JediDefender.com Forums
Collectibles => Past Hasbro 3.75" Lines => 30th Anniversary Collection => Topic started by: Brian on November 29, 2007, 04:27 PM
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Although the last few waves are still trickling out to retail, I thought it might be a good time to cover what some of your favorites were for this year. I guess I'm sticking mainly to TAC stuff here, although we had the tail end of TSC this year as well. Although it has been tough to keep up with everything (especially the last few months), to me this has been one of the best years yet for the quality of Star Wars figures. A lot of good figures/etc., and some long-requested characters. What are your favorites?
Basic Figures (including Vintage and Legends)
*Entire Vintage Lineup (Hoth Han, Bespin Luke, Snowtrooper, IG-88, Bossk, Endor Leia)
*All McQuarrie Figures
*Galactic Marine
*Mace Windu
*Super Battle Droid
*Death Star Trooper
*Rebel Honor Guard
*Luke Skywalker (mainly for the vaporator)
*Jawa and LIN Droid
*Animated Boba Fett
*Jedi Luke Skywalker
*CZ-4
*Hermi Odle
*Yoda w/Kybuck
*Roron Corobb
*Han w/Torture Rack
*4-LOM
*Romba and Graak
*Tycho Celchu
I could really list the majority of the lineup (which I pretty much have), but there weren't a lot of stinkers this year in my eyes. I don't personally have either of the last two waves, but there's some more good ones in there as well.
*Saga Legends - AOTC Clone, Shocktrooper, VOTC Fett, Pit Droids, Sandtrooper, Biker Scout, TC-14, R4-I9, RA-7
Comic Packs
*Obi-Wan Kenobi and ARC Trooper
*Luke and Han Stormtrooper Figures (with some headswaps)
*Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker
Exclusives
*Target Order 66 Packs (repacks stink, but kind of a neat/affordable idea)
*McQuarrie Exclusives (price/exclusivity stinks, but figures are nice)
*Target Ultimate Battle Packs (not for everyone, but really a good deal for what you get. I like Hoth in particular)
*R2-KT
*EE Mando/Elite Forces Packs (good price per figure, and kind of neat sets)
Vehicles
*V-Wing
*TRU Y-Wing Starfighter (one I was missing personally, and came with two pack in figures)
*Darth Vader Sith Starfighter (people are getting repainted starfighter out, but this is a pretty cool ship)
Battle Packs
*Again, Target Ultimate Battle Packs
*WM Treachery on Saleucami BP
*Target Ambush on Ilum BP
*Target ARC 170 BP (due to the new astro)
*Tantive IV (for the Stormies)
Other Lines
*Galactic Heroes - This line continues to impress me, I never thought we'd get this deep into character selection. Really the only "other" line I still actively collect - or can afford.
*The Coins - practically a line all to its own. I know it has gotten me to buy a few figures that I probably normally would have skipped (especially with the budget crunch lately), because I want to complete that damn album :P.
I'm sure there are some things I'm missing/forgetting, but those are some off the top of my head. Its been a pretty nice year for Hasbro stuff in general, not to mention some spiffy higher end things that I can't afford :).
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Basic Figures:
All Vintage
All McQuarrie
Holiday Fett
Mace Windu
Padme Amidala
Roron Corobb
Pre-Cyborg Grievous
Galactic Marine
Tycho Celchu
Comic Packs:
Luke & Mara
Dark Woman & A'Sharad Hett
Imperial Disguise Luke & Female Rebel
Exclusives:
R2-KT
Madalorian/Clone Pack
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- VOTC Snowtrooper
- McQuarrie Fett
- McQuarrie Snowtrooper
- McQuarrie R2 (not including the Oscar statue he's packaged with)
- CZ-4
Yikes, almost forgot:
- VOTC IG-88
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@sal: i like this idea, these polls would be great
i think i also include some figures, i haven't bought yet :P :
mace windu
galactic marine
jawa lin droid
miyoom onith
umpass stay
elis helrot
roron corrobb
hermi odle
lando calrissian
romba and graak
padme
woolviff mon
the last three and miyoom and umpass are still missing, but next week i'll have the ewoks an miyoom
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There were some really choice figures this year. There's a lot of "best of" contenders, but I like to keep things simple:
Vintage: IG-88 hands down
Comic packs: Assassin Droid
Vehicles: V-Wing
Battle Packs: Hoth
McQuarrie: Boba Fett
Basic Figure: Hermi Odle, A-Wing Pilot, Jango Fett
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Well I'm still hoping for polls for these, but in the meantime here are my top picks:
Vintage: IG-88, with the Snowtrooper right on it's tail.
Comic packs: I had a hard time deciding between these five: Quinlan Vos, Vilmarh Grahrk, ARC Trooper Alpha, A'sharad Hett, Assassin Droid. Ultimately I'll have to go with the Assassin droid. Sculpt and articulation were prefect. That it was in a comic pack made the value that much better.
Vehicles: AT-TP Walker with the V-Wing coming in a close second.
Battle Packs: Battle of Hoth hands down. Some decent repaints and that turret is damn impressive! Value was what put this over the top.
McQuarrie: Starkiller, then Boba Fett. Starkiller has tons of accessories you cna mix and match to make different looks to. Boba is right on it's heals with a great sculpt and second helmet!
Basic Figure: whoah a tough one to pic just one as there were MANY great figs this year. I choose Hermi Odle as my favorite. It was really a hard pick though. Hermi wins on a few counts. Shear size, thus value. Sculpt is excellent. I LOVE having soft goods on figures and this one did not disappoint.
Exclusives: Concept R2-D2 & C-3PO
-Sal
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Here's mine:
Vintage: Snowtrooper (with IG-88 close second)
Comic Pack: A'sharad Hett - he's a great figure w/lots of cool accessories
Vehicles: V-Wing
Battle Packs: Ultimate Hoth BP - the turret is a great addition to anyone's Hoth diorama
McQuarrie: Starkiller Hero
Basic Figure: Tyco Chelcu (A-Wing Pilot) - I just go this figure - it rocks!
Exclusives: Female Mandalorians from the EE packs - I love these two figures a lot, I know they have problems but just their existence allows me to overlook them.
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This yeah has had so many great figures but i still think the Jawa is my favorite. He is just an awesome little guy.
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Basic Figures
Stormtrooper
Jawa w/ LIN Droid
McQuarrie Chewbaccca
M'iiyoom Onith
Holiday Special Boba Fett
Comic Packs
Luke Skywalker & Mara Jade
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Here's what I thought has been remarkable:
BASIC FIGURES
Wave 1 - Super Battle Droid
Wave 2 - Rebel Sentry
Wave 3 - Jawa & LIN-V8M
Wave 4 - Boba Fett - Holiday Special
Wave 5 - Hermi Odle
Wave 6 - 4-LOM
Wave 7 - Tycho Celchu - A-Wing Pilot
McQuarrie Concept Series - Darth Vader
VINTAGE FIGURES
IG-88
VEHICLES
V-Wing Starfighter
COLLECTORS TINS
Attack Of The Clones w/ Anakin Skywalker, Clone Trooper Lieutenant, Count Dooku & Jango Fett
BATTLE PACKS
Treachery on Saleucami - w/ Commander Neyo and Saleucami Clone Trooper on BARC Speeders
COMIC BOOK 2-PACKS
Obi-Wan Kenobi & Alpha ARC Trooper - Republic #55
ORDER 66 2-PACKS
Anakin Skywalker and 501st Airborne Clone Trooper
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My thoughts on what has been, no doubt, the best year in the modern line:
General Bestness: Articulation, variety of figures, MCQuarrie, huge accessories, and SW large and in charge on the toy aisle 30 years after its release, and two years on from its last movie.
Basic figures:
Wave 1: Galactic Marine/Mace Windu
Wave 2: Ceremony Luke/McFett/Rebel Honor Guard
Wave 3: Jawa & LIN Droid/Luke w/ Vaparator/McChewie
Wave 4: CZ-4/Elis Herlot/Animated Fett
Wave 5: (Best of the year) Hermie Odle/Yoda w/ Kybuck/Roron Corob/Starkiller Hero
Wave 6: McSnowtrooper/Han w/ Torture Rack/4-LOM
Wave 7: Ewoks/A-Wing Pilot/McHan
Wave 7.5: R2-B1/Hawkbat Battalion Clone
Wave 8: Voolvif Mon/Jango Fett
Comic Packs:
Obi Wan/Alpha, Anakin/Assassin Droid, Luke/Mara
Vintage:
Snowtrooper/IG-88
Vehicles:
Didn't buy any, but there are sure lots of cool ones out there.
Battle Packs:
Hunt for Grievous, Bespin Betrayal
Ultimate Battle Packs:
Hoth!
Exclusives:
Exclusives are never cool, but I liked the McQuarrie ones the best.
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Basic Figures
Wave 1 - Concept Stormtrooper
Wave 2 - Concept Fett
Wave 3 - Concept Chewbacca (but a close second would be Jawa)
Wave 4 - CZ-4
Wave 5 - Concept Starkiller
Wave 6 - 4-Lom
Wave 7 - Romba & Graak
Wave 7.5 - R2-B1
Wave 8 - Voolvif Mon (this could make the great startings of Lak Sivrak)
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BEST
Wave 1 - Super Battle Droid (close second is the Galactic Marine or Windu... this was a great wave)
Wave 2 - Rebel Honor Guard (clonse second is Concept Fett)
Wave 3 - Concept Chewbacca (close second is the Jawa)
Wave 4 - CZ-4 (close second is Elis Helrot)
Wave 5 - Hermie Odle (close second is Concept Starkiller)
Wave 6 - Concept Snowtrooper (close second is 4-LOM)
Wave 7 - Tycho Celchu (close second is Concept Han)
Wave 7.5 - Pax Bonkik (close second is R2-B1)
Wave 8 - Jango Fett (close second is McQuarrie Rebel)
WORST
Wave 1 - Concept Stormtrooper (they should have given him new legs)
Wave 2 - Luke Skywalker
Wave 3 - Stormtrooper (damn all fat helmets)
Wave 4 - Animated Boba Fett
Wave 5 - Darth Revan
Wave 6 - General McQuarrie
Wave 7 - Spirit Anakin
Wave 7.5 - Naboo Soldier/holo Vader
Wave 8 - Kamino Clone
I guess I should be thankful... three potentially huge army builders for me - McSnowtrooper, removable helmet Stormtrooper and the Kamino Clone were huge letdowns... otherwise I'd have spent a lot more money this year.
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Wave 4 - Animated Boba Fett
What's wrong with HS Fett? Great source accurate accesories, fantastic articulation, grade A sculpt- What's not to love?
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I'm going with a "worst list" like Chewie did. Everything else has been stellar except for these IMO.
Concept Stormtrooper: Why not bother adding articulation when the rest of the line is practically SA?
Luke Skywalker Yavin Ceremony: Bad likeness, paistier than a Goth kid, and the wrong hilt (again)
Luke Skywalker Moisture Farmer: Windswept hair and limited articulation ruined another Luke (that we didn't need)
Umpass-Stay: Too bulky, limited articulation....looks like a birthday cake topper.
Pre-cyborg Grievous: Those damn arms! The face looks like a villain on Scooby-Doo.
Han Solo with Torture Rack: A great accessory, sorry face sculpt and lower body disproportionate.
Holographic Darth Vader: I know Curto got to pick these for us, but a less actiony pose should've been used I think. Maybe the 500th Vader could have been used for the 500th time!
Padme Amidala: Crossed eyes, Polly Pocket body, no knees (or real legs for that matter). Another Padme failure.
I would have picked Jedi Luke from wave 4, too, but I think Hasbro got the likeness a little better, and the articulation is decent. That Umpass-Stay can Umpass-Go.
I'm convinced, after getting at least (by my count) 7 "new" Luke Skywalker figures this year, that Hasbro HATES Mark Hamill. Obviously Natalie Portman and Hayden Christiansen have death threats against the sculptors, to avoid having a figure that actually resemble them.....but Mark Hamill? Come on, you guys have had 30 years to get a nice face sculpt of the guy already. I suggest making one ULTIMATE Luke head, and just keep using it for all future Luke's you guys shove at us.
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I like the Chewie style of posting this. (Don't mind me copying your template for this Chew.)
Here are my picks:
STRONGEST
Wave 1 - Super Battle Droid (Second is R2 )
Wave 2 - Death Star Trooper (Second is Concept Fett)
Wave 3 - Jawa (Second is Luke/Evap)
Wave 4 - Concept Boba Fett (Second is Elis Helrot)
Wave 5 - This whole wave was amazing! I cannot pick
Wave 6 - Lando smuggler (Personally I think the Concept Snowtrooper stinks)
Wave 7 - Ewoks (Second is Tycho Celchu)
Wave 7.5 - Pax Bonkik (close second is R2-B1)
Wave 8 - Jango Fett (close second is McQuarrie Rebel)
WEAKEST
Wave 1 - Lava Miner (Boring, frumpy & too specific of a scene)
Wave 2 - Luke Skywalker (likeness skin color only)
Wave 3 - Biggs Tosche (Bendy kness and a cloak that does not stain would have made him better)
Wave 4 - Luke (Should have been DS ready underneath robes)
Wave 5 - C-3P0 (Stupid feature, should have had the bendy knees but Salacious was cool)
Wave 6 - Concept Snowtrooper (Goofy, cannot stand & just not interesting to me.
Wave 7 - Spirit Anakin (Nice Ghost effect/body. but without Obi & Yoda he is too offshoot)
Wave 7.5 - Orange Skittle Clone. Too stupid for words plus a very loose waist.
Wave 8 - I thought they were all solid.
Best Vehicles
Y-Wing
V-Wing
Worst Vehicles
Target Shark Arc
Target Camo At-Rt's
(On a side note, not that this relates to TAC, but to me the Best likeness sculpts for SW actors ever was in the POTJ line. The Lando Bespin escape & Leia Bespin escape had the most accurate likeness of all the actors. I wish they would get that sculptor back. I also still feel the 1995 Han solo head had the closest resemblance to Harrison Ford. They actually gave him his signature schnoz back then.)
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I also still feel the 1995 Han solo head had the closest resemblance to Harrison Ford.
Did you make this determination with or without wearing glasses?
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You should take that cheap Mexican wrestling mask off, it's actually hindering your own vision. Compare that 1995 head to the 2006 Han Carbonite & all of the VOTC Hans. The 95' head looks more like Harrison Ford. See below.
(http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w298/jackoftradze/Jackoftradze%20Star%20Wars%20customs/hancompare.jpg)
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You should take that cheap Mexican wrestling mask off, it's actually hindering your own vision. Compare that 1995 head to the 2006 Han Carbonite & all of the VOTC Hans. The 95' head looks more like Harrison Ford.
Uh, no. I disagree & I'm sure many others would, too. I suppose next you'll be saying that the '95 Chewbacca head sculpt is the best. Surprised you didn't use '95 Chewie as your cake topper along with '95 Han.
According to you, this
(http://www.rebelscum.com/potf2/POTF2hansolofront.jpg)
is better than this
(http://www.rebelscum.com/OTC/VOTChansolofront.jpg)
C'mon...
Seriously, have your eyes checked.
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That VOTC Han still amazes me... as for the likeness issue, I can see a little more Harrison in the nose and lips of the POTF2 version, but it's greatly offset by the lack of detail in the hair, the cartoony eyes, and the long, thick neck. Therefore, the slight difference in the VOTC version's nose and lips are much more preferable to me.
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I think the fuzzy caterpillar eyebrows on the POTF2 Han make him look snazzy. If the POTF2 neck wasn't as "beefy", it probably would look decent on the VOTC body. Anyone here good with Photoshop?
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I think the fuzzy caterpillar eyebrows on the POTF2 Han make him look snazzy. If the POTF2 neck wasn't as "beefy", it probably would look decent on the VOTC body. Anyone here good with Photoshop?
here ya go. a quick little bit of photoshopery
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y160/jedi_master_sal/VOTC-POTF2_hansolofront-INDX.gif?t=1196950806)
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Uh, no. I disagree & I'm sure many others would, too. I suppose next you'll be saying that the '95 Chewbacca head sculpt is the best. Surprised you didn't use '95 Chewie as your cake topper along with '95 Han.
I was referring to facial likeness not body. So please keep this in context, I know that's hard for you to do. So far not many are disagreeing with what I pointed out on the facial features of nose/lips. Hair/body sculpts are a different story, the VOTC blows that away. So what I said is not as far fetched as you see it.
Do remember the rule of the Sarlacc pit? what goes on there is suppose to stay in there, yet your leftist hate has to bring up the cake topper again. Are you that petty to continue with crap that happened 2 months ago? LET IT GO ALREADY! That's why I stopped wasting my time in that section, the pettiness & idiocy in there is overwhelming. It's truly a waste of time. CorranHorn really put that section into perspective for me. This just reaffirms it.
here ya go. a quick little bit of photoshopery
Nice quick photoshop job, now if the hair was VOTC that would be a great Han head. The thick eyebrows could be plucked as darthchuckmc pointed out. The thick neck would be gone because of the ball joint.
We really should get back on topic of TAC favorites. This can be another separate thread.
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Best:
Darth Ravan and Malak ( love those EU figures)
Hermi
Romba& Graak two pack
Worst HANDS DOWN!
Spirit of Anakin! I call it the Star Wars 1st step into the world of Victoria Secrets! It looks like Anakin and Padmae were doing role playing and he got to dress up in her lingerie!
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Basic Figures (Best)
Wave 1 - Super Battle Droid
Wave 2 - Concept Fett
Wave 3 - Jawa
Wave 4 - CZ-4
Wave 5 - Darth Revan (close second is Hermi Odle)
Wave 6 - 4-Lom
Wave 7 - Tycho Celchu
Wave 7.5 - Pax Bonkik
Wave 8 - Voolvif Mon
WORST
Wave 1 - R2-D2 (too scene specific)
Wave 2 - Luke Skywalker
Wave 3 - McQuarrie Chewie
Wave 4 - Umpass Stay
Wave 5 - Darth Malak
Wave 6 - Bespin Han
Wave 7 - Spirit Anakin
Wave 7.5 - Naboo Soldier
Wave 8 - Destroyer Droid
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I agree with JACK that there are some things about the POTF Han head sculpt that I liked better than the newer sculpts. The newer ones have much better bodies but they still haven't done a great job on the later head sculpts in my opinion.
As for why I picked Animated Fett as the worst from Wave IV, that's only because I think that the rest of the wave was better:
M'iiyoom Onith (H'nemthe) - Not really a great figure, but love the pack-in
Elis Helrot (Givin) - Great figure, and awesome pack-in
Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight) - Not perfect, and to a degree this was a letdown
CZ-4 (CZ-Series Droid) - perfect in my eyes
Umpass-Stay (Klatooinian) - Great sculpt, awesome accessory and cool removable pieces
Darth Vader (McQuarrie Concept) - Good, not perfect but a great figure and love the two helmets included
Boba Fett (Animation Debut) - Weakest one because I just hate the color scheme on the animated Fett... and it's basically a repaint of an existing figure. It's not a bad figure by any means... but the only reason I bought it was for the weapon, for this recent custom -
(http://www.yakface.com/toyguide/dioramas/chewie/090707gotal.jpg)
Back to the figure itself though and the reference material -
(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/2/2f/Boba-riding.jpg)
(http://www.yakface.com/TGuide2004/ActionFigures/tac/24/lf7.jpg)
Did he really have Wookiee scalps though in the Holiday Special? It really doesn't matter to me, just wondering.
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so i'll make such a list, too ^^
Wave 1 - Mace Windu
Wave 2 - Rebel Honor Guard
Wave 3 - Jawa & LIN Droid
Wave 4 - Elis Helrot
Wave 5 - Roron Corobb
Wave 6 - General McQuarrie
Wave 7 - Romba & Graak
Wave 7.5 - Pax Bonkik
Wave 8 - Voolvif Mon
WORST
Wave 1 - Concept Stormtrooper
Wave 2 - Luke Skywalker
Wave 3 - Concept Chewbacca
Wave 4 - Concept Darth Vader
Wave 5 - C-3PO & Salacious Crumb
Wave 6 - Han Solo
Wave 7 - Concept Han Solo
Wave 7.5 - Holographic Darth Vader
Wave 8 - Concept Rebel Trooper
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This is what happens when you are home sick. You start taking pictures of toys.
Anyway, these are my favorites for the year.
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l59/evenflow666/2007favs.jpg)
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Yoda w/ Kybuck
Hermi Odle
4-LOM
Roron Corobb
Elis Helrot
Jawa
Snowtrooper
IG-88
Bossk
Bespin Luke
The McQuarrie figures
Favorites that could have been better-
Jedi Luke
Smuggler Lando
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This is what happens when you are home sick. You start taking pictures of toys.
Anyway, these are my favorites for the year.
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l59/evenflow666/2007favs.jpg)
I do that when I'm home and the kid is asleep. ;) Hope you feel better soon. :)
Also, I agree that Wave 5 had some great figures in it.
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Let me do a worst here:
Vintage: None
Vehicle: Infiltrator
Battle Pack: Repacks
Comic Pack: Vader/Rebel
Mc Quarrie: Stormtrooper
Basic: DS Trooper, Lava Miner, Jedi Luke
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Using other people's wave by wave breakdowns, and narrowing my original list:
Vintage: All
McQuarries: All
Wave 1: Galactic Marine [Runner(s) Up: Mace Windu, Super Battle Droid]
Wave 2: McQuarrie Boba Fett [Runner(s) Up: Death Star Trooper, Rebel Honor Guard]
Wave 3: McQuarrie Chewbacca [Runner(s) Up: Jawa w/LIN Droid]
Wave 4: CZ-4 [Runner(s) Up: Animated Debut Boba Fett, McQuarrie Darth Vader]
Wave 5: Yoda w/Kybuck [Runner(s) Up: Roron Corobb, Hermi Odle]
Wave 6: 4-LOM [Runner(s) Up: Han w/Torture Rack, McQuarrie Snowtrooper]
Wave 7: Romba and Graak [Runner(s) Up: McQuarrie Han Solo, Tycho Celchu]
Wave 7.5: R2-B1 [Runner(s) Up: Hawkbat Clonetrooper, Holo Vader]
Wave 8: Voolvif Monn [Runner(s) Up: Destroyer Droid]
Like I said earlier, not a lot of stinkers overall this year to me though. This list could be different every week, because I was pretty happy with the majority of things this year.
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Let me do a worst here:
Basic: DS Trooper, Lava Miner, Jedi Luke
Don't like the Lava Miner? Do you think it was a bad figure, or just a boring character?
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Let me do a worst here:
Basic: DS Trooper, Lava Miner, Jedi Luke
Don't like the Lava Miner? Do you think it was a bad figure, or just a boring character?
Little bit from column "A," little bit from column "B." It's wide stance reminds me of POTF2/Saga 1. But that's me.
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Wave 1: Super Battle Droid RUNNERS UP: Galactic Marine
Wave 2: McBoba Fett RUNNERS UP: Han Solo, Death Star Trooper
Wave 3: Jawa w/LIN Droid RUNNERS UP: Luke w/Vaporator
Wave 4: Umpass-stay RUNNERS UP: Elis Helrot, CZ-4
Wave 5: Roron Corobb RUNNERS UP: Starkiller Hero
Wave 6: McSnowtrooper RUNNERS UP: Han Solo w/Torture Rack
Wave 7: Obi-Han Kenolo RUNNERS UP: Romba and Graak
Wave 8: R2-B1 RUNNERS UP: Rebel Vanguard, Pax Bonkik
Wave 9: Voolvif Monn RUNNERS UP: Jango Fett, Padme Amidala
Comic Packs: Bultar Swan and Koffi Arana RUNNERS UP: A'Sharad Hett and Dark Woman
Vintage Figures: IG-88 RUNNERS UP: Snowtrooper, Bossk
Saga Legends: AOTC Clone Trooper RUNNERS UP: Boba Fett, Pit Droids
BEST FIGURE OF THE YEAR: Obi-Han Kenolo RUNNERS UP: IG-88, Jawa w/LIN Droid
This has definitely been the best year since I started collecting.
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I'm doing my best and worst of 2007 all together instead of breaking it all up...
-Best Vehicle: V-Wing Fighter... This beast is to-scale, well constructed, sturdy, detailed, well decorated, and short of a pack-in pilot it's about as good as Hasbro's capable of giving us with a vehicle. At least it's as good as they've shown to be capable of giving us anyway. It's one of the only things I purchased in the $20 range this year.
-Worst Vehicle: Tied: Sith Infiltrator & White TIE Fighter... The Infiltrator's a failure at retail by my estimation (tons have been available all year, while the Jedi fighters and V-Wings have moved it seems), and while the ship is a nice sculpt for the size, its scale is comical compared to any ship in the line really. I rather would've seen the resources put into a Cloud Car which is about as interesting as this, and at least it's OT. Not everything Maul sells, that is apparant.
The White TIE Fighter shouldn't even need explanation really, but the ship is pointless. It's reaching for some asinine nostalgia factor that just isn't there. The TIE's were not white in the film, and the tiny wings are just goofy looking on any TIE Fighter. I'm still perplexed why this was even mixed in, but whatever. It's probably winning over the Infiltrator by the sheer volume of white TIE's there are. Somehow, there's even more than Maul's ship. Both suck equally hard, for different reasons.
-Best Comic 2-Pack: Obi-Wan Kenobi & ARC Trooper... This is based only on what's out for 2007, and right now for me the Obi-Wan/ARC 2-pack is one of the best out there. It STILL consistantly sells out even being repacked for months, and the figures are outstanding. Obi-Wan, while a re-used mold, is outstanding in the first place as a figure, and the added skirt and damaged cloak is a great touch. It's a perfect war-ravaged Kenobi, and even worth having extras of for Clone Wars dioramas and things. The ARC Trooper is just fantastically sculpted/detailed, and trumped his Clone Wars counterpart quite easily. Most of the 2-packs have been nice enough for the price, but this one I still nab one here and there just for the army building aspect of it.
-Worst Comic 2-pack: Anything Marvel. I've had the slightest interest to get the one with R2, but at the end of the day passing because, while a unique astromech paintjob, the Luke sucks. Hasbro's attempts to flesh out the Marvel comics are simply a bad idea... They were storylines that just were as goofy as the art, and nothing I'm overly interested in. Repainted figures made to look like the art, really don't interest me then. Give me new characters/creatures from the newer storylines, with realistic sculpts. That's the ticket to me spending $10.
-Best Vintage 30AC Figure: This one was tough because the vintage figures are almost all pretty spot-on. Sure there's a likeness issue, or a little "quirk" that annoys you, but at the end of the day the figures are all pretty solid and ones you'd hardly gripe with seeing released in a "Legends" type format... My choice for the best though, has to go to IG-88...
While I love the Snowtrooper, and really Han, Luke, Leia, and Bossk are great too, it's IG-88 who takes the cake. He's sporting separately sculpted pipe/hose details, he has no less than TWENTY points of articulation! An outstandingly realistic paintjob with lots of detailing to highlight that sculpt is just a bonus at that point, but it certainly doesn't end there... Oh no! Now you get a blaster rifle, a blaster carbine, and a knife weapon... But that's not it. You also get a bandoleir with removable landmines! And on top of all this, as thin and wirey as IG-88 is, he stands up perfectly, and his joints are all solid... And Hasbro can't do a Battledroid that can stand? bull****! This figure's about as perfect as perfect gets.
-Worst Vintage 30AC Figure: That's a tough call in general, but I'd have to label Endor Leia with that unfortunate honor... The reasoning being that Leia's articulation count isn't quite up to snuff with everyone else in the wave really (no wrists), and my biggest gripe(s) are little "quirks" like I said. First, her pistol's not the correct one. A little annoying because this gun hasn't been done yet, but at the same time it gives us an accurate Leia ANH gun too which is cool. But more annoying to me is her poncho is not the right color. It's just Endor Luke's, which is ok for him, but not Leia.
Leia's still a good figure though by all means. One I'd happily buy with a spiffier paintjob or something down the road, or even the right poncho and gun!
-Best Battlepack: Battlepacks were generally only great if they were exclusive. The general releases were all old and usually had older figures. My favorite though was the Treachery on Salecumi pack... With 2 Clones and 2 BARC bikes, I really think Hasbro took the $20 pack to a neat new level with that. Plus, Hasbro was giving you the Clones you actually wanted, from the movie, so no gripes there from me. The Felucia and Illum packs were nice though in general, but Salecumi delivered something new we wanted since 2005, and that deserves a nod for sure.
-Worst Battlepack: Bantha w/Tusken Raiders... The repack packs I can understand because they're geared not at us, but a completely different audience. However, the Bantha packs were geared more towards the adults I believe, and at their price, they were anything but "fair". While many of us would've liked getting the red set, I know I'm not the only one who passed due to the pricetag and the fact I have 3 Banthas I got that were almost the same price as this one battlepack bantha. The price on this one just wasn't what it needed to be for me to appreciate it.
-Best Exclusive: Target "Battle of Hoth" Ultimate Battlepack... Hasbro's idea for an "ultimate" Battlepack that included a vehicle, a large accessory, and a bunch of figures that could be somewhat interesting to kids and collectors alike, really was a novel one. For $50, these sets were a decent value... My only real gripe with either set was some of the figure choices... But for the turret alone, I loved the Hoth set. A new to-scale Hoth turret's a piece I've long hoped for, and now it's here. I'm trying to sell off half the set actually, but it's the half that didnt' appeal to me, and I still bought the set because I liked it overall. Pretty cool piece I think, and something that has future possibilities I believe.
-Worst Exclusive: I think this was easier to determine for me than the "best". The worst to me was the SDCC Shadow Scout... I passed on this overpriced, and uninspired piece of fiction from Hasbro. In part of their ongoing series to paint anything in white armor black, and call it a "Shadow whateverthefrick", I just could not justify the price + shpping that Hasbro was looking to get for these. Add in that they even used the older Speederbike sculpt that lacks detailing they updated, and I'm surprised as many people bought these as did.
It's a nice figure ironically, just a ****** concept, with a ****** accessory, and for a REALLY ****** price. I told Hasbro to bite me, and passed on this one. Cut the price in half and I'd consider it.
Honorable Mentions include: K-Mart Tin Sets (WTF? The first ones are still there lingering!), Battlefront 2-packs (yes, make me want to buy $35+ boxes to get guns I want, and a repainted Gonk!), and attaching anything compeltely "new" to the convention exclusive circuit... I'm still irked Concept Figures became the "in" thing to attach to the shows. F you Hasbro. >:( I'd have much preferred repainted Clones here than new stuff, but that's me. I hate paying $16+ shipping for any figure even if it's a really cool one.
-Best 30th Anniversary Legends Figure: This one's tough... I have to admit that 2007 had a LOT of Legends figures I was actually anxious to get ahold of. My vote goes to the Pit Droid 2-Pack though. With these being some of the most demanded figures by collectors, and Hasbro seemingly going out of their way to get us all 3 variants with all 3 accessories, in all 6 sculpts, I'm pretty impressed really. I still can't track down the Orange striped set even. It's killing me... ::)
Honorable Mention for me goes to the AOTC Clone Troopers/Officers, as well as the CLEAN Sandtrooper variants. The clean variants are outstanding Stormtrooper figures and the first time a basic "Sergeant" Trooper was offered, and the AOTC Clones were simply in short supply till this year. I needed more at a fairer price than the EE Clone packs sold for, and gladly picked up more as I found them all year. :)
-Worst 30AC Legends Figure: This one's not so tough... I can't stand the Battledroid 2-pack. Hasbro picked two of the weaker Battledroid figures in the line, and put them in a pack. The idea of getting two is great, and really for your money and these being "old", I don't give Hasbro credit for giving you two... They're pretty much pure profit items. Hasbro used a weaker sculpt that stands no better on its own than the recent Battledroids have. Had they included the Security Battledroid sculpt, or the Boomer Battledroid sculpt, I'd be more impressed and actually would've bought these had I seen them. Hasbro can do better with these as they have proven, they just went with the figure that had the least "cost" to it, and it's really a poor figure to army build unless all you want them to do is stand in line in your droid factory.
-Best Basic 30AC Figure: I cannot pick one... Here's a quick list: Rebel Honor Guard, Hermi Odle, Concept Chewbacca, Concept Snowtrooper, Elis Helrot, Airborne Clonetrooper, Galactic Marine... These are all amazingly great figures. All are super articulated or damn close, and all feature great sculpts, paintjobs, and accessories. 2007 was a year filled with GREAT figures. Often, even the ****** figure in a wave was still decent, and surpassed 2006 standards! That's no small acheivement on Hasbro's part.
-Worst Basic 30AC Figure: Wave 7.5 from this year has been what I would label as the "letdown" of the year. But really, only the Rebel Vanguard and Holo Vader stand out as "meh" from the wave. I'd add though, that Tatooine Luke (as a figure, not the Vaporator) is quite a stinker, Ceremony Luke needed some spiffier deco, the Lava Miner needed a little more articulation, and so did Biggs Academy (and clean up that blue). Not everything was roses in 2007, and those are some of the letdowns. Hasbro did an outstanding job this year in general with the basic line, but those figures all have something amiss with them, be it deco or articulation or a quality issue... That's still not bad though when you look back at the year's offerings.
-Best Hasbro Idea: Coins, Cool Multi-Packs, & Quality Increase. Hasbro gave us interesting pack-ins that are a collectible unto themselves, they gave us cool multi-packs like the Mandalore set, and the big thing this year is that the line overall saw a MAJOR increase in quality as far as articulation, accessories, and features went. Way to go Hasbro... It's been one of the best years ever for cool figures, and I'm excited for 2008 if it's anything like 2007.
-Worst Hasbro Idea: Ultimate Galactic Hunt. Hasbro's UGH promo is anything but positive. The promotion doesn't seem to drive sales from the perspective that it's "appealing" to anyone but a limited few in the adult collecting world, and the true negative is the side-effect UGH has had on the hobby. UGH + a popular line in general = Scalpers have increased. Pittsburgh didn't have much to gripe about really compared to other parts of the country as scalpers go, but in 2006 and 2007, there were noticeably more of the "comic book guy" type people perusing the toy aisles, and rarely did you see them picking up much more than the "rare" one. I used to not run into these people, and now I too have stories like, "I saw some guy pull a whole peg of figures off into his cart so he could sort through them while he walked through the store". And yes I did see that... I've now seen people squeeze past children in the aisle to look for the gold coin figure... UGH has drawn a group to the hobby that largely overlooked Star Wars before. They now see the dollar signs Hasbro put out there for them, and that's negative to the hobby I'm afraid, and to collectors in the aisles as well as how collectors are perceived.
I was going to do a wave-by-wave best/worst, and I may still. It'll take time though. Each wave has at least one really kick ass figure though, and most have one that's "meh" too. Usually still buyable though, which says a lot for the year!
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Hi Jesse hope you dont mind me pinching your idea slightly.
Best Vehicle for me would have to be the Y-Wing I have always liked the design of the vehicle and to get 2 new figures packed in was just one great bonus to me.
Worst Vehicle I would have to agree with Jesse on this the Sith Infiltrator has been lying around on the shelves everywhere I have been all year, I wish they had done the Cloud Car as it would have been part of my collection by now.
Best Comic Pack well for me it would have to be Mouse and Basso, for the simple reason this is the only comic pack I have been remotely interested in picking up for both figures.
Worst Comic Packs well for me its got to be the Marvel Comic Packs, I was let down in a big way when Hasbro said Marvel Comic Packs I had envisioned the Marvel Star Wars Characters done in the great sculpts and realistic color schemes, not the trash we got, which was an insult, I am surprised the comic packs continued after people seeing these, and to be honest after seeing most of this years comic packs still more or less I am still surprised they are going as strong as they are.
Best Vintage Figure now this one was boiled down to two figures for me Bossk and IG-88 (I love them all and I am still trying to get a realistically priced snowtrooper), but in the end I had to go with nostalgia and picked Bossk (it was the first Original Empire Strikes Back figure I got when I was small and I had the measels at the time).
Worst Vintage Figure now this one was tough but I have got to go with Endor Leia, and this is only because you cant make General Leia buy removing the Poncho because she has a chicken neck, other than that I love her.
Best Battlepack was the Bantha Battlepack for the Bantha.
Worst Battlepack was the Bantha Battlepack for the Price and really other than the Bantha nothing else new being in there.
Best Exclusive and its not because of the figure but because of what was behind the figure, the figure in mention is R2-KT, (and to be honest I am still trying to get hold of one of these).
Worst Exclusive and its not because of the figures but because of the lack of availability to people being able to get them, are the McQuarrie Luke, R2-D2/C-3P0 and Yoda/Ben.
Best Hasbro Idea/Gimmick the Coins were a nice touch and harkened back to the good old days of kenner.
Worst Hasbro Idea/Gimmick the Q&A as they are unwiling to give out any real anwsers to the questions asked.
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Hi Jesse hope you dont mind me pinching your idea slightly.
Best Vehicle for me would have to be the Y-Wing I have always liked the design of the vehicle and to get 2 new figures packed in was just one great bonus to me.
Worst Vehicle I would have to agree with Jesse on this the Sith Infiltrator has been lying around on the shelves everywhere I have been all year, I wish they had done the Cloud Car as it would have been part of my collection by now.
Best Comic Pack well for me it would have to be Mouse and Basso, for the simple reason this is the only comic pack I have been remotely interested in picking up for both figures.
Worst Comic Packs well for me its got to be the Marvel Comic Packs, I was let down in a big way when Hasbro said Marvel Comic Packs I had envisioned the Marvel Star Wars Characters done in the great sculpts and realistic color schemes, not the trash we got, which was an insult, I am surprised the comic packs continued after people seeing these, and to be honest after seeing most of this years comic packs still more or less I am still surprised they are going as strong as they are.
Best Vintage Figure now this one was boiled down to two figures for me Bossk and IG-88 (I love them all and I am still trying to get a realistically priced snowtrooper), but in the end I had to go with nostalgia and picked Bossk (it was the first Original Empire Strikes Back figure I got when I was small and I had the measels at the time).
Worst Vintage Figure now this one was tough but I have got to go with Endor Leia, and this is only because you cant make General Leia buy removing the Poncho because she has a chicken neck, other than that I love her.
Best Battlepack was the Bantha Battlepack for the Bantha.
Worst Battlepack was the Bantha Battlepack for the Price and really other than the Bantha nothing else new being in there.
Best Exclusive and its not because of the figure but because of what was behind the figure, the figure in mention is R2-KT, (and to be honest I am still trying to get hold of one of these).
Worst Exclusive and its not because of the figures but because of the lack of availability to people being able to get them, are the McQuarrie Luke, R2-D2/C-3P0 and Yoda/Ben.
Best Hasbro Idea/Gimmick the Coins were a nice touch and harkened back to the good old days of kenner.
Worst Hasbro Idea/Gimmick the Q&A as they are unwiling to give out any real anwsers to the questions asked.
i saw R2-KT in stock over at goldenagetoys.com. CDN pricing however.
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Thanks jangotet, I am trying to get it stateside.
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One very favorite action figure of mine is the Jedi Luke Skywalker figure.