter on the new version next to the 2007 version.  Hasbro actually painted two gold lines on the Y-Wing's ion cannon turret atop the cockpit, which gives it a bit of character.  The red/orange markings are in identical locations to the yellow on the 2007 version, but there is an added "distressed" panel of gray on the front right of the cockpit area which, again, gives it a little extra character in your fleet.

Mold wise, on the top of the ship, the most obvious difference in this modern version is the astromech droid slot.  Right now I have a BAD R4 unit in the socket and he fits just fine.  The slot is just big enough to secure him nicely, but not so tight that it feels like you're pushing him in to the point of breaking.  For those fellow "flight testers" out there, I turned the ship upside down and the R4 BAD did not fall out, so there you go.  Hasbro also filled in the two screw holes just to the back of the astromech droid section, so you not longer have visible screws on the top of the ship.

The new cockpit is very well done, with painted on displays and individual flight control sticks for each hand.  The coolest thing (which I hadn't heard about prior to getting the ship) is the pull-out targeting computer to the right of the pilot's head (just like in the movie!).  It's pretty secure when you don't have it pulled out, and fairly sturdy when extended.  It can also be rotated 45% when you have it extended so your chosen pilot can make his ill fated trench run.  Very nice detail to say the least, and very appreciated.

My main gripe with the Y-Wing continues to be the horribly designed landing gear.  I was hoping that Hasbro would go the route of the CW Y-Wing and totally redo the design of the landing gear, but I was disappointed.  They did make the front landing gear a separate piece not dependent upon the "tracked" system of the previous versions, but the rear gear still buckle and go back into the ship, unable to support its own weight.  I thought at first that this had been fixed, as the rear gear kind of "clicked" (similar to the landing gear on General Grievous' Starfighter), but after a few seconds, even the click couldn't handle it, and my Y-Wing went to its belly on the coffee table.    The bomb dropping mechanism, by the way, still works the same as all the other versions, but the bomb is a single piece. 

All in all, I'm not sorry I bought the new Y-Wing, but cockpit and astromech droid slot aside, it's not really an improvement on the 2007 TRU exclusive version, which cost the same and included two figures.  If you're looking for something to fill out your Alliance fleet and give it a little variety, plus get the really cool box, I'd say go for it.  If you're perfectly happy with your 2007 (or 2004, or 2000, or 1983) version, you can probably pass and not feel badly about doing so.  Oh, and it was 39.99 plus tax at my TRU, so there you go.

Non-spoiler brief review that echoes Rob's sentiment completely:  Abrams has done a "classic" Spielberg movie.  It really is a love letter to films like "Close Encounters" and "ET" to say the least. 

And, again, go NOW.

Not to incur the wrath of many, but I actually had an unexpected benefit of the DotM toy launch:  Wal-Mart actually restocked the Generations pegs for the first time in almost 5 months and I was able to get Wheeljack and Warpath!  (A friend of mine had picked up Thundercracker and sent him to me shortly beforehand).  So, until I can actually find a RTS Lugnut and Windcharger at some closeout store, I'm done with Classics/Generations stuff for the time being.

In case anyone's looking for something cool to get from the movie line, the Cyberverse Commanders are actually really nice, especially Blackout.  I've never been a fan of the Legends scale toys (they've always felt like those little 25 cent plastic egg toys to me), but these are well-designed and well-built.  Blackout might be a better toy than the 2007 movie Voyager version.  And Megatron, surprisingly, is great and more articulated than either of the previous movie's Leader versions.  I liked them so much I picked up the 15 buck "playset" version of Optimus Prime and his "battle station" which turns into his trailer.  First time I've had a Prime with a trailer since I got the G1 version for Christmas in 1984, so I'm still giddy.

In all the TF madness earlier this week, all the area WMs actually restocked the vintage figures with wave 6, and it appears that (at least in some cases) another welcomed variation/running change/correction of a wave 5 figure is shipping alongside them.  This being the 212th Clone Trooper who, at least on the one I grabbed, has a WHITE HELMET.  Of course, the orange legion markings are present, and the helmet is still way too damned big for the body, but the plastic is white instead of the yellow or green of the initial shipments.

I don't have a camera or I'd snap a picture of it, but it's pretty noticeable in the package, especially when the rest of the clones on the pegs are compared to it side by side.

Yup, saw the same thing, and just like the at my store the pegs are overflowing and not really looking like they'll move now.

I saw this yesterday as well.  I hate to admit it, but the Legends figures moved far quicker at the "reduced" 6.50 than the CW stuff did.  This may, of course, be due to the fact that all three WMs in my area got at least 3 cases worth of the CW 2010 assortment with all the 2008-2009 repacks (Super Battle Droids and even more Obi-Wans aplenty!) and none of the newest wave (Aqua Droid, Wolffe, etc).  At 7.88, I see them sitting there even longer.

Hasbro needs to do something about distribution, and FAST.  I can already see the "collectors just aren't supporting the vintage line" bull**** coming, but it's nobody's fault but their own.  Truly awful case assortments, defective figures (yellow helmeted clones and stormtroopers in multiple waves), and what might easily be the worst repack wave in the history of the SW line being shipped more than any other new wave is what is causing the backup, NOT "lack of collector support."  They've been shipping the same 20 odd Legends figures for almost a year now with NO cycling "new" repacks into it, and even CW is starting to back up to a ridiculous amount.  And they're doing it with a new, higher price point?  BRILLIANT.   

Also on a "let's raise the prices just because" note, I noticed that TRU has raised their prices BACK to the previous 10.99 for Vintage and 8.99 for CW/Legends this morning.  Because that's how you compete in a ****** economy. 

I don't usually wander by this part of the boards, but I was somewhat surprised to see no thread existed for the 12" Cody.  Oh well, guess I'll be the first in line (until someone points out that I overlooked a preexisting thread).

Cody was my first foray into Sideshow 12" figures, and I'm beyond impressed, despite my initial trepidation with the high (for me) price tag.  Although my experience with 12"/Sixth Scale toys and collectibles is minimal, I can't recall ever seeing a "toy" with this much attention to detail.  Maybe it's just because I'm comparing it to the Kenner/Hasbro 12" SW and Joe stuff, but the amount of accessories and overall quality of this figure is just incredible. 

I did, of course, have an accident with Cody right out of the box when I tried to assemble the Phase II/ROTS helmet's antennae.  I pushed the right antenna into the slot just a bit too hard and it broke off clean at the tab.  While I was able to fix this with Super Glue, I'll never be able to return the helmet to the box (although given how cool he looks, I think this one will be displayed from here on out and won't need to go back in there until I have to move apartments/homes), so just a warning to everyone out there that the antennae are pretty fragile and can break easily.

The "horrible" part about this is that I can see myself buying more of these in the future.  I'd already ordered Bly, and with the rumored Grievous, I can see my discretionary spending going toward more stuff like this and less toward the endless Hasbro Clone repaints and minor sculpt revisions.

So yeah, long story (and seeming Sideshow sales pitch) short, this was my first 12" Sideshow purchase, and it probably won't be my last.  And, like I said, Cody is awesome.