 With
the sixth Star Wars 'Revenge of the Sith' film opening shortly -
the merchandise and associated premiums have been finding their
way into shops, cereal packets and elsewhere for months. The first
Star Wars film 'A New Hope' in 1977 was the first film to really
tie in with merchandise and and many of the toys and related products
from then are now worth considerable sums such as the first series
of Kenner figures produced from 1977-1979 included a Jawa with plastic
cape which can now fetch around $1,000 if in mint condition. It
will be interesting to see if any of the new action figures, toys,
comics etc will be as collectable.Pictured right is a StarWarsShop.com shared exclusive Original Double-Sided Episode III Theatrical Movie Poster  Hasbro
are releasing a number of action figures and toys including limited
editions through certain outlets. Target will offer an exclusive
Star Wars: Episode III Collector's Case 5 pack and Toys R Us have
an exclusive Anakin Skywalker Starfighter.Pictured left is the Episode III Unleashed Figures 3-Pack, Assortment 1 featuring Anakin Skywalker figure, Obi-Wan Kenobi figure and General Grievous figure. 
Available to all are a number of action figures that come individually
and in various assortments, sets and packages. Often the Limited
Editions, exclusives and less popular characters have the most potential
to increase in value. Pictured right is the Episode III Deluxe Figure Assortment 1 featuring 2 Anakin Skywalker with Darth Vader tunic and armor figures, 2 Obi-Wan Kenobi with Super Battle Droid figures and 2 Emperor Palpatine changes to Darth Sidious figures.  Collectors
Cards, Trading Cards and Pins are always popular. The Revenge of
the Sith Hobby collectors card set comprises 90 gold foil-stamped.
There are a number of special chase cards randomly inserted: etched
foil cards, morph lenticular cards, and a number of one-of-a-kind
artist sketch cards (insertion ratio of the sketch cards are 1/36
packs).Pictured left Revenge of the Sith Hobby Collectors Cards.  Pins
and pin trading has become popular over the last few years especially
with the growth in Disney Pin Trading. A number of pins have been
produced including a number of exclusives such as the Celebration
III exclusive StarWarsShop.com pin depicting the famous "Vader
in Flames" banner art for the Star Wars event held in Indianapolis.Pictured right Vader in Flames exclusive StarWarsShop.com pin.  Disney
are pro ducing a incredible collection of Star Wars pins created
for their annual Star Wars weekends. These are being released at
the Tatooine Traders in the Disney-MGM Studios theme park. Star
Wars Weekends 2005 will take place at the Disney-MGM Studios from
May 20 through June 12, 2005. Pictured left Star Wars Weekdns Logo Pin features the logo for Star Wars Weekends 2005. Mickey Mouse is putting the finishing touches on Darth Vader's helmet. Mickey Mouse's hand is a pin-on-pin. Randy Noble from Disney Design Group designed the logo for this year's celebration.  Premiums
normally produce some interesting toys and collectibles and for
Revenge of the Sith, Burger King has the promotion. The offering
varies from country to country - there are six exclusive toys in
the UK (include Darth Vader™, droids R2D2™ and C3PO™,
Chewbacca™, the Millennium Falcon and, of course, Yoda™!),
and over 30 in the US. The US toys come in several ranges including
Pull Backs, Wind Ups, Water Squirters, Plush, Image Viewers and
Limited Edition 2 in 1 Darth Vader toy.Pictured above right: the UK Burger King Star Wars toys There should be enough variety to cater for even the most ardent collector and with expectations that this film is the best of the latest trilogy there appears to be more interest. I'm just off to get my Lightsabre. May the Collecting be With You!
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