The Hunt Is On - Micro Machines First Order TIE Fighter Attack 3-Pack Found

For me, the most exciting part of the new The Force Awakens line has been the triumphant return of Micro Machines. Hasbro's stock shortage problems meant that we only started seeing the multi-packs arrive in New Zealand stores last week - but In the interim I'd managed to pick up most of what I was after during a brief trip to Houston last month. The one set that had proved frustratingly elusive was the First Order TIE Fighter Attack 3-Pack. Fortunately, I happened to spot one at my local Warehouse store last week for a reduced price of $10.39.

The pack contains a First Order TIE Fighter, a crashed First Order Special Forces TIE Fighter, and the Millennium Falcon. Only two of these sculpts are unique to the pack, as the First Order TIE Fighter also comes in the Galactic Showdown Deluxe Pack. That version of the TIE features an annoying spray of white 'snow' however - so it's nice to have a second version with a clean deco. While it doesn't allow for a lot of play possibilities, the crashed TIE is also a nice addition to the set, especially since the latest trailer seems to suggest that it'll play a large role in the film's story.

Of course the real highlight of this 3-pack is the Falcon. It might seem that the only difference between this version of the ship and its 90s Micro Machines predecessor is the shape of the dish - but it's actually an all-new sculpt. The original MM Falcon - while incredibly detailed - was always a little too chunky at the front. This new version features a pair of nicely tapered mandibles that gives the ship a much more screen-accurate profile. My only gripe with the vehicle is that the non-rotatable dish is skewed slightly to one side. It's not a make-or-break - but the stickler in me wishes it had been glued on in a forward-facing position.

All up, this is a fantastic little pack - and, at roughly $3.50 a vehicle, great value too. Having picked it up, I can also officially close-off my Force Friday wishlist.

The Force Awakens Theatrical Trailer Released

As promised, the full and final theatrical trailer for The Force Awakens debuted during the NFL game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles just a few minutes ago. You can watch the trailer in all of its HD glory below.

I was pretty anxious leading up to the release of this trailer. That second teaser was just so perfect, and had such a huge emotional resonance. It was a tough act to follow. And while - for me - this final trailer didn't quite pack the emotional punch of the last one, it came pretty damn close.

"It's true. All of it. The dark side. The Jedi. They're real..."

What are your thoughts on the theatrical trailer for The Force Awakens? Be sure to email them to relicsoftheforce@gmail.com, or send me a tweet at @Archon_Revuge!

The Force Awakens Poster and Impending Theatrical Trailer

It's been the subject of rumour for a few weeks - but we now have official confirmation that the full and final theatrical trailer for the Force Awakens will debut tomorrow during halftime of the NFL game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. The game starts at 5:15pm. PDT - or 1.15pm (Tuesday) here in New Zealand. Along with this announcement, we also received our first look at the official one-sheet poster for The Force Awakens.

We've seen most of the elements in this poster before, but that moon/planet (Starkiller Base?) is entirely new, as is the diminutive alien (Lupita Nyong'o's character Maz Kanata?) in the centre.

Tomorrow may very well be the most exciting day we've had as Star Wars fans since The Force Awakens was first announced. If - like me - you really can't wait that long, you can watch three teaser clips from the trailer below.

The Official Star Wars Fact File Issue 3

Last week, issue 3 of The Official Star Wars Fact File hit stores here in New Zealand. Like the previous two issues, this one also came with a freebie - a set of dividers for the ring binder in issue 2

Issue 3 retails for $6.99 and features articles on Han Solo, General Grievous, and the Boonta Eve Podrace. This is the last issue that comes with a freebie (unless, of course, you decide to subscribe), so is the final one that I'll be picking up. I need to conserve my Star Wars budget for all of those awesome 3 3/4" figures on the horizon!

The Hunt Is On - The Force Awakens 3 3/4" BB-8, Unkar's Thug, and Jakku Scavenger Pack Found

It's no secret that demand far outstripped supply on Force Friday. For that reason, it's taken several weeks for items like the 3 3/4" two-packs to be widely available in the wild. Fortunately, our turn came over the weekend, and I was able top pick up the BB-8, Unkar's Thug, and Jakku Scavenger pack for the reduced price of $23.99 from my local Farmers store.

Let's be honest. There's one reason and one reason alone why anyone is interested in this pack - BB-8. In fact, unless you're willing to part with a huge chunk of cash for the Battle Action Millennium Falcon, this pack is currently the only way of getting your hands on a 3 3/4" scale version of the character. For what is a very simple figure, BB-8 doesn't fail to impress. Instead of opting for a swivel head, the designers have included a nifty ball-jointed mount that gives BB-8 a surprising amount of movement and expression. Hasbro has also nailed the sculpt and paint app - even though he might have been 'dirtied-up' a little bit to make him appear more realistic. (Which, it appears, is what's been done with the 'exclusive' BB-8 that comes with the Falcon.)

BB-8 comes with two other figures - Teedo (who we first saw riding his Luggabeast in Entertainment Weekly's Force Awakens feature) and Unkar's thug. Both figures come with the standard 5POA, but - like many other of the figures in this new line - they're sculpted in a way that makes this limited articulation very hard to spot when on display. Teedo comes with his screen-used staff, and the thug is armed with a nicely sculpted blaster pistol.

While I may have made peace with Hasbro's move to 5POA, I'm still very sceptical when it comes to their choice of pack-in accessories. The real elephant-in-the-room here is, of course, that giant net-launcher. At first I thought it was a backpack for one of the figures. But no, it's a gun. Perhaps the biggest gun we've ever seen with a 3 3/4" figure. There's no way either of the figures could hold this while on display - and even if they could, they'd look utterly ridiculous doing so. Judging by the Entertainment Weekly image of Teedo, it appears that the scavenger captures BB-8 in a net at some point - so the motivation behind this accessory makes at least a little bit of sense. But I can't help looking at the amount of plastic and moving parts in the weapon, and wondering if Hasbro couldn't have made better use of the resources. Perhaps they could have included a decent-sized net that could really hold BB-8? Or some 'desert salvage' that could be added to a diorama?

Granted, I'm thinking like a collector, and I have to remind myself that this is a line primarily aimed at kids. Action features are what will sell - not static accessories that can only be used for display purposes. It's also worth noting that this pack already includes two figures and BB-8 (compared with the other packs in this line, which only have two figures and a pack-in accessory). In light of this, the net launcher is really only an added bonus - and even without it, the pack would still be great value.

A Recap of Everything Star Wars at NYCC 2015

This past weekend marked the return of New York Comic-Con for another year. Unfortunately, Star Wars revelations were thin on the ground. Unlike SDCC back in July, there was no The Force Awakens panel, nor any updates on either Rogue One or the other upcoming Star Wars anthology films. Perhaps the most exciting piece of Star Wars news to come out of NYCC was this brand new trailer for season 2 of Star Wars Rebels.

Elsewhere in canon news, Del Rey confirmed two sequels to Chuck Wendig's Star Wars: Aftermath, entitled Aftermath: Life Debt and Aftermath: Empire's End. Claudia Gray will also be releasing a novel set six years before The Force Awakens called New Republic: Bloodlines, and Marvel will be adding to their growing Star Wars library with Obi-Wan and Anakin - a 5-issue mini-series set between Episodes II and III.

Of course, one of the most exciting parts of these conventions is seeing all of the exciting new merchandise that will soon be available for purchase. While eFX, Kotobukiya, and Sideshow Collectibles had plenty to offer premium collectors, the Hasbro panel was a little more disappointing. The big focus was on the Black Series 6" line - including our first official looks at Ello Asty, the First Order Snowtrooper, the First Order TIE Fighter Pilot, General Hux, Han Solo, and the Resistance Trooper. Hasbro also gave a sneak peak of their upcoming Darth Revan and Sabine Wren "fans' choice" figures.

Sadly, there were no new reveals of 3 3/4" figures from either the 5POA or SA Black Series lines. In fact, other than the Black Series Titanium helmets and a few new additions to the 12" and Galactic Heroes lines, Hasbro didn't have much at all to show. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. We've recently seen that the "mystery-box" marketing of The Force Awakens has limited Hasbro to only releasing products from the first third of the film. Given the wide variety of items we've already seen, it makes sense that Hasbro won't have too much more up their sleeve until - perhaps - the next trailer is released.

What were your highlights of this year's NYCC? Be sure to email them to me at relicsoftheforce@gmail.com or send a tweet to @Archon_Revuge!

C-3PO, R2-D2, and Yoda Pez Dispensers

Over the last month there's been a raft of new Star Wars collectibles flooding stores - but we've also seen the return of some old favourites, including the ever-awesome Pez dispenser range. While these have been tricky to find in New Zealand in the past, they're now turning up pretty much everywhere that sells novelty candy. I picked up R2-D2 and Yoda for $4.00 each from The Warehouse, and C-3PO for $2.00US ($3.04US) from Target while I was back in Houston.

These'll be joining my Chewbacca, Darth Sidious from New York, and Darth Vader and Stormtrooper from London to round out what is becoming a very international set of items. Now I'm just crossing my fingers that we'll soon see some of the iconic characters from The Force Awakens in this line!

Your Guide to Star Wars at NYCC 2015

This week sees the return of New York Comic Con for another year. As always, there'll be a strong Star Wars presence at the event - including a few panels that promise to be very exciting for fans and collectors like. Below, you'll find a list of everything Star Wars at NYCC. All event descriptions are taken from the official NYCC webpage, and times and dates have been converted to New Zealand local time.

Hasbro Star Wars [Friday, October 9, 4.15am – 5.15am]: Join members of the Hasbro team as they discuss the popular Hasbro Star Wars line that hit shelves on Force Friday! Attendees will get an in-depth look at Hasbro’s latest action figure offerings with a look at new product coming later this year.

Star Wars Rebels Season 2 Panel [Friday, October 9, 6.30am – 7.30am]: With new episodes of the exciting second season of Star Wars Rebels debuting on Disney XD this fall, Fans will get an exclusive sneak peek of what's to come in a Panel featuring Special Guests and a discussion of the new storylines and characters being introduced throughout the new season.

Star Wars Rebels Season 2 Sneak Preview [Friday, October 9, 10.30am – 11.45am]: Fans are invited to a sneak preview screening of two new episodes from the highly-anticipated second season of Star Wars Rebels which will feature the series debut of Captain Rex, Captain Gregor and Commander Wolffe – three clones from the previous Star Wars animated series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. They join another fan favorite from The Clone Wars – Ahsoka Tano – who made her Star Wars Rebels debut in the final episode of Season 1. Fans of both series won't want to miss this incredible preview of what's to come in the all-new episodes from the second season of Star Wars Rebels!

Star Wars: A Galaxy of Fandom [Saturday, October 10, 4.00am – 5.00am]: The new era of Star Wars is here! Join Special Guests from the worlds of games, books, comics and entertainment as they share memories of seeing Star Wars for the first time; discuss how the sprawling space epic shaped their lives; and more. Geek out over your favorite parts of that galaxy far, far away with Superfans from Wookieepedia and get hyped for The Force Awakens and other exciting new chapters in the Star Wars saga!

Star Wars Collectibles Update with Lucasfilm's Anita Castellar [Saturday, October 10, 6.30am – 7.30am]: Join a surprise panelist as we make an exciting announcement for the future of Star Wars collectibles. Moderating will be Anita Castellar, a self-professed Star Wars Fangirl who manages licensing for hardlines categories at Lucasfilm, such as toys, collectibles, consumer electronics, automotive and more.

Disney-Lucasfilm Publishing Presents: Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens [Sunday, October 11, 5.15am – 6.15am]: While Star Wars Fans eagerly await the new movie The Force Awakens, there's a new crop of titles coming out from Disney-Lucasfilm Press this fall that will take readers on a Journey to The Force Awakens–with intriguing narratives and variant perspectives of events happening in a galaxy far, far away. Now NYCC Attendees can hear from a select group of Authors penning these titles and learn what's new and to-come in the Star Wars universe.

Lucasfilm Presents: Star Wars: A Galactic Reader's Theatre [Monday, October 12, 5.00am – 6.00am]: Join a select group of Author talent as they give NYCC Attendees a special Reader's Theatre of stories from a galaxy far, far away. Nothing too dark, daring or dangerous is off-limits and NYCC Attendees will be thrilled to experience these narratives in an all-new theatrical way.