I would really like to see the Larseseseses as they appeared in AOTC sooner or later (preferably sooner).  Given their relative importance in ROTS and the time between III and IV, you'd think that we would at least get Owen and Beru.  Still, we really needed Background Outlander Nightclub Patron #14 since she's a half naked woman with body paint before we needed THE CARETAKERS OF THE GALAXY'S LAST HOPE!

Sorry to get carried away there.  I'd also like to see them do a resculpt of "Classic" Owen before the line ends as well, as the POTF2 three pack version is horrible.  Maybe they can do "The Most Boring Character Evolution Pack in History" and do new versions of Owen and Beru from ANH alongside the younger versions from AOTC and ROTS.

Interesting looking vehicle...although the one thing that makes me the happiest is that it includes a Grievous figure.  Hopefully that means for the first time in the Prequel era*, we'll have a pilot figure who can actually fit in their ship without any contortionist tricks.

Also looks as though the Obi-Wan Jedi Starfighter will be coming sooner rather than later, from the photos on the back of the box.  I'm kind of curious whether or not it will come with interchangable droids for the socket, since it appears R4 from the last movie is in the ship during the opening battle, but R4-whatever that is in the Sneak Preview assortment goes with him to Utapau.

*For the purposes of my post, I am ignoring the AOTC Slave I and Pilot Jango, which weakens my theory, and I'm all about the confirmation bias over here. 

PM sent!

I didn't see a separate thread for this (and if it needs to be broken off into its own thread, please feel free to do so), but after seeing the display photos at Yakface.com this morning, I think I might have a fairly decent idea of what we can expect as far as the April 2, 2005 initial product rollout.  I just put everything together in a list to see how much we would need to be putting back as far as cash flow goes for that date.

So, here's what I got from the photos and other lists online.  I'm fully expecting Hasbro and retail to charge out the ass for this stuff (it looked as if the WM price on the lightsabers has gone up at least two dollars, but then again, it is somewhat obscured), so I didn't include prices.  I guess it can be edited as we find out more information.

BASIC FIGURES, COLLECTION 1:
01.  Obi-Wan Kenobi
02.  Anakin Skywalker
03.  Yoda
04.  Super Battle Droid
05.  Chewbacca
06.  Clone Trooper
07.  R2-D2
08.  Grievous' Bodyguard
09.  General Grievous
10.  Mace Windu
11.  Darth Vader
12.  Emperor Palpatine

BASIC FIGURES, COLLECTION 2:

13.  Count Dooku
14.  Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
15.  Bail Organa
16.  Plo Koon
17.  Battle Droid
18.  C-3P0
19.  Padme Amidala Skywalker
20.  Agen Kolar
21.  Shaak Ti
22.  Kit Fisto
23.  Royal Guard
24.  Mon Mothma

DELUXE FIGURES:

01.  Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine
02.  Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
03.  Obi-Wan Kenobi and Super Battle Droid

BATTLE ARENA TWO PACKS:

01.  Anakin Skywalker versus Count Dooku
02.  Darth Sidious versus Mace Windu

VEHICLES/BEASTS:

01.  Republic Gunship
02.  BARC Speeder with BARC Trooper
03.  Boga with Obi-Wan Kenobi

UNLEASHED:

01.  Anakin Skywalker
02.  Obi-Wan Kenobi
03.  General Grievous

12" COLLECTOR'S SERIES:

01.  Clone Trooper
02.  General Grievous
03.  Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine

LIGHTSABERS:

01.  Darth Vader (color change)
02.  Mace Windu
03.  Count Dooku
04.  Yoda
05.  Obi-Wan Kenobi (Episode IV hilt)

GALACTIC HEROES:

01.  Count Dooku and Anakin Skywalker
02.  Darth Sidious and Yoda
03.  Obi-Wan Kenobi and General Grievous

FORCE BATTLERS:

01.  Obi-Wan Kenobi
02.  Darth Vader
03.  General Grievous

Please note that I didn't include Lego in the list, and that there are some things that probably aren't listed because the photos were so dark and obscure at points that I couldn't really see all that well (mainly to do with Attacktix or whatever the hell they're called, and that Yoda thing).

So I now have a second Wook au natural.

The first thing that came to my mind when I read this was Mark Hamill on the "Empire of Dreams" documentary on the OT DVD set (and I'm paraphrasing):

"Of all the things to be concerned about: the Wookiee has no pants." 

I'm really looking forward to seeing these figures.  Grievous looks really cool, and to hear that the Wookiee is even larger than he looked (to me at least) in the photos has tripled my anticipation for that figure as well.  And any figure with a pimp cane is bound to be cool.

I'm really confused by Hasbro's astromech sculpting these days though.  In my opinion, they had the perfect base body for astromechs that could have been used at least once a year to make generic and/or R2-D2 figures until the end of time, and they seem to have all but abandoned it.  The last time I remember them using that particular mold (excluding the Star Tours stuff) was the Hoth R3 unit from the TRU four pack.  In the last year, we got a totally new mold for the VOTC R2 (which, foot-wise, was a cool change), a step backwards for the OTC R2-D2, and now an apparent third mold change (the third leg, which seems to go back to the Episode I R2) that does nothing to improve the astromech body.

My pointless complaining aside, can anyone with R4 say whether the hologram kind of "hovers" out in front of him, or does it actually touch the surface of whatever he is standing on?  I ask because if it's the former, I was curious how long it would be before R4 started having a "droop" issue.   

Reading the thread on Post-ROTS repacks got me thinking about many of the figures that have come out over the years that are either outdated, sculpt-wise, now or that could use some retooling to make a better figure.  So, in my anal retentive way of doing things (and since it's Sunday morning and I need to get my mind off of financial woes for 20 minutes at least), I went through the list of POTF2/TPM/POTJ/Saga figures and looked at what figures I thought could really use a resculpt, maybe for some kind of "farewell" line of figures in a year or so.  I also have an idea for a subline at the bottom of the list that hits on some other people that may seem left out in the initial list.  I'm very interested to hear anyone else's thoughts on these:

EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE

-OOM-9 (they could just release the Trophy Edition sculpt and include a mini-Nute and Rune hologram)
-C-3P0 (as much as I love the Episode I figure, an updated version with a lot of attention paid to the paint would rule)
-Pit Droids (release the overseas exclusive pack-ins as a Clone Trooper-esque variant thing; 2 per pack with different colors and accessories)

EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES

-Anakin Skywalker in Peasant Disguise (no action features, please)
-Obi-Wan Kenobi (in full Jedi robes with great articulation)
-Padme Droid Factory Chase (with new head and "unaction" cape)
-C-3P0 (metallic, thank you very much)
-Taun We (in scale)
-Jar Jar Binks (non action pose)
-San Hill (yes, he's obscure, but the three pack version sucked)
-the Drugged Out Kaminoan (those of you who have watched the "Puppets to Pixels" doc on the AOTC DVD know of whom I speak; dare I say the "Ice Cream Maker Guy" of the PT?)

EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE

-Owen Lars (now, please)
-R5-D4 (again, now, please)
-Rebel Fleet Trooper (okay, I have no problem with the POTJ version, and this is just thrown in as a shout-out to Jesse)
-Han Stormtrooper (VOTC body with AT-ST Han head and a new helmet)
-Luke Stormtrooper (VOTC body with new head and helmet)
-Grand Moff Tarkin
-Death Star Trooper
-Ceremonial Luke Skywalker
-Wedge Antilles (Gold Leader body with mods and a new head and helmet)
-Biggs Darklighter (GL body with mods and a new head and helmet)
-Red Leader (GL body with mods and a new head and helmet)
-While we're at it, let's make a series of Rebel Pilots in X-Wing gear with switchable heads and helmets)

EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

-Princess Leia in Hoth Gear
-Hoth Rebel Soldier (mega articulation please)
-General Veers (with removable helmet and armor)
-Captain/Admiral Piett
-4-LOM
-Zuckuss (at the very least they could "seal" his cloak)
-Ugnaughts
-Bespin Security (white box army builder with different heads and hands)
-Han Solo in Carbonite (go all out on this one)

EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI

-Darth Vader with Removable Helmet
-Ishi Tib (Jabba's Palace)
-EV-9D9
-Gammorrean Guard
-Bib Fortuna
-Sy Snootles (vintage with feathers please)
-Leia in Boussh Disguise
-Chewbacca as Boussh's Bounty (VOTC with chain would work)
-Weequay Skiff Guard
-Emperor Palpatine
-Admiral Ackbar
-Mon Mothma
-Endor Han Solo (soft goods coat)
-Endor Princess Leia (soft goods cloak and removable helmet)
-Endor Luke Skywalker (soft goods cloak and removable helmet)
-Wicket the Ewok
-Logray the Ewok
-Paploo the Ewok
-Biker Scout (mega articulated with a speeder bike)
-Spirit of Anakin Skywalker (with Hayden's head)
-Spirit of Yoda (pack-in with Anakin?)

Also, with the general success of the VOTC line, I figured it might be cool to have a "Prequel Wrap-Up" version of the line with unique characters from the Prequel trilogy.  Each of these would be "ultimate" versions of the characters done on vintage styled cards in the clamshells like the VOTC:

EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE

1.  Battle Droid (super articulation)
2.  Darth Maul (cloth cloak, splitting lightsaber, super articulation)
3.  Jar Jar Binks (super articulation)
4.  Qui-Gon Jinn (cloth cloak, super articulation)

EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES

1.  Jango Fett (removable helmet, switchable backpacks, and super articulation)
2.  Mace Windu (cloth cloak and super articulation)
3.  Count Dooku (cloth cape and super articulation)
4.  Padme Amidala (white outfit with super articulation)

EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH

1.  General Grievous (cloth cape and super articulation)
2.  Palpatine (cloth cloak and super articulation)
3.  Anakin Skywalker (cloth cloak and super articulation)
4. 

Thoughts?  Am I mad?

I actually found the Red Clone the day before yesterday at a local SWM.  They had apparently just "completed" their reset of the action figure aisle and I found the remnants of a case of the CW figures.  It was the only Clone left so I don't know what other color shipped in the case with it.  I saw a Yellow Clone and Mace at a K-Mart nearby, so they are apparently showing up there as well.

Strangely enough, the figures that I don't see all that often from this assortment hanging around are Durge and Ventress.  I have not seen either of them since the day I got my Wave 3 back in December, and why that is, I have no idea.  You'd think that people would be more interested in the Clones and/or Grievous but apparently EU creations are more interesting than actual film stuff to some people.

I think the idea of the packs is a good one: put a figure that a lot of people never saw in the first place back into circulation.  Since it is a figure that a lot of people would want multiples of, put it out there in multiple versions with no one version being more plentiful than another.  The fact that we can effectively pick which ones we want or don't want is very appealing, as there is no "chase" 4 pack or anything like that. 

What I don't like is the obvious price gouging.  When I went to the EE page, I nearly spit my juice out at the price for a single four pack.  35 dollars?  That's almost 9 bucks a figure, and as I have never ordered anything from EE that has cost under ten bucks to ship (then again, it's been a while since I ordered from them, so they're probably up to 20 by now) it would end up more than likely costing me 50 bucks for a single pack.  I'm hoping that some kind soul will let me in on a third of a case (I've already PM'd one person in this thread, so please have pity on me rebeltrader ), because I can justify paying 25 bucks a pack plus shipping more than I can 35.

The thing that *really* shocks me about all this is that SWShop.com didn't get these as exclusives.  After all, how many more people go to the Official Site and would see that they were on sale there than those who go to EE.  Actually before I even went to EEs site, I was thinking "they'll charge 30 bucks a pack for them" and they exceeded my expectations.  As horrid as the SWS.com service has been (that photo of the puppet at the computer still cracks me up every time I see it), I would think that they would sell them for about 25 bucks a pack.

EE is, in my opinion (and chuckles' as well it seems), watching Ebay for the original sales of the Clones and using that as their pricing gauge for the four packs.  The simple fact that the two Holiday exclusives prior to this year were made up from scratch, sculpt-wise (R2 is questionable) and went for 12.99 (isn't Yoda still on sale at SWS.com for that price?), when compared to the Holiday Jawas, an EE exclusive, who had new arms and new lightpipes in their heads, and went for 18 bucks? 

I'd be very curious to know EE's wholesale price on these from Hasbro, but I would be willing to bet it's well below what they are charging the consumer.  Oh well, welcome to the year of "IT'S THE LAST STAR WARS MOVIE EVER AND WE'RE CASHING IN!!!!!"