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Adam Pawlus' famous newsletter is now mirrored on RTM!

We will only have each new newsletter as it comes out, and no updates. If you want to see past newsletters, more of Adam's wonderful Star Wars knowledge, or just stuff on video games, polka-playing goofballs, and just plain wacky stuff, then visit all of Adam's great pages! So, enjoy, and tell Adam what'chha think.

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Updated on December 8, 1997

WELCOME to ASWN #25

Wow. Issue #25. ASWN is like my baby-- no, no-- make that "demon spawn". Yes, the evil newsletter from within! No, wait, that's no good. Dang. Lemme start over.

Welcome to Adam's Star Wars Newsletter, home of the Whopper. Ya want fries with that? Hunh? Dang! Okay, one more time.

I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ! PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN AT THE KEYBOARD! (Yeah, that's the ticket!) BEHOLD THE MIGHT THAT IS ASWN!

Now that's an introduction! A bad one, but hey, what can you expect for nothin'?


Let's bug Jen!

ASWN's newly named feature on Kenner toys, with my old racquetball partner, Kenner's own Jen Donahoe!

ASWN: Is it true that the cases with 16 of one figure (like Slave Leia, Vader, Jawas, Luke Stormtrooper) are a result of the new LucasFilm contract?

Jen: No.

ASWN: Why are the figures going up by a dollar in 1998?

Jen: Inflation. They have been $4.99 for years now.

ASWN: When will the Star Wars Insider figure (or figures) be announced in their magazine?

Jen: When they decide. Probably early in 1998.

ASWN: Will the 12" Cantina Band Members or Electronic Ben vs. Vader sets be available in 1998?

Jen: That is still to be determined.

ASWN: Will Expanded Universe figures continue in 1999?

Jen: We'll have to wait and see how it does.

ASWN: Aside from the mail-in slide storage binder, will there be any other mail-in promos in 1998 (Kelloggs, Pepsi, etc.)?

Jen: Definitely, but nothing is locked in yet.

ASWN: What's the scoop with the mail-in figure from Best Buy? [ASWN note: Best Buy has a coupon calendar with a free Kenner figure by mail.]

Jen: It's a Best Buy offer. It's not an exclusive figure.

ASWN: Will there be any Teras Kasi figures with action mechanisms or something similar?

Jen: We're looking at all of the "elseworlds" Star Wars for possible toys.

ASWN: Aside from the Jabba's Dancers, are any other figures from the musical sequence in production?

Jen: You'll just have to be surprised.

ASWN: Are Shadows of the Empire toys pretty much done, or can we expect a few more?

Jen: Done.

ASWN: When is the earliest that Buddies will start showing up?

Jen: Probably the EARLIEST is January 98, but do not rush the stores based on that.

ASWN: Are any more vehicles or playsets going to be shown at Toy Fair '98?

Jen: Yes, more finalized products too.

ASWN: Is there any truth to the rumor that you'll do a figure from the Prequels before 1999 like Boba Fett was with ESB?

Jen: We're considering that.

ASWN: Will there be an internet figure in 1998? If so, who will it be?

Jen: Of course! Patience, B'omarr will get jealous.

Thanks Jen!

New Japanese Kaiyodo kits?

Yes!

Hobby Link Japan (ASWN note: I've never done business with them, and since this is not an advertisment, well, do whatever.)

You can see pics of prepainted Darth Vader and Stormtrooper kits here, and I think they're kinda neat to look at. Take a gander!

KENNER EXCLUSIVES

Okay, for those who can't read or just choose not to:

Hasbro New Ventures' 12" Exclusives from 1997 will be available again in 1998. Two-packs will be broken up, Tauntaun and Wampa will be sold by themselves, etc. Already definite for early 1998 are Tarkin, Sandtrooper II, Luke Hoth, Han Hoth, Greedo, and AT-AT Driver. These will be sold in all stores that choose to stock them.

Also, the 4" figure 3-packs (Walmart's Cantina Showdown, Toys "R" Us' Death Star Escape) will be sold EVERYWHERE soon. Yes, the same toy. Yes, the same box. The Cantina Pop-up diorama is being sold in the Star Wars Insider magazine/catalog.

All exclusive figures for 197 are now available. If you're like me, you have found barely any of 'em outside the 4" ones and a couple 12" ones. This is why I'm glad most if not all will be offered next year.

Upcoming Kenner releases (for those who missed them):

LATE (and I mean **late**) 1997

Figures
Lando Calrissian (General Pilot)
Luke Skywalker (Bespin outfit)
Princess Leia Organa (Endor dress)
Rebel Commando (Endor)
3-Packs
Jedi Duel (Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine)
Beasts
Tauntaun with Luke (Hoth)

1998

BEASTS

Well, there's at least one more regular beast (Wampa w/ damaged Luke Hoth), and a new series of Deluxe Beasts. The Rancor with Luke (Jedi) and Bantha with Tusken Raider should be out around Spring for $25 or so each. Trust me, $25 is not bad once you see the Rancor in person. I'd love to tell you about the Bantha, but since all I've seen is a slide of an early prototype...

BUDDIES

Plush Star Wars "Beanie-Babies." If you were lucky enough to juggle these, you know that they're pretty amazing little toys. The line includes Yoda, Jabba, R2-D2, C-3PO, Wicket, Chewbacca, Salacious Crumb, Max Rebo (my favorite), and a Jawa.

CINEMA SCENE 3-PACKS

Three more are coming: Mynock Hunt, Jabba's Dancers, and Purchase of the Droids. We know that the POTD set has Uncle Owen, and all-new normal looking luke, and a very nicely painted C-3PO. The other two are unknown, but are assumed to be:
  • MH: Chewbacca (with gas mask), Leia (Hoth outfit with gas mask), Han (Bespin outfit with gas mask), and a mynock.
  • JD: Greeta, Lyn-Me, and Rystall. In other words, the new Rodian (Greedo-lookin') dancer, the new dancer that resembles Oola, and the one that looks like a refugee from Cats that was thrown in a paint factory.

    FIGURES (Classic Trilogy)

    New figures include: R2-D2 with gizmos, C-3PO with removable limbs, Luke with Blast Shield Helmet (new non-buff sculpt), Princess Leia Organa (new awesome sculpt), Darth with Removable Helmet (the best figure of 1998?), Ishi Tib (why he's in a Rebel outfit and in Collection 3 is beyond me), Captain Piett, Zuckuss, Biggs Darklighter, Ewoks (Wicket & Logray), Lak Sivrak, and of course tons more.

    FIGURES (Expanded Universe)

    Dark Empire: Luke Skywalker (that cool Vader armor suit), Princess Leia (baggy pants), Dark Side Sentinel, Clone Emperor. Heir to the Empire: Mara Jade, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Dark Forces: Kyle Katarn, Darktrooper. A ninth figure is planned as well.

    FIGURES (Prequels)

    Some buzz has it that we may see one or two mail-in prequel figures as well as a couple of prequel toys before December 1998. I hope so!

    FIGURES (Collector's Series)

    Non-exclusives: Snowtrooper, Luke Ceremonial, Grand Moff Tarkin, Han Hoth, Luke Hoth, AT-AT Driver, Greedo, Sandtrooper II. And many more.
    Exclusives: Have yet to be announced.
    Beasts: Tauntaun, Wampa.
    Lemme tell ya, this is NOTHING. If I could describe some of the things being proposed for this line, you'd go bonkers.

    TOTAL GALAXY

    Each TOTAL GALAXY set is a small globe with an Action Figure inside. The picture you may have seen online is NOT the final toy, nor is that the final figure. I'm told the final item looks significantly better (i.e., the catalog shot of the PowerFX X-Wing against the real prototype). These toys ARE NOT on the chopping block like some other sites report. - Death Star with Darth Vader (removable helmet, cloth cape, jointed knees) - Tatooine with Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight, further details unknown) - Dagobah with Yoda and Dagobah Predator (further details unknown) - Hoth with Princess Leia (Hoth Outfit, further details unknown)

    VEHICLES (Classic Trilogy)

    Landspeeder (remote control): Ever see the old Sonic Controlled Landspeeder? Picture that for new figures. The remote control is an Imperial Lander from the SW:SE, and it looks very cool. X-Wing Fighter (Power FX): Too cool for words. This is a must-buy toy for 1998! The lights, the detail, the sounds... I doubt many ICONS X-Wings will sell after this hits.

    VEHICLES (Expanded Universe)

    Simply put, it's a Cloud Car, Airspeeder, and Speederbike. See http://starwars.hasbro.com for pics OR ASWN #24 for info of where to look for developmental sketches.

    Galoob!

    More Action Fleet, Battle Packs, and more are shown at www.galoob.com.

    Recent releases:

    Toys "R" Us exclusive Classic Duels. One has the Falcon and a TIE Interceptor (I gotta buy that one...) and the other an X-Wing versus a TIE Fighter.
    Toys "R" Us MicroMachines gift set-- 40 ships for $40. Nothing new, but not a bad deal if you don't have any MicroMachines. Definitely a good way to start.

    And has anyone seen the second version of the MicoMachines Classic Characters set? I still can't find the dang thing!

    The previously thought-have-been-cancelled Epic Collections (IV, V, and VI) from Galoob's MicroMachines line ARE NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE! www.galoob.com

    ANNUAL FEATURE: VIDEO GAME UPDATE

    This feature was made available to subscribers... another reason to subscribe to ASWN!

    STAR WARS: MASTERS OF TERAS KASI

    GRAPHICS: Good. Some very good. The light from Luke's saber and the Freezing Chamber show up extremely well, each character looks pretty well done. My beef is that there is some glitchy polygon stuff (some don't seem to fit properly), and that the faces aren't as detailed as Saturn's Virtua Fighter 2. That, and some graphics (floors) get pixelly. The backgrounds are usually awesome, with moving stuff (AT-ATs) and some neat weather effects. The easiest way to describe this is a first- or second-generation graphics with brand spankin' new lighting features and awesome full-motion video.
    SOUND: No complaints. Redbook audio (that's CD tracks, folks) from the movies, awesome sound effects, and voice. Voice? Yes, voice. Most of it is well done, but since they needed to record stuff for Luke, Leia, Han, Darth, and the rest, and they were too cheap to hire the actors (heh heh), they hired substitutes. And they aren't that bad-- if you didn't mind the voices in the ROTJ radio drama, you won't mind these. And this Darth is *much* better than Brock Peters.
    PLOT: This game would've been better without one. The story they used did bring a moderately interesting character with it (Arden Lyn), but the story never explained Han vs Luke or Leia vs Chewie battles.
    GAMEPLAY: Basic fighting stuff. I've likened it to Sega's VF2 before, I'll do it again. The only difference is that this seems more 3D-ish, but still, it's more Crash Bandicoot than Mario64 when it comes to that. The controls are a bit weird-- not as responsive as I was hoping for, but not impossible. I mean, I beat the game twice in about an hour after I got it. It's not THAT tough.
    HIDDEN STUFF: Well, see below. :)
    OVERALL: If you don't own any fighters and you love Star Wars, this is a good game. If you're a nut for fighting titles, you'll probably hate this... it's not the best game (graphically) I've ever seen. I thought it was fun, and for the $42 it cost with a free copy of BallBlazer Champions, I think I got my money's worth. It's an easy game, but if you have a bunch of friends to play aginst (beat), it's more fun. It is kinda disappointing that Lando and IG-88 were left out.

    Characters initially available:

    Arden Lyn (red & black or black & red)
    Boba Fett (regular armor or something that looks like Jodo in the Twin Engines comic)
    Chewbacca (light or dark fur)
    Han Solo (vest or *DARK BLUE* Bespin jacket)
    Hoar (good god, this is the real name, light or dark coloring)
    Luke Skywalker (Bespin Fatigues or Jedi Knight outfit)
    Princess Leia (Boushh with or without helmet)
    Thok (red or green skin)

    Hidden stuff:

    DARTH VADER (playable character): I beat the game on Jedi mode as Luke. Darth's twin has a purple hue. Darth plays a lot like Luke, except his ultimate move must be done with the saber off. Otherwise, it's prety much the same controls.
    JODO KAST (playable character): play through Survival Mode as Darth Vader. Jodo's clone is pretty much the same character, and his moves are the same as Fett's, including the delightful flame-thrower with a nice hot blue flame.
    STORMTROOPER (playable character): beat the game on Jedi mode as Han Solo. The second outfit for the Stormtrooper is a Biker Scout (cool!) Same controls as Han. Same (&^*&%!! gun too.
    PRINCESS LEIA! (playable character): Princess Leia! is Leia in Slave outfit. Big surprise. Beat the game on Jedi as Leia, and you can see... well, more. Same moves as Princess Leia (Boushh). In case you were wondering, she keeps the staff on her back when "sheathed."
    MARA JADE (I can't figure how to play her): You can play AGAINST Mara if you play through Arcade mode as Darth Vader. No big deal. Seems to be a lot like Luke in terms of movement. My guesses about her being playable: A) they'll tell us next year, like with Wampa, AT-ST, and Snowtrooper codes in N64's SOTE or B) she ain't playable.
    LEVEL SELECT (vs. mode): Beat the game on Arcade mode as Chewbacca on Jedi difficulty.
    You MUST NOT have the "change character at continue" option available when you play.

    Teras Kasi is a good game, and to play it at it's best, I'd reccomend...

  • A PSX Memory card (any kind is OK)
  • Arcade style joystick (my weapon of choice is Ascii's Specialized Joystick [watch for sales])

    The game sells from $42 to $50

    ASWN is sponsored by Entertainment Earth! www.entertainmentearth.com

    BARGAIN BASEMENT

    This month's corkin' discount section: Placo Keychains.

    Yes, keychains. You know the really cool die-cast metal keychains of Star Wars figures? Well, Kay-Bee has two different boxed sets available for just under six bucks (sure beats $3 each or $10 per box).
    They are:

    Set #1: Luke, Darth, R2-D2, C-3PO
    Set #2: Ben, Yoda, Boba Fett, Han Solo
    The second one kicks the snot out of the first one, so if ya can only afford to pick one...

    Know about any discounted merchandise? Well, tell me!

    SEE the AMAZINGLY NEAT feature regarding a prototype for Plamates Toys NEVER BEFORE SEEN Star Wars line! Just click here!


    ASWN is not an official Star Wars, Kenner, Galoob, or anyone newsletter. While I do have contacts in and around these companies, I do not work for them. All information is subject to change- remember, these companies can change their minds whenever they want to, and early information is just that- early.

    Well, that's it.




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