Trooper Todd Weiler was another who decided it was time to execute the order without waiting for the Big H to come through. With the help of Sandtroopers.com forum members he created some of his most desired characters on his own! Our S.C.A.L.P. Weapons Supplier dustrho has created a page for all of his future work. Thanks to everyone in there for helping out. |
Today is a sad day for Star Wars fans, Michael Sheard who played Admiral Ozzel in the Empire Strikes Back passed away. I had the delight of interviewing him a couple of years ago and it was an experience I'll never forget. I also had a chance to bump into him again at CIII this past April where I had him sign my Admiral Ozzel figure, which now I'll truly cherish. Thanks again for coming out of hyperspace too fast, I think you had a splendid plan Sir! Check out the story at BBC News. |
“DarthPharaoh reporting in with some reports from just north of Atlanta. On my way home from work I made a couple stops and found the following. Target in Duluth had the Clone Trooper evolution pack that a helpful stocker told me he’d found hidden behind some Barbie toys 2 rows over and the Vader wave of cups (which I don’t collect). The TRU in the same area had the # 28 Anakin with Sith eyes but no Obi Starfighter yet. Nothing new at Wally World. The 500th figure Vaders and Wookiee Flyers are warming shelves everywhere now as well. My "get rid of your Star Wars crap" wife has again come through for me, and picked me up the new wave of Star Tours figures for me on her current trip to Orlando. I think I’ve finally broken her!! LOL. No Mickey/Yoda sets to be found though. Well, that’s it for now. I’m out, and as always... Death to all scalpers!”djohnson@internap.com |
The Official Site has recently announced the new look for Star Wars packaging for the year 2006. Here is a brief description of the change in the packaging scheme: The new design builds on familiar elements from the '05 collection, such as the prominence of Darth Vader -- the character whose redemption is now clearly at the heart of the saga. Gone is the lava and orange hue, replaced with a more timeless silver lettering and planetary view. Read the full story here. |

The recent announcement by LucasArts of the upcoming expansion pack called "Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan," has excited many addicts of the popular PC game. Luckily for you there are twenty-five new screenshots for your viewing pleasure. It looks like you'll be facing a wide variety of beasts, some of which I've never seen before. A brief description of the game includes the following:"Obi-Wan guides players on quests that span the planet Mustafar – some of which might even convert devotees of the dark side over to a more virtuous path. This expansion features many new high-level quest rewards, including the ability to find a fiery red crystal found only on the volcanic planet that creates a lava-like lightsaber for the lucky owner. Players who fulfill all of Obi-Wan’s directives will also receive a rich reward." If you haven't done so already, you can read the full press release here. You will have to a computer with "Star Wars Galaxies" already installed on it in order to play this new expansion pack. The game is expected to be released on November 1, the very same day that "Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith" comes out on DVD and also when "Star Wars: Battlefront II" comes out to the different gaming consoles. So much Star Wars and so little time. |


StarWarsShop.com has been keeping busy with several new exclusive items lately, and they have another new exclusive action figure to offer Star Wars collectors which happens to be the Covert Ops Clone Trooper. This figure debuts a new line of troopers being released by Hasbro in the coming months, and will be ackaged on a special backer card sporting the Episode III DVD logo and art. It is partially covered in vac-metallized finish, with camouflaged patterning on select sections of armor, and comes with a StarWarsShop branded collector case. There is a limit of five figures per customer. Head on over to StarWarsShop.com to order yourself one of these now, and be sure to share your opinions about this figure here |

Sandtroopers.com is running a new poll over in our forums, and we're asking the following question: " Which figure should be the next holographic figure?" There are five characters to choose from which include the following: Commander Cody, Obi-wan Kenobi, Ki Adi Mundi, Anakin Skywalker and Cin Drallig. Which one would you choose? Cast your vote now, and explain to us why you chose that character. |
StarWarsShop.com has recently added to their inventory a special pre-order for some incredibly sculpted ceramic cookie jars, which include Boba Fett, Darth Vader, R2-D2 and Yoda. These cookie jars are made by Cards Inc. of the United Kingdom, and have been made available to be sold exclusively at StarWarsShop.com. Boba Fett and Yoda are expected to ship on October 31, while Darth Vader and R2-D2 are expected to ship on September 22. All of these cookie jars stand at twelve inches in height, and will retail for $59.99 . Head on over to StarWarsShop.com now to learn more about these exciting cookie jars, and to pre-order them for yourself! |
“Hey Troopers, Darth Vegas here with news from the Southwestern sector. Tons upon tons of Star Wars collectibles have been moving through this area for a long time now and it blows me away that the only sections that can't be kept stocked up are the Star Wars displays. It would be in the stores best interest to keep a separate SW section and keep it stocked to the hilt at all times. All the other areas like Batman and fantastic 4 are always full because no one is buying them or at least not at the SW rate. For a silly Saturday matinee movie it sure kicks a#$ after 28 years or so. After 28 years the merchandising end of things should be rock solid, but they still can't keep a handle on things. Sorry for the rant, I just enjoy the heck out of Star Wars and all things related. I just received my 13" Kotobukiya Darth Vader and he looks great next to my Gentle Giant Darth Vader. They are both unbelievably beautiful. Long Live our Dark Lord!”tpinney2@cox.net |
“Hey Troops! Wanted to drop a line to apologize I have had some things going on that took me out of the hobby for a while, but I am back in force, and also wanted to say if you are waiting on a trade they're on the way. Sorry for the delay, and you will have your goodies this week! Thanks to all the troops who have helped me lately find the goods! Until next time, MTFBWY always!”sithryan@msn.com |
“I have some good news in the Central Texas area finally...things have been really slow lately, but I intercepted a coded transmission about Clone Trooper Evolution packs. I quickly scouted and infiltrated a local Wal-Mart to do my own recon work and there they were. 4 sets of the Evolution Clone Trooper! I quickly approached the designated booty and noticed that 3 had damaged boxes, but I was able to secure one mint case! Other than that score, everything else sucks! Target reset 3 weeks ago and still has not put out any new basic figures. They did have a bunch of 500th Vaders. Both local Wal-Marts have had the new Vader Unleashed wave in abundance plus 500th Vader, but no new figures except the Utapaun warrior wave, NO clone repaints to be had. Kmart is in the middle of resetting that has been ongoing for 3 weeks now and still no new figures, plus they are way overpriced, basic figures cost $7.39! TRU has the Vader Unleashed wave and Wookiee Flyers and each time they bring out a case of basic figures, it's always dated April 2nd, blah! That's all from Central Texas, Starfox signing out.”starfox@hot.rr.com |

“Hey Troops, Donna from So Cal reporting in with my recent finds. During the past week, I have located the following in Southern California.Wal-Mart “Both versions of the AT-RT Driver and Green Clone Commander.” K-Mart “Both Jedi Temple Assault and Imperial Throne Room Battle Packs.” KB Toys “Anakin #28 with red eyes.” TRU “Nothing, but I'd like to wish Happy Hunting to all Troopers out there! Good luck.” theloneswlady@adelphia.net |


| New RotS Collection II: Captain Antilles - #51 Zett Jukassa - #52 Utapaun Warrior - #53 Royal Guard #23 – Blue and Red versions AT-TE Tank Gunner #38 New Titanium Series: Naboo Fighter Swamp Speeder TIE Bomber ARC-170 Landspeeder 5-pack gift set w/ Raw Metal AT-RT New Deluxe Figures: Clone Troopers – White Clone Troopers – Red Clone Troopers - Blue Crab Droid Spider Droid – Green Eyes Stass Allie Darth Vader on Table | New RotS Collection I: Anakin Skywalker #50 Commander Bacara #49 R2-D2 Electronic #48 Clone Trooper #41 – Super Articulation Unleashed: Darth Vader Yoda vs. Sidious Asajj Ventress New Special Figures: Holograhic Princess Leia 500th Darth Vader Pre-Order: August 28, 2005 Clone Trooper #2 Kotobukiya Bust-Ups Series 5: Empire Barriss Offee and Luminara Maquette Darth Vader Polonaise Ornament ROTS Kellogg Lightsaber set |

Kotobukiya has really been busy lately putting together some of the coolest Star Wars collectibles out there, and they've added another character to their lineup... the Imperial Snowtrooper! This figure has some of the most amazing detail I've seen in a Star Wars Kotobukiya figure, and if you're a fan of any Imperial soldier this is a must have in your collection. To learn more about this figure visit the StarWarsShop.com website now! This item will retail at $99.99, and is scheduled to be released on February 15, so tell your significant other to get you this for Valentine's Day! |
“Here's yet another brief store report for today.Wal-Mart (Gurnee, IL) “has the pilot Obi-wan wave & the crispy Anakin wave in stock. The 500th Vaders & Jedi vs. Sith packs are showing up more often than the basic figures.” TRU (Gurnee, IL) “I picked up a black Clone Pilot this morning. There were 5 or 6 of them when I left. Still no sign of the Shock Troopers or Evolution Trooper 3-packs in the area. If they are out there I've yet to find them. We've got some pretty nasty low-life scalps in these parts, but what appears a new ally in the sector. That's all for now. Later Troopers.” wrightcombo@juno.com |
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, located in Los Angeles, California, will be hosting a major exhibit that will show off more than 100 costumes, accessories, and props from all six films in the Star Wars saga. There will even be costumes from the most recent film, Revenge of the Sith! These costumes will be on display between September 19 through December 10. To read the full story about this event click here, and if you want to purchase tickets online you may do so by going here. |
This month Sandtroopers.com brought you the opportunity to ask Jeremy Bulloch any question you wanted. You supplied the questions, and Jeremy took the time to supply the answers. Check out the Fan Conducted interview and see if your question was answered. We hope to provide you with more opportunities to interview Star Wars celebrities in the near future. Stay tuned troopers! |


“Hi Troops! It's been a very good couple of days here in northern Illinois. This weekend saw the Mustafar Sentry and AT-RT Driver white mask variant appear at Antioch, IL Super Wal-Mart and another shipment of the newest Unleashed wave. Tuesday night was even better with the peppermint Shock Trooper at two per case showing up at the same store, and with several cases on the palette. That's all for now Troops, 'cause I really ain't got that much to say.”jason.meyers@gm.com |
For three years in a row Hasbro has made our Holiday Season a bit merrier by offering an exclusive series of Star Wars figures based on original Ralph McQuarrie's Christmas cards designs.Click on and enjoy Hasbro's 2004 Holiday Edition series with two diminutive cloaked scavengers from the planet of Tatooine who seemed to be having a very festive time of their own. The Jawas Christmas batch is on. Enjoy! |
Today I visited my local target in Kalamazoo, MI, the same Target that I saw the Target collector cases out earlier last week. Lo and behold…I found the new Target exclusive TIE Fighter! There were only two, so I picked up one. It costs around $42, which is a lot more than the $35 that I expected. But man, it looks awesome. Just wanted to let you Troopers out there know it’s out! |
“Hey Troopers, I wanted to give a big thanks to trooper TomK for getting me 45-47 figs. He is a communicative, does what he says kind of Trooper. I would definitely trade with him again. Went over to Vegas again for the weekend and did a quick run back to Target and Toys R Us at Flamingo and Maryland. I found the black flight suit clone pilot and one green clone commander. Not much else happening over there. In SF I stopped by my local Target and noticed they bumped the price up to $6.49 a fig. At that price and with Neimoidians and Wookiees clogging the pegs I don’t think any of them will be moving soon. That’s all for now, gotta go spin the wheels of justice.”awingace@msn.com |
Gamespot.com has published its first Designer Diary of one of the most anticipated Star Wars video games to come out on the PC platform, and that diary entry is about "Star Wars: Empire at War." Joe Bostic, the Lead designer for Petroglyph, has revealed quite a bit about this game, so if you don't want to be spoiled you might want to pass up on this reading. However, he does admit that creating this game was quite a difficult process for him and the team, but that didn't stop him from making this the best it could be. Check out his diary entry for yourself here. This game is scheduled to be released on February 7, 2006. |
In a recent move by Hewlett-Packard, they have signed a multimillion-dollar agreement with Lucasfilm Ltd., to produce between 1,000 and 1,500 desktop computers over a three year time frame. The workstation that HP will be providing to Lucasfilm will be the xw9300, which supports up to 16 gigabytes of main memory, dual PCI Express (define) graphics cards, and the AMD Opteron processor. These computers will obviously be powerful enough to handle all the day-to-day tasks that Lucasfilm intends on doing, and we can only hope that perhaps some day they will be used to make additional Star Wars films. We can only hope. Read more about this announcement here. |
LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE) have recently announced that more than one million copies of Star Wars Galaxies have been sold. That doesn't necessarily mean everyone who has a copy is currently subscribed to the online gaming service, because it's rumored that there are an estimated 255,000 active subscribers. With all the expansions packs that are already out and ones that will be coming out soon, this number of total sales will continue to grow. Read the full report here. |
The Final Winner of the Sandblast 2005 giveaway is Y-WingJager. He will be the recipient of the Master Replicas Anakin Skywalker LE Lightsaber courtesy of Federation Toys. It's been one hell of a month around here Troopers, as I continue the work of sending out the prizes I can only ask for patience from all the winners! For those of you out there that did not win, like many the Chicago Cubs fan I say "next year" to you. We did our best to make our half-decade anniversary one to remember. I'd like to thank those of you for making Sandtroopers.com one of the most special places on the Internet if you enjoy the hobby of Star Wars collecting. For my hard core vets, you are ready and in place. New recruits prepare for a future that is brighter than both the suns of Tatooine! United We Find Troopers, sadly the party is OVER! |
Just when we'd thought we'd seen them all, yet another bootleg wind up walker, never before seen, has shown up courtesy of fellow staff member David "Boba Binks" Syczylo. Indeed, this addition to the collection is a very welcoming one.Who is this mysterious character? you might ask. Click on the link directing you to our Bootleg Bootleg Wind Up Walkers Guide, see the detailed pictures and discover what malevolent character has emerged from the depths of "Bootleg World." Enjoy the pictures! |
“I could have gotten Every Clone Trooper version to date including Evolutions today at Wal-Mart in Marlton NJ...if I didn't concentrate my collecting on a few characters. Any way they had Tons of repaints, regular, SA, Crispy Anakin, Unleashed with Vader, and Darth Tater for $ 7.84. This is the only Wal-Mart in South Jersey that I ever see any Star Wars at.”kmclark14@comcast.net |
The Official Site has recently announced that LEGO will be offering a newly re-designed Slave I kit, which is expected to be released sometime next January. The body style will mimic that of the Slave I from "Attack of the Clones," in which it was piloted by Jango Fett. The only difference is that the bricks will be the same color scheme as the Slave I from the "Empire Strikes Back." This set will also include two new bounty hunters that haven't been made before, IG-88 and Dengar, and will include Boba Fett and a Bespin Guard. Read more about this here. |



The Clone Evolutions pack was spotted today here in the Louisville area. They seem to be coming in a case with two Vader Evolutions packs and two Clone Evolutions packs. It looks like Target has once again been the first to get the good stuff here. At $19.99 each, they are sure to go fast, so be on the lookout and good luck finding your Clones! |
A Canadian church recently tried taking the title of the world's largest popcorn sculpture in the Guiness Book of Records, and what is interesting about this story is what they chose to sculpt with the popcorn. Since it's the year of Star Wars, they chose to create this massive popcorn sculpture into an X-Wing Fighter! The project required approximately 1,300 kilograms of popcorn kernels and about the same amount of sugar boiled with water, to help create a glue-like substance that kept the sculpture together in one piece. The ship stood six meters when it was finally put together. Read the full story here. |
LucasArts has recently announced that there will be another expansion pack for the already successful Star Wars Galaxies, and this expansion will be titled "Trials of Obi-Wan." A brief description of the game includes the following:"Obi-Wan guides players on quests that span the planet Mustafar – some of which might even convert devotees of the dark side over to a more virtuous path. This expansion features many new high-level quest rewards, including the ability to find a fiery red crystal found only on the volcanic planet that creates a lava-like lightsaber for the lucky owner. Players who fulfill all of Obi-Wan’s directives will also receive a rich reward." There are also six screenshots for you to check out, and if you don't already have Star Wars Galaxies then you might just have to go out and pick it up. This will be available on November 1st for the PC, and you must already own the original Star Wars Galaxies in order to play this expansion. Read the full press release here. |
All Star Wars fans who own Apple computers should be happy today, because the video game "LEGO Star Wars" was released today specifically for the Apple platform. The company that has made this possible is Aspyr Media, who had promised to make this happen earlier in the year. This version doesn't appear to be any different than the versions for the video game consoles and PC, but if you have an Apple computer then you'll want to add this game to your collection. Check out the full story here, and you can also see what the minimum requirements are in order to play this game. |
I had an interesting Saturday afternoon run flanked by my younglings. We began our mission in Gurnee, Ill at the Wal-Mart store. AT-RT Driver, Super Articulated Clone Troopers, Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and what appeared to be the newer case assortment minus the Green Clone Commander and Red Shock Trooper. 500th Darth Vader a plenty along with Build Your Own Lightsaber kits. Toys R Us had nothing to offer for new figures, but did have many Wookiee Copters and the Droid Tri-Fighter, which I don’t think hangs around too long after it’s stocked. Target had Green Clone Trooper 3-packs and more of the anniversary Vader along with many new Galactic Heroes. Gurnee for being a very high traffic marketplace did have something to offer for a mid-Saturday afternoon. Spending some quality time with the next generation in Star Wars collectors was truly a highlight for me personally. Damn that Obi-Wan Pilot I picked up! It seems like the supply trickles in every two weeks and in pretty decent sized shipments. Keep searching and utilizing the tools at Sandtroopers.com and you will get what you need. United We Find Troopers! |
| New RotS Collection II: Captain Antilles #51 Zett Jukassa #52 Utapaun Warrior #53 Tarkin #45 Ask Aak #46 Meena Tills #47 Royal Guard #23 Blue and Red versions AT-TE Tank Gunner #38 New Titanium Series: Naboo Fighter Swamp Speeder TIE Bomber ARC-170 Landspeeder 5-pack gift set w/ exclusive Metal AT-RT New Deluxe Figures: Clone Troopers – White Clone Troopers – Red Clone Troopers - Blue Crab Droid Spider Droid – Green Eyes Stass Allie Darth Vader on Table | New RotS Collection I: AT-RT Driver #54 Obi-Wan Kenobi Pilot #55 Mustafar Sentry #56 Anakin Skywalker #50 Commander Bacara #49 R2-D2 Electronic #48 Clone Pilot #34 – Black version Clone Trooper #41 – Super Articulation Unleashed: Darth Vader Yoda vs. Sidious Asajj Ventress New Special Figures: Holograhic Princess Leia 500th Darth Vader Pre-Order: August 28, 2005 Clone Trooper #2 Kotobukiya Bust-Ups Series 5: Empire Barriss Offee and Luminara Maquette Darth Vader Polonaise Ornament ROTS Kellogg Lightsaber set |

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“I want to give a shout out to HothChad for hooking me up with 4 red # 6 Clones and 2 Black Clone Pilots. They have been dispatched to my home and I am waiting for them to invade my doorstep. May the force be with you, always. Thanks again for helping out a Troop in need.”c-ryan@mchsi.com |
“Last night Super Wal-Mart in Antioch, IL, and, today, Wal-Mart in LaGrange, IL (Hodgkins/Countryside) each had new cases containing the black Clone Pilot and green Clone Commander. Target in LaGrange and Super Wal-Mart in Antioch also had the latest Unleashed wave featuring Yoda vs. Sidious. That's all for now Troops.”jason.meyers@gm.com |
On Wednesday, August 24 at 5:30pm ET, you will have the opportunity to chat online with the man behind the voice of General Grievous, Matthew Wood. You have to be a Hyperspace member in order to participate in this chat session. Wood also has his own Star Wars blog that you might want to check out. Read the full story about his online chat session here. |
Over at the Official Site it was recently announced that the highly successful animated micro-series, "Clone Wars Volume 2," has won an Emmy Award in the category of Individual Achievement in Animation. Star Wars fans across the globe were skeptical at first when a new animated Star Wars series would be made, but after the first season of "Clone Wars" we all knew that history would not repeat itself. Read the full story here. |

LucasArts has updated their "Empire at War" website with five new screenshots, and in one of the screenshots you see a ton of Sandtroopers running out to face the enemy (image #92)! How sweet is that!? Other screenshots involve Darth Vader and a squad of Stormtroopers marching, TIE Tanks tearing up dirt, and a couple Star Destroyers making an intimidating statement. So go over to the official "Empire at War" website to check out these intense screenshots. This game will only be available for the PC and is scheduled to be released on February 7, 2006, so be sure to mark that date in your calendars! |
“HothChad checking in from Central Minnesota. Went out a major run today, hit 4 Wal-Mart's, 4 Targets, and 1 Kmart. Here’s what they had: Kmart 500th Vader's, first I've seen them here. Target-nothing new. Wal-Mart-1 Wal-Mart had a ton of red Troopers, green Clone Commanders, black Clone Pilots, crispy Anakin. They have a major end cap display of these figures. About 12-15 cases. Thanks to Trooper Tamer for the red eyed Anakin. HothChad Out!”chadbarb@sherbtel.net |
“DarthPharaoh with some good news to report from north of Atlanta. The Wal-Mart stores are finishing up their resets and finally got some new basic figures. On a run into my local WM for some breakfast food I ran by the toys and lo and behold.... new basic figures. They had the Crispy Anakin wave and 2 of the 3 clone repaints (pilot and commander) all in decent quantities except for the electronic R2`s. They also had put out the first Jedi vs. Separatist Battlepacks. I’ve seen but only 2 of them. These all seem to basically be repacks though so I passed on it. For army builders they had also gotten in about 8 a piece of the # 41 SA Clone and # 44 Destroyer Droid. I’m still looking for the Mustafar Sentry and red # 6 Shock Trooper and I have an extra black Clone Pilot or Mustafar Anakin to trade. If interested let me know. I also want to give a big shout So Cal Jedi Dom for the Tarkin figure. Thanks a lot! I’m out, and as always.... Death To All Scalpers!”djohnson@internap.com |


“Well troops, time to give a local report. Lots of new stuff out in my area with one major omission basic figures! All of my local stores have most of the other lines up to date and fully loaded. But the basic figure selection has not made it past #44. Well until this morning. My local Super WM put out ONE! Case of new figures #51-53. And that is all that there has been around here for quite some time. Most stores have the Jedi vs. Sith Battle Pack, 500th Vader, and Anakin Evolutions. All have lots of force battlers. My local TRU got in a new shipment of the Obi-Wan Starfighters along with several ARC 170's. Most everyone now has the Wookiee Flyer warming shelf space along side the Battle Arenas. Also all of my local stores have completed (or almost) their fall reset of the toy aisles. And still no new figures. Only time will tell and I am sure new stuff will show. (Patience, you must learn patience.) Only good thing about the re-sets is that I was able to score a Mustafar Playset for only $20. Also still hoping to get a few other items on clearance after the re-sets are fully completed. Most likely after the back to school stuff cools down. Not that much is cooling down this time of year in TX. Well that is about all from central TX. I will be working on a list of extras that I will be posting up soon. So keep an eye out. Good luck! And as usual…Hunt'em Down!”swfan_bcs@hotmail.com |


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