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JANUARY
 The
year 2007 kicked off with an explosion. Our S.C.A.L.P. weapons
supplier Dustrho rang in the
New Year with Star Wars artist extraordinaire Dave Dorman! The
Sandtrooper team kept us dazzled by showcasing some great products
from Gentle Giant such as the
Mos Eisley Cantina Book Ends and the Darth Maul & General
Grievous mini-busts. Sideshow Collectibles was unloading the Scum
and Villainy line as we got a look at Bib Fortuna and the
Salacious Crumb creature pack. We would finally see Jabba made
on the 12-inch scale!
 On
the Hasbro front we finally got a look at the much-anticipated
Quinlan Vos 2-pack. Desert Rat put the Target Exclusive
Imperial
Shuttle in his sights and laid out all the specs for us in only
the way he can. Boba Binks took aim on the Betrayal on Felucia and
Ambush on Ilum battlepacks to keep pace with the mainstay Sandwatch
Action Figure Reviews. Our Dewback Patrol went deep into the U.S.
territories as Osito Ewok brought us the
Pop
Culture Expo that featured guests Ray Park and Daniel Logan. The
celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of Star Wars was about to
begin, and to kick it off I took us down
memory lane
with "What 30 Means to me!" The celebration was about to begin and
we’d have no idea what a wild ride it would be.
FEBRUARY
 The
month began with two 7-figure box sets with the Republic Commando
and Death Star Briefing. Our "world famous"
Kotobukiya
guide was updated with the additions of Bespin Luke Skywalker,
Slave Princess Leia and R2-D2 & C-3PO. The annual
Toy Fair
in New York City highlighted the month. Jimsjedi, Dave Castle and I
would head up the Sandtrooper invasion team. The tour Hasbro offered
was simply amazing. The Star Wars line-up featured an amazing blend
of basic figures as they went extra nostalgic on us by adding the
coin as the pack-in for this series. The thirtieth anniversary
collection would be one for the ages for sure. We also would see the
vintage style figures that were such a big hit the year before and
to top it off there would also be a couple of vehicles with the
V-Wing and Sith Infiltrator. However none of this could prepare us
for what we saw with the Force Unleashed line that would accompany a
new Lucasarts video game. Some of the sculpts were nothing short of
incredible as the entire tour would sit with jaws dropped.
 This
would pale in comparison, as the real story would take place at the
Marriott Marquis Times Square. As the Toy Industry Association would
be inducting none other than Mr.
George Lucas into the Toy Hall of Fame. You would think someone
who changed the way the action figure is marketed would already be a
member of such a prestigious list. In the weeks leading up to the
ceremony I would never imagine getting within 15 feet of the maker.
Then much to my surprise I turned around and there he was! It took
just a second to gather myself to approach George. It was nothing
short of a lifetime dream to thank him for such a great saga, and
tell him how much it meant to me not only in childhood but also now
in adult life and also my own children. It was incredible to spend
five minutes, grab a great picture and he was even kind enough to
sign the back of my dinner badge!
The reward of going in humble on one
knee, as even Lord Vader knew when to bow. Without a doubt this was
a lifetime dream come true and I couldn’t be more proud to represent
the only Star Wars fan site that attended the induction ceremony.
 The
month was also highlighted with several other key additions to our
Sandwatch Guides. Desert Rat continued his onslaught with the
VCD Yoda
from Medicom, as well as the new
Disney
Racers. February was jammed-packed with activity and the team at
Sandtroopers.com was also recruited to shoot a clip for the fan film
The Force Among Us. The film documented and did its best to
dispel the myths of Star Wars fans. It was truly an honor to take
part in this project, as we had no clue how many times we’d see
their crew over the upcoming months while out on Patrol. The Dewback
attack was also highlighted with forum member Scalperhunter1 (a.k.a.
Ron Lanning) as he stood guard at the annual
Hockey
Night event with the 501st Legion in Cedar Rapids, IA. If all
that wasn’t enough to keep us running ragged, we also made sure to
give back to our members with a 12-inch Sideshow Exclusive
Darth Maul, as forum member jedibrian77 was the lucky recipient
of. What a great way to give back in the second month of the New
Year! The month February no doubt was one for the ages! I would like
to personally thank staff members Jim, Dave and Chris Rhoads for
their outstanding efforts in the Toy Fair coverage, if only Jim
could have successfully heisted that "Oscaaah!" Another big thank
you must go out to Mr. Brian Semling for all of their assistance
with the coverage at Toy Fair.
MARCH
 It
was a good thing March was sort of a slow month, as we'd need time
to gather our forces and prepare what would lie on the road ahead.
We continued to be wowed by the massive
Jabba the Hutt 12-inch figure from Sideshow. With amazing pieces
like the Premium Format Luke & Yoda, it’s no wonder Sideshow is
among the industry leaders. Dustrho conducted a couple of interviews
and added them to his In the Line of Fire column (now moved to the
new
Interrogations page).
Tom
Spanos and
Mike Harrison (501st Legion), who was the lucky Trooper who
would be featured on the Saga Legends card in 2007. Our Dewback
Patrol was updated with the
Lake County Film Festival (Grayslake, IL) and the annual
St. Patrick’s Day parade (Naperville, IL) to keep things moving
along. Our diorama ace Sandtrooper Dan hit us with an update on his
latest construction project titled "Ben's
house" as we were supplied with a couple of teaser photos. We
got a great look at the last of the titanium figures and the
Treachery on Saleucami Battlepack battlepacks on the Hasbro front.
To top of the month Desert Rat was kickin’ much but and cracking
serious nuts as he was able to put together a section on the
Steinbach’s limited edition
Star Wars
nutcrackers that were showcased at the Kurt S. Adler museum in
New York City. We also learned Star Wars was going postal this year
with the announcement of commemorative stamps as well as mailboxes
that forum member spotted the first of in California! We couldn’t
get any more excited about what the next nine months had in store
for us.
APRIL
 The
month kicked off with another amazing update to our
Unleashed
Guide as Desert Rat continued with a rehash wave fans had been
asking for years to see again! The news of
Celebration IV was also very abundant with the exclusive figures
being revealed along with Gentle Giant and Kotobukiya revealing
their items for the mega-event as well. We also got word of what our
pal
Dave Dorman had in store for us as well as he send us the rough
draft of Lord Vader’s: Persuasion of the Outer Rim World to Join the
Imperial Alliance. We just couldn’t say (at the time) how much this
meant to us! Our Dewback Patrol was all over the country with some
really interesting stops. Darth Spice ventured to the land of cheese
to catch the premiere of the fan film
Heart of
an Empire in Madison Wisconsin. One short day later Dustrho
survived another
Codcon
at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL. The gaming event
continues to thrive every year but we hope to see a bigger Star Wars
presence there in the future.
 Our
own Boston Strangler Jimsjedi was once again to the air and managed
to cover Star Wars Weekends from the House of Mouse in Orlando, FL.
The patrol went international once again as Darth Aussie brought us
coverage from Brisbane, Australia with the event
Supernova! Then just days later Dustrho and I would be in
uniform again with the Midwest Garrison to partake in our second
film shoot of the year. The film
Forgotten Realm was shot on location in Batavia, IL and we
really look forward to this final product in the future as we really
enjoyed our time with the cast and crew. Our Sandwatch Guides were
updated with T.A.C. figure #1 with coin album, the Bantha and Tusken
Raider battlepack, premium format
Boba Fett and much more. Overall it was a month of being on the
move but it would be nothing in comparison to what May would bring!
MAY
 After
months of endless speculation the celebration would officially begin
in LA at
Celebration IV. Before we hit the road our Sandwatch Guides were
updated with the Rebel Commando bundle from Sideshow Collectibles.
We also saw the highly anticipated
Quinlan Vos & Vilmarh Grahrk and the rest of the comic book
two-packs from wave 2. Desert Rat put together an amazing guide for
the M & M’s
Star Wars collectibles to sweeten up the month just a little bit
more. This outstanding effort was followed up with the addition of
our
Animated Maquette guide from Gentle Giant. After a brief report
from SL9965 on the
Motor
City Comic-con the stage was set for what would be rumored as
the biggest Star Wars celebration of all time.
Dustrho wrote up his own take on Star Wars turning thirty.
 The
adventure for me personally was absolutely fantastic. Instead of
dragging the whole family out to California, I opted to take my two
boys with me to take in the experience. This would prove to be
difficult at times as the old phrase goes boys would be boys. One of
my primary jobs will always be being a good Dad. On the other hand
it was so much fun to see them enjoy the show, and we also did a
pretty good job covering the event. With heavy assistance from
Starfox, Odiewan, Darth Wormie, the Silva clan and countless others,
we managed to get the news out to those who weren’t fortunate enough
to make it out. The Hasbro presentation was very insightful and the
entire audience was in awe when they revealed what was down the
road. From the basic figures, new vehicles ranging to class act
moves such as the R2-KT, it was very exciting to see how Star Wars
continues to light the path and do it all!
 The
show ran much smoother vs. the previous in Indianapolis but overall
I would hope future events could be more centrally located.
California is such a beautiful state but the traffic and some of the
prices in downtown L.A. were simply horrible. The 5-day event was
one hell of an experience but I’d have to say the biggest thing I
enjoyed the most was being among all of the fans and seeing all the
creativity in one place at one time. If you did miss the show you
really did miss something truly special, as I found meeting some of
the people I’ve known for years to be some of my fondest memories
from the trip. The chance to finally meet the west coast S.C.A.L.P.
regiment of SoCal Dom, Bobafred, SoCal Donna, Rod and the many
others is something I just can’t put into words. To have great
Troopers chauffer my boys and me to the very birthplace of Star Wars
was another fond memory. It just goes to show, sometimes it’s the
little, simple things that matter the most. We could only celebrate
further by giving back as we did a little pre-Sandblast partying
with our giveaway of the McQuarrie Luke Skywalker & Droids from
celebration. We’ve always tried to giveaway one of every exclusive,
and what a better way to celebrate good times!
JUNE
 If
the first six months were any indication of how hot 2007 would be
for Sandtroopers.com, the summer was sure to sizzle. The Patrol got
off to a great start with
Adventurecon from Knoxville, TN. Sandtrooper Boba Binks was able
to capture some great photos as well meet many Star Wars celebrities
like Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Jeremy Bulloch, and the great
Irvin Kershner. Desert Rat continued to update our
Sandwatch Guides
with the animated Stormtrooper maquette from Gentle Giant. As soon
as he returned from Knoxville Boba Binks brought all of the
Celebration IV exclusives from Gentle Giant to the guides as well.
Also never to be outdone the Sideshow Collectibles 12-inch
Yavin Luke Skywalker was awarded to the guides in what seemed to
be non-stop updates!
 Our
Images section
had the delight of waves one and two but June was extraordinary with
the addition of wave three and the V.T.A.C. collection. The vintage
line is something truly special to most collectors and it’s a big
wonder why Hasbro can’t deliver more than six in a year! The month
continued with coverage from
Wizard
World Philly as Sandtrooper Shade once again conducted
operations for us in that sector. Sandtrooper Dustrho and I put
together a page showing behind the scenes coverage of the now sold
out
Dave Dorman celebration prints to wrap up the month. Some of the
other highlights in June would include: the Tantive IV battlepack,
12-inch Plo Koon from Sideshow and the Exclusive Order 66 two packs!
JULY
 The
heat intensified during the month of July as we conducted many
operations. The
Gentle
Giant exclusive Commander Neyo kicked off the updates to the
Sandwatch Guides. This would be followed up with the
Premium Format Darth Maul from Sideshow and we sure didn’t
forget about Hasbro as the Modal Nodes Collector Tin and Disney
Cantina Band exclusives would also be key additions. Our Kotobukiya
guide also was updated with the Spirit of Yoda Celebration
Exclusive, as Desert Rat would once again light up our lives! The
Dewback Patrol would be highlighted with
Celebration
Europe as our very first female staff member Taurs a.k.a. Laura
Goodrum would spearhead the mission in London for another
International S.C.A.L.P. Operation. We couldn’t have been more proud
of her outstanding work of providing us with coverage from the
Forbidden Planet event where the Gentle Giant Exclusive was made
available for purchase. This would be peanuts in comparison to the
job she did of giving us a great look at the event for the so many
of us who didn’t make this event.
 The
month offered no let down whatsoever. The Sandwatch Guide was
updated with the Obi-Wan Kenobi mini-bust from Gentle Giant. Another
huge highlight would have to be the Kotobukiya Concept McQuarrie
Duel. If it was best year ever for anyone in the Star Wars Universe
it might have been Ralph McQuarrie as tribute to his great
accomplishments and work was once again honored. The Patrol heated
back up with the coverage from the
Western
Days parade from Racine, WI. However the biggest show of the
month in the states would be
Comic-Con
in San Diego, CA. Our team of Josh "Longshot" Long and new staff
member Rodel Cruz-Herrera would handle the mission for us. We were
literally floored with the flurry of amazing products that would be
headed our way in the upcoming months, as it was truly Christmas in
July once again.
AUGUST
 The
30th anniversary would sizzle during the summer of 2007. We began
the month by adding the Coruscant Clone Trooper, Commander Bly and
Cody mini-busts to our guides. The Dagobah X-Wing Fighter,
Endor
AT-AT (TRU Exclusive) and Vintage Coin mail-away set and R2-KT
figure would also be added from Hasbro. We also saw the other two
Comic-Con exclusives in the form of Obi-Wan Kenobi & Yoda and the
Exclusive
Shadow
Scout with Speeder Bike. The updates continued to come in like a
sandstorm as Desert Rat kept our animated maquette guide rolling
with the additions of Roron Corobb and the black and white Luke
Skywalker X-Wing pilot. The Sideshow 12-inch line would also
continue to flourish with
Leia as Boushh and
Asajj Ventress were also added to our ever-growing Sandwatch
guides.
 The
Dewback Patrol wouldn’t yield for anyone or anything either. Our
siege of
Wizard World Chicago began with the announcement of the
Sandblast mega-giveaway coming in two phases. The first would be a
ground assault at Wizard World, which included a special guest at
the Sandtroopers.com bunker, as Anthony Forrest would join us for
the festivities in Chicago. It was very interesting to spend and
extended period with Anthony, and hear of what it was like to be the
first ever Sandtrooper to befall the Jedi mind trick!
Some of the prizes included were
R2-KT figures, Quinlan Vos 2-packs (autographed by Doug Wangler),
Sideshow 12-inch figures, Red Shock Trooper (Kotbukiya), C-3PO
animated maquette and even a Celebration Europe Exclusive print from
Dave Dorman! There was a charity raffle held for the
Sturge-Weber Foundation
to also help give back, spread the word and most important, find a
cure! It was an incredible weekend of unity and brotherhood as
Sandtroopers.com was able to make an impact like never before at
this event. Needless to say the fun wouldn’t end in Chicago. There
would be thirteen top tier prizes given away in the air raid!
Once again the sponsors and
affiliates of Sandtroopers.com would step up to the plate in a major
way as we would be able to host the biggest, baddest Sandblast event
yet! The list of prizes wasn’t as nearly impressive as the group of
Troopers we had to choose from. From in-store gift certificates,
Premium Format figures, Celebration Exclusives and even an F/X armor
kit; the air attack would literally blow every giveaway we’ve ever
done away. If this wasn’t enough, the Patrol made two more stops at
Gen-Con Indy as Boba Binks brought us recon from this annual gaming
event. Former staff member Tyler Bedard came off the bench to bring
us yet another International event with coverage from the Toronto
Fan Expo 2007. There is no doubt this was one of the biggest months
in the history of our website. We couldn’t be more proud of how much
we could produce as a team.
SEPTEMBER
 If
there was any sort of slow-down in the year, it might have taken
place in September. Our Sandwatch Guides would continue to thrive
with features like Wave III of the comic book 2-packs and the Toys R
Us Exclusive
Y-Wing
Fighter and
181st TIE Interceptor. The Gentle Giant mini-busts would see the
arrival of Princess Leia (ANH) and the exclusive Commander Bacara.
Fans of our Kotobukiya guide would get and in-depth look at the SDCC
Utapau Clone Trooper and Obi-Wan Kenobi from Revenge of the Sith. If
this update wasn’t impressive enough, Desert Rat took the Big Apple
by storm and delivered another update from the Kurt S. Adler museum
as we were treated to an early Christmas present with the Jawa and
Boba Fett from Kurt S. Adler's unique Fabriche TM line for this
year. Our Dewback Patrol made a stop at
ACME
Archives, as Odiewan would conduct his first ever interview with
Peter Ferk and Sean McLain. Peter designed the Original Trilogy
Character Keys. Sean is the Co-owner of Acme Archives. With the
Sandtrooper Character Key being such a big hit at San Diego
Comic-Con, this was a true no-brainer.
 There
was just one more stop on the Dewback Patrol, as Boba Binks would
continue to vie for the title of Sandtrooper MVP in 2007. While
grabbing a break during filming the second Batman film, Hollywood
Binks was able to jaunt over to Woodridge, IL to attend the premiere
of The Force Among
Us. We just couldn’t say enough about how fortunate we were to
partake in this fan super-project. Cris and Courtney Macht would
prove to be great allies on the road as we continued to bump into
them on nearly every Patrol in 2007! We can’t thank the cast and
crew enough for allowing Sandtroopers.com to be mentioned in the
same breath with some of the most notorious Star Wars fans in the
galaxy!
OCTOBER
 It
might have been the signs of autumn that would tell us the year was
winding down, but that would have no effect on the activity at
Sandtrooopers.com in any way. The month began with the announcement
of a new section we would title
Interrogations.
This interview section was complied with the many that have been
conducted by our staff over the years. With the success of Dewback
Patrol we were sure the Interrogations would make a perfect
compliment. While we’re on the subject of being on the road, Darth
Spice would conduct another double duty mission as the exhibit Star
Wars: Where
Science Meets Imagination debuted at the Museum of Science and
Industry in Chicago, IL. After attending the premiere the point man
for Sandtroopers.com would attend
Creation
Weekend at the Wyndham O’Hare hotel. The Sci-Fi show that
attempted to cross over all genres of fans with Star Wars, Star Trek
and Battlestar Galactica themes featured throughout the weekend. It
was great to see Jeremy Bulloch and Doug Wangler once again as they
are two of the friendliest personalities you could meet at one of
these shows.
 Our
activity continued with our Sandwatch Guides being updated with Boba
Binks producing visuals for the
Ultimate
Galactic Hunt figures for 2007 and the
Concept
General Grievous, which would be the only non-McQuarrie figure
in the Signature Series. Our Dewback Patrol would also get another
update with coverage from the
Dallas Fan Days event. With a fully stocked guest list, Hasbro,
and the Fan Club Breakfast with Steve Sansweet, this event was a
mini-celebration! During this event it was revealed to us (but not
confirmed) that Hasbro would produce the AT-TE in 2008! We couldn’t
have been more pleased with the news and photos Starfox brought back
from Big D! We finished off the month with the addition of another
resource entitled
Roll Call.
In this section we at Sandtroopers.com pay tribute to the many
actors and actress’s that have become one with the force. With it
being thirty years since A New Hope, the list was growing painfully
long. It is our best intention to pay respects to the many who made
these films instant classics.
NOVEMBER
 The
Spirit of Obi-Wan and Jawa two-pack would light the way and kick off
the month. We also were intrigued by the Wave IV comic book 2-packs
as the expanded universe continues to captivate most of us! Our
Dewback Patrol once again would hit multiple targets, as Jimsjedi
would conduct operations at the
Boston Supermegafest assisted by forum member Darth Wormie. It’s
pretty amazing to see the east coast S.C.A.L.P. regiment continue to
grow every year. With men like Chewykingwookie, Mohawk Elvis,
pshorrock72 and so many more it’s no wonder we don’t have the entire
coast locked down with unity.
 Just
outside Chicago, I would set up the Sandtrooper Bunker at the
Toy & Game
Fair. It was simply amazing to spend time behind the lines with
Anthony Forrest once again. Orli Shoshon and Dan Madsen were also
brought in by site sponsor Federation Toys for autograph signings.
This would be the final stop for the crew of The Force Among Us and
I was very honored to take part in the last Q & A panel that would
have Jimmy Mac from the Force.net as the MC. While the rigors of the
road can be very rewarding, the Boba Binks continued to update our
guides with a prizefighter flurry. With key additions like the
Coruscant Guard mini-bust and the Jabba’s palace band, he was just
starting to roll as the Target Exclusive
AT-RT
squad, TIE Bomber, and
ARC-170
Elite Squad would be added before the turkey was gone!
 To
complete the barrage, an old friend would come out of retirement and
bring completion to "Ben’s
House" as he showed us all he’s not dead… not yet. Just a few
months prior he’d decided to take a leave of absence from the site
and it proved to be a brilliant move. While we haven’t seen one of
these amazing works since Celebration III, we believe it was well
worth the wait. The detail was simply incredible and we look for Dan
to re-join our team on a full-time basis in 2008 and we can’t wait
to see what he could bring to exhibit at the bunker! We await the
return of Darth Spice’s hitman with great anticipation.
DECEMBER
As the year would come to a close, we couldn’t have imagined the
celebration of Star Wars would be so huge. From the Star Wars
mega-events like Celebration IV and Europe, postal stamps and
mailboxes, it really left us all wondering what was next? The impact
we achieved with this website was simply unprecedented. If someone
would have told me we would be doing some of the things we did this
year. It is an honor and a privilege to serve this community. To
think I would still enjoy writing features like
Sandwatch Action
Figure Reviews and Force of the Bay nearly seven years after
joining the group is mind-boggling. After being recruited back in
2002 and programmed with the objective to make Sandtroopers.com the
number one Star Wars site in the galaxy.
While that objective is still in a
galaxy far, far away we cannot express in words what it’s been like
to be on this incredible journey. We are very proud of the work our
dedicated staff provided this year, as they were all simply
outstanding and best of class. The crew remains dedicated to serving
our loyal readership. It has been a busier than usual month and we
couldn’t be happier the direction Star Wars collecting is headed.
We’ll remain steadfast in our goals and move forward. We will
obliterate anyone who is so silly as try to defy our place in the
collecting community. The will to collect and serve has never been
stronger. We continue to gather our forces and prepare for the
bright future that lies ahead. We thank again all of the Troopers,
Sponsors who have pledged their never-ending support. It’s hard to
believe the celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of Star Wars
has come to an end. It was no doubt the greatest year ever to be a
Star Wars fan. Happy New Year and let’s slam one back for a great
2008! United We Find.
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