Star Wars Action News - Audio Podcast Feed

This week, Dan and Jerry are back to discuss all that is happening--or perhaps NOT happening at store shelves. Even though the "brick and mortars" are quiet, there is a lot of on-line news this week. Gentle Giant put three new pre-orders up and there's sure to be something for everybody: a jumbo vintage figure, a deluxe mini-bust, and a deluxe statue. Also, news of a highly-anticipated Clone Wars battle pack hit and in the spirit of Republic Forces Radio Network; Jerry & Dan discuss the 35-second teaser trailer for Season 5. But the highlight of this week's show: our very own holocron enhancer, Berent, brings us an interview with artist William Silvers who was at the ACME Archives art exhibit at Disneyland this past week. Mr. Silvers was even kind enough to autograph a print, "The Kessel Run", for a lucky listener. But there's more Disney fun to be had this week including the Build-a-Droid pieces that will be available at Tatooine Traders and you can hear what Jerry and Dan think about the "Carbon Freeze Me" promotion there as well. All this and a UK Store Report from Phil on this week's episode of Star Wars Action News.

We are rapidly approaching the tenth anniversary of the second Star Wars prequel film--Attack of the Clones. With the proto-stormtroopers, the emergence of a new Sith Lord, and Boba fett's father Jango, this movie was built up to with all the hype that came with the Star Wars prequels. On this week's Star Wars Action News podcast Marjorie and Arnie look back at the Episode II hoopla, from the Saga Collection of figures' midnight release to Star Wars Celebration II in Indianapolis, as well as their own personal connection to this prequel. Also on this week's podcast, the third try was the charm for Sideshow's Premium Format Stormtrooper. After two damaged pieces, Marjorie and Arnie have gotten a complete piece of this Sideshow collectible. With its portrayal of the faceless troops of the Imperial Army, is this something you should add to your collection? Listen to find out! With Nathan P. Butler's final entry in his look back at the Hasbro comic figure packs, Brock's review of The Essential Guide to Warfare, a new line of statues from Sideshow Collectibles, and 25 new astromech figures, it's all on this week's Star Wars Acton News podcast!

While pictures online of the next wave of Vintage, Movie Heroes, and Clone Wars figures appear on Star Wars collecting sites, the stores themselves are still lacking in new Star Wars toys. But just because the latest wave of figures isn't there doesn't mean there's nothing to buy! On this week's Star Wars Action News podcast, Marjorie and Arnie recount their multi-city toy run and play your voicemails. Listen to find out where to get discounts on Legos, exclusive Hasbro toys, Gentle Giant busts, and more! Also on this week's show, Marjorie looks at a unique high-end Etsy seller of custom Star Wars artworks using scrap metal. These expensive steampunk renditions of classic Star Wars characters and vehicles are a unique way to show a love for Star Wars. Plus a rundown of Steve Sansweet's Ultimate Action Figure Collection, it's all on this week's Star Wars Action News podcast!

Kicking off the con season this week Marjorie and Arnie headed to the windy city for C2E2 to check out the art, the autographs, and the shopping. On this week's Star Wars Action News podcast they are joined by fellow C2E2 attendees Chris and Sarah to talk about the figures they found and the other collectibles on the C2E2 showroom floor! Plus Arnie has an interview with Zach Oat from Diamond Select Toys discussing their quarter-scale figures, their bust banks, and some upcoming convention exclusives! Also on this week's show, Brock returns to review the last book of the Fate of the Jedi series. It's been a prolonged series with several delays. With Apocalypse capping off the series, is it worth picking up? Listen to Brock's review to find out! With a discussion of Star Wars T-Shirts, Bradford Exchange dioramas, and more, it's all on this week's Star Wars Action News!

Marjorie and Arnie are back behind the mic on Star Wars Action News, and they've brought with them new Star Wars collecting news and reviews. On this week's podcast, they review two exclusive Gentle Giant mini-busts, the 2011 Collector's Guild exclusive Commander Fox and the 2012 WonderCon exclusive Yoda with 3-D glasses. With limited production runs are these two busts worth featuring in your collection? Listen to find out! Also on this week's show, your Star Wars Action News hosts run down early shots of Hasbro's next wave of vintage figures, wave 2 of Movie Heroes figures, and foreign Phantom Menace 3-D promotional items. With Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination touring news, new items from Acme Archives and Sideshow Collectibles, and a Star Wars dance, it's all on this week's Star Wars Action News!

As Star Wars toys continue to trickle in across the country, new product has starting showing up in stores. Wal-Mart's cancelled wave of Clone Wars DVD 2-packs are now appearing at discount stores, and the Wal-Mart "Discover the Force" exclusive Qui-Gon Jinn Ultimate FX Lightsaber, LEGO mini-sets, Easter Vaders, and more. On this week's Star Wars Action News podcast we run down the latest finds, including where you can get unpunched Vintage Collection figures by the wheel barrel for $5 per figure! For a special Star Wars Action News report, Steve Sansweet joins us to discuss his latest purchases at Rancho Obi-Wan, including an item that can truly unlock your collection's potential, and a discussion of those odd bootleg stormtroopers that have been spotted in China. Despite a long hiatus, Hasbro is back for a new Q&A session, plus, we take another look at the Blu-ray deleted scene wave of figures, and listen to your voicemails. It's all on this week's Star Wars Action News podcast!

Star Wars sales continue as the ramp up for Easter hits its peak; both Toys R Us and Target are both having half-off sales on Star Wars this week. On the latest Star Wars Action News podcast Marjorie and Arnie run down the sales, including how to maximize your Fighter Pods purchase, and where you can get an Ultimate Force F/X lightsaber for $10 shipped! Also on this week's podcast your Star Wars Action News hosts look at the latest online offerings, from large items, like Sideshow Collectibles' life-sized Darth Malgus statue, to small items, such as Gentle Giant's Wondercon exclusive Yoda mini-bust. With Nathan continuing his series of comic pack reports, Steve reporting in with a toy find in the UK, and Marjorie tells how the Star Wars marketing machine shaped a very large purchase, all on this week's Star Wars Action News!

Maybe not since Heir to the Empire has a Star Wars Expanded Universe been as hotly anticipated as James Luceno's Darth Plagueis. Since Revenge of the Sith hit theaters Star Wars ans have wondered how much of Palpatine's tale of his former master was true. Could Plagueis stop people from dying? Did he pass on the knowledge to Palpatine? And, most importantly, did Plagueis cause the creation of Anakin Skywalker? But after appearing on Del Rey's Star Wars book list for release in 2008 the book was pulled by Lucasfilm. Now, four years after it's originally scheduled release, James Luceno and Lucasfilm have given us Darth Plagueis and answered those many questions...from a certain point of view. On this week's Star Wars Action News James Luceno talks to Arnie about what transpired to get this novel released, George Lucas' direct involvement in the story, how The Clone Wars reviving Darth Maul impacted his story, and whether or not Plageous really did create The Chosen One. Read the book, then come to get all the backstory and Luceno's own interpretation of the events hinted at by the novel. With Star Wars eye shadow, more deleted scenes figures hitting pegs, and an Ultimate Lego R2-D2, it's all on this week's Star Wars Action News!

This past Sunday the Toy Man Toy Show was held in St. Louis and Marjorie and Arnie were on hand to report, and to shop! On this week's podcast they discuss the new vintage and vintage vintage items they found at the con, including a Return of the Jedi pop-up book and a deleted scene Luke Skywalker figure. But their find of the show were two custom items made by a local craftsman--giant sized Lego Star Wars statues! Fully articulated with removable helmets, listen to hear all about these figures and how you can get some of these for your collection! With a store report, a 3-D phantom menace book and the Uncle Milton Darth Maul room light, all this and more on this week's Star Wars Action News!

This past weekend a light went out in the universe as Ralph McQuarrie passed away at the age of 82. The concept artist of the original trilogy, the artist took Lucas' words and created visions of a galaxy far, far away that would inspire generations of artists to come. It is to the memory of this great visionary that Marjorie, Arnie, and the crew of Star Wars Action News dedicate our latest podcast. He will be missed. Also on this week's show, Marjorie and Arnie review the latest wave of Vintage figures--the deleted scene wave featuring Luke, Leia, Lando, Cracken, and a Mon Calamari A-Wing pilot. With a discussion on the ethics of figure hiding, new store discounts, and more, it's all in this week's Star Wars Action News Podcast!

When The Phantom Menace was released in 1999 the food tie-ins were omnipresent. From Kentucky Fried Chicken to Taco Bell to Pepsi to Doritos you could almost have an entire (albeit unhealthy) diet of Star Wars branded foods. While the 3-D rerelease is a bit more subdued, there are still a number of Star Wars food tie-in collectibles in your local grocery store. On this week's Star Wars Action News podcast, Marjorie and Arnie run down several Star Wars food items, including cereal pack-in pens and posters, gummy candies, Easter candy lightsabers, and many more! Also on this week's show, Marjorie and Arnie play some of your reviews of the Star Wars 3-D rerelease. From across the US and even internationally, listen to hear if othe rstar Wars fans' 3-D experiences mirrored your own, and then Arnie and Marjorie update you on the future of 3-D Star Wars both in theaters and in home video. With an update on store sales and new Vintage and exclusive Star Wars toys, and a Star Wars minis update from the hosts of the Star Wars Miniverse, it's all this week on Star Wars Action News podcast!

When Arnie and Marjorie decide to spend a little extra time in New York after tirelessly covering Toy Fair 2012, the B-Team from Cincinnati take the reins! Jerry and Dan are back to discuss their thoughts on Phantom Menace 3D, Hasbro's Toy Fair announcements, and some other news that surfaced this past week. Hear what they think of the new Ewok and X-Wing figure packs as well as the look of the Star Wars line 2013. Was Yoda a good choice or should Hasbro have started a tradition of using characters that are introduced and killed off in the same movie? But, that's not all, Brock from the Star Wars Action New Book Club is back to review the Darth Maul short stories and we have Steve the Ginergerprince's 2012 debut with his UK report.

Sunday Toy Fair International 2012 kicked off officially and Marjorie and Arnie were there before the show even opened, taking pictures of new Star Wars collectibles and toys that will be on shelves in 2012. On this episode of the Star Wars Action News podcast, listen to their reports as they walk the floor, telling of new collectibles from Funko, Rubies, Fantasy Flight Games, and Look 3-D, makers of the Pod Racer 3-D glasses who tipped us off on what 3-D glasses they may be making for the rerelease of Attack of the Clones! Plus on this issue there are tons of interviews with Star Wars toy companies. Listen as we talk to represenatives from Lego, Uncle Milton, Kotobukiya, Top Trumps, Jazwares, and Screenlife, the makers of the new and very fun looking Star Wars Scene It DVD game! All this, and some clarification of Saturday's Hasbro news on this second part of Star Wars Action News' Toy Fair coverage!

Toy Fair 2012 is in full swing, and as always Hasbro presents to fan media one day early showing off the toys of the year, and this year for Star Wars they showed the MTT vehicle, new figures in Vintage and Movie Heroes lines, Fighter Pods, Amp'd vehicles, the Jar Jar in Carbonite SDCC exclusive, and more! On this Star Wars Action News, you can hear the entire Hasbro Star Wars brand presentation, and Arnie and Marjorie run down the highs and lows of the presentation. Also on today's show, Marjorie and Arnie saw The Phantom Menace in 3-D in Manhattan. After so much build-up, did the extra dimension made the film deeper, or come off as a cheap marketing gimmick? And what will be the fates for the rest of the saga's conversion? Listen to the show to find out! And then Star Wars Action News will be back tomorrow from the floor of the Javitz center reporting on Lego, Diamond, Funko, and the other Star Wars collectibles shown at Toy Fair!

With the street date for new Star Wars toys well behind us all the major retailers have the new Star Wars figures, Fighter Pods, vehicles, and more out! But in with the new means out with the old at many Targets, and on this week's Star Wars Action News Marjorie and Arnie play your voicemails on some of the best bargains to be had on Star Wars toys! Also this week, a discussion of even more Star Wars Valentine's Day products, Sideshow's new Premium Format Aayla Secura figure, and Brock reviews the Star Wars novel Darth Plagueis. All on this week's Star Wars Action News podcast!