I'm glad everyone's enjoyed the site.  Chris deserves all the credit for having JD up and running...  The staff all applaud "boss" for his work.

I think honorable mentions for JD staffer who rocks should go to Jeff and Jared too...  They do a TON that many don't realize.  All the guys are great, and I'm thankful I accepted a spot on here a while back.  I couldn't have realized how fortunate I was at the time to be asked to jump ship.

Agreed, and I hate that fact...  However the Speederbike is also too big.  I'd LOVE a resculpted bike with a "stand" for it so it appears to be hovering.  Pack in a SA Scout and I'm on cloud nine. 

The Snowspeeder's one I'd really like resculpted, as is the AT-ST.  Probably my top 2 resculpts actually.

As far as re-releases, I'm all for a grey Darth Vader TIE Fighter re-release sans projectiles.  If they did a damaged wing one, that'd be even cooler.  I'd also take a grey release of the ROTS TIE Fighter too. 

I'm not opposed to a TIE Bomber re-release either.  It's a to-scale ship and all.  The problem is though that the last release didn't do as well.  Too soon I think.

I'd like a blue "Ralph McQuarrie" release of the A-Wing...  I'd also kind of dig it if Hasbro re-released an EU paintjob on the Landspeeder (Saga) too.

And if the CC mold exists, I think it's a must with a variant pilot.

I'd take an AT-RT with the basic carded figure as well, and a new, more realistic paintjob.

Beyond that though, I'm more wanting new versions of vehicles than re-releases.  And I'd avoid the larger things like AT-AT's and whatnot.  They've proven they don't sell, and to me they're just an anchor on the modern line when they come out to thunderous silence.

*Looks around*

 

I thought this was Rebelscum?

Nah, you'll notice the lack of one line replies, rampant and flagrant misspellings, and people aren't fighting with the local trolls.  Oh yeah and GNT didn't come in and add a bug-eye smiley to the thread's title or anything like that.  Those are the tell-tale signs I'd say.

Well we're not bone dry on XD, and sometimes the Battle of the Bulge wave appears, but Wal-Mart is **** for distribution of anything, so the Sahara and BotB figures aren't too common here...  The Japanese, Pilots, and Patton figures also are non-existant.  The only thing I ever see on this side of town are the Marines, which are cool figures mind you, but I need some damn diversity!

These may show, you never know, so keep your eyes open at Wal-Mart stores out your way.

I'm desperately searching for many of these to do some "modern" army building with.  My BBI military figures have had a noticeable lack of targets to shoot at! 

The figures look cool Ryan, glad you could find them!  Pittsburgh his still an XD Drought zone so no Sahara figures to be found...  No Battle of the Bulge, no Japanese...  Just Marines. 

The concept of a xenophobic EMpire is a really EU based idea though with little rooting in anything but that one Officer's line which was pretty "broad".  Originally it was written in that Luke was sort of "awed" by the sight of Chewbacca actually, and acted alittle less than politically correct.

However, the point stands I think that the German Army in WW2 utilized people from nations it considered hostile...  France, Holland, Balkan Nations, etc., etc... 

The way I look at it then is that while the Germans would not have accepted a Jew into their ranks, the Empire wouldn't accept certain species into theirs...  Wookiees for example.  Many were viewed with disdain and hatred, and really all alien species weren't viewed with any level of comradery, but the Empire would've needed cooperation from some alien worlds I think...  Actually I think the majority of worlds would've supported the EMpire on one level or another for any number of reasons...  From corruption and political backscratching to actually appreciating the budding Empire's ideals.  The Senate is really loud in support of Palpatine's declaration of political change, so the alien support is there...

I view the xenophobic nature of the Empire then as something subdued.  Something the core members of the Empire harbor in hopes of someday eradicating the aliens from their lives.  They blame the Aliens for this or that (it'd be easy to blame them for the Clone Wars even), and the Empire lets that hatred grow, but only in noteably human circles.  IE: they're covering it up a lot, but within the Imperial core organizations there is open anti-alien sentiment...  Recruitment of humans is key/reinforced, etc., etc...

At the same time though, they utilize Aliens in an effort to create an IMperial-controlled military on specific planets (Say Nemoidia just for kicks), and the Neimoidian government maybe is a puppet government that supports the Empire...  Empire exploits Nemoidia, but at the same time they control the governing bodies/military and the Neimoidians aren't necessarilly mistreated either so they accept the Imperial rule and are generally happy to do so...  Empire keeps Neimoidians working, keeps order and structure...  They accept it with perhaps only a small splinter group wanting to resist (but which, like all rebel cells on all planets, is rooted out as best as the Imperial military can).  If the resistance grows the Military presence of more "traditional" Imperial troops may be called in but if the natural population can handle it they're let do so...

It's a pretty common thing in Earth terms throughout history but there's a problem when discussing alien worlds/people because they obviously don't look like humans (at least in SW terms). 

I think it could definitely have happened...  I think it actually would've been common and necessary.  It would've been "the norm" for the majority of the worlds within the core where rebelliion wasn't as widespread perhaps. 

And while the Empire exploits some worlds/people that way, they also have more brutal instances such as the WOokiee situation where they control that species with martial law, enslavement, etc.

The thing about the Empire, even though I've always viewed them as incredibly powerful and really capable of military subjucation across the galaxy, they still have to have some means of control through manipulation of each government on each planet...  Some will openly support the Empire, some will reluctantly support the Empire, some will openly rebel, some will quietly rebel...  I think the majority, based on the roars of the Senate in E3, are supportive on one level or another, so they don't need a firm hand to control them, but rather their people need somehow assimilated.

The whole thing really comes down to the complexities/logistics of galactic control/conquest.  It's really pretty mind-boggling to think about.  The idea that the Empire is totally xenophobic and shuns alien races just doesn't make sense to me though.  There has to be some kind of diplomacy even if it isn't sincere...  Stormies aren't eradicating species on the streets of Mos Eisley afterall so they're not TOO xenophobic.  They need the aliens even if they hate them.

If you want to draw on even other instances, the Jewish populations of ghetto's and camps in WW2 were even organized into controllable societies by the Nazi's.  And there were people pulled from the population to work for the Nazi's, even though it was obviously not that they were being assimilated into the German culture of the time...  They were led to believe they were at times though. (Not to demean the subject matter of the holocaust, of course, but rather just in an effort to cite historical precedent respectfully for the discussion)

Brad soiled himself...  It's happened before and we're sick of it so his suspension was warranted.  The smell in our secret club house was over-powering really.

Incidentally, what is the difference between Suspended and Banned?

Suspended means we are tolerating someone because we like them enough to keep them around and want them around on some level...  I guess.  Banned means you don't know when to STFU even after we've been more than cordial and fair with you, and we just roll your ass out the door.  There's some guys out there who make it their hobby to get banned at websites.  Our own banned list is a bit of a "who's who" when you look at it.

In short, the only real difference is the staff's judgment/conclusions we come to after we talk about the "situation" for a while.  Banned really takes a certain level of behavior that we just aren't left with other options.  What can we say, other than "we care" about this place.

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