star wars rogue one

Oh, you didn't know? Like Hot Toys wasn't going to have new figures from Rogue One to show off during this most revealing of weeks for Star Wars toys. Of course, like The Force Awakens before it, we're being teased with Imperial forces before we're getting a glimpse at the actual Rebel stars of the film. This week, Hot Toys unveiled the first of what are sure to be numerous Death Trooper figures in its upcoming Star Wars Rogue One line-up. The Specialist comes fully stocked with all the tools he'll need to eliminate the Rebel forces, and has that snazzy new black armor to boot.

Like the rest of Lucasfilm's and Disney's licensing partners, Funko has unveiled a full line of collectibles based on the upcoming Star Wars: Rogue One film. As if you believed what could be the biggest movie of the year would go absent from Funko's premiere line of vinyl figures. Ah, but there is more, as Funko's also made Rogue One the debut brand for its new Wobblers line, too. If there's one thing this world needs more of, it's definitely Star Wars toys and Funko Pops. When the two combine, it's like staring at the event horizon of pop culture fandom. You may not like what you see in that glimmering shadow of the abyss, but its reach is far and wide, and thus unavoidable. Once you're in, you. are. in. for. life. Collecting toys is fun though, innit?

Kids are heading back to school, the leaves are fading into twilight and the summer winds are no longer coming in. That can only mean it's time once again for a deluge of Star Wars toy reveals. September has become the annual home for big Star Wars news now, and with Force Friday 2.0 coming in a few short weeks, that means every company in the world is jockeying for your hard-earned space bucks. We were teased with some of the upcoming releases earlier this week, but today Lego announced its first wave of planned sets from the upcoming Star Wars film, Rogue One.

As we're just about to slide into September, that means it's nearly time for this year's big Star Wars toy push. Now that the movies are an annual thing instead of a once-every-30-years thing, Disney, Lucasfilm and the third-party licensing partners can all get together to focus their attentions on one specific time of year to empty the bank accounts of Star Wars fans around the world. Before The Force Awakens arrived, collecting Star Wars toys was an easy enough hobby to finance, but now that there's a constant deluge from Hasbro, Lego, Disney and other companies, most of us have taken up second or third jobs to be able to keep up with the Joneses --- or in this case, the Jynses. Next moth, on Sept. 30, Force Friday returns with a vengeance. It will be the first day any and all of the upcoming Rogue One action figures, Lego sets and other collectibles will be available around the world for purchase. If last year's first ever Force Friday was any indication, you're going to need a gameplan. Fortunately, Disney has given us a peek into what to expect from this year's "festivities."

We first saw Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso action figure at Star Wars Celebration Europe, where the lead actor was also given her first look at her plastic miniature. At the time, the only way to get the figure was to wait for this September's Star Wars Black Series wave to arrive. Jyn would join the likes of Sabine Wren and Princess Leia, among others, in the most female-focused Black Series wave to date. But Hasbro wasn't content to make everyone wait out her fall arrival, and following its own lead from SDCC 2015, made Jyn Erso an early release exclusive at this year's convention. Jyn's inclusion in Hasbro's SDCC 2016 plans actually came as a bit of a surprise, as much of the company's exclusive content was revealed well in advance of the show. There was also no indication even at SWCE --- which was just a few days prior to SDCC --- this was going to happen. Still, Jyn Erso was a welcome addition to the show, and like the First Order Stormtrooper before her, gave fans eager for anything to do with the latest Star Wars cinematic hotness something concrete to enjoy before the movie's December debut.

Lando Calrissian is finally coming to the Star Wars Black Series. Sure, it's with a sculpted cape, but hot damn, we are getting the smoothest son of a gun to ever fly the starry skies. Hasbro may not have had many reveals for the Star Wars Black Series at Star Wars Celebration the week before San Diego Comic-Con, but there were more than a fair share of new items on display this past weekend across the entire Star Wars brand. From Rogue One to Rebels, to the original trilogy and prequels, Hasbro has got you covered when it comes to Star Wars. Joining Lando in the wave --- which follows the one with Jyn Erso, Sabine, Revan and the rest --- will be a Royal Guard, Tusken Raider, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Hera Syndulla. All five figures are characters fans have been asking after since the Black Series launched, but Lando in particular has been on wishlists almost since the line was first revealed. The Royal Guard and Tusken Raider make some nice use of fabric elements, which makes it all the more puzzling that Lando does not. His cape isn't as small as Captain Phasma's, nor does it need to hang in any particular way off his shoulders like hers does. It's not a deal-breaker, but it will make Lando a bit harder to pose with the cape on.

There was a major awakening this past weekend at Star Wars Celebration Europe, which brought fans a handful of new details about ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.’

It didn't take long today during the Star Wars Celebration Europe Rogue One panel for Felicity Jones to get a chance to see her very first action figure. While many of us in the collecting world had assumed the protagonist of this winter's first Star Wars film to take place away from the Skywalkers, Hasbro had never confirmed it for certain. It is official now however, and Jyn Erso will join the ranks of the Star Wars Black series when the next wave launches this fall. There's no exact release date for the upcoming wave, which also includes Leia Organa (A New Hope), Sabine Wren and unmasked Kylo Ren (and more), but if last year's Force Friday event in September is any kind of indicator, better mark you calendars for that first Friday now. What's more, Jyn joining this wave makes it the most female-centric Black Series wave since the line launched. There has never been a wave with three female figures in it before, let alone two, so this fall is going to be home to all kinds of firsts.

One of the biggest panels at this year’s Star Wars Celebration kicks off at 11AM today: the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story panel. Plenty of special guests are expected included director Gareth Edwards and plenty of members of the film’s cast. You can watch the panel streaming live above, and we’ll be updating this post with news and notes as they come in! The film’s plot synopsis:

Sorry Comic-Con, but it’s all about Star Wars Celebration this year. The biggest event in the galaxy far, far away is only days away and ComicsAlliance and ScreenCrush will be there to bring you all the latest news and updates from the three-day event.