Devilbat

I found this set yesterday at a Bargain Hunt for eleven bucks. The details are fantastic on these figures...they sport the simplicity of the early POTF2 figures, but the sculpting is like a NECA figure or something on each of them. They’re now my favorite respective version of these characters, especially the Emperor. He even comes with interchangeable “Force lightning” hands! So cool...

Back last spring, my basement flooded (for the second time in two years), and I had to move everything out of the big closet I keep my toys in over into my little "Star Wars" room. Some boxes got ruined...had to open alot of stuff, but most of it survived unscathed. My point to all this is, when you have to move your entire collection and sort through it, it kinda gives you a chance to rediscover some things you love but don't spend time looking at, or maybe you stumble across stuff you forgot you had, or even...in my case, stuff you even forgot you bought in the first place. (lol) I think sometimes I get so caught-up in the chase, so to speak, that I forget to stop and just appreciate what I have instead of always looking ahead to what I still want... A couple of weeks ago, I finally got all my stuff back into my basement closet, and...I'm almost embarrassed by all the stuff I have accumulated. (lol) It's so much fun to stick my head in there from time to time to just momentarily take-in what I've found, and the kid in me gushes when I see that stuff. I would have never believed growing-up that I'd have the amount of stuff I have at this point in my life. I don't say that to brag, I just feel so fortunate to have any of it.

I think this is an excellent idea...

Y'know, I didn't even realize I could post here. (lol) I'm just happy they're making the ESB Han available through the regular retail line...when I saw the SDCC exclusive, I was like, "Aww, man..." Glad I have a shot at him...

Blackmada!! Wow, this is a blast from the past... Hope you're doing well!! Glad to have you back!!

Oh yeah, I finally got around to getting a Black Series Boba Fe...er, I mean Captain Phasma from The Force Awakens, too. (lol)

I sold some stuff and made some money to go to a convention today where I found a ton of Black Series 6-inch figures I didn't have. I scored the Target exclusive Chewie from Solo, Qi'ra, and young Lando, along with Bespin Lando and a Snowtrooper from Empire. I also got an "Island Journey" Rey, DJ, and a Crimson Guard, too.

Hmm...I'm not usually one to get excited about variants with minimal changes, especially Captain Phasma...but I really enjoyed what little screen-time she had in The Last Jedi. Her little "botched-execution" scene followed by her tussle with Finn was pretty cool, actually. I like this one...

Hey Phanstar...I used to see them at Barnes and Noble stores, along with Books-A-Million. They might still be carrying them. I'll be sure to be on the lookout for you when I'm out-and-about...I wouldn't mind getting them by the case to ensure I had mint/carded examples...

Well, I finally got to see Solo earlier this evening... (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!) Wow!! I loved this movie...it was the kind of semi-origin story I wanted to see, but even better. In fact, it was much better than I was expecting...I think sometimes the big studios shoot themselves in the proverbial foot, so to speak, when they declare a movie has under-performed during its opening weekend. I think maybe that was part of the reason Solo's not done as well as industry insiders were expecting. I really don't have a fool-proof litmus test, as it were, as to why this movie is underrated...I do know my older brother got to see it a few weeks ago, and he absolutely loved it, and he's so very picky when it comes to movies...he's discerning to almost an irritating extent, and he really liked it. And tonight, the crowd we were with applauded at the end...I really can't decide if I started it or not, though... (lol) Anyway, I loved the street-rat scrapper stuff in the beginning, and it all made sense now when you see why Han joins the Empire. By the way, I loved how they portrayed the infantry grunts that fight for the Empire...I just always assumed, like everyone else, I guess, that Stormtroopers were the grunts, but actually, the troops' uniform and gear looks alot like what General Veers wears in The Empire Strikes Back, but with web-gear and what-not included. I had seen a pic of Han in the uniform somewhere, and I just assumed it was a disguise for breaking in somewhere, to which I internally groaned to myself, as that kind of thing was too "Star-Warsy" and predictable...turns out, it was actually his real infantry uniform, and I loved that whole sequence. I truly loved how Han meets Chewie...that whole scene was so great. And Donald Glover...they couldn't have gotten anyone more perfect to play Lando. If you could close your eyes and just listen to him talk, you'd swear it was Billy Dee Williams in the movie. He was great... Woody Harrelson was okay...I've always liked him, but he kinda took me out of the movie every time he popped-up. He played a good part, and I liked his character, but...I don't know. Maybe he was just too big of a name to be in this movie. I feel like he was miscast somewhat, but he was good, just not great to me... All the scenes involving the Falcon were so much fun...I kept trying to look and see what was different about it when Lando still had it...I almost got emotional whenever I saw the Falcon reveal scene, by the way... There was just so much packed into this movie about Han's early years...some things were details hinted-at in literature and what-not, stuff I've known about since 1978, like how Han found himself in the Imperial Navy(?), and how he saved Chewie from enslavement by the Empire...things that were only briefly mentioned in the old Marvel comics, magazines, and background info Lucasfilm may have released in various media. I guess the younger fans and newcomers could appreciate all that, but, for us old-timers...it's just loads of fun to see the old rumors and side-notes actually fleshed-out on-screen after all these years... The only minor gripe I might have, and it's very minor, but...I felt like Darth Maul's appearance at the end was shoe-horned into this film. They seem to portray him as a kind-of crime lord on Dathomir, and I guess that's okay...I think something to do with Boba Fett would have been more appropriate, like we would see perhaps not exactly the Fett in Empire, but something evolving from Jango Fett's look, like he could have been a henchman for Dryden Vos. But perhaps that would have been too much for Solo's first, er...solo film. (lol) But maybe there could have been a smuggling rivalry or something between the two...something to further explain why Fett had it in for him and seemed so determined to get him. They seem to imply he was more motivated than most to acquire Han in Empire, going so far as to digitally insert him in A New Hope. It just would have been neat to flesh-out Fett some more and perhaps build him up to be more than just the set-piece he was in the original films. Again, I loved this movie, and I really wouldn't mind seeing it again. It was tons of fun, and it definitely, in my humble opinion, does not deserve the "box-office bomb" label it seems to be getting.

Yeah, my wife and I took our little girl earlier this evening for what very well may turn out to be our last trip to Toys-R-Us ever...it was very sad and depressing. All of the aisles in the stores were empty except for the very front of the store where normally the newest and/or more popular toy lines were displayed. There was the one main shelf in the front that faces the registers, and some shelves lined with a few things here and there...nothing really note-worthy, and that was about it. Oh, and there were about six or so carts lined-up in front of the registers with the best stuff in them, which really wasn't saying much at this point... I managed to find two Marvel 3-3/4" two-packs; I got the Yondu/Star Lord set, along with the Dr. Strange/Astral Strange set. I also found a Star Wars: TFA pre-order kit that comes with a digital HD download and collectible poster prints, and that was it. The only other things left that I might've been remotely interested in was a DC Multiverse Suicide Squad Capt. Boomerang, and a Star Wars Rebels Ezra Bridger with his Speeder...there were a metric ton of those speeders, but there was only two or three of the Boomerangs left... At one point I wanted to wander-off over towards where the action figure aisles used to be, wondering if there might be anything left...nothing. The buzz of the shoppers that were digging through the shopping carts seemed to fade into the distance behind me, almost becoming a dull, far-off noise, and I just stared at those empty aisles and shelves blocked-off with yellow tape. I just wasn't prepared for the feelings of loss and realizing I have been taking for granted the fact that Toys-R-Us would always be there...maybe I'm just being childish and dramatic, or overly nostalgic, but...this is starting to hurt quite a bit, and it's truly dawning on me for real that I may never see the inside of a Toys-R-Us store ever again. Perhaps it's a little greedy for me to want to hang-on to something like this...I've had my fun, I suppose. I just hate it for my little girl and all the other little kids that won't have the option to indulge in a store that's all about toys. Yeah, there'll always be other stores that carry toys, and I didn't always buy everything I was looking for at Toys-R-Us, but it was always a really fun, getaway-of-an-option for just a little while, where you could be nine-years-old again and just marvel at all the toys you wish you could have, and perhaps find a few you could take home... It's a bittersweet feeling, because I'm happy about the deal I got. I generally don't seek-out the 3-3/4" Marvel figures...they don't seem to be quite as sharp-looking as their 6-inch counterparts, but for 80% off, I couldn't really pass them up since they had been $19.99 apiece at full price. (I don't even remember what I paid for the Star Wars: TFA kit...) And, upon closer inspection, the 3-3/4" Marvel sets didn't look half-bad, really...I just had to rummage around until I found a set with a Yondu that didn't have wonky eyes. (lol) I do wish the Star Lord figure came with an alternate Peter Quill head that could be swapped-out, but that's nit-picking... So, there it is...my last trip to good-ol' Toys-R-Us. Maybe it's a little pathetic that a forty-four-year-old toy collector is sad about a toy store closing its doors forever, but even my wife came away feeling pretty sad about the whole thing...I don't think she was prepared for the feelings she's experiencing about it, either, and she's no collector, although she always liked to Christmas shop there every year. Oh well, what can you do? *sigh* Goodbye, Geoffrey...thanks for all of the fun and wonderful memories. Hopefully someday you may be resurrected, or even better...saved by someone at the last minute! (Here's hoping...) ,

Man...I had plans to go. It's just a couple of hours away, but my summertime budget can't quite handle it, so I guess I'll have to try again some other time... *sigh*

I was mentioned by the head moderator...I'm famous!! (lol) Thank you, gentlemen, for the update. I've been posting and sharing on here for so many years that it feels like a part of my home...a fun, inviting, and familiar place I've always been able to come and indulge in talking about, looking at, and sharing pics of toys (mostly). Thanks guys, for providing such a place, and I look forward to many more years on here!

Oh, Joe...I am so very sorry. My issues are nothing in comparison. I truly hope your prognosis is good, and I'll definitely be praying for you and your dad. God bless you, my friend...