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Hmmmmmmmmmmmm... I believe last year I was whining about these guys. Ok, odds are EVERYONE was whining; 'More Batman repaints?' 'Jeez, just re-issuing Takara Transformers again?' Well, someone in Hasbro was listening. Just when it seemed the giant was sleeping... PSYCHE.
1. GI Joe; re-issuing toys is like putting out a greatest hits album. If you do it well, it looks like you're doing your fans a favor by doing the stuff they love. You do it BADLY... well, it looks like you're cashing in. Congrats to Hasbro for doing the former. Taking the lessons from the new 'Star Wars' figures, they've re-vamped the line and breathed life into one of THE most successful toy lines. And you not only have cool figures, but cool new vehicles.
2. Star Wars; speaking of which, it looks promising. I think the key thing is not to OVER-HYPE the thing. Yeah, yeah, a ton o' fans are dying to see Episode 2. NONETHELESS, there are only so many figures of Obi-Wan the planet will buy, so just eaaaaaaase up a little. The new figures all look very good, like the previous lines, so things look promising. Throw in some obligatory old stuff, vehicles, and you got another kicking license.
3. Magic-The Gathering; The one problem with this it's about 5 years too LATE. Yes, we all know what decks we loved to mess with, the nasty things a Shivan Dragon could do... but is anyone still PLAYING? Good news, though, is these figures look terrific. Very detailed sculpts of some terrific cards could bode well for this line, IF there's still interest out there.
4. Transformers; Armada; Oooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... finally, our fellow collectors in Japan do NOT have the jump on us. Armada looks to be THE best combination of funky gimmics, cool transformations, and great vehicles. Optimus alone is just incredible, then throw in Megatron, Cyclonus, Starscream... oh, cannot WAIT.