Today, our review is posted at Galactic Hunter. We look at the marvelous C-3PO from the latest Star Wars movie. With every new movie, we get a new C-3PO, but is it better? Is there actually a way they could improve on this character? Could he be any shinier? Find out in today's review!

A truly funny man has left the world-- RIP Mitch Hedberg. The stand-up comic had a number of specials and a couple of CDs and was a rare comic that was both funny and surprisingly clean. He will be missed.

April Fool's Day is a cause of great mirth and great... pains in the ass. Numerous hoaxes are easy to spot but a lot of actual news skirts the line of being too good to be true or possibly a hoax, and as such, we'll be holding off for anything that isn't Star Wars today. And we'll be going to go buy some crap right about now.

Despite not much of it appearing here, the editorial staff has been and will most likely always be a hardcore group of Star Wars dorks. That's what got us into toys and that's why we're here today. We're going hunting this evening (technically last night, this is being written before a late night toy run) and there are many new items that we're going to hunt this weekend-- the real kicker is we don't know what one of them is at this point. Ordinarily we post this sort of thing at Galactic Hunter but for some reason it seems unprofessional, so we decided to put it here.

TFW2005 posted in-box images of the new Alternators Swerve-- and it looks like the flame sticker for the hood was not a hoax after all. Assuming this is not some elaborate hoax, it includes the sticker from the blue redeco of BinalTech Tracks.

The Digital Bits posted the news-- in July, there's going to be a release of Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Collection with both films and a bonus disc. We're sold. What's on disc three? Legend has it they shot a ton of deleted footage from the sequel (originally titled Bill & Ted Go to Hell) and this might be a great way to put it out. But the site itself mentions a title of one of the animated cartoons (surely you remember the episode where the two boys go to ancient China to replace Missy's broken vase) and some other stuff.

We went hunting and pretty much got what we wanted-- and if you're buying Revenge of the Sith toys, here's some things you should know.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. Hasbro made a mail-in offer of sorts with its Early Bird Kit, so what's the deal with it and what exactly do you get? Why aren't the stands working like they should? And will that Toys "R" Us green Jedi Starfighter appear in the film, and is it really Anakin's? Be sure to find out-- because the answers are in today's column!

TransFormers mega-scribe Simon Furman granted an interview over at the TFW2005 which answers a lot of questions-- some of which you probably wouldn't have opted to ask. It's informative, so go check it out.

The folks from Shocker Toys sent us a big fat press release announcing Bucky O'Hare in its Shockini toy line. We reviewed a sample Shockini in 2004 and were quite pleased with it and were hoping to hear they licensed something we would find exciting, and frankly, this is pretty exciting. Bucky is best remembered as a cartoon show from the 1990s with a green rabbit, a four-armed duck pirate, and some dorky kid going around fighting froglike aliens. We enjoyed it and are glad to see it yet again. From the press release:

TransFormers movie news has been lacking lately but it seems the internet rumor mill is pointing to Roland Emmerich and Michael Bay. You may recall that a few reports surfaced last month that seemed to indicate we were about due for a director announcement, but we're still waiting-- it's possible these will be way off, as with all the early Star Wars prequel director rumors. But still, it's fun to read.

The guys over at NCS added a preorder of somewhat pricey puppy keychains from the Nintendo DS title Nintendogs. These don't look at all like typical game merch or Nintendo character designs, we're linking to them here because they will no doubt appeal to fans of such things. This certainly isn't filler for a slow day in a news environment dominated by Star Wars, no siree. (By the way, give your red Royal Guard one of the Ninja Battles staffs from G.I. Joe. It's awesome.)

We're mired in moving, freelance articles, and Revenge of the Sith swag. So, more tomorrow-- including a review of the mega-hyped Lava Reflection Darth Vader.

Today, our review is posted at Galactic Hunter. We look at the odd yet still neat Lava Reflection Darth Vader from the latest Star Wars movie-- and it's also a Target exclusive! Limited to a fairly large run of 50,000 pieces, it won't be too hard to find in the long run-- but is it even worth tracking down? We've got pictures and the full scoop in today's review!

More later.

GH posted a blurb with a link to Hasbro's info (and some extra info) on what you get if you bought and sent off for the Wal-Mart Early Bird Kit Star Wars figures-- and huzzah, they're new! Luke has a telescoping lightsaber, Chewie seems to have his mouth closed, R2-D2 may be recycled, but Leia looks like a mishmash of new and old parts. Overall, good stuff.

A letter-- with a few typos-- is going around the TransFormers sites indicating that Hasbro has stopped releasing Generation One reissues for the time being. They use the term "hiatus" which could be a year or several years-- the earliest recent line to be put on hiatus was Zoids, which Hasbro previously said would return in 2005. There's no sign of it yet.

The guys over at The Digital Bits have information on the long-rumored Daily Show DVDs. It isn't a season box, but rather a three-disc set with uncensored bits and episodes from the 2004 election. Sure, it's a little late, but it's filled with quality stuff you can watch with your kids down the road and they can go "I don't get it, is this supposed to be funny?"

A lot of stories are floating around on this one-- Nintendo's replacing its Pokemon Center in New York with a new Nintendo World Store, a giant company store like an Apple Store, but not. No word on additional locations yet, although old-school Nintendo fans may recall the old "World of Nintendo" mini-stores in the likes of Sears or Captron (World of Nintendo) stores at numerous shopping malls. This will be kinda like that, but more so.

The last new Joes in a while have been trickling out, but it seems more places are starting to get them. Here's a rundown on what we're seeing so far.

Some older cases of TransFormers Alternators are showing up at select (so far) Kay-Bee toy stores. If you missed Smokescreen or Sideswipe, you can now get them for a fairly cheap $12.99, an excellent price if you haven't already purchased any of them.

Business this weekend. Back later.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. What kind of Clones does 2005 have in store for you? Why can't you get all the Revenge of the Sith figures yet? And does Diamond Comics have a warped sense of humor, or are they just clueless when it comes to Star Wars? Be sure to find out-- because the answers are in today's column!

TransFormers will supposedly be directed by Michael Bay, favorite director of Jerry Brukheimer and the guy responsible for Pearl Harbor and lots of other stuff I wouldn't pay to see. MTV and other sources are saying this is the real deal, so hey, there ya go.

Was out of town again. As such, light update-- not much is going on outside of Star Wars and that's our focus on another page.

Action Figure Xpress has the set of three MOTU statue figures up for preorder. For $53.99, you get a Snout Spout, a Hordak, and a Clawful. This brings it to about $18 a pop, which is probably about what it'd cost to continue the figure line as an overseas exclusive if you're an American buyer. We're not entirely convinced we need these just yet but we very much do like the concept and as we like stupid elephant things, Snout Spout may be reviewed here come July 2005.

MTV, May 12, 9:30 PM EDT. Color us vaguely interested.

Playmobil has been good to us, offering us drunk homeless men, ninjas, pirates, robots, and monkeys for kids of all ages. Then they release something like this Easter Bunny School which looks like a mishmash of Smurfs housing with mad scientist gear. I understand this may sound cool, but like sniffing glue and playing with bugs, it is not.

Photos around the web, including Takara's own eHobby page, are showing that the new Liger Jack toy from Galaxy Force (and eventually TransFormers Cybertron) can combine with both Galaxy Convoy (Optimus Prime) and Master Megatron (Megatron). Neat-o.

Before the inevitable season boxes, there's going to be a best-of set with 10 episodes. Screen captures, packaging art, and features are listed at TVShowsOnDVD.com and we gotta say we're actually impressed enough to snag this when it comes out. Good job, He-Fans!

The Eidos megahit returns in an era where giant polygon boobs are the norm instead of an exception as can be seen on this series of photos at The Magic Box. The character model has been improved a great deal and looks less like she got hit in the face with a frying pan, and as far as the character model goes, she's an improvement. Will gamers care? Well, we didn't, give us back our fat plumbers and Princes of All Cosmos or something innovative.

NECA once again sees a void and fills it. Action-Figure.com has shots of their new Napoleon Dynamite head knocker (bobblehead) from the movie of the same name. Shirts, stickers, and other licensed wares have been doing brisk business at Hot Topic in recent months so it's probably a matter of time before these get made into something else, like Japanese brick figures. Vote for Pedro.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. We look at Clones, the new Early Bird Kit, 2006, Target rumors, and more. Do you know what we think the claw is from the recently released Clone Pilot? Be sure to find out-- because an answer (or perhaps the answer) is in today's column!

TransFormers may have at least one more release in store for Energon, as Hasbro added Overbite and Repugnus to their web site. Overbite is almost a straight reissue of the Japanese toy Hellscream, which is and always has been one of our personal favorites. Repugnus is a repaint of the American-only Beast Wars Fuzors toy Buzzclaw, another favorite. While these may well end up as Universe or even Cybertron toys, they are most definitely a surprise!

Fans of Joel, Mike, and the bots are in luck next week as the fourth volume of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 collection hits stores for about $60. This one has The Killer Shrews, Hercules Unchained, Hercules Against the Moon Men, and Prince of Space. Good times.

Reports around the web indicate that the Grimlock retool has hit stores. So you fans of TransFormers Alternators, keep your eyes opened for everybody's favorite animated creator of the Dinobots, Wheeljack! We have yet to see one but we'll keep you posted.

Once again The Magic Box has some shots of another new release, this time Namco's PlayStation 2 Soul Calibur III. While the likes of Link and Spawn seem to be gone, these four screens show the next evolution in the series of very popular fighters best known as starting out as the Dreamcast's arguably finest title. And it looks like Ivy has some new costumes.

Like wacky Japanese toys? We sure do. Video game importer NCS manages to pick up some really neat items, and while they are not a sponsor, we like their style, and as such, we think you might like to see these. Because they're really neat items.

Galactic Hunter has posted a Q&A column by yours truly. We look at Unleashed, the new Early Bird Kit, how to get questions in to people at Celebration III, and more. But what about C-3PO figures never having knee joints? Is there a reason for this? Be sure to find out-- because an answer (or perhaps the answer) is in today's column!

Master Collector added shots of the new General to their convention preview pages, and we have to say, it's a very interesting figure. Not to say it's bad or it's good, but it's worth seeing to say the least. All five figures that will make up the con gift set are now on display.

Taking a cue from Hasbro's cinema scenes from Star Wars, Toy Biz is packaging mostly older figures with some new figures this year with a number of figure multipacks seemingly designed for the international market only. What does this mean to you, American Fanboy? It means that these items on Action-Figure.com will be available to you through trade buddies, eBay, and scalpers. The six multi-packs are pictured on the bottom of the page.

It's coming! Minna Daisuki Katamari Damacy (which we assume means Everyone's Favorite Katamari Damacy) has a release date. In Japan, anyway, you can get this game on July 7 for a paltry 5229 yen. The Magic Box has three pages of pictures and it's looking quite good. Like any good sequel, it seems they kept a lot of what was good about the first game graphically, and made some upgrades. So, don't toss out your PS2 for the Xbox 360 (or whatever they call it) just yet-- there's still some good titles on the way!

Sorry we missed this one folks-- the new DVD box for Invader Zim hit stores recently. You can buy either the complete series in a big box with a bonus materials disc and an exclusive GIR figure, or you can buy just the box, disc, and figure. The entire deal can be had for less than $80, while just the box can be had for $24-$40. We have yet to pick this up but it sounds like the extras disc is attractive enough to warrant a purchase despite the box itself being a little bland.

McFarlane Toys has been great about recognizing a market and getting product out for it-- they snagged the license for The Simpsons, and they just got Napoleon Dynamite, which we assumed would go to NECA. Not many ultra-low budget indie movies made in tiny towns for seven dollars are this marketable, and with the Hot Topic following and small, steady stream of licensed products, this will probably make for an interesting release when they finally hit stores.

A few months ago we moved the home office across town. Now we have to move it to Los Angeles. This is why we haven't been able to do new reviews and updates on weekends have been removed-- we've been packing a lot. If you see the kind of things we review, you can understand that this takes a lot of time. When we return with regular reviews, there will be fewer than we did from February through March just because, well, we have to unpack too.

Back in the 1990s, "alternative" (read: no longer in business) toy makers decided variants were great, and made clear, black, and all sorts of oddball recolors of characters you'll never care about. Taking a cue from them, Hasbro said "hey, we can make a recolor, but let's make ours fit in with the movies!" Thankfull our review at Galactic Hunter today looks at a good example of how to do a clear figure from an old mold with our look at Holographic Yoda from the latest Star Wars movie. It's an exclusive, and it has come and gone-- is it worth tracking down? Or for that matter, was it worth the initial asking price of $9.99 or as a gift with purchase? Find out in today's review!

First up, GameStop and EB are merging. These guys have a stranglehold on the used game price market and exist as a bit of a duopoly, keeping prices ridiculously high and after years of competition, consumers aren't any better off. Although I guess it does give you a place to go where the employees will let you know how great their TV is.

Today at Target, we made a few sightings. For starters, Alternators Wheeljack is in stores, as is Universe Blastcharge! Happy hunting, we'll provide pics as we can, which will most likely be next month. Yes, I know, exciting.

Today's review over at Galactic Hunter looks at the new site mascot, the super-cool Clone Commander from the latest Star Wars movie. It's super-posable, has a lot of accessories, and looks like that awesome red ARC Trooper-- but is it worth all the hassle of tracking it down right now? Find out in today's review!

After Japan got some recolored systems, the USA now gets one in blue-- and you can see it at GameSpot. Looks nice. This seems to be a western hemisphere excllusive.

Infamous collector PPrime posted some new shots to TFW2005, including the first packaged Korean toys from Armada. Even more surprising is a semi-retooled Scorponok, with the stinger revised to accept the new Cybertron-style planet key. Neat stuff.