I wouldn’t mind having this Santa Vader and Taun Taun sleigh sitting on my mantle this Christmas season, how about you?

PowerPig via Timblelog

Well, I might be a year late, but I’ve finally watched the new Clone Wars TV series. Since we don’t have TV (we have a tv, but we just use it for movies, digital files, and games), I haven’t been able to watch more than a few minutes of this show until now. The complete first season was just released on Blu-ray by Warner Bros, and I got my hands on a copy.

The Blu-ray is a three disc box set that includes a pretty cool “art of” booklet inside the case. There are all kinds of conceptual sketches, photos of models, and notes. There’s a grand total of 22 episodes, and 7 of them are presented as director’s cuts. They don’t have the original cuts on the discs, so I don’t really know what they changed.

There is a behind the scenes featurette for each episode, and a ton of 3D and 2D art to scan through. Besides that there are a few promos, one for season two, another for the new Clone Wars game, and the last about StarWars.com (in case you’ve been living under a rock or in an Amish community for the last 12 years).

The Verdict

I like this show a heck of a lot more than I thought I was going to. I’m a huge fan of the original 2D Clone Wars series by Genndy Tartakovsky, so I didn’t know what I would think of this new Genndy-less series. Beyond the typical prequel-universe annoyances (droids, droids, Anakin, droids), the series has a strong grasp of the Star Wars Universe, and benefits from its short episodic stories.

I like how they took risks like centering whole episodes on Clone troopers or an obscure character. While not as over-the-top and stylized as the Genndy Tartakovsky series, The Clone Wars is a fun show.

The Season One set is also available on standard-def DVD. It’s available now.

I’ve always wanted a cool 12 inch Star Wars figure. It may have taken me over twenty years to finally get one, but the years of waiting paid off. Now I have a sweet 12 inch figure from Sideshow Collectibles of Obi-Wan Kenobi as a General in the Clone Wars.

This figure from Sideshow is insanely detailed, from the likeness of Ewan McGregor to the PVC clone armor.

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I promise, this will be the last LEGO Star Wars post in a while, but consider it the most important. Now that the contest is over (scroll down for winners), it’s time to round up my thoughts for an official review of LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary from DK Publishing.

I grew up with the classic DK Star Wars books like the Incredible Cross-sections and the Visual Dictionaries, and this one definitely is just as cool. Actually, it may be the coolest, since it combines Star Wars and LEGO into one awesome book.

The book is hardback with an extra-thick front cover. That’s because the bottom right corner holds an exclusive A New Hope ceremonial Luke minifig! At first glance the book seems short at 96 pages, but once you read through it all (and realize it’s for ages 7+), the book seems the perfect length.

One of the coolest features of the book is right up front; the timeline. It lists every LEGO Star Wars set from the last ten years, which is a very cool resource for collectors. From there it takes you through each film’s sets and details every minifigure, all in the classic DK style.

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Alright folks, here it is. I’ve told you about DK Publishing’s release party of the LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary tomorrow in this post, and here is your chance to win one of four glorious prize packs. Here is what is up for grabs:

• Mega Prize (1 Winner): 1 copy of LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary, 1 special 10/10/09 LEGO Star Wars t-shirt, 1 postcard pack from San Diego Comic Con, and 1 Darth Vader Minifigure.
• Mini Packs (3 Winners): 1 copy of LEGO Star Wars Visual Dictionary and 1 10/10/09 LEGO Star Wars t-shirt.

To enter, just leave a comment here with a valid email address, and the winners will be chosen randomly on 10-10-09 at 8pm EST. I will say, the T-shirts are awesome, and you won’t be disappointed with any of the other prizes either.

Good luck, and look for my official review of the book tomorrow!