Han's Hideout Newspost Archive for 2009

Before the new year gets here, why not take a stroll down memory lane? Click on the links below to check out the Han's Hideout Newspost Archives for 2009!
- January 2009
- February 2009
- March 2009
- April 2009
- May 2009
- June 2009
- July 2009
- August 2009
- September 2009
- October 2009
- November 2009
- December 2009

Gentle Giant Lando Calrissian Mini-Bust Announced

Gentle Giant has announced the new Lando Calrissian (Cloud City) Mini-Bust. The 1/6 scale mini-bust stands approximately 6.5" high and will retail for $59.99 this Spring. Click on the thumbnail for a closer look.

Gentle Giant Jango Fett Scaled Helmet Replica

Gentle Giant has also announced the new Jango Fett Scaled Helmet Replica. The .45 scale helmet includes a display stand and will retail for around $59.99 this Spring. Click on the thumbnail for a closer look.

Grievous Returns for A Clone Wars Double-Header

Star Wars: The Clone Wars returns this weekend with a special double header featuring General Grievous. It's a full hour of all-new Clone Wars thrills, beginning with "Grievous Intrigue" at 9:00 PM ET and continuing with "The Deserter" to close out the hour.

TRU Deluxe Figure/Vehicle Sets Revealed

Thanks to one of those crazy Chinese auction sites, new images of what appears to be upcoming Toys R Us exclusive Star Wars Deluxe Figure/Vehicle sets are floating around the internet. Click on the thumbnails below to check out packaged samples of a new Biker Scout with Speeder Bike set and a new Battle Droid with STAP set.

Legacy Speeder Bike with Scout Trooper

Clone Wars STAP with Battle Droid

Clone Wars Deluxe Figure/Vehicle Sets - Wave 5 Update

Once again, thanks to a Chinese auction site, new images of upcoming Clone Wars Deluxe Figure/Vehicle sets are floating around the internet. Click on the thumbnails below to check out packaged samples of two of the three new sets planned for Wave 5 - Anakin Skywalker with Desert Sport Skiff and Commander Cody with Barc Speeder.

Anakin Skywalker with Desert Sport Skiff

Commander Cody with Barc Speeder

"12 Days of Sideshow" Reveal New Star Wars Items

In case you missed it over the busy holiday weekend, the Sideshow Collectibles "12 Days of Sideshow" event has revealed new Star Wars items. Click on over to check out the teaser videos for a new Yoda vs. Darth Sidious diorama and a new Premium Format Aurra Sing figure.

Star Wars Action News - Podcast # 227 Available

Star Wars Action News has posted their latest podcast episode entitled 2009 in reviews, the 00s in review. In this episode, the SWAN team looks back at 2009, discussing all the major collectibles from Hasbro, Sideshow, Gentle Giant, and more!

Post-Christmas Clearance Deals at Target

A number of folks have emailed to let us know they found many of the recent Target exclusives on clearance for 30-50% off the regular prices. As always, selection varies by store but we've heard about deals on just about everything - Jabba's Rancor, Clone Wars Battle Packs, Wedge's X-Wing, and the new TIE Fighter.

Post-Christmas Clearance Deals at Walmart

My pal Jayson over at Yakface.com has posted news of a 50%-off Clearance Sale running at his local Walmart stores. Plenty of Star Wars exclusives are half-off, so click on over for the details.

Legacy Collection Wave 13 Previews at JediDefender

Click on over to JediDefender.com to check out new loose images of the Expanded Universe themed Legacy Collection Wave 13. The wave includes six new EU figures and the parts to build the BG-J38 droid from Jabba's Palace!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all our readers and good luck to all you brave souls planning on shopping tomorrow to look for clearance deals and sales!

Entertainment Earth Year End Sale Has Begun

Get a jump on your post-Christmas clearance shopping by checking out the Year End Sale at Entertainment Earth! There's plenty of Star Wars goodies on sale (DC Direct and Indy too) and free shipping for all orders of in-stock items totaling $99.00 or more!

Inside The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia

StarWars.com has posted a new look inside Star Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia. Published by DK, the book includes essential characters, bit-players, and more. Look for it in bookstores next Summer.

Star Wars Soundboards Update - Jar Jar Binks

The Official Star Wars Website has added twenty new Jar Jar Binks quotes to their Star Wars Soundboards. Click on over and have some fun with everyone's favorite bumbling Gungan.

Star Wars Weekends 2010 Dates Announced

The Disney Parks Blog has officially announced the dates for Star Wars Weekends 2010! The event will take place at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park on May 21-23, May 28-30, June 4-6, and June 11-13.

Shipping From Dark Horse This Week

Arriving at your local comic book shop this week are two new comics from Dark Horse - Knights of the Old Republic #48 and Legacy #43. Can't wait to read them? Then follow the links for previews to tide you over!

Star Wars Action News - Podcast # 226 Available

Star Wars Action News has posted their latest podcast episode entitled Something, Something, Something, Action News. In this episode, the SWAN team talks to Kirker Butler of Family Guy and The Cleveland Show. In addition, there's a run down on recent Star Wars news - Force Unleashed 2, rumors of a new Star Wars movie, and more.

Hasbro Star Wars Q&A - Session 21

On December 4th, we sent our twenty-first batch of questions to Hasbro to once again take part in their Star Wars Question and Answer sessions. Today, we've got the answers to those three questions!
1. Things have been awfully quiet on the mid-sized vehicle line. We got a couple of great new additions this past summer (still loving the Droid Tank), but nothing since then. Any chance that you can spot us a couple of hints on upcoming starfighters/ships we'll see on the shelves this Spring?

** Unfortunately, there won't be any new ones this Spring. The Starfighters are doing well, but the new wave that was planned for Spring won't make it out at this point and has been pushed out to Fall '10. When the new assortment starts up, it will be chock full of newness. We can confirm that both the new Snowspeeder and a new Cloud Car will be in the line. Stay tuned for official looks at this at Toy Fair.

2. With Comic Packs and EU basic figure waves seemingly headed for a hiatus, we'll have to postpone our crusade for a Marvel Star Wars #15 Han Solo & Crimson Jack Comic Pack for a while. But before we move on, we thought we'd give the pack one last plug in case you get a chance to bring the Comic Packs back. Staying on the theme of "comics that would have made sweet, sweet Comic Packs if you'd had the chance to do them", which comic issues/series do you guys regret not being able to sneak into the line?

** We can confirm that the Comic Pack line has indeed come to a close and the final figures to make it out will likely be the Fall '09 wave shown at Comic Con, which has been pushed out to March at this point. A few others have been slotted for exclusives and we are hopeful that we can do exclusive Comic Packs into the future. It's doubtful that it will return to the mainline; the cost of comic packs, including the tooling required and the comic book itself, coupled with the collector decline, make a return very unlikely. There were many packs that we had hoped we could get to. Some of our favorites included getting to more Shadows of the Empire (Guri), being able to get to some Jango Fett: Open Seasons packs, our first KotOR pack, and, of course, more Rogue Squadron pilots and Legacy Sith.

3. A question from one of my boys - Will you make a new Galactic Heroes "TIE Fighter with the bendy wings" [aka a TIE Interceptor]? Liam, Age 3.

** That's a great question. We don't have one in the works, but it does fit the profile of a vehicle that would make a great impact in the Cinema Scene assortment. We'll discuss it with the team. Thanks for the suggestion…tell your boy it was an excellent choice and that we hope we can make him happy. Just make sure he stays into Galactic Heroes for a few more years!

Hasbro Star Wars Q&A - A Note from Derryl

Hasbro has passed along a holiday note from brand manager Derryl DePriest!

"On behalf of the Star Wars team, we want to thank all of the Star Wars collector-fan media, and all of the fans, who have shown tremendous support for Hasbro’s Star Wars lineup this year. We hope that you have found delight in playing with your toys, just like we have in working to bring them to you this past year. In addition, the tremendous work that all of the fans and sites have done to deliver another great Fans’ Choice poll will result in not one, but many great inspiration for years to come. We have a lot of excitement in store for next year, and we think 2010 is going to shape up to be one of the most exciting years ever for fans of Hasbro Star Wars. With the 30th Anniversary of Empire Strikes Back to celebrate, we think it’s going to be a big year as well. Happy Holidays to everyone!"

DCD Green Lantern Blackest Night Series 5 Announced

DC Direct has officially announced another wave of Green Lantern: Blackest Night figures! Series 5 will include Black Lantern Batman, Black Lantern Deadman, Black Lantern Hawkman, and the leader of the Black Lanterns - Nekron! Click on the thumbnails above to check out the figures and look for them at your local comic book store on August 4th, 2010!

DCD Green Lantern Blackest Night Deluxe Mongul Figure

DC Direct has also announced a new Green Lantern: Blackest Night deluxe figure - Sinestro Corps Member Mongul! Click on the thumbnail to check out the onetime leader of the Sinestro Corps and look for him at your local comic book store on August 4th as well!

Star Wars Soundboards Update - C-3PO

The Official Star Wars Website has added twenty new C-3PO quotes to their Star Wars Soundboards. Click on over and have some fun with everyone's favorite prissy protocol droid.

Celebration V - Hotel Reservations Now Available

Hotel reservations for Star Wars Celebration V are now available through StarWarsCelebration.com while supplies last. Click on over for special room rates on over 20 local hotels.

Sideshow 12" Emperor Palpatine Pre-Order

Sideshow Collectibles is now taking pre-orders for the 12" Emperor Palpatine figure. The Sideshow exclusive edition includes a unique switch-out head with grimacing portrait.
Update: The exclusive version is now sold out (wait list is available), but you can still pre-order the regular edition figure.

Sideshow 1:6 Scale Imperial Throne Pre-Order

Sideshow Collectibles is also taking pre-orders for the Imperial Throne 12" Figure Environment. Click here to pre-order a seat for your Emperor or click here to take advantage of the FLEXpay option.

Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG Update

LucasArts has updated the Star Wars: The Old Republic website with a look at the planet Tatooine and its role in the game. Click on over to check out screenshots, concept art, and wallpapers.

Star Wars: The Old Republic - The Threat of Peace

LucasArts has also posted another new update to The Threat of Peace, the Star Wars: The Old Republic on-line comic. Click on over to check out Issue #4 of Act III, Uncertain Surrender.

The Clone Wars Season Two Holiday Marathon

For the holiday season, StarWars.com will be streaming all eight of the Season Two episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Click on over and catch up on any of the great episodes you've missed!

Sideshow 12" 41st Elite Corps Coruscant Trooper Pre-Order

Sideshow Collectibles is now taking pre-orders for the 41st Elite Corps Coruscant Clone Trooper figure! The Sideshow exclusive edition includes a unique figure display base.
Update: The exclusive version is now sold out (wait list is available), but you can still pre-order the regular edition figure.

Star Wars Action News - Podcast # 225 Available

Star Wars Action News has posted their latest podcast episode entitled Star Wars Action News meets Star Wars In Concert. In this episode, the SWAN team discusses, well, Star Wars In Concert, the travelling concert and exhibit combo that's been touring the USA these past few months.

Dark Horse Star Wars for March 2010 and Beyond

The Official Star Wars Website has posted a summary of the Dark Horse comics scheduled to hit comic shops in March 2010 and beyond. Head on over for all the details and cover images!

2010 LEGO Preview at YakFace

Our pals at Yakface have posted some nifty info on some yet-to-be-announced 2010 LEGO Sets. Click on over to check out the sets.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Update

The first trailer for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II has been posted at the Official Star Wars Website. Click on over for a preview of the game, including a look at a crazy new beastie.

Legacy Collection Wave 12 Found at Retail

Wave 12 (aka 2009 Wave 7) of the Legacy Collection basic figures line is arriving at Toys R Us and Walmart stores across the US. The wave includes seven new figures - Concept Art Snowtrooper, AT-AT Driver, Cloud City Wing Guard [Sgt. Edian], Snowspeeder Pilot Luke, R2-X2, Willrow Hood, and Zuckuss. Collect the droid parts and build a new HK-50 droid!

On Sale This Week at Toys R Us

This week at Toys R Us, you'll find a "2 for $9.99" deal on all three of the Star Wars basic figure lines. Selection at stores this time of year can be pretty picked over thanks to the Holiday shoppers, so be sure to keep an eye on the stock at ToysRUs.com as well!

On Sale This Week at K-Mart

This week at K-Mart, you'll find a "Buy Two, Get One Free" deal on all Star Wars toys. Not as cheap as the TRU sale above, but a nice alternative if your TRU is picked over this week. Click on the thumbnail to check out the ad and be sure to hit that K-Mart you've been ignoring!

Coming in 2010 - The Force Unleashed 2!

The Star Wars Saga continues in 2010 with The Force Unleashed II, a sequel to the blockbuster original video game. Check out the game's official website tomorrow, December 14th, for the unveiling of the first trailer!

A Look Inside Star Wars Insider #114

StarWars.com has posted a preview of Star Wars Insider #114. The issue features a new interview with supervising director Dave Filoni about the bigger, bolder, and better Season 2 of The Clone Wars.

Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG Update

LucasArts has updated the Star Wars: The Old Republic website with a new feature on the Sith Inquisitor player class. Click on over to check out combat videos and screenshots.

Star Wars Soundboards Update - Asajj Ventress

The Official Star Wars Website has added twenty new Asajj Ventress quotes to their Star Wars Soundboards. Click on over and have some fun with everyone's favorite Sith wannabe.

Hasbro Star Wars Q&A - Session 20

On November 13th, we sent our twentieth batch of questions to Hasbro to once again take part in their Star Wars Question and Answer sessions. Today, we've got the answers to those three questions!
1. Following up on a question from a previous round of Q&A - we asked you about the future of the second Imperial Scanning Crewman and you said he's in the EU Wave... but that's the case where the second Bespin Guard is, so we think you may have confused your variants. Is the second Scanning Crewman displaced at the moment or will he definitely make the basic figure line in 2010, even if it takes a card change before we see him?

** We were trying to get the second Imperial Scanning Crew Member into the EU wave, but we can confirm now that this will *not* happen since all production has been wrapped up for the red/white Legacy lineup and the factory was not able to get the Crewman in. At this point, he will not be produced in the Legacy line. He remains an important variant to bring out and we will be looking for ways to get him into the line, but at this point it will likely not be before 2011. He *will* eventually make it out, but we just need time to slot him in.

2. Again, a follow up from previous - no Bespin Han in 2010, eh? I have to tell you, that's a huge bummer to a big Han fan like myself. With the 30th Anniversary of ESB, I thought he'd be a lock for 2010. Now you have to tell me which Han we're getting in 2010 so I can regain confidence that my main man is going to be treated all right in 2010! If you can't tell us which Han it is, can you at least tell us the source he's from?

** Bespin Han has been pushed out to 2011, to make room for a *new* Han that we have not produced before. We can't tell you exactly which one just yet, but it is from a brief scene and features a new jacket. We were excited to be able to deliver some newness for next year with the 30th Anniversary of EpV on tap.

3. Well, we're heading into the home stretch for 2009. By the time we get answers to these questions, we could very well have the final 2009 wave (Willrow!) in our hands. Looking back at the past year, with the Legacy drop-off issues you've had to deal with, where there any big surprises? Any item that sold more than you were expecting? Any item that didn't sell as well as you'd hoped? What were the team's favorite items for 2009?

** 2009 was without a doubt one of the most challenging years we have had to deal with. The year is not over yet but some of the surprises have been the lower than anticipated interest in many of the new exclusives. We thought that this year was a high watermark in terms of the number of significant new exclusives we were able to deliver, but it simply may also be that there are too many choices. The exclusives were also some of the team's favorites, with the Geonosis Arena 2-packs bringing many new characters, along with the Wal-Mart power trio of the AT-ST, Dewback, and Octuptarra Droid. The latter in particular is a simply astonishing piece that many fans seem to have missed, and should be one of the centerpieces of any modern droid army. On the bright side, we were pleased with the strong reception to the Deluxe Figure/Vehicle packs, showing that there is a real need for individual craft in a dedicated assortment.

Sideshow Premium Format Jedi Luke Up for Pre-Order

Sideshow Collectibles is now taking pre-orders for the Premium Format Jedi Luke Skywalker figure! Click here to pre-order the Sideshow Exclusive version or click here to take advantage of the FLEXpay option.

Sideshow 12" Emperor Palpatine and Throne Announced

Sideshow Collectibles has posted a brand new teaser image to announce their upcoming 12" Emperor Palpatine figure complete with additional 1:6 scale Throne Environment! Priority Pre-Ordering for both items will begin next Friday, December 18th at 10AM Pacific!

Sideshow 12" 41st Elite Corps Coruscant Clone Trooper

Sideshow Collectibles has also posted a brand new teaser image to announce their upcoming 12" 41st Elite Corps Coruscant Clone Trooper figure! Priority Pre-Ordering will begin next Thursday, December 17th, with the launch of the weekly Sideshow Newsletter!

Celebration V Tickets Now On Sale!

Individual tickets for Star Wars Celebration V are now on sale at StarWarsCelebration.com! Click on over and grab your single-day or four-day passes now and stay tuned for details on the VIP upgrade promotion at a later date.

Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG Update

LucasArts has updated the Star Wars: The Old Republic website with a new feature on the Jedi Consular player class. Click on over to check out combat videos and screenshots.