For many of you, Jar Jar belongs in Carbonite and Hasbro has granted your wish! For Comic Con they released The  Carbonite Chamber Line which features our friend Jar Jar in a slab of carbonite.


Comic-Con 2012: Check Out the Hasbro Toy Exclusives Including the S.H.I.E.L.D. SUPER HELICARRIER, Jar Jar Binks in Carbonite and Moreby Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted:July 9th, 2012 at 10:28 am
http://collider.com/hasbro-shield-super-helicarrier-comic-con/178154/ 

Okay, so you can't actually buy these Cyberpunk Star Wars Toys by Sillof but, check out his site to see these unique action figures. I really think the Western theme is cool. 


Sillof - http://www.sillof.com/C-SW-western.htm 

Gentle Giant released their goodies during this years Comic Con. Personal, not as cool as the Han Solo they released at last year's Con and as you know I am not a fan of the half statues. This year it's a Stormtrooper with a shield & lightsaber and there's poor Admiral Motti in in the middle of his choking session with Darth Vader. However, I would love to get my hands on this action figure! The Red Snaggletooth just like Kenner original made it!

Gentle Giant, LTD

http://www.gentlegiantltd.com/default.asp 

For those of you (lucky Nerf Herders) headed to Star Wars Celebartion next month be on the look out for these exclusive prints by artists

Steve Anderson (whose artwork Clone Wars "The Jedi" is featured)
Scott Erwert
William O'Neill
Dave Dorman
Ken Lashley

http://www.starwars.com/news/star_wars_celebration_6_artists_3.html

Star Wars merchandise is a huge world, and it is hard to wrap your head around all the stuff that you, as a Star Wars fan, can purchase. There’s everything from books, action figures, comics, and stuff in between. I personally enjoy collecting action figures, and after a small break, have started my collection again. For this blog, I would like to introduce you to the hot new collectables for 2012 and where you can purchase Star Wars merchandise.

Hasbro is of course the company that Star Wars fans need to pay attention to.  I have provided the link to view their 2012 line of toys.  http://www.starwars.com/news/hasbro_star_wars_2012.html  To me, the action figures look amazing - especially Ashoka and Obi Wan Kenobi. I think the detail on the action figures is worth the price of $8.99. Earlier this year, the annual Toy Fair released this new Star Wars action figures. http://www.comicsalliance.com/2012/02/11/new-star-wars-action-figures-toy-fair/  You’ll notice that there is a Grand Moff Tarkin figure, and  the female bounty hunter Shae Vizla, ( one that I have been searching for) featured in the picture below.

Another store Star Wars fans should follow is Gentle Giant which is popular for their mini busts.  http://www.gentlegiantltd.com/ Released this year is Yoda in 3D glasses and a mini bust of Shae Vizla. I’m not a fan of the mini bust….I just think it’s odd to have half the body. They also have a full statue of R2D2 and the Magma Trooper.  The sought after Star Wars Chess set has recently been released.  The nice thing about Gentle Giant is that the site allows you to preorder any product that is not available yet.

As far as other collectables such as books, household items etc. I suggest combing the online stores like Amazon, Think Geek, and Esty, which all have unique handmade Star Wars items. A fun item that has had some popularity is the lightsaber lamps, which you can find at Think Geek.  The lamps have a black shade with either the Imperial symbol or Rebel symbol. This is a fairly old product, but definitely worth mentioning. If you’re looking for a unique Star Wars item, pick up the Tauntaun sleeping bag from Think Geek as well.

If you’re looking into seriously getting into the world of collecting, do your research. I started by listening to these two podcast programs from The Forcecast; Jedi Journals which deal with Star Wars comics and books, and the Collector’s Edition which discusses action figures and collectables. Two great programs to get you started. Also, there are many price guide books on Star Wars collectables which, if you want to become a serious collector, may help. The “Official Price Guide to Star Wars Memorabilia” by Jeremy Beckett is a great place to start.

The fun of collecting is finding that unique item that no one has. The hunt is half the fun. Good luck collecting and May The Force Be With You!
Think Geek:   http://www.thinkgeek.com/ Amazon:   http://www.amazon.com 
Esty:  http://www.etsy.com/ The Forcecast Microcasts: http://www.forcecast.net/c-forcecastmicrocastnews.asp