I guess I should be thanking Hasbro for saving me so much money this fall.  I'd already decided to pass on the first two TRU Council sets and after seeing these new sets (how strange that the backs of the unseen-to-this-point sets are all you can see in the photo, huh?), I'm going to be passing on them as well.  Hasbro could have really done something special with these four sets, but they instead decided to once again take the cheap and easy way out, hoping that people would go along with the endless rehashes just to get the entire chamber.

Let's just look at this for a second....

SET 1: Eeth Koth (POTJ head on a Mace body)-looks totally ridiculous, even if they did give him "new" arms; Obi-Wan (Episode I Jedi Duel)-he never appeared in this costume in that scene; Plo Koon (Saga)-same action oriented pose but with "new" legs.  Great.

SET 2: Yoda (Episode I/Saga)-laziness, pure and simple; Qui-Gon (Episode I Naboo)-doesn't even have his saber on his belt anymore; Ki-Adi Mundi (Episode I/Saga)-the only one I can forgive since the lower body and legs were all that really needed to be changed

SET 3: Saesee Tiiin (seemingly the Saga version)-action pose with new legs, ala Koon; Anakin (seemingly the POTJ version)-ugh; Stass Allie (probably Adi Gallia with new legs and lower body)-knowing Hasbro they'll just give the head a new paint job

SET 4: Shaak Ti (the Saga upper torso with new lower torso)-the biggest cop out of the entire series; Coleman Trebor (we can't even see him clearly); Adi Gallia (more than likely just a straight rehash of the Episode I figure)

Out of that entire list, there is not one single new figure in the bunch.  Most of them are either from a time when the sculpts weren't as good as they are now (Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Yoda), or they are really inappropriately posed for characters who are supposed to be pensive.  

Kudos Hasbro, you never fail to disappoint me, and you'd think I would know better by this point.

TPM Figure-Handmaiden Padme
TPM Vehicle/Playset-Sith Infiltrator

AOTC Figure-Obi-Wan in Jedi Robes
AOTC Vehicle-AT-TE

ANH Figure-Owen Lars (resculpted)
ANH Playset-Death Star (duh; include the Emperor's throne room as part of this just to be sure)

TESB Figure-General Veers (with removable armor and interchangeable hat/helmet)
TESB Vehicle-Twin Pod Cloud Car

ROTJ Figure-Ewoks, and lots of them
ROTJ Vehicle-a decent Speeder Bike (using Clone mold?) with a super articulated Biker Scout

Just a general statement which I don't know if anyone saw yesterday or not...both CNN and Fox News reported (on their little tickertape thing) that a recent study found children prefer video games to action figures by a 2:1 margin, and that children spend an average of 6 hours a week playing video games.  The former I agree with, as I see fewer and fewer children in the toy aisles these days; the latter I disagree with because the majority of kids I know spend a lot more than six hours a week in front of the X-Box/NES/Sega/PS/whatever.  I have my own theory on videogames being a parent's dream babysitter, but I'm overly paranoid and conspiratorial in my thought processes, so I will refrain from that here.

The point to this, and how it relates to SW collecting, the OTC line, and toys in general is this: if kids are more and more turning away from the "archaic" action figures for more interactive things such as video games, are toys in general headed for a collapse?  Not so much from an investment standpoint (although I'd laugh my ass off if all these speculators and their half-circle, short-saber, bent finger MOCs they bought to send little Johnny through college suddenly became worthless), but more from a conceptual standpoint.  Is the entire concept of an action figure outdated?  

As popular as "The Simpsons" is, the figures came out too many and too fast to sustain an ongoing line.  Yes, there are plenty of characters in Springfield, but the availability was what kept me from buying more of them.  I would have gotten an Apu, Sideshow Bob, Jasper, Marge, or Mayor Quimby in a second, but I wasn't about to shell out 25 dollars for a playset to get them.  Even the characters who were released as individually carded figures were pretty hard to find at times: I never saw a Barney and I only saw Groundskeeper Willie once (thank goodness I bought him when I did).  The point is this: they could have put out about 15 figures a year (along the lines of what the 1980's Joe line did) and released them year-round so people could actually go out and find them instead of releasing one wave of six figures every other month and having so many of them be like finding a needle in a haystack.  I commend Playmates for rereleasing those two packs with miniscenes, but it was a last gasp in an already dying line from where I stood.

As for He-Man, it was nobody's fault but Mattel's that the line failed.  If you ship a case of 18 Skeletors and 18 He-Mans with one each of the supporting characters and only one of a particular figure in every 20 cases, then it's not retail's fault that certain figures aren't being ordered.  I feel sorry for the collectors of the Eternia stuff, but it's totally and completely Mattel's fault that things ended for that line.  I only hope the Batman collectors don't have to go through this same type of thing (although according to a friend, Mattel's already mishandling that line as well).

It's because of this that I'm actually hoping that the SW line ends by 2007 at the earliest.  Spend 2005 working on the Episode III figures and vehicles, and use 2006 to do all the stuff people have been requesting for years (more Ewoks, Padme in her various gowns, new Piett-okay, that's just me) and the remainder of Episode III stuff to finish off the line in a definitive manner.  In other words, end the line before retailers end it for them.  

I have a bad feeling that after Episode III, retailers are not going to want to see SW ever again, and with no new movies coming out, there will be no reason in their eyes to continue to order the line.  With more and more kids going to the electronics aisle instead of the toy department anyway, I fear the action figure is a dying breed.  I'll miss the line if it goes, but I'd much rather see it die gracefully than have it go out the way the vintage line did with a choke and a sputter.

I could go on longer, but I'll spare you all.  

As bad as the Veers is (and I don't actually dislike that figure; I would just really like to see an updated version with today's advances in sculpting/articulation/accessories), I'm actually more confused at the reissue of the Scanning Crew Trooper in its POTF2 incarnation.  I mean, I know that a lot of people voted for it to be rereleased, but that thing is hideous.  That figure is one of the worst I've seen in the modern era.  Veers doesn't even come close for me.

All Hasbro needs to do now is a subset of "our most questionable figures" as part of the OTC assortments.  It would include:

-Bespin Security Guard (from Carbonite Freezing Chamber)
-Nuclear  Disarmament Treaty Violation R5-D4
-Dash Rendar and his uneven legs
-Monkey Leia
-He-Man Luke Skywalker
-Red Leader from the recent X-Wing Fighter
-Han Solo in AT-ST Driver Disguise (am I the only one who still thinks this was the most ridiculous thing made in the recent history of POTJ/Saga?)

And hey, even if the four figures that this swami guy at the opening of his report are resculpts, what's the chance of us actually finding them at retail?  By that time, the OTC recard disaster will be in full swing, and we'll be lucky to see a new figure until Episode III comes out.

Damn right I'm catastrophizing.  

I'm with HMI on this one.  These four packs could have been an excellent opportunity to release figures, beasts, or smaller accessories that were difficult to find, that had been cancelled, or "new" kitbashed figures that people might actually be interested in.  Instead they've gone straight to hell in terms of quality and choice.

Since everyone else is doing it, here's what I would have liked to have seen from the four packs they released thus far, or at least what would have made me buy some of them:

IMPERIAL FORCES: I actually bought this one and thought it was a decent set.  Two kitbashes that made sense (the AT-ST Driver and the Stormie), and two repaints that were nice as well (the R4 unit and Vader), with accessories that were acceptable (the cannon and the droids).  This one was the best of the series, but sadly hasn't been even challenged for that spot thus far.

BOUNTY HUNTERS: this one is one that I saw no point in whatsoever.  I mean, Bossk was being remade at the time, IG-88 and Aurra Sing weren't exactly difficult to find, and the Fett was the same one as the 300th (which granted, many people didn't see, but it Hasbro wanted to get both new and old collectors to buy this, they could have at least repainted him in the ROTJ color scheme).  The bike was really cheesy looking IMO, and I thought this whole set was a complete wash.

HOTH: Leia sucked.  She should have never been a part of this set in the first place.  If it were me, she would have been replaced with a snowspeeder pilot Wedge (kitbashed from the Dack/Luke SS body and the Rebel Pilot CS head with removable helmet).  The Tauntaun would have been Han's in all sets, and instead of Luke it would include the Han from the beast pack (making a toy that was impossible to find easier to get, at least in some form).  The R3 unit was fine, as was the Chewbacca.  

JEDI WARRIORS: this would not have even been made in its current form.  It would have been a Geonosis Arena four pack that would include the Nikto Jedi kitbash; a kitbashed Obi-Wan using the Coruscant head, torso, and legs, along with the Episode I Jedi Duel arms; a repainted Clone Trooper (the red Saga version that was included in the Clone Wars value pack with the ARC Trooper); the Super Battle Droid from the Deluxe Yoda; and the Detention Force Field thing.

SKIRMISH AT CARKOON: would be renamed "Jabba's Palace" and would include Ephant Mon, a repainted C-3P0 (with the green gunk from when Jabba slaps him over), Oola, and a Barada repaint with the red pants, maybe slightly retooled to be able to hold a force pike.  The accessory?  Jabba's Dais.

ENDOR SET: would include the speeder bike and Paploo from the TRU AT-ST/Bike set from a few years back; a kitbashed Han Endor using the Bespin Capture head, torso, hips, and legs, straight arms from somewhere, and a soft goods coat along the lines of the Mace coat someone mentioned earlier; the clean version of the Biker Scout; a kitbashed Luke in Endor poncho (soft goods with removable helmet) using the Jabba's Palace Luke head, torso, hips, and legs, and retooled arms, with the Endor Rebel Solider (Saga)'s helmet; and another generic Ewok (Warok?) based on the sculpt from the Complete Galaxy Ewok from 1998.

And other sets I'd like to see, you ask?  

NABOO INVASION: would include OOM-9 (from the Trophy asst. that was never released); Naboo Swamp Obi-Wan (from the same assortment); Sio Bibble (who was very hard to find); Amidala with Ascension Gun (again, very hard to find); and a walking holograph projector with a Sidious holograph shrunk down to size.

TATOOINE: would include the Eopie with Qui-Gon; at least four of the Pit Droids from the foreign packs (with accessories); an actual Threepio from Episode II that is based on the POTF2 removable limbs mold (in other words, that actually looks metallic); and a kitbashed Darth Maul in Tatooine robes that isn't in some kind of action pose (possibly the Trophy edition head and cloak on the Jedi Duel body?)

BESPIN CAPTURE: would include the CD-ROM Vader that was never released; a kitbashed Bespin Security Guard (based on the POTJ version) of a different race (there were several, so whichever one works for you; I'd like one of the black ones myself); the non-action feature version of Bespin Luke from the CD-ROM sets; a kitbashed Bespin Capture Han (with just the white shirt, new arms, and no holster); a Carbonite Block based on the POTF2 version that is solid (e.g. not hollow without a back); and an Ugnaught.

REBEL FORCES: would include a kitbashed Biggs in X-Wing Pilot gear (the body is fine, but it would have a new head with removable helmet); a newly sculpted Ceremonial Luke (yes, I know this doesn't go along with the rehashing they do in these packs, but I'd love to see a new one done and I think this might be the only way); Red Leader's astromech droid (using the excellent recent R* bodies); and a "mystery" X-Wing pilot figure (that is, of course, Jorg Sacul rereleased so those of us who couldn't afford plane fare or a trip to Indianapolis can finally get one for our collections and the people who have carded versions will still be happy knowing they have something unique; everybody's happy).  Maybe include one of those round console tables everyone is standing around during the attack as an accessory.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.  As for what I think we'll wind up getting with the Endor pack that is coming out?

-Endor Han (from POTF2)
-Wicket and Logray (from POTF2)
-Endor Rebel Solider (from POTF2)
-Biker Scout and Speeder Bike (from POTF2)
...and of course, no modifications will be made.

smileyfaceguy posted that chicken thing last week, its cute

Oops, my mistake.  Sorry about that.

To make up for my faux pas, I've found that one of the best places to find really off the wall (and often very disturbing, since the people doing these sites don't realize the utter stupidity of what they're doing most of the time) websites is under Something Awful's "Awful Link of the Day" daily report.  SA.com isn't for everyone (it's particularly for people with very dark and twisted senses of humor), and the ALOTD are sometimes in the vein of making you want to throw up at the absurdity, but if you are looking for stuff that you will laugh at and then feel bad for doing so   go give them a look at http://www somethingawful.com  Be forewarned, though: if you are easily offended, do not go to Something Awful.

The best recent example of this was a guy they reported on and linked to as an example of this disturbing type of thing a few weeks back.  He is a "plushie" (do a Google search if you don't know what that means) and he had done a website devoted to his "plushie" collection, he writes short stories about his plushies, and while he never comes right out and talks about the sexual nature of what he's doing, it's fairly obvious, since you can see the "orifices" he sewed into several of the stuffed animals in several pictures.  Shudder.

The SA.com reporter's response to the site was priceless and is something I still say about various things now:

"Petition to stop the internet?  SIGNED!"  

Well, they finally replied to me (on the third try) and sent my March 10th order number yesterday afternoon.  The thing is though that I'm no longer really all that enthused about buying anything from them (as I said before, I did not really need the Kermit).  

I considered going ahead and buying the Kermit along with one of those ROTJ theatrical posters, but the ROTJ poster was out of stock and there was literally nothing else in there that interested me.  So, I've pretty much decided that I'm going to just wait and see in regards to the types of things they get there.  

I will say that the customer service (for the most part) has been much better than most other etailers I've dealt with over the years, but this whole situation has been nothing short of confusing and distressing to me (and I'd imagine many other people as well).  

Oh well, the 50 buck GC is valid until the end of the year so maybe by then all the bugs will be worked out and I'll have a job to afford a lot of this stuff.