Well I went to my local Target and I asked if they had any of the VTAC Snowtroopers in the stockroom. Then the guy asked me if I was a collector. I told him I was buying it as a birthday present. He asked me about five more times before he went tot he stockroom, at which point I was really annoyed.

I asked him why he was probing me about being a collector.

"'Cause if you're a collector I can't get you a figure. Collectors hog toys from kids. "

Excuse me, but I think I have the right to buy something if that's what I would like to do with my money!   Besides, I'm sure most collectors don't hog toys from children! (Save for the hotwheels scalpers). I ended up getting the figure, but I had to lie that I wasb't a collector to get it! I don't like lying. 

Has this ever happened to you? If so, do you think what I did was right, and how did you react to it? I'm just wondering because Target is the store I mostly visit for SW stuff.

More will come.

-Clones-

I finally got to Target. After searching fora Sandtrooper to no luck, I scanned one of the many Derlins and the basic figures were listed as in stockroom. I asked an employee if the Sandtrooper was there and five crazy minutes later, he brought it back and said "This one?". Yep it was! Review:

I'm finally starting to bore of the Saga Collection package. However, as a trooper builder, Hasbro does not fail to supply some good pictures onto the box. The trooper stands in a neutral pose inside the card, which upsets me, considering the fact that other figures have been action posed and yet he's not. Oh well, I'll live, I mean, I don't keep figures carded. That would ruin the purpose of the TOY.

Just like all the other revision cases, the Sandtrooper includes a pamphlet that advertises the Naboo and Endor waves. It brings me to wonder what pamphlet, if any, will be included in the battle of the repaints waves. The figure was easy to get out and so now to it.

We all realize that there are many figures that need resculpts. Hasbro gave us several this year: AT-AT Driver, Death Star Gunner, among others. Last year the Evolutions multipacks included a Sandtrooper, that had a (Especially in the varient pack) "I just emerged from the toilet" battle damage job and NO waist articulation. Flash forward, and I'm sitting in front of my computer typing about what could very well be, the ultimate original trilogy figure.

I usually cover the price point and value of a figure last, but I need to get to that now. He's a $6.64 figure with "more gadgets than a swiss army knife" and a sculpt that included a smaller bubble and one accesory that was great but sold for ten bucks. So I'm impressed with this.

Next, we see the sculpt. It's a superior thing from two years ago. With some modifications, including the backpack hole and removable thermal detonator. It's an all around good model. The head to toes are perfect. I guess Saga has been good with sculpts. And it usually means bad paint and articulation, but unfortunately for all you pesimests, it's not.

The paint is delicous and the sand damage does not resemble a toddler after an "accident" like previous figures. The slop is nowhere to be found.

The articulation is by far the best feature in this figure next to accesories. The Sandtrooper can go into several dynamic poses. The only bad thing is the torso articulation doesn'tgo backwards as far as other figures with ball joints in that area.

The accesories, as I have hinted are wonderful. The vibro lance makes for some great guarding poses and the blaster is in perfect scale. It fits nicely in the holster, however it's a bit of a pain to do that sometimes. The thermal detonator can be stored in the pack while it is on, seeing as the detonator cannot be attached while the pack is in use. Speaking of the pack it too is a goody goody sculpt. The paint job on these accesories is great too. The final accesorie isn't really one. The pauldron is probably older but I don't know. It's sufficient though, and we've all seen those bad things that can happen when Hasbro tries to fix already good figures. Also included is a base which reads "Sandtrooper". This guy looks quite impressive on the stand.

Th quality is fine, and I've got to say, I'm still excited about this trooper. He could quite possibly be the best figure of 2006. But I've got my eyes on that Clone Seargent as far as my next buys go.

So I do highly suggest this figure. He's now shipping in revision packs. Som get him while he's still available, this Sandtrooper will be gone by 2007.

Here are mine:

Good:
-Packaging
-Quality (For the most part)
-CLOOOOOONES (See the new "Battle of the Repaints" wave)
-New Scupts
-Old favorites
-Retools and Resculpts
-EU
-Bases

Bad
-Price Hike
-Old Pegwarmers and bad figures
-Pin Head Cody
-Old out of scale figures
-UGH... UGH...

-Clones-

Okay, first let me tell you heavenly the selection was at my Target. Two Sandtroopers, Two Scorches, Three Utapau Clones, the new vehicles and BPs, DS Gunner or two, AT-AT Driver and three Utapauan . I got two Scorches, one for a friend.

The Package: I'll be truthful with you guys, whenever I see that bright bubble blister hanging row upon row in the Star Wars aisle, my heart skips a beat, because you never know what is behind that exciting pack. I was lucky and found Scorch who has one of the coolest backgrounds for cards. That profile, however, is starting to annoy me. Ah, well, I'll live.

First Impressions: Openening the package was easy except for the jetpack, which is a chore to remove from the package. I got what I expected, truthfully, as I'd held a loose Scorch before.

Sculpt: A work of buty down to every notch and tube. Even the accesories are carved into exact likenesses of the their game counterparts. The torso joint is well hidden and the whole sculpt flows nicely with the figure's form, adding a great touch. Possibly, this could be one of the best sculpts this year.

Paint: While I'll always look to the Utapau Clone for perfect scuff marks, Scorch is up there with his neat scuff damage and paint job. The paint doesn't spread into the places it doesn't belong and is everywhere it DOES belong. Jetpack, Gun, boots, everywhere!

Accesories:Everything a Commando needs and that extra base. His rifle is a great sculpt and paint job as mentioned above. The jetpack is my favorite part, it has great paint and a cool sculpting job. The removable extra ammo pack is a good edition to this figure.

Articulation: Less then what other Clones have, but I think we've been harsh. I mean save your rants for Cody the pin head, this guy was EU, we're lucky to have gotten him! HE WAS ONLY IN A VIDEO GAME guys. Please cut Scorch some slack. The joints he has work wonderfully and can put him into magnificent poses.

Value: $39? No. $30? No. $25? No. $15? NO! $10? DANG IT NOOOOO NOOO NO! Pay $6.64 for this guy, that's what he's worth. Never pay scalper prices. By doing that you waste money and support scalpers. He's worth what I bought him for.  That's all, no more, no less.

Overall: We all owe Scorch an apology. We were harsh on him, and no I am not biased, but I do think an 8/10 is much appropriette for this figure. Buy him if you see him, it may be your only chance.

Overall Rating: 8/10

"I hate sand..." Says Anakin Skywalker, but he might want to add "People" after Sand... Well, his whole family hates Sand People, I guess. They killed Shmi, Were Murdered by Ani, and Terrorized Luke.

However, even Anikin would like this figure... The packaging is a thing of wonder, almost completely the same as the 1977 Card.  It'll be sure to attract collectors for the most part, kids don't give about the packing. More so the figure.

And if Hasbro has kid's in mind, what a nice figure the package comes with...

Sculpt: Fabulous. Every fold and crease is there. Seeing what had been included in past figures as far as the sculpt goes, this is Tatooine's VOTC Stormtrooper. Under the skirt, the pattern of an awesome sculpt continues... His boots are very nicely done and his joints are well hidden.

Paint: Following suit with the great sculpt is the paint job, which is very high quality. I could find NO slop and he has a very nice wash and weathering. The head is probably the best example of this paint job, with many different colours, that might blend and become sloppy on other figures, are all where they should be with no interruption.

Articulation: Hmmmm. Very good, but just not on par with ther other VTSC. I'm a big fan of cut joint swivel elbows, but Hasbro could've at least given us ball jointed hips in return, seeing as he is a $12 figure. I'd expect more, but he still is good for being put into some great poses. At least he has a ball jointed head, pop that off and he's fallen victim to an angry Skywalker.

Accesories: Hasbro is a winner in my book here! Word has it the accesories are rubbery, but mine are pretty thick. The paint on the rifle and staff is amazing and both fit nicely in the hands of the figure. The cloak is great and fits snugly on the figure, but still allows all the poses the Sand Person can get into without it. My only negitave is that it's a bit puffy around the kneck.

Quality: Every joint is snug and not loose. No slop, accesories aren't too cheapo, the cloak is made from good cloth, I think it's safe to say that for quality, this guy gets good grades.

Value: I got it on "clearence" at Target for $10.18, Sure he's 19 cents more than the original VOTC, but who cares. 19 times 5, hmmm, 95! To buy a full set of these bad boys costs 95 cents more. I'll be baffeled, this guy is good at this price, and while a bit steep at regular retail, he still fits the price nicely.

Overall: This guy is great to have hanging around at your podrace, ready to snipe an unlucky racer, or capturing your farm women, veing killed by an angry Sith-to-Be, or messing with Luke. I strongly suggest this to OT and PT fans.

Final score: 8.8/10

Clone Trooper: (Pics coming soon!!!!)
At first look, the packaging is similar to the Original Trilogy Collection Basic Figure Cards. A closer look, and you'll discover it's very much an amazing move.

First, a feature from the OTC is the background scenery. This adds a great deal of fun to lookiing at a MOC collection. This particular background depicts the Battle of Utapau. Also the back is a very nice addition.

The unique "profile" each figure carries adds fun for kids. Very familiar to POTJ collectors, the data areas include "Mission" "Fights For" "Affiliation" etc. Kids can send the figures on missions and for adults, they're quite amusing to read.

Upon opening the figure, I noted all the goods and bads. Read each of the below sections for more info and the rest of the review.

Sculpt: Top notch. As a repaint of the beloved III-41 Clone Figure, the comments here are definatley short! Everything looks great, my only down is that the belt is still upside down. Virtually unnoticable, so it doesn't take too much off of the appeal of the figure. Think about it, kids, as the main audience, aren't going to notice and get frustrated.

Paint: I don't know if Hasbro went to heaven or got some customizers, but this is the best. Very much what you would expect out of a custom figure with scuff marks all over. A tad bit of slop, but nothing to ruin this amazing paint job. One final gimmick, there is no paint in those two lines on the left area of the chest armor.

Articulation: As a repaint of a Super Articulated Figure, what do you think? All over: JOINTS JOINTS JOINTS. Also, the joints are a bit more snug, in a good way, because that means: NO LOOSE JOINTS. Bravo Hasbro, bravo!

Accesories: Many complain about the lack of a rifle. But think about it. It was with the DC-15 Pistol that Clones blasted a Crab Droid, killed Zett Jukassa, and who knows what else! This is fine by me. Also included is a wonderful personalized base and an antennae which adds to the play value.

Holo Figure: Packed in my copy was a Stormtrooper. Pretty ironic, eh? Each of the holo figures are very detailed and when held up to a light they, the light will shine through them, making for a very cool effect.

Quality: No loose joints, very little slop, everything is fine quality.

Value: There are some figures in this line not worth the now average $6.99, or in my case $6.64. However, this one is! The SA, the accesories, holo figure, neat card, and more seriously make a great figure, worth my money, and yours'.

Final Score: 9/10

Biker Scout (Pics coming soon!!!)

There is always a figure that stands out. The new VTSC figures have very much earned that title.

The packaging is very detailed on the front, and has a fun to read cardback. The card is nearly the same as the vintage figure card.

POP Tabs, SA, Old memories, and a boatload of great figures, yeah, that's what these are all about!

Upon opening the figure, I noted all the goods and bads. Read each of the below sections for more info and the rest of the review.

Sculpt: Very, very detailed. By golly, it is just AWESOME! The puches move when the legs push them, the texture is so realistic, I can't belive this is Hasbro!

Paint: Also great. A good move by Hasbro to paint the white armor on black plastic. It adds to quality and realism. Very nice paint job, and good dirt on the boots.

Articulation: Most of us know, there has never been a scout trooper with good articulation. This figure fills in the gap. SA! Very good, but the waist movement is more limited than that of the SA Clone. Still, very big part of this figure's final score.

Accesories: Just a pistol. While some may disagree, it's all he needs, and all he was shown with in the movie. Plus, Hasbro is trying to make these seem vintage, and all that the vintage figure included was a pistol. Nice that it fits in the holster!

Quality: The waist is a bit loose. But not very, your figure might be different. Some have reported that the figures hands fall out when the elbow is moved. Not mine.

Value: $11.99 is a bit steep for some of these figures, but in my view, this guy is well worth it. Think about it, just a matter of time until he is repainted into a BARC Trooper!

POP Offer: I was afraid my figure would not have his POP, but he did! The offer is very fun for some, but has driven others crazy. Ugh...

Final Score: 10/10

These are both great figures, and I highly reccomend you buy them. Now. I mean it. What? You don't want them! Well!!!!!!!

Hi, all!

After the unfortunate death of Princess, I was very saddened, and of course wrote so on BHC.  :'(Also at that time, I noticed a link to another site she was a member of, which is, of course, Jedi Defender.

I joined and saw that yor members are equally saddened.

On lighter thoughts, JD seems to have a very nice community, I look forward to my expierience!

Clone On!