I'd have wanted teh Zet's and Neimoidians for army building and customs.  The Neimoidians would've been my priority and maybe one Zett... 

Frothy?

****y YOU!!!!!!!111!!!!           

And Jesse, as good as you feel, imagine the opposite, that's how I'm doing right now.

Flashback to about this same time of year last year when we had one of the dominant teams in the NFL, #1 seed, and lost to the Patriots.   Believe me, I know Ryan, I know all too well...  It just feels great to win, move on...  THis team needs a champion in the worst way.

I hold no ill will to anyone wanting to support the Steelers, I just remember we weren't given a chance by ANYONE in the sports world and it's fun watching some of these guys eat crow.

And CYS and other "protective" services are such a help...   

In my neck of the woods a child killing made national headlines when some trash that live in the township outside the town I live in starved their daughter to death and put her in a cooler...  They locked her in the attic I guess.

CYS had been called and they did nothing at all...  They were met at the door, told "she's not here, go away", and left it at that...  For them, it's paperwork and hastle, and they treat it just like that.

I've had my own experiences with CYS in 3 counties due to my brother's skanky ex-wife, and I was told (and I quote), "The only way we can take action is if there is broken bones or death, otherwise our hands our tied and it's all heresay".  The police more or less said the same thing, and that without CYS actually doing something about it they can only respond to incidents and refer everything back to CYS who in turn do absolutely nothing. 

The last go-round had CYS going to my brother's ex-wife's house, and her slamming the door on them with some lovely advice on what they should go do to themselves.  The Police said it's not their place to get involved, and that CYS has to handle it, and CYS said they can't go into the parent's home if they aren't wanted.  Also they were to bring in psychologists, and my brother's ex simply refused to meet with them, and only did so at the magistrates where she lied through her teeth about her behavior.

Government agencies like that are a joke because they're underpaid for the aggrevation they get on the job, so the workers just say "F It" and refuse to push things unless you harass them about it, and even then they'll flat out lie to you to get you off their back.  It's a joke, and the same feelings apply to our Keystone Cops that we laughingly call our local Police Force...  Wish we'd close up shop on those knobs too and just hope the State rolled through town once in a while because our local yocals are a huge waste of tax payer's money.  The one guy's so damned old he couldn't catch herpes in Bangkok whorehouse.

Sorry, just a little rant against our less than civil servants.

As for Attakus, is it going to cost so much for that playset?  Because they are casting the damn thing in METAL.  It could be done for a hell of a lot cheaper with plastic and made affordable for those of us aren't CEO's of companies.  So I disagree that nobody has the resources for such an item in our price range.  I respectfully disagree 100%.

Actually, metal is equal or cheaper to work with...  Look at die-casts.  They're cheapy cheap.

And the X-Treme Detail line is now making tanks out of die-cast metal.  80 to 90% of the tank is metal, and it comes in at a price equal to, or cheaper than the plastic versions...  Metal's not more expensive to work with necessarilly if you have the ability to work with it quickly and turn your production from one that owrks with plastic(s) to one that works with metals without much modification if any.  I know this first-hand from my own work with plastics and cast metals.

The thing with Attakus is more that they're doing limited production and working with resin.  I work with resin myself and can tell you it's nowhere near economically efficient to work with...  It's something used in prototyping a lot but for production it's something that jacks prices up high because it's expensive stuff.  It's cool though for the hobbyist anxiously awaiting the home injection molding machine at an affordable price.    I long for this day!

But to the point about manufacturing ability, I'm referring not to what capacity Attakus, or GG, or whahaveyou are able to function at...  I don't know if Attakus is able to mass produce a widely released playset or not, but I do know they're not a toy manufacturer...  They don't work with injection molded plastics, etc...  And few companies can just up and do that too...  SideShow has some ability to, but they work with specific materials to do these 12" figures and other products...  GG works with coldcast busts and things...  I doubt they could turn around and start making playsets because that's not what their business model is set up to do.  It's more the equipment these companies have, that is their manufacturing "ability" that I refer to...  They're simply not companies built to build this or that, nor more than saying Allegheny Technologies is built to make toys, or that Del's built to make cars... 

Attakus can make a playset, but they're making it mostly out of resin, and in limited production, and they're not equipped to start injection molding multi-piece playsets using ABS materials or whatnot...  Hasbro technically isn't even able to but has the partnerships overseas to.

I don't know who could be subcontracted to do it...  At least I can't think of anyone off the top of my head that Hasbro doesn't look down on as competition to them rather than someone they'd partner with.

I'd dig playsets if they were quality, but I'm at the point that I think of them much like Hasbro does.  They're seemingly unwilling to deliver quality beyond what they have so far for a pricepoint we've seen range from like $20 to $40, and they just don't go over well...  Plus, and this all goes back to the first point I think, people do ask this kind of stuff and Hasbro says "not at this time..." every time.

On the point of scale, that's a matter of taste...  To me, it is important, and to me the OTC/POTF2 Falcon is a comical toy to look at that I just have no interest in.  Same with the AT-AT and any number of other vehicles.  That's just my reasoning behind not being interested or asking questions about a new Falcon (or "big item" for a more general explanation).  I'd love a scale Falcon, but anything short of it really doesn't interest me...  I'd love a scale AT-AT, but small disproportionate things just aren't my cup of tea.

I have a scale P-38 Lightning Interceptor I got for $40.  It kicks ass so much I can't look at Hasbro's stuff without wincing at times.  The Jedi Fighters are to-scale, they rock to me, I'm happy despite them lacking some details I'd have maybe liked (controls, etc.), but at the same time the ARC-170 for instance looks like a nice toy but for my tastes it's just not "cool" because it's so out of proportion...  So I skipped it, and Hasbro's told me that if I'm gonna ask about a vehicle I wanna see, I have to keep my expectations within reason.  So Snowspeeder, Speederbike, AT-ST...  That kinda stuff I think they may resculpt and do it justice based on precedent...  If I wanted an AT-TE though (and I do, tremendously) I know what Hasbro's going to put out won't be to-scale so it's not something I personally care to ever see...  Not to begrudge someone one, but at the same time I think that the $ involved in R&D, prototyping, production, etc., is also $ I'd dig seeing focused on the ships I do think can be resculpted as I want them, or towards the figures which are my main focus and where I think quality can always improve across the board in the line.  That's why my interest just isn't there though for the playsets or big vehicles... 

I think we see the Flacon again every whipstitch, or the AT-AT because it's cheap.  Hasbro can take molds they already have and put something out very cheaply just like repacking figures.  It keeps a diverse line available for purchase at a minimum cost to the company, and retail can bite on buying any or they can leave it.  Most seem to leave it while TRU takes the bait generally.

DC/VA/MD area E, I had seen him mentioning it over there...  Not up your way.

I think it's more a bluff too or false information, but you never know...  I think they're going to stay because, if the slots license didn't go to Lemieu'x group at this point there'd be political hell to pay I think.  Who knows though, I just wish that they'd **** or get off the pot finally so I can know if we'll have this team or not.

I'm not upset if the state spends money on sports franchises for their respective cities...  Some things were figured about what events for the new stadiums can generate financially for the city, and it's impressive...  They're good parts of the city.  The Pirates are getting the All Star game here soon and that's expected to really generate a ****load of cash for Pittsburgh...  The Steelers are a money juggernaught...  The Pens in their heyday in the early and mid 90's made tons of money for Pittsburgh...  A new arena that more or less redeveloped all of our uptown area in one swoop would do a lot of good, so I think the state SHOULD be helping some but from what I gathered Lemieux's group actually can privately fund their building, they just need the Slots license to offset the costs they'll incur building the building, which it's gotta go to someone in our city...  The question now is who gets it.

One group wants to build a Casino on the NOrth Shore between PNC Park and Heinz Field.  It would essentially sit where 3 Rivers used to be which is now parking lot...  There's like 90 different plans for that part of the shoreline though so it's kinda stupid to throw the Slots license to a part of the city that doesn't need it.

The real contention for the license is a guy that owns the other shoreline across from downtown on Pittsburgh's southern and western end.  It's a small nightlife/retail complex called "Station Square" (a renovated train station almost as old as the city is).  The complex has an amphitheater, it is set under Mt. Washington and the famous Incline railcars we have, it's got clubs, restaurants, hotels, etc...  It's got a lot of land it could develope where the Amphitheater is, however this area is prone to traffic jams already so I don't think expanding Station Square is wise.  They don't have a major highway artery past them, but instead you get to them via 2 lane streets on Pittsburgh's southside or the numerous bridges that connect downtown to the SouthSide/Station Square.  It'd be dumb to really expand this place.

Uptown though borders Pittsburgh's Hill District.  The HD is violent, run down, economically and socially depressed...  It's a ****hole that shows what happens to a town when it's driving force in its economy dries up.  The Civic Arena is more or less what separates Downtown from the Hill District...  It is Uptown more or less, and Lemieux wants to basically tear the CA down to put in the parking area where it now stands, and tear down an old church and 2 large buildings to put in the new Casino/Arena...  It would revitalize a part of town that NEEDS it.  So I think the city would be wise to back it, to put political pressure on the governor to lean this way instead of to Station Square...  It just makes more sense for the city at this point, plus the Pens do generate revenue for the city, they deserve the slots license then if it means them staying permanently.

It's just frustrating with all this posturing going on...  It's BS.

Here's a question for all the JD members - do you not care about playsets/larger vehicles? 

Care?  Yes.  Expect?  Not at all.

While I believe the best possible chance of anything like this ever happening is a modular concept somewhere along the lines of Muftak's Modular Death Star or Modular Cloud City sets.  At the same time, I'm not sure that's what I'd personally even want really.

For me, I'm with Jeff and thus I know I'm repeating him some here...  Redundancy isn't always bad though.   But I just know things will be disproportionate, they'll lack some elements I want while they'll have others I'm completely disinterested in (firing cannons, etc.), Hasbro has a bad track record with higher ticket items too so if things break the $30 barrier we're looking at potential shelf-warmers, and a negative impact on the line overall I believe...

Do I want stuff like an AT-TE?  Sure, but being a fan of scale and detail I'm sure I wouldn't want whatever Hasbro offered because I saw what basically ammounted to a to-scale AT-TE at Celebration 3 in the LFL Archives exhibit, and holy **** it's huge.  Same as me wanting a Falcon to-scale.  Saw what it would look like at C3, and it blows your mind to stand next to it and really get a taste of what those "big" items are like when done the way you want them...  So for that, I'm much more interested in figures and less interested in ships and playsets. 

I'd love to hear if Hasbro's got plans to maybe resculpt the Snowspeeder to-scale since it's oversized...  Same with the Speederbike.  Small, cheap, affordable...  They redid the Landspeeder so I have this hope for stuff like that some day.  The AT-ST would interact great with action figures too, so it's another I'd love to see redone and to-scale, and Hasbro's able to as it's not THAT big, especially if there's "some assembly required" as they say.  Those are doable items that if you asked you MIGHT get a response on...

If you ask for an AT-TE or new AT-AT, or Sith Infiltrator, or Death STar Playset, you get their cookie cutter responses that they gave us at C3, SDCC, etc., and then they ignore you the rest of the meet and greet.   *couth*Matt*cough*

BUt, as Jeff said (I think), I too am more a figure focused person with the line.  Good army builders in particular, so I've got a bigger interest in hearing what's doing for the basic figure line's future rather than ships/playsets overall.  To me, they're a complement to the line, not its focus.  I'm the same way with the X-Treme Detail line as I really view the planes, choppers, tanks, trucks and playsets as a complement to the figure line, and 21st Cent. Toys is only now getting the hint that they have to have a figure line as the core.

If the playsets or vehicles are real knock-outs I'm cool with them but I don't have much faith in Hasbro's ability to do that...  ANd subcontracting them to other companies isn't always a done deal.

GG's not set up to mass produce multi-plastic playsets...  Attakus isn't either, and the price of their little dioramas reflects that greatly.  Side Show doesn't do it...  I can't think of anyone off-hand who Hasbro would look at favorably to just make playsets actually.  They're the "big" company with the ability...  and they don't seem to want to I guess.  ANd it's tough to blame them too...  Of 4 prequal playsets, none have sold well at all.  Even larger ships haven't...  Gunships saw clearance in 02 and limited release in 05...  ARC's saw wide release in 05 and didn't move too fast...  The TIE Fighter saw clearance and was an exclusive...  B-Wings saw clearance widely here at their pricepoint, and I saw AT-AT's as low as $20 back in modern Star Wars' hey day.  The Imp Shuttle saw major price drops till it actually made it to a reasonable one, and the Sandcrawler saw clearance...  A lot of bad precedent looming over the area of large vehicles and playsets.  It's that pricepoint I think.

The XD line's planes generally sell well...  Of course, any given paint scheme can be fairly limited, but when you see 4, 5, or 6 paint schemes for one fighter you're looking at a ton of planes being put out there for $40 to $50...  Hell, their $80+ modern day jet fighters FLEW (no pun) off shelves.  I attribute this to their line focusing on borderline model-kits in their details and paint applications, but with durability as well, and an adult-driven market...  They do see some sales at times if too much is delivered anywhere, like the P-47 checkertail or Flying Pig Stuka saw...  But overall it seems their market can deliver their $ where their mouth is, while SW fans either back out when they see the price, or when they see the quality they get, or a combination of both factors. 

I mean, I can't blame them.  If Hasbro could deliver a scale AT-TE I'd probably be one of the first in line for it if i could afford what they were asking for it...  Hell I'd get two if I could afford them, but what we WOULD likely get is a disproportionate walker I'd just look at and not want.  I eliminated vehicles as a thing I needed to be a "completist" for because of ships I just didn't feel were up to my standards.

Got my Jedi Fighters, Tri-Droid, AT-RT, WOokiee Copter...  I get the to-scale things and love them even though they do lack some details.  I can't see me spending $40 on a Gunship though when, as cool as it is as a toy, it is undersized a bit and just doesn't appeal to me though...  So I do think that has an impact on the line, and how Hasbro thinks when they're pondering putting ships out...

For me then, asking about things I've yet to see Hasbro TRULY deliver on then just isn't something I push for.  They're skittish about risks like that, so I'd rather find out what figures are coming and what quality will be like...  Some small vehicles though, I'd love to hear what they're maybe gonna do, and hopefully do right.  Love that Saga Landspeeder resculpt afterall.

Watchin' the news, this guy in Denver who moved there from here got his car keyed the other day I guess.  Classy.