This is Scarecroodle's frustration at resisting the urge to make a bad, completely tasteless pun

Hasbro's Star Wars figures are making the jump to a 6-inch format with the new "Black Series". USA Today reports that this new series will launch in mid-August with four figures to start: Luke Skywalker in flight gear, R2-D2, Darth Maul (?), and an Imperial Sandtrooper.

The Black Series will feature stark black packaging because Hasbro allegedly feels that the simplicity and essence will make the figures stand out in the toy aisle. Hasbro's 3.75-inch Star Wars line will continue under the Black Series banner and feature similar packaging.

This new line is massive news and an object of immediate interest. Rather than merely branching out into the 6-inch scale and doing something similar to its Marvel Legends line (Legends being specifically cited in the article), Hasbro almost seems to be "upscaling" their 3.75-inch figures. The articulation conventions are surprisingly similar, with ball-sockets at the elbows and what appears to be a torso joint rather than an ab crunch and waist rotation. Likewise, the hip jointing is similar to what's used in the absence of a simple hinge. The only element that immediately strikes me as being a little unique would be the knees, which appear to be double-pinned (a convention I don't recall ever being used in the 3.75-inch Star Wars line). That said, Luke still looks absolutely phenomenal so Hasbro has clearly picked a good path.

The 6-inch Star Wars Black Series figures are listed as having a US$20 MSRP which strikes me as being oddly high considering that Hasbro's Marvel Legends line still seems to be US$15 despite being on the same scale. However, it's still a price that I imagine most of us will be happy to pay.

[via USA Today]