Week of: July 14th, 2003

Sunday, July 20th

More Snowtrooper Wave

I stopped by Wal-Mart east in Madison this afternoon and was surprised to see the remains of this wave on the pegs. The funny thing is that most of the older figures were gone, but all of the new figures were still there. It looks like things are finally starting to pick up.

Update From Yesterday's Posting

Steve W. sends in this update.

I found these on the South Side of Milwaukee so they are getting out there. Just a couple notes about the figures: Wat Tambor has two legs! I found an extra to open on a damaged card. You can't see much and the legs don't move freely, but it looks like he is wearing a darker (black) colored pants and has boots that match his armor. The Snowtrooper is based on the Commander seen talking to General Veers. There are subtle differences in the armor. The POTF versions are based n the standard troop soldiers.

Saturday, July 19th

Snowtrooper Wave

I had a good toy run this morning. Target east in Madison had a case of this wave along with a case of the Wat Tambor wave. This wave includes Luke (Thone Room Duel, #17), Darth Vader (Throne Room Duel, #18), Snowtrooper (#19), Jango Fett (Kamino Escape, #20), and C-3PO (Tatooine, #21). Also included in the case are Han Hoth (blue jacket), Chewbacca (Mynock Hunt), Boba Fett (green), and an R2-D2. Luke comes with a break apart base and railing and has Lightsaber slashing action. Besides the button, he looks pretty good. Vader has a removable helmet and Lightsaber throwing action. The Snowtrooper includes an E-WEB cannon, blaster (with holster), and of all things, an articulated ankle. The holster is a cool addition to this figure. Jango Fett is a re-release of the earlier version that can still be found on the pegs. C-3PO is a re-release of the flashback version with a figure stand. The Snowtrooper seems to be the best in a good group.

Wat Tambor Wave

These were also found at Target east in Madison this morning. This wave includes Padme (Secret Ceremony, #22), Wat Tambor (#23), Coleman Trebor (#24), Darth Maul (Theed Hanger Duel, #25), Princess Leia (#26), and Han Solo (#27). Also in the case are Yoda & Chian, Jempa & Ashla, Aayla Secura, Barris Offee, Lama Su & Clone Boy, and a Red Battle Droid. Padme includes a highly detailed raining, flowers, and articulated elbow. My wife thought she was ugly, but she doesn't seem that bad to me. Her dress does seem very plain. Wat Tambor comes with a war room console and holographic ship. Judging by the weight of the figure he must be a uni-leg, but he is still quite impressive. Coleman Trebor is your basic super-articulated alien Jedi. He includes a stand and Lightsaber along with articulation at his left elbow, ball jointed shoulders, right hand and left knee. Darth Maul is a re-release of the MOTDS figure. Princess Leia is a re-release of the freeze frame figure with the addition of a ling pistol. Han is a re-release of the CommTech figure. All of the re-released figures include a stand.

Clone Wars Ships

TRU east in Madison had a few AATs and Jedi Starfighters this morning.

Deluxe Jango Fett Wave

Shopko east in Madison had a case of this elusive wave of figures on the pegs. They are still pretty pricey at $11.99 each.

Monday, July 14th

Star Wars Toys Richland Center to Red Wing MN

Gary S. sends in this nice store report from a recent trip.

This last weekend we madea trip to Lake City MN and I made at least six stops along the way looking for toys. Apparently the west side of the state was the place to be. Saturday morning, I found the following figures at the Super Wal Mart in Richland Center. I do not recall seeing any more of these specific figures but they had plenty of other figures that are all over the area. Padme Amidala Secret Ceremony, Ashla and Jempa, Lama Su, Barriss Offee, Han Solo Flight to Alderaan, Princess Leia Organa Imperial Captive, Battle Droid (Red), Coleman Trebor, Wat Tambor, Darth Maul Theed Hangar Duel, Aayla Secura, Yoda & Chian I did not see a lot of other stuff, but I was pretty jazzed about finding these figures that I was not paying attention to much else. The next stop was the Wal-Mart in Viroqua. There were a couple of the Death Star Compactor Sets, two of each side and two SILVER Anniversary Vader vs Kenobi two packs. I left everything. The compactors were $16.00 each and the two packs were $15 each. Both a little steep for me. They did have a small selection of older figures, nothing that cannot be found elsewhere, IMO. The Winona Target in MN was the third stop on the trip. They have five Yoda lightsabers on clearance for $13.98 each. This was the only item that stood out in my mind, but I did get a Rebel Hoth Trooper Deluxe pack for $4.98. Not a great package, IMO. The Red Wing Target had a couple new figures - Leia Imperial Captive, AShla and Jemppa, Imperial Officer with Blond Hair, Padme Droid Factory Chase, the Jedi Droids, and so on. They also had the deluxe accessory sets were on sale for $6.98. All four versions were available - Scout Trooper, Death Star Trooper, Rebel Hoth Trooper, Battle Droid. The Red Wing Wal-Mart had some more new figures. Snow Trooper, Final Duel Vader and Final Duel Luke. The packages were pretty beat up. I picked up Luke, Vader and two snowtroopers and left luke, vader and a few other new arrivals. I also left a $28.49 TIE Bomber. On the return trip, the Winona Shopko offered several Unleashed Jango Fett's for $9.69, both Anakins and Zam'z speeders several times over for $8.09 and a poor selection of older figures for a staggering $6.99. The Shelby Mall Shopko in LaCross had more speeders, same price, and more old figures, same price. Shopko needs to take a look at the rest of the world and price their figures accordingly. I'm not overly impressed with the details on these figures and the fact that the Han Solo looks remarkably like a previous release and the Darth Maul does too is not all that exciting. And another Battle Droid? But the pack is are starting to be worthwhile - ie stands. Overall, I increased my collection by 20 figures - fifteen new, which will remain carded and five to open for display. The only down side at this point is the broken lightsaber tab on my Aayla Secura.