2002 Star Wars Year in Review Posted by: Big E 12-17-02 12:01am I wrote up a Best and Worst list for 2001 but I don't remember if I had it posted here or if I just sent it out to the PSWCS group. But, this year I decided to write up a list again. I think the "best" far outweighs the "worst" this year but there were some definite stinkers. I'm sure you won't agree with some of this list, but hey, not everyone gets to write for CreatureCantina.com! So, read on, discuss with your friends, curse my name, spam Bill because he published it but think about all the cool stuff we got to see in the Star Wars universe in 2002! Best Figure 3 3/4" Dexter Jettster - I really love this figure. He's got a great sculpt with nice paint detail and some cool accessories (even though he'd have been better with his pipe). He's big and looks like he did in the movie with his mustache and pants falling down in back. Just a cool figure all around. Yoda - Wow! This is the stand-out figure of the 2002 Saga line for me. Great sculpt and paint, cool accessory and a Lightsaber! I'll give honorable mention to the Deluxe Yoda figure also. Same general sculpt but a little toned down. 25th Anniversary figures - Both the Toy Fair Vader and the TRU R2-D2. It's a cool way to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Star Wars and the packaging is minimal but cool. I'd have liked to see Hasbro/Lucasfilm do a little more whether it be figures or whatever, but I'm happy. Jorg Sacul - An exclusive CII figure would make the list anyway, but the fact that it's George Lucas himself done as an X-Wing pilot it's even better. Nice head sculpt and a cool pack-in. Let's hope they do something like this again for CIII. Senator Palpatine - This has to be the best likeness of a human in the Saga line this year. Some of the Luke and Han figures have been pretty good but this figure is perfect right down to the age spots, the "concerned" look on his face and the detailing on his robes and hair. Luke Bespin - Overall this is a cool figure with removable hand, cool accessory and great paint detail. The 3 different hand peg variations notwithstanding, the figure was a great Luke in a year when we only got one carded Luke figure (not counting deluxe and pack-ins) Ephant Mon - This is a HUGE, beautiful figure, it's a Fan Choice, and a background alien. Any two of those reasons are enough to make it on my list. Honorable mention to Orn Free Taa and the Massiff figures as well as Chewbacca and the electronic R2-D2. Very nicely done. Figure 12" Count Dooku - This is the best 12" figure of the year and arguably the best ever in the 12" Star Wars line. The head sculpt is PERFECT Christopher Lee. They used the CC GI Joe body with the new Gung-Ho grip. The outfit is well done as is the Lightsaber and at $20 is a good price and even better if you hit it on sale. Ki-Adi-Mundi - This Fan club exclusive is really nice. The head and hand sculpts and paint detail are beautiful and the outfit is nicely done. They used the Improved Action Man body style for the figure but it works out. Honorable mention - The bounty hunter Zuckuss and the Red and Yellow Clone Troopers from KB look really nice. Vehicle or Playset Republic Gunship - Without hesitation this is my favorite ship for the year. It's big and well detailed with a great paint scheme and wonderful action features like the opening doors and cockpit for 2 figures. The ability to add on the door guns that come with the Clone Pilot and the Speeder Bike from the Deluxe Clone Trooper were cool features that we haven't seen in a ship before now. You can load this down with a ton of figures if you want to display it as a drop ship for troops or an escape vehicle for Jedi from the arena. As soon as I saw the movie I wanted a vehicle of the Gunship and Hasbro delivered a great toy. Arena Playset - Who said Hasbro couldn't do a large playset again? Although I don't have one to actually look at, the pictures on the box and what I've read about it put it on my "must have" list. I like the fact that you can use your beasts with it and add on the deluxe playsets to increase the play value. It doesn't hurt that it came in under $40 at retail. TIE Bomber - A very nice Wal-Mart exclusive this is, I think, the first vintage vehicle in the POTF2/POTJ line that wasn't a resculpt of an existing toy. The pack-in figure was another TIE Pilot resculpt but didn't suffer from the TIE Interceptor loose head problem. Nice action feature with the dropping bombs and it came in cool window box packaging. Slave I - This is a great update of the Slave I...or is it really a prequel Slave I? The firing missiles, dropping bombs and cockpit that will hold two figures is really nice. The paint deco is cool and it looks great sitting on a shelf or running around the living room with it. Playskool - I'll put them here since they don't really fit anywhere else. The Playskool Star Wars sets are really great. The Falcon set has outstanding features and sounds and endless play value. The smaller sets like the X-Wing and even the Stompin' Wampa set rock. I love the "dazed" effect you get with the Wampa! Honorable mention for the Jedi Starfighter, TRU exclusive Landspeeder which is a nicely done version of the classic vehicle, and the TRU Luke's X-Wing. As much as I like the Jedi Starfighter and it's action features, it only makes honorable mention because Hasbro screwed up on the Obi-Wan Pilot figure, in my opinion. If I had a pilot it would have ranked higher. The X-Wing would have rated higher also but it's technically a resculpt of the F/X X-Wing. It's got a really nice paint scheme and you can put your own pilot and droid combination in it. If it was a little cheaper than the $40 price tag I'd have liked it better as well. Lego Republic Gunship - Can you guess that I love this vehicle? Last year I didn't include a Lego section but this year I am just because I need to mention once again the wonderful, detailed Republic Gunship. Riding in at $90 retail this isn't a cheap toy by any means but the size, detail, and playability of this toy is unrivaled in the general release Lego sets this year. Honorable mention is for the UCS Blockade Runner. Priced out of my range in the $150 range this is an incredible ship that I was lucky enough to see at CII. If you can find it on sale, get it! Non-Toy Collectible Episode 2 on DVD - Last year I put EP1 on DVD on this list and the fact that we had the movie and the DVD in the same year this time means it should be on my list. Nice cut scenes and tons of extras. But hey, any SW DVD is worthy of mention. Frito Lay - The Frito Lay 3D pieces that came in chip bags during the AOTC promotion this spring was a fun if, at times, frustrating, collectible. It's a cool technology and an interesting idea. Kellogg's & General Mills - The Clone Trooper helmet from Kellogg's Canada and the Lightsaber pens from General Mills in the US were interesting and cool. Unleashed - Jango Fett and Padme. The Jango, with Boba Fett, is a great looking figure with nice detail and paint and a great action pose. And Padme, well, I could give you two reasons... R2-D2 Interactive - Technically a toy, this figure is really neat. Voice activated with the ability to play games and respond to you in an interactive way is just awesome. And if you can run him around with a beer in his "hand" does it really get any better than that? Best Events The movie - It's a movie year so that means a movie. AOTC, I think, is one of my top two favorite of the saga thus far, Empire being the other. The movie is pretty solid from top to bottom and it's leading up to what will probably be one of the best parts of the entire saga, the fall of Anakin Skywalker! The movie in IMAX - Yoda kicking ass at 5 stories tall! Do I really need to say more? The movie in digital - The movie played on digital screens around the country and from all accounts was absolutely incredible. Not having seen it, I'll take everyone's word for it and will put it on this list just because it's revolutionary. Having seen some digitally projected clips at Celebration II I can only imagine what the entire film looked like in digital. And that leads me to the final "Best" of 2002 Celebration II - Where else can you come together with 20,000 other Star Wars fanatics for a weekend of fun, film, autographs and trading? Celebration II was an absolutely incredible experience and I hope that I have the opportunity to go to CIII if/when it happens before Episode III. Worst Figure 3 3/4" I'm just going to go with pretty much anything with an "Action" feature. The magnets in the hands with metal Lightsabers was cool but all the quick-draw, throwing, swinging, jumping, flipping, kicking, arm-spinning actions were a pain in my butt. Specifically I have to mention Han Solo Endor Bunker, the Mace figures, and Anakin Outland Peasant. Deluxe Clone Trooper - I was really disappointed in this after I got it. The Speeder Bike is nice and I like the figure in pictures. Too bad I didn't just get the picture. The terrible pose and action feature (throwing action) ruin an otherwise nice figure. Oh, and I'm going to lump all figures that can't stand on their own, and in some cases like Taun We, even with a stand. Specifically the Taun We and Shaak Ti figures. I can't get any of my stands to fit Taun We's feet and Shaak Ti, even with a stand, tends to bend at the weak legs and tip over. Figure 12" Anakin Skywalker - This was a toss-up with the Obi-Wan 12" figure. The head sculpt looks nothing like Hayden and it's not even that good looking. It's too large for the body and they hadn't even yet gone to the CC GI Joe body for the figure. The outfit is descent but not enough to save it. Zam and Obi-Wan aren't that great either but I think the Anakin may be the worst of the bunch. Vehicle or Playset Anakin's Coruscant Speeder - I liked the Zam speeder even if none of the figures fit that well in it. But Anakin's speeder, although not terrible, just isn't interesting. The crash feature gets tired after the second time you crash it and we don't even have an Anakin or Obi that you can really sit in it. At least you can jam a Zam into the other speeder. Acklay - Overall it's not a terrible toy, but the weak leg joints that don't allow it to stand up really take away from what could have been a great toy. The Nexu and Reek are cool and the Acklay just missed. Lego Slave I - I'm a fan of the Lego sets but the new Slave I left a little to be desired. It's nice and big and wasn't that hard to put together but it isn't all that sturdy. For the price, I felt there was a lack of parts and they could have done a better job. I liked the smaller classic Slave I that came out a couple years ago better. Non-Toy Collectible Go-Gurt - The squeeze tubes of yogurt that had 16 different Jedi characters with glow-in-the-dark Lightsaber on them. As die hard as I am there is just so much yogurt you can eat. AOTC Soundtrack gimmick - Did you buy 4 copies of the soundtrack to get the different art on the liner notes? I did. And I took it one further, I bought them in different stores (Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart) to get the different pack-in offers like the collector card, extra track and screen saver. I'm consumerism's b*tch and I admit it...but I don't have to like it. ;-) Worst Events Non event actually - Release of the Saga line of figures in April. I was hoping for the Midnight Madness shopping that we had with the Episode I figures but it wasn't really the same this time around. I did go out at midnight and pick up a bunch of figures at a 24 hour Wal-Mart but I missed the fun I had standing at TRU in 1999 with a bunch of other Star Wars geeks waiting for our first peek at the new toys.