DJ Mauls Ultimate Star Wars Toy Room Tour, Part 12


Ok, where did we leave off?Oh, yes, we were covering this shelf unit here.

We covered the first two shelves last chapter, so now we reach shelf three, which features The Complete Burger King Toys Ep. III Series One and Two.

Now, depending on who you talk to, these BK toys were either the FUNNEST toys to collect or the HARDEST. For me, it was relatively easy. My local BK let me buy each weeks wave in one shot and the manager even told me what day they were coming in, so I basically went to BK once a week and completed my series pretty quickly. The only one's I had to get on eBay were a few from the very first week that I missed because I didn't know the promotion had started.The second wave was even easier, as I was ready for it that time.

I won't do a picture for each single one, but a few close ups will do, including:Boba Fett & Han In Carbonite

C-3PO and R2 D2 from both waves.

Vader's TIE, the X-Wing and several other of the ships.

The Falcon, Landspeeder, and Naboo Starfighter



Darth Sideous Wave 1 & 2 Out of ALL of these, the "hardest" ones to get were the Darth Vader chase toys.

Only FIVE Vader's were packed in each box per wave, so the Vader's were THE hot, hard item to find for most collectors. For awhile they were going for way too much money on eBay.Again, for me, well, call it luck or skill but I managed to score them both rather easily.

Another cool score from the BK promotions that I managed to get easily were the BK Lenticular 3D Gift Card set of 6 that came out along with wave 2 of the toys.(Note: There are three trading cards along the top that I stuck in this page just to fill it out, the BK cards are the middle and bottom rows.)I got all six (one for each film) the day they came out for a dollar a piece.later, I learned that they were SUPPOSED to be purchased with a MINIMUM ten dollar gift credit on EACH card (that of course could be redeemed for food, but who really wants to pre-order 60 dollars of BK food???) so again I got REALLY lucky with scoring these dirt cheap!

For fun, in the background I also hung up the Wave One and Wave Two checklists. And just along the side, for no real reason, is the awesome Target Gift Card that lights up AND makes Vader breathing noises!!!

Let's now head to the next shelf down... Here we find the Six BK Watches , also part of the BK Ep.III promotions; these came out the same time as the second wave of toys.

Along each side of the watches are Darth Tater and his ever loyal Spud Trooper guard.

In the background you will find the Ep. I Widescreen Collectors Edition Video that, while now being outdated by DVD, came with some nice collectibles including a book inside and the film cell you see on the left.

Next to that is an old ROTJ Storybook Album that has a photo book inside and came with a cassette to listen to the story...the cassette has long been MIA.

One more shelf for now, as we reach my collection of Star Wars Novels & magazines. I won't highlight EACH book or magazine, but just several favorites:

My ORIGINAL Paperback OT novels ...some of the few surviving SW items from my childhood, worn and torn certainly but still cherished anyway.

Two more vintage books here, Splinter Of The Minds Eye & Han Solo At Stars End. "Splinter" was the very FIRST "EU" book, and has been debated as to whether it's "canon" or not by many fans.

A couple more vintage items here:The Empire Strikes Back Collectors Edition Picture Book And the Star Wars Storybook that, if I'm not mistaken, was the first book to feature this now CLASSIC shot of Vader on the back cover.

Just a few more, as we look at a few more recent magazine covers like the Star Wars Insider Simpsons Parody Cover and two Mad Magazine SW covers that are pretty funny.

Last one, for now, is the cover of the Celebration III Convention book.

I may go back and feature the rest of the books and magazines in another tour blog at some point, but the next installment will take us still further along as we explore the wonderful world of...well, you'll have to check back next time for that!

DJ Mauls Ultimate Star Wars Toy Room Tour, Part 11


Chapter 11...no, I'm NOT filing for bankruptcy, although some people think I spend too much on Star Wars stuff and SHOULD be broke...

Today we move along to yet another bookshelf full of stuff.

At the very TOP of this bookshelf we find the very cool Ep. I Action Banks Set which, if you never saw them, are three separate banks (Obi Wan, Darth Maul, & Qui Gon) that when connected interact with each other. Press the button and they speak lines from the movie and battle each other with their light sabers, complete with sound effects.

I really LOVE these things and have a little story to tell about them:I first saw these banks on shelves when Ep. I first came out, but passed on them several times because they were, quite frankly, too expensive...almost 30 bucks each if I'm not mistaken.Later, much later, a friend and I were wandering the mall and happened upon a KB Toys that had them marked WAY down to just FIVE BUCKS EACH! Unbelievable!BUT...they only had Obi Wan and Darth Maul...Qui Gon was no where to be seen. No way I was buying TWO out of three, how incomplete is THAT?So I asked the guy if he knew where any other KB Toy stores were that may have the Qui Gon. To my surprise he was more than happy to help and called several other stores in the area for me. He found a store about 40 minutes away that still had one on the shelf and said they would hold it for me IF I could make it in that night.I asked my friend if he minded going for a drive, he said no problem and off we went!It was worth the effort for that price and I'm glad I got the complete set.

OK, back to the tour...Next to the banks is three matching Ep. I figures that went along perfectly with the larger banks.

Under the banks, we find the next shelf full of interesting items:

On the left side are three Master Replicas .45 scaled sabers in the display case that for picture purposes, I removed the plastic dust cover from for a better look.These three are all Jedi sabers: The top one is a GOLD Anakin Ep. III mini saber that was SUPPOSED to be the SW Shop "Black Chrome" edition but instead I got the rare GOLD chase version...very lucky there!Under that one is the "As First Built By" version of Obi Wan's, and on the bottom Luke's from ROTJ.

On the far right side are three more MR Mini Sabers, these three all Sith:Top: Darth SideousMiddle: Darth TyranusBottom: Darth Vader, Ep. IV

In the middle of each of those display cases is the Collectors Society 2005 Darth Maul Mini Saber which is the complete version available when you signed up for the Collectors Society membership. It's sold out now and no longer available. just for fun I added this Darth Maul figure to go along with it, I think this is a really good likeness of Maul.

OK, you already saw it in the background, but here's a closer look at my Celebration III Exclusive Talking Vader figure. I, like many others, waited for HOURS in line for this figure, but it was well worth the wait. I'm THRILLED with the forethought they put into the packaging. Not only can you press the button in the front to make him speak, but you can also change the batteries in the back with OUT having to open or damage the packaging.The Exclusive star cases that were sold along with this figure at CIII were sold out by the time I got there, and so far I've refused to pay the jacked up prices for them on eBay. While I would LIKE a star case to keep this one better protected, I'm not willing to pay some scalper triple for it just because he beat me to it in the line.I open almost all my items...this one however, stays the way it is.

A few more items from CIII can be found here:My CIII 4 Day Pass & Lanyard The Celebration At CIII Party Slave Leia Coaster that was one of several items in the door baggie giveaways.

Some other little items floating around this shelf include my Star Tours Pin from the gift shop at MGM of course, a Vader Pin from SW Shop & Cingular Vader Viper Keychain, another little CIII freebie.There is a second Vader Pin on the other side; these were actually a three pin set from SW Shop, but my dad has the third pin on his Harley Biker hat...it's a Vader In Flames.

Another little item here is my Vader Fan Club membership card and also one featuring Yoda. Apparently I forgot to take a close up shot of it, but that Vader head you see hanging above the display case is a Christmas ornament I found at Target not that long ago.

Next shelf down is one of the TRUE prides of my collection, and without a doubt the most EXPENSIVE item I ever bought, but I simply had to have it:My Code 3 Millennium Falcon Die Cast Model.

She is truly a thing of beauty as these next few close ups will show:

Falcon close up 1

Falcon close up 2

Falcon close up 3

I was going to take some pictures of her with the removable panels off so you could see the detail inside but that would have required me moving her off the shelf and I don't like moving it too much as she's VERY heavy and I'm afraid to DROP her!Maybe I will do that in a later blog...

To finish out this shelf (and this chapter of the tour) I'll cover the last few items here:

Death Star With Darth Vader Complete Galaxy set and on the other side is the Dagobah With Yoda.

On each side as well are these Mos Eisley Cantina Shot Glasses, again a souvenir from my trips to MGM in Florida.

The next installment will finish out this shelf as we check out some BK toys and some books...Until then, as always, thanks for coming along.

DJ Mauls Ultimate Star Wars Toy Room Tour, Part 10


Continuing on to the next shelf down , we find another shelf of various action figures.

Again, where able, I've tried to set them in scenes or poses, such as this one of Yoda VS Dooku.

Behind them you will see several Padme figures from all three PT's as well as Capt. Panaka and a Palace Guard.

Next we have the Three Faces of Palpatine, ...Senator, Chancellor, and Sith Lord.

Next to them are several Jedi including Yoda, Ki Adi Mundi, Shak Ti and Adi Gallia.

In the one corner we find Obi Wan & Grievous battling it out, and next to them the Yoda VS. Battle droid Set.

Towards the front we find Mace VS Sideous and being attacked by Force Lightning. Prince Xizor is somehow there watching as well.

The last shelf on this book case contains just a few more items:

The Star Wars Original Trilogy Set On VHS ...these are the UNALTERED versions, BEFORE the "Special Edition" releases that I also have there on the other side. Now of course we have them on DVD but I kept the VHS sets as part of the collection now. Eventually VHS will be as obscure as the 8 - Track.

The Mace Windu Sneak Preview figures which was a Fan Club mail away offer exclusive. Another Sneak Preview toy from Episode I is the Gian Speeder & Theed Palace Set that I may still open someday and set up but so far never got around to it.

Here we have Millennium Falcon hand held video game that my mom once again found for me at a yard sale or flea market or something...it opens up from the top to access the game.

I featured this picture before to show the Chewie display, but now I want to focus on the figures that run down the side of the shelf. The Holographic Leia Comic Con Exclusive that was eventually made available online for a short time... long enough for me to get it anyway.

Jango Fett Ep. II Sneak Preview figure. ... one of the first Ep. II figs released.

Aasajj Ventress Clone Wars figure ...one of the very few EU characters I have, but I always love a good villain and she was one of the better ones.

Darth Maul Ep. I figure still in package, ...I'm not sure WHY. I actually have another of these, opened, and the package on this one is far from "mint" but I guess I just figured I'd keep him carded because he represents the beginning of the PT's for me in collectibles.Plus the card features Maul as part of the art as well, and some day I may try and get Ray Park to sign the card.

Oh, a few other items that run down the OTHER side of the bookshelf:The Ep. I Comic Book Mini Series from Dark Horse, in a limited edition, sealed four pack.Shadows Of The Empire Comic Book that came with a Boba Fett VS IG-88 two figure pack collection.Below that is a photo copy of a Darth Vader sketch signed by the artist that I picked up at the Dark Horse Comics booth at CIII.It's only a photo copy, not the original sketch, or I'd have framed it better, but I still like it.

I also grabbed this Episode III Comic Book Adoption Cover poster while at the Dark Horse booth as well, and I neglected to mention when I showed this picture before that the Ep. III comic you see there up front I also picked up at the CIII Dark Horse booth and had signed by the artist and writer.

I'm going to finish this one out by (sort of) giving you an idea of where I'm heading next...The next book shelf over still has a TON of items on it to cover, but for now I'll just show you this photo of the side to which I've displayed all the certificates that came with the Code 3 3D posters I featured in part seven of the tour.

DJ Mauls Ultimate Star Wars Toy Room Tour, Part 9

Funny, when I started this virtual tour, I figured it would take three, maybe four blogs. Here I am at part NINE and I'm still not really even close to being done yet!

This installment will move down from the Clone Army shelf to the next shelf below.

As you can see it's still more action figures. This shelf consists mainly of Star Wars alien species. On the advice of Bravo 225 I decided to TRY and be a bit more creative in the poses of my figures, which means I had to go back and re-shoot this entire shelf...gee, thanks a LOT, Bravo...

Anyway, whether I succeeded or not is up to you I suppose.Ok, Let's get to it.

The figures here are a hodge podge of assorted aliens and humanoids, from all across the galaxy. The setting is a party that could be in either The Cantina, Jabba's Palace, or somewhere totally different, you decide.

Let's check out The Band first, featuring vocalists Joh Yowza and Sy Snootles up front, and Droopy McCool & two Bith band members.

One of these Bith figs was the one that came with Droopy; the other was the Fan Club Mail Away Exclusive.

As a special treat, Yak Face has joined in the band, or maybe he's just using that battle staff as an air guitar!

In the back, entertaining the lads, are Jabba's Palace Dancers. This is one of the several "Cinema Scenes" packs. But wait! What's THIS? Seems Aunt Beru has suddenly jumped up on stage and started dancing with the girls!!! Looks like someone must have spiked her blue milk...!

Apparently Beru's sweet moves have over excited this Ketwol alien who is so drunk he seems to have lost his PANTS.

Seems there's a bit of a disturbance over on the left side of the "room." (The three aliens against the wall on the stand is another Cinema Scene three pack.)Lot's of weapons drawn; looks like Bossk is reminding Lak Sivrak to pay his bar tab...Garindan the Long Snoot is sticking his nose in as usual, while Nien Nunb seems to be minding his own business, staying in the background behind Ponda Baba.

Meanwhile Fode & Beed, are calling the fight like the true announcers they are.

Apparently after The Clone Wars ended Dexter Jettster found himself unemployed after The Emperor had all alien life forms removed from the food service industry, but his talents were NOT unknown and Jabba immediately hired him to be his head chef.Behind Dex staggers a drunken Tarfful, who also found himself in dire straights after the Clone Wars, barely avoiding being dragged into slavery, he too wound up working with a smuggler and spending a lot of time in Cantinas...go figure...

With all the turmoil in the galaxy, it's nice to see that two different species can indeed get along, like these Ugnaughts & Jawas here who seem to be having fun just dancing the night away.

Conversation picks up as two galaxy famous Pod Racers, Gasgano & Ody Mandrell enter the party...rumor has it Gasgano lost an arm in his last Podrace and has been trying his best to conceal it because he still needs to race to pay off his gambling debts to Jabba The Hutt, who, as usual, is presiding over the entire party.

Oola is dancing up a storm for Jabba's pleasure, as Salacious Crumb looks on and laughs his usual annoying laugh. (Oola & Salacious were an exclusive Star Wars Insider offer set.)Lando is also there, dressed as the Skiff Guard again, because he thinks the military look will help him with the women...poor deluded man.

And always at Jabba's side is Bib Fortuna, who's whispering something about some guy who's outside, trying to get in, say's he's a Jedi...?Recovering from the death of his beloved Rancor, MalaKili can be seen twisting the night away back near Jabba's tail.

Finally, lurking in the far corner is Jabba's Gamorrean Guard for the evening, who is anti social as usual and prefers the corner of the room where he can keep an eye on every one. Somehow the poor simple creature still thinks it's a GOOD bodyguard.

Well, kids, it's closing time...you don't have to go home but you can't stay here.Until we meet again for part ten...

DJ Mauls Ultimate Star Wars Toy Room Tour, Part 8


Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends, we're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside (That's Emerson, Lake & Palmer kids, your musical lesson for today from your old pal Deej, )

Well, here we are at part 8 of the tour.

Today we arrive at yet another shelf full of a variety of items, mainly action figures.At the top of the shelf, though, we first find these:OT SE Burger King Toys picture 1 which features the balancing Cloud City, Yoda/Vader cube, SW Puzzle Cube, R2 D2 with Princess Leia that fits inside him (It's supposed to be her "hologram;" I guess they hadn't thought of the hologram figs like we have now.) the Yoda was the "3 and Under" kids toy for the younglings.

OT SE Burger King Toys picture 2 features the rest of the set: The Balancing Boba Fett, The Millennium Falcon Rev Up Toy, and the "Exploding" Death Star, which was recalled shortly after release as some one deemed it "dangerous" for young kids...I'm still not sure WHY, nothing actually explodes. When you push the lever it spins and the sections split apart and there's a little sparkler inside that makes tiny sparks...cool, but hardly dangerous.

In the middle of them is the Celebration III Antenna Toppers Set complete with the Vader Topper that one could only get with an advanced purchase of the four day pass.I actually bought two sets of these, one for my wife's aunt, who collects antenna toppers. Since I could only get ONE Vader, though, I kept mine, but eventually decided to try and find her one to complete her set, and I did on eBay for a pretty decent price.

The next shelf down is one I'm sure you army builders will enjoy:My Clone Army Shelf. Inspired by many, MANY of you collectors out there who collect clones, troopers and variants of, I decided to start my own collection of them as well, and to my surprise I REALLY started getting into it. My army I'm sure is not nearly as big as many of yours, especially since I started late with it but it's growing slowly and surely.I took plenty of pics of these, so let's get to some:

Picture one shows a few older Stormtroopers, and a pair of TIE Pilots behind them. I've had these for quite some time.

Next to them, Jango & Boba Fett, ...OK, technically Jango is NOT a clone, but since he's the daddy of them all I think he belongs there too.

Moving along next to them are An Ep. II Red Clone and the blue tactical Ops / Vader's Legion Trooper ......

and next to them, Republic Commando Scorch and Utapau Clone Trooper, ...

Behind them, three more clones including Commander Bacara, the Green Clone Commander, & the AT-RT Driver.

Behind them is the Star Wars Shop Exclusive Covert Ops Trooper and opposite him on the shelf is the Target Exclusive Utapau Shadow Trooper. I have been VERY tempted to open BOTH of these, despite their so called "rarity."

In front of the Shadow Trooper are three Imperial Guards, two of them from the Ep. III line, and the Red Guard on the right an older figure from the POTF line I believe. (editors' note: since my figs are all opened I don't always remember which exact line they came from, so I reserve the right to be wrong in these matters... )

In the back middle we find several more troopers including: Imperial Snow Trooper, Fire Speeder Pilot, Commander Bly (in yellow) and the new Scout Trooper from the Vintage UGH line.

In the middle we next find the AT-AT Driver and Commander Gree and next to them the Battle Damaged Clone Trooper and the AT-TE Tank Gunner, which, as he is one of the few with a removable helmet, I decided to display with his face showing.

Just newly added, so new in fact that I just now had to upload his picture (which is why you didn't see him in the background on any other shots) is the new Black Clone Pilot from the new "Heroes & Villains" line.

That pretty much covers my clone army so far. I know there are quite a few older ones I missed out on, and I also know there are more to come in newer lines. As it grows I will add updates to the blogs in future installments.

At this point I'm not interested in collecting doubles, but that may change ...I've already seen the new versions of the Clone Trooper & Bacara in the new Saga lines hitting the shelves; at some point the urge to pick one up may strike me, who knows?I think

I'll end this segment here, but as you can see I've barely covered this shelf. The rest will come next time.

Special note: I wish to thank the fine folks at RebelScum.com for their excellent work in cataloging all the figure lines; their information was invaluable in helping me put a name to each clone figure, as like I said it can be tough to remember once the packaging is tossed out!

Until next time...move'em out, troops!