The Tirade Strikes Back

DC NEWS - YEAH RIGHT!:

To be perfectly blatant about it folks, there isn't anything new to report in the area of DC Comics related toys. Ya know, I'm all for quality over quantity, but I want some new Total Justice figures and I want 'em now. Rumors abound concerning the upcoming line, including the prospect of a styling, bad-ass Lobo figure! You heard me right. I can't wait to get my hands on a TJ Lobo figure, and have him battle to the death with the McFarlane Toys KISS figures! Ah well...enough of my mindless babble.

There is, of course, market news, and of course, it centers around Batman lines. The Animated Series saw some big adjustments recently. The Bruce Wayne figure has plummeted in price thanks to dozens of them popping up at KayBees across the country. Don't look to get more than $10 for this once reasonably solid figure. The Penguin continues to ascend to new heights, now closing in on $125, and the Riddler and Two-Face are all over the $40-$60 range. Mask of the Phantasm toys aside from the villains (Phantasm, Joker) are also seeing more market action now that the lines have disappeared from most stores. Pick these up while you can.

There's finally a significant interest in the Battle Helmet Batman mail away figure, which was available a while back with two proofs of purchase from Animated Series videos.

In vehicle news, the Robin Dragster is now officially in outer space at over $425, and Batman Returns vehicles are packing a punch at shows these days. Pick them up now before they become like the Dragster!

KISS OFF EITAN!:

Extremely off topic yes, but important. If anyone out there (anyone!) has or has access to a loose 1977 MEGO Peter Criss doll, please let me know. Pete is the drummer of KISS and I need him to finish up my set. Help me out folks, I'm dyin' over here!

SHUT UP AND GET TO THE STAR WARS:

Alright, alright! Chill out, folks. :)

BIG NEWS AND BIG COMPLAINTS:

Kenner managed to top every single little stunt they've pulled so far with the new Power of the Force action figure series by creating the goldmine known as the THEATER EDITION LUKE SKYWALKER AS JEDI KNIGHT. Across the country, select theaters participated in this giveaway, in which 50 exclusive toys were handed to eager moviegoers at one random showing absolutely free of charge on March 14th, opening day of RETURN OF THE JEDI. A lot of people are confused about this, upset about this, and generally unhappy. Here's the lowdown. If you're confused, you have every right to be. This was NOT reported in any major magazines before March 14th, in fact, the only way you could have known in advance was keeping up with a few excellent websites devoted to Star Wars toys. In addition, the majority of the theaters involved DID NOT KNOW about this until a day before the promotion, such is the case with the theater in my town that participated. I called in a day early, got the exact time, and signed myself up. Thankfully, I was happy to receive my Luke Jedi and looked on in shock as young kids sold theirs to slobbering fans who were beyond the first fifty in line. Prices ranged from $20-$40 AT the theater, and the current market value is too varied to discuss. A lot of fans are upset with Kenner about giving little notice and creating a figure this scarce, but the fact of the matter is that 100,000 of these toys were run off, so technically, there are much rarer POTF2 toys in existence. Sadly, many of the toys have fallen into the hands of greedy dealers, or worse yet, children who ripped open the toy (That last part was a joke, please don't send hate mail). Basically, good ol' Luke is on a green card with a special edition logo on it. The big attraction for real fans disinterested with market value was the inclusion of upcoming toys on the card back, like Luke in ceremonial attire, Bib Fortuna, Lando in Skiff Gear and the Emperor. Folks, don't go too nuts on these. My estimated market value is $50, but unfortunately, things could go another way if speculation remains high.

MORE STAR WARS PRODUCT:

Out now is the infamous "Bossk wave" which remains difficult to find, but then again, all SW lines remain difficult to find for a certain amount of time. Included in the line are 21B Medic Droid, Luke in Hoth Gear, Rebel Soldier, AS-ST Driver and the nefarious Bossk. By the way, it's my personal belief that Bossk could kick Boba Fett's sorry ass anyday of the week. You can also look for Boba's Slave 1 in a new green packaging (YES, that means PICK UP the purple-boxed Slave 1), and Luke in Endor Gear with Speeder Bike. Leia in Endor Gear with speeder bike is on tap, and so are some creature features: Ronto with Jawas, and Jabba with a brand new Han Solo. Ghost of Obi Wan mailaways should be going out sometime soon, I'd love to hear some feedback concerning those.

The top five Star Wars toys on the market:
1. Orange carded collection 2
2. Orange card collection 1
3. Jedi Luke with brown Vest
4. Boba Fett with half circles
5. Han Solo.

Well folks, that's all. May it be with you, that force.

Column by Eitan Shapiro

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