LEGO MagnaGuard Starfighter No Longer Just a Clone Wars Extra

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:04:00 GMT

The actual MagnaGuard Starfighter, which transports General Grievous' ultra-nasty Magna Droids around the Star Wars galaxy, is a bit player at best in the Clone Wars series. But LEGO's version of the ship, a 431-piece creation aimed at ages 8 and up, officially bumps the MagnaGuard Starfighter into A-list territory.

The set includes two Magna Droid minifigures (pictured), whose shapes, capes and electronic-Q-Tip-styled weapons allow for nice twists on the typical minifig (even droid minifig) design. As for the MagnaGuard Starfighter itself, it has several cool features -- hidden missiles, a flip-open cockpit, and pop-up launchers on either side -- that'll allow the kids to do more than simply set the ship on a shelf for display when they're done building it.

Primarily because of the number of pieces and the somewhat advanced wing assemblies, the ship can be a little daunting for inexperienced builders to put together. If your kids are old pros at building mid-sized LEGO vehicles, however, they should have no trouble completing this one without Mom's or Dad's help.

$44.99 from the LEGO Shop.

Guide to Tonight's Star Wars Midnight-Madness Sales

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:27:00 GMT

You won't need to travel to a galaxy far, far away (groan), but you may need to sacrifice some precious sleep tonight if you want to be among the first in line to snag Hasbro's spankin'-new toys from the upcoming animated flick and eventual Cartoon Network series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Heck, keep the kids awake and make a party of it -- you can sleep in while they play tomorrow.

If money's no object and collector fever has you in its death grip, you're in luck, because depending on which major retailer you hit tonight, there are multiple exclusive items to be claimed in addition to the action figures, vehicles, battle packs and other doo-dads, such as exclusive first-day-of-issue foil packages. (Oh, the nerdiness...)

Here we've got a complete roundup -- courtesy of the droolworthy Star Wars: The Clone Wars Official Hasbro Handbook (cover pictured above), available for download at starwars.hasbro.com:

Toys"R"Us: Select stores nationwide will open at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, July 26, with exclusive Star Wars: The Clone Wars products (including the STAP Attack Battle Pack and T.I.E. Fighter with T.I.E. Pilot Figure), giveaways, and special midnight-madness items. In Toys"R"Us' case, said item is an exclusive General Grievous figure that comes free with any action-figure or role-play purchase of $30 and above (one per customer while supplies last).

Wal-Mart: Head to your nearest 24-hour Super Center starting 12:01 a.m. on July 26 for exclusive items such as the Clone Trooper 501st Legion Join-Up Figure, the Lando Calrissian & Stormtrooper Comic 2-Pack, and the blue version of the Clone Trooper Voice Changer Helmet.

Target: Get your sleep and hit up Target stores the morning of July 26 for more exclusives, in this case the Yoda & Coruscant Guard Battle Pack, the Commander Fox Figure, and the red version of the Clone Trooper Voice Changer Helmet.

Hasbro notes that not all of these exclusives may be available on July 26, so if you get to the endcap and can't find that TIE Fighter you had your heart set on, keep checking back. The movie opens Aug. 15, and we're guessing these are just the beginning of the toy tie-ins.

droolicious : general grievous

LEGO MagnaGuard Starfighter No Longer Just a Clone Wars Extra

Guide to Tonight's Star Wars Midnight-Madness Sales