Saw the first 7:00pm showing in my area.  Even waiting in line for a few hours beforehand was fun.  Everyone from the cosplay nerds, young kids, teens, young adults and older people were nice to one another, just having a great time.  Not uncommon for strangers to be sharing a pizza and softdrinks even.  Really, it was very much like a big tailgate party!

But then the movie...  Loved it.  Period

This was the sort of Star Wars movie I had been waiting for since 1983...  It felt like the Star Wars films I grew up with, the fun, the exuberance combined with the dread and terror.  Yeah, the plot was overall similar to ANH but it was still fund and exciting.  It was also very respectful to the original cast and characters.  While aged, Han didn't skip a beat.  Can't believe they killed him off (and I'm sort of left with a sad feeling about that) but that he was killed by his son, Kylo Ren, face to face, really adds a dimension of evil to that character...  Not even Vader stooped that low.  The new characters were great.  I loved Poe, Finn, and especially Rey.  I can't say I liked Kylo Ren in the positive sense like the others, but he will turn out to be a great character.  Captain Phasma seems to be the new Boba Fett, a badass that meets a comically inglorious end getting put down the garbage chute.  In such a hallowed franchise, its difficult to engineer new characters - George Lucas largely failed at that in the prequels - but it was pulled off quite well in TFA and I look forward to seeing how both the good and the bad develop.

But I am left with some questions...  I guess I'm coming from the POV that I grew up with the original SW movies, source materials, EU, etc. so had a since of the history and how everything connected and fit together.   Since Disney has now wiped the slate clean post ROTJ, there's a void to fill.  I'm curious to know more about the how the First Order came about; how the Republic and the Resistance fit together.  Was the First Order born out of the (New) Republic by those seeking a return to order from chaos or was it founded on the remnants of the Empire?  What caused Kylo Ren, son of Han and Leia, and student of Luke, to turn bad (other than simply the seduction of the dark side)?  Lots of those sort of questions...  But I guess over the ensuing years and decades, those will eventually be answered.

Nevertheless, its been a long time since I went to a movie where I walked away with such a sense of enjoyment and desire to see it again and again.  The Force Awakens lived up to the hype in my opinion, and I'm elated to have a new and worthy addition to the Star Wars saga    

I've been seeing partials of Wave 2 at Walgreens (Constable Zuvio and that Gauvian Enforcer figure) and have likely been missing it from Target since all I usually see is a lone Finn.  But I'm not going crazy, going to ever store first thing in the morning or anything, so what I'm finding is to be expected...  That said, I ordered the 2nd wave from Entertainment Earth, paid only a little more per figure than I would have at retail (covering what I would have spent on gas running around town) and now I have Captain Phasma 

Saw one yesterday at Target for $169.99.  Takes up a lot of shelf space there!

Found this set today (Oct. 30) while shopping at Target this morning.  Almost overlooked it as I was looking for the single-packed 6" figures and the set was hanging below the one Finn figure from the first TFA wave.  It was not part of any display, just hanging with all the other items.  At first, I got a bit of sticker shock, but then $39.99 is about the price of two of the single-boxed figures (and this set has two figures) so it made sense. 

The Poe Dameron figure is nice whereas the Stormtrooper is the same as the single version, just with a couple extra accessories.  I can't help thinking the Stormtrooper with riot gear looks like one of those "Peacekeepers" from the Hunger Games books and films  

Since finding the one I bought, I've not seen anymore at the two Toys R Us stores in my immediate area.  When I purchased it, there was only the one there, meaning that was the one they put out or people had already snagged the others.  A friend of mine in Pennsylvania told me yesterday his local TRU has three of them, so obviously they are getting distribution.  I would suspect each store would get 4-6 of them.  However, its hard to say how rare or common the TIEs will turn out to be.  If they're not out all over just yet, I suspect we'll see more as the movie - and holiday season - approach.  And I really hope to see more full-sized ships and vehicles in the 6" line.  The "01" on the TIE fighter's box had better not stand for the "one and only" full-size ship ever made in that scale! 

I've eyed the new Micro Machines each time I walk down the toy aisle at a major retailer - often because they're the only thing there in quantity.  Is it just me, or is the quality not there?  Even with the Titanium Series ships, they just seem cheaper overall than the old versions did.  I have a bunch of the original Star Wars Micro Machines from the late 1990s as well as the Titanium series vehicles.  They all just look better than the new stuff...

Guess I'll just keep collecting the odd ship or two from the Star Wars Miniatures Game...  They're basically expensive Micro Machines

The TFA Teaser Trailer #2 (with the crashed star destroyer, Han Solo and all) shows before the new film, "The Martian".  Was pleasantly surprised to see it on the big screen this weekend

Thanks guys and not a problem on posting a detailed product review.  That's what these forums are for I'm still getting used to the size of the thing, taking up about 3 square feet of my study's floor space. I may eventually hang it, but it will need to be from a secure attachment, not just an eye-hook screwed into the drywall.  The box shows the TIE is the first in what is likely going to be a series of TFA vehicles for the 6" figures, so my interest is piqued now about what else will be revealed in the coming months...  This could get really interesting!