Hey Talon,
I understand it is only a rumor being George Lucas. My rant basically meant that it doesn't matter to me if it was another Tatooine Luke, the fact is that one city in the world will get an exclusive figure, which means that Hasbro is saying if you can't make it to the celebration (as much as you would love to), too bad. You lose.
This has happened with other exclusives, such as those that are often given out at Toyfare. The small action figure line is the bread and butter of most fan's collections, and this kind of exclusive, while making fans able to attend REALLY happy, will undoubtedly make even more upset. Maybe the Fan Club will get some. Maybe they won't. With the prices of the Fan Club, and the shipping costs incurred after delivery, I may as well spend a bucket of money on ebay to get it.
Don't get me wrong. I still love collecting. What I don't love is the exclusion of many world wide fans from obtaining something that may mean something to them. Unless this exclusive figure is released internationally, with maybe the celebration pieces having some kind of modified packaging or something else that would make it unique, I cannot agree with this.
Barada