So, with the price of Battle Packs up to 28 bucks at my TRU, it is time to go over this again, merely for the sake of posterity:

2008:  Hasbro states that, due to the economy and the need to keep Battle Packs at their affordable 20 dollar price point, packs will now include 4 figures rather than the 5 figures that we've been used to since the packs were first introduced in 2005.  The first pack to show this overtly is the "Shield Generator Assault" figure which dropped a second Imperial Officer figure.

2009:  Battle Pack prices increase at most retailers to between 23-25 dollars despite the dropping of the fifth figure.  Strangely enough, those same packs seem to be including less value despite the price increases, most notably in packs with "larger" items included (i.e. 1 Gunship turret with 2 figures; the unarticulated and arguably uninteresting Gelagrub with Felucia Clone).  Hasbro blames the economy.

2010:  Hasbro announces that the majority of Battle Packs will now feature 100% repacks, although some will still include newer figures.  Again, strangely enough, the majority of these repacks are figures that are already on the pegs in other assortments in different/better versions or, in some cases the exact same figure.  And, once again, retailers jack up the price to 25 bucks even (WM and Target), even going up to 28 bucks at TRU.  Cue Hasbro's "It's the economy, stupid" excuse any minute now.

As a collector, I'd rather see the BPs just go away completely or become unique retailer exclusives (ala the Target CW 4 packs this past fall) with new or redecoed figures instead of endless repacks.  But, the point remains that, as part of what Hasbro has repeatedly claimed is a "kid-focused" item at an "affordable price point", right now the BPs are failing miserably.  You can literally buy 4 figures at WM, better versions of the same characters, even, for the same price or less than you can buy the BPs at TRU.  Sure, some of the Battle Packs with "new" figures are great (I've gotten more of the Mandalorian Warrior packs than I care to admit in public, and the Anti-Hailfire Droid set is a really nice set), but paying 28 bucks for Anakin/Obi-Wan/Dooku/Ventress in one box is quite simply a rip-off.

Oh well, at least they're not putting one figure that people really want to get in with three figures that people already have in abundance anymore.  Huh?  "Orto Plutonia"?  I stand corrected.   

One of my local Wal-Marts was amazingly almost cleared out of basic figures across all three assortments, and had actually put "Clearance" stickers on the pegs for Saga Legends (which were, as always, the most prevalent of the assortments on the pegs), marking those down to 5 dollars each.  I only saw this at this one WM, so it may be another of those "manager's choice" type things.  I guess post-holiday is a good time for Hasbro to start doing some different figures in the assortment instead of releasing the exact same figures, ad nauseum, in every case.  I know I could go for some TPM/ROTS deco Battle Droids using the currently-shipping-and-immediately-disappearing-leaving-nothing-but-old-Grievouses-in-their-wake Geonosis sculpts.

TRU continues to astound with their random price increases.  As I mentioned in another thread, they've raised the prices on everything in the SW aisle over the last few weeks, with vehicles now at 30 bucks, Battle Packs at 28 bucks, basic figures (CW and SL) at 8.50, Vintage at 11, and Deluxe Vehicle/Figure sets at 22 dollars.  Even the abundant Rise of Boba Fett set is back at 110 bucks.  The bad side of this is that TRU is the only retailer near me that has gotten any of the Zombie Geonosian wave (always after those 2 for 9.99 sales have finished), and that's a figure that I would love to army build at a cheaper price.

Vintage 9 pack is down to 35 dollars at my Target, but I still don't know if I could justify biting on 9 figures I already have at a lower price, especially given the size of the thing.

Bumping this with a couple of extra Clone Wars figures, Corran Horn, and Vintage Tuskens.

Finally had some luck with TF Generations stuff over the last few days.  Found Red Alert and Cybertronian Soundwave at Wal-Mart last Saturday, and found Dirge this morning at Target.  Also saw Cybertronian Cliffjumper (continuing Hasbro's trend of releasing ANY Bumblebee in red and calling it CJ) and Thunderwing (who looked like total ****).  They also had "Skullgrin" (whoever that is; it was a gray repaint of Darkmount (again, whoever that is).  First time I'd seen new Generations toys since the initial launch, if you don't count the mountain of WFC Primes and Bumblebees that came out over the last several months.

I know from Dirge's package that I haven't gotten Blurr yet, but what comes next after this wave?  A friend of mine in another state said that he'd heard of the "Reveal the Shield" Jazz showing up at Walgreens, but I thought there was at least one more wave of Generations stuff (with Kup) before that wave hit. 

I got 6 of the 7 at Target yesterday at lunchtime (Wicket was long-gone, oddly enough), and I have to say that this might be the best single wave of figures that Hasbro has ever done.  Every individual figure hits it out of the ballpark, and I can honestly look at each and say, "There's nowhere left to go" in terms of improvement.  The Gamorrean Guard is huge and incredible, Ackbar is outstanding, Wooof is great, Luke is probably the best Jedi Luke we've ever gotten, the Endor Rebel is the perfect army builder (although alternate heads would be great), and even R2-D2, who seems to be the "meh" figure in the bunch at first glance, is perfect, with all those accessories that integrate so well into the design.

Hasbro really hit it out of the ballpark with this wave.  After the repack/retool-a-rama in the ROTS wave, they've redeemed themselves.

Did you get the sale price straight-up or did you have to argue that there was a sale tag for them?

Didn't have to argue a bit, which is odd, considering I usually do have to struggle with mispriced stuff at Target.  The only 2009 set that my Target still has is (6 of) the Roth Del Masona/SBD set, and it was in the regular SW section with no sale tag, while the 2 2010 sets they had (1 each of Anakin/Droideka and Obi-Wan/SBD) were on the endcap with a sale tag. 

So yeah, straight up 9.99 without having to complain, FYI.

Questions for anyone that has opened these up...

* Anakin - is there anything else 'new' on him besides the head/deco?  I read someone say he now has ball-joint hips, but I'm not sure that is right.  Does he have new hips or not?

Nope, still the same hips that were on the 2005 Evolutions version.  The only new things on this one are the head (which, admittedly, is pretty good) and the green blade (which, strangely enough, is attached to the regular Anakin AOTC hilt).  So, unless you're that fond of the new head or need another Droideka (the main reason I got it for myself), you can return this one without worry.

* Shaak Ti - I know she has new arms... but the RotS one is good enough for me.  Something about her deco (the eyes maybe) just makes me prefer the RotS one.  Can anyone confirm if her legs are the same as the RotS or did she get a leg upgrade to go with her elbow upgrade?

Nope, the legs on this one are the same as the ROTS version.  I like the dress on the ROTS one much better, too, due to the previously mentioned "frayed" material on this version.  Other than some paint differences and the elbow articulation being changed, it uses the ROTS body from top to bottom.  The Geonosian in the set, however, is a lighter green repaint of the 2009 version, so it takes the sting out of the lack of new ankle articulation on Shaak Ti.

Other tidbits:

-The Battle Droid in the set with the Rodian Jedi is (at least on my version) the Commander figure (no backpack, just the antenna) without the yellow markings.  

-Dooku has a new head and the cape is "tacked" at two points on the side, which makes it easier to display him without the billowing problem the previous versions had.

-R2-D2 uses a modified version of the VOTC body and similar features to the animated CW R2.  The left panel on the front opens up and a welder arm (which I don't recall seeing on an R2 prior to this) raises up, and there is a back panel that opens up and a hook on a string can be pulled out to attach to Threepio's head.  The inside of this opening hatch is actually detailed fairly nicely, and the string can be wound up by rotating Artoo's head, just like the CW version.  The lightpipe eye is back, although there is no sensorscope on this version which, again, is the first time I remember this sculpt being used without that feature.  Cool that Hasbro went the extra mile here, instead of just repacking the VOTC version for the millionth time.

EDIT:  Forgot to add that my Target had these as "on sale" for 9.99 through mid-November when I picked the Anakin/Droideka set up earlier today.  So that definitely takes the sting out.

I guess HA Mudflap has shown up at TJMaxx stores for $20 for any of you guys who haven't found him yet.  About damn time.....

All my TJ Maxx had was a mountain of Animated Wreck-Gars and Lugnuts for 13 bucks apiece.  So, alas and alack, I am still sans HA Mudflap.   

On a happier note, I did get the Scout Class Insecticon yesterday morning at Target.  Kind of neat, I guess, but not as good as I had hoped (the lack of a little radar dish on his back irritated me).  TRU still has 2 MP Grimlocks on the shelf, but the huge price tag is not making me in any kind of rush to get him.  Still no sign of Generations waves 2, 3 or whatever else has been released; as expected, the street date resulted in a lot of wave 1 and not much else.