A swing and a miss for Sideshow Collectibles on the second item in their new 12" Star Wars figure line; it's Anakin this time, and he ain't purty. I'm sure the clothes will be wicked and all, but why does he have to look like Mark Paul Gosselar?

It's a shame, because I was very excited by (and remain very excited by) the Jedi Luke figure with which they inaugurated the line, and I ordered mine within moments of its going public. The balance, at this point, rests on the shoulders of one Obi-Wan Kenobi. If they make a believer out of me, I'll follow them to the ends of the earth.

It seems, though, that Christmas is somehow related in my mind to R2-D2s. I have a little cluster of different-coloured R2-D2s on my desk (about eight of them) and they really bring out the holiday cheer in me. What's that about?