1 HOBBY box...
24 packs, 3 cards each
1 complete base set, 23 extras
1 sketch card

Overall C+/C
Pros: Card backs, and most front images look pretty sharp. One complete set.
Cons: 1 hit per box, unless you get real lucky. This release should have had at least one more common level of chase 1:4 or 1:6, and the autograph odds far more reasonable 1:72.



Picked up two retail packs at Target.

3 widecards per pack

Pack 1 #5,27,38
Pack 2 #1,22,40

Fronts have clear 3d images just like New Hope and Episode 1.
The backs have scene title, and a smaller image in the left corner with a narrative. Also, the upper center has a triva question and answer, and finally the right side has a pic of one of the lead characters like Luke, Darth Vader, Yoda, and Boba Fett.

The wrapper front is of Yoda focused on lifting Luke's xwing, and the back states sketches are 1:72.
The #1 card is of the imperial probe droid on Hoth.

So far, so good.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: xtime,

I'm stunned that there are already people offering "retail hot packs" for sale at a certain auction site.

That tells me that if I bought a pack at my local Target or Wal-Mart, there would be NO chance at getting a sketch because someone has already "magically" found the pack with the sketch WITHOUT EVER OPENING IT.

I don't mean to get on a soapbox (and I know here probably isn't the place to do it), but I just get so angry at these card-pirates that cheat the real collector out of a chance at a chase card, purely for profit. Especially a sketch card, which the collector will most likely love for the artistic value, as opposed to the card-pirate that only wants it for the auction value (and will never see the actual sketch).

If I EVER see someone at a big-box store trying to cherry-pick packs using nefarious means... I WILL take action.

Okay. I'm off my soapbox now.

how can you tell if a sketch card is in a sealed pack?.puzzles me that one.

You can buy scales that weigh in tenths of a gram at your local head shop. I knew a guy that would hit up all the retal outlets and sit there and weigh every single pack looking for a variance. The variant pack would more than likely be the insert or special card. This is why sports cards packs will occasionaly put in extra blank cards. This would sometimes throw off the person weighing the packs and they would purchase the pack with the blank cardboard piece thinking it was a jersey card or other special insert. I never buy loose packs at retail outlets because of this (unless I am looking to complete a base set). I only buy sealed boxes. It's too risky now and too easy to cheat the system.

The professional pack searchers will have absolutely ZERO problems in finding the sketch cards in these packs, so do beware open boxes that are missing packs.

Even so, I actually did something I would pretty much never do thanks to their ilk, and that's buy retail packs of these at our local Target today...

Of course, that's only because I found an honest to goodness sealed box of it when shopping there this afternoon. I considered buying the whole box, but with 24 packs at $2.99 plus tax, that would've been nearly 80 bucks. Pretty steep, especially considering the sketches fall at a rate of only 1 per 3 boxes according to the odds, so it was just too big a big a risk to take. I might've taken the leap if I didn't have plenty of hobby boxes coming in soon at about 56 bucks apiece (delivered), and those should have one sketch per box and maybe even an autograph or two in them.

Even so, I just had to have a few of those retail packs, so just went ahead and popped it open the box and bought 6 random packs from it for $19.51 (tax included). Well, no sketch for me in those, but really, I only had about an 8% chance of pulling one according to the odds (and of course, 0% if the box didn't have one in there to begin with), so I wasn't too disappointed.

If the remaining 18 packs in that box do hold a sketch, I'll never know, but hopefully, with my having removed some of the packs, at least some of the prospective pack searchers will just pass it by, possibly leaving the pack with a sketch in it for some lucky random pack buyer. Not likely, unfortunately. I REALLY wish Topps would issue more of their retail non-sports products in those $20 8-pack "box blasters" but with the possibility of the sketches/autograph cards in those packs. It would foil the pack searchers, at least.

Back to the cards. They are beautiful, some of the best 3D yet, but check them out under a nice light, and you'll find, astonishingly in my opinion, that their surfaces have varying degrees of scratches on them straight from the packs, just like the original Star Wars 3D cards from 1996 did, which means Topps hasn't yet worked out the bugs in the 3D card process yet.

Well, I'll be posting some hobby pulls very soon, and then will begin the waiting game for "Return of the Jedi" 3D widevision which should be out in about 2024. Hey, I waited that long for ESB so it should be no problem!

Had to take my girls shopping tonight at Target so they could get some things for their upcoming trip to Pasadena at the end of the month. Saw that they had ESB packs and brought some. We stopped at Friday's for dinner and Meg pulled this interesting card:





It's by artist John Soukop,and it really does glow-in-the-dark! Fun stuff!

quote:

Originally posted by Batman:
Had to take my girls shopping tonight at Target so they could get some things for their upcoming trip to Pasadena at the end of the month. Saw that they had ESB packs and brought some. We stopped at Friday's for dinner and Meg pulled this interesting card:

That's so awesome

btw: seeing as I work for Fridays you may send me the card.....for advertising pueposes of coarse

Had a great dinner at Friday's, one of my favorite places!

Here is my 4 box hobby break...

quote:

Originally posted by Batman:
Had to take my girls shopping tonight at Target so they could get some things for their upcoming trip to Pasadena at the end of the month. Saw that they had ESB packs and brought some. We stopped at Friday's for dinner and Meg pulled this interesting card:





It's by artist John Soukop,and it really does glow-in-the-dark! Fun stuff!

I thought all retail packs were searched???????????????

Stop causing trouble!

I think the back of the card is better than the front.

Wolfie - art critic.

He's one of the artists that does some funky stuff, some people like it, it's ok, I don't mind having a few in my collection, but just a few.

quote:

Originally posted by Headless Horseman:

quote:

Originally posted by Batman:
Had to take my girls shopping tonight at Target so they could get some things for their upcoming trip to Pasadena at the end of the month. Saw that they had ESB packs and brought some. We stopped at Friday's for dinner and Meg pulled this interesting card:





It's by artist John Soukop,and it really does glow-in-the-dark! Fun stuff!

I thought all retail packs were searched???????????????

The Headless Horseman is a hoot, Good one, HH!

Beautiful card, Batman, congrats on the pull, and thanks for showing the back, the first time I've seen it. (When a cheapskate like me would put in a nice bid on a card like that in an auction, you can be sure it's a good one.)

The quality of Soukop's actual drawing can be debated a million ways, with every argument correct, but it's hard to not to appreciate the artist who does something innovative with their cards, so a big thumbs up to Soukop from me. This is not the first time he's brought the "die-cut" attitude to regular sketch cards, and I hope he continues to do so.

Does anyone know if the hobby sketch backs are in the same Bobe Fett design?

Case break from me soon!

quote:

Originally posted by steviek2:
Here is my 4 box hobby break...

These are all beautiful.

I like to see the artists take advantage of the larger cards as these four did. Star Wars cards really do bring the best out in artists. I think this is going be a great set.

Congrats to you!

Here's my 2 box break


Jason Davies Sketch





Doug Cowan Sketch

really nice sketches
but that printed backround is annoying

actually it's not that bad if you know how to use it at your advantage
The winner of the most annoying background is certainly the Galaxy 5 with those 'spider webs'!

Isn't the background design the exhaust port that Luke slides down to safety after his epic battle with Vader? I would imagine at least one artist has drawn Luke doing just that, and on that card, the background would be perfect.

Case break from me soon. Fingers crossed for an autograph or a Sean Pence, or a Doug Cowan (like the incredible IG-88 above), or one of those cool Ted Dastick video game screen cards.
Ted's wonderful trend of new ideas for his sketch cards has continued here, and for that same reason, I'm also glad to see Mark Dos Santos is on this set, as he's also very creative. And how about the return of Jan Duursema, longtime artist of Star Wars comics?
I'm also glad to see John McCrea back on Star Wars sketch cards. McCrea's the artist of the classic Garth Ennis run on "The Demon" in the 1990's and a very cool dude in person.