Hasbro shows a cross section of their product at Toy Fair. There's a lot of stuff that went unshown, and there's been no word of cancellation yet.

6
Don't you feel that remaking every single figure from the original Star Wars action figure line takes something away from the that line?

The newer figures are unquestionably better than their older counterparts, and every time a new mold is made of a character it takes something away from the vintage equivalent. Now don't get me wrong, I do believe that it's important to remake the vast majority of the vintage figures in order to have a complete line, but I for one would like to see a few of them remain undone. There are so many background aliens and droids to choose from, that it seems like Hasbro could almost go on forever making different characters.Just like the never before made characters are what make POTF/POTJ so good, letting the vintage line keep a few characters to itself keeps it special.
  -SS

I think remaking the vintage line-- like some of you heathens want-- would take something away from the original line. (Cue rant. Later.)

The new line is a completely separate beast, made by different people, in a different time, for a different reason. I've always felt the charm of the original line was its sentimental value and unique look. Some feel the originals are baby-faced, goofy, and ridiculous. (That's a half truth. R2-D2 is a genuinely lame figure.) I think they're just a nice piece of the toy industry at the time, and of course a significant piece of my past. (Some of you consider yourselves die-hard fans. My childhood is an example of how toys and obsessions can become one and the same. But I digress.) There were a lot of things unique to the original line of figures... the Sears Snaggletooth, the ol' 4-LOM/Zuckuss switcheroo, the unique interpretation of Walrusman, and of course, the marvelous packaging. Plus it's old technology at work-- lightsabers that slide into the arms of figures, no more than three or four colors of paint per figure, and very little articulation. Still, there's a charm that this line has that no other toy line has managed to capture, and as such the vintage Star Wars line is one of the neatest ever.

Most peoples memories of the old line are fond memories of Christmas morning, the anxiety (or frustration) toward the early bird kit, or something along those lines. (I remember the day I got Anakin Skywalker in the mail... wow. Christmas Eve, thousands of years ago. Good times.) For me, the stories behind every figure on display in my room-- and there are stories-- are what made the line special.

As far as POTF2 goes, it's a new toy line for a new generation. Or rather, a new toy line for the same generation. Some of the vintage characters will most likely never, ever be remade. I speak of course of the figures from the Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour (a series which needs to be syndicated with new toys, the kitsch value alone is huge.) And, to a lesser extent, I speak of the Ewoks, General Madine, and the Imperial Dignitary. Hasbro's really dragged their feet with some ROJ figures, and as a collector who did get a little weirded out when he realized the original line had 4 cantina aliens and 8 ewoks, I actually really want NEW ewoks. There are some characters like the original Klaatu which I agree, a new version might not be so good (the Skiff version, in my opinion, is more likable in the vintage flavor). But overall, most people want a big stash of diverse characters, and I've met people who just won't consider vintage purchases. (Why, I don't know. Madine's a cheap-o figure, get a carded one for like ten bucks.)

You're quite right that Hasbro could go on forever. I'd love to see animated versions of the cast as they appeared in the animated segment from the Holiday Special. I would buy *every last alien* and even every background human Hasbro would care to sell me. Background farmers from Episode One? I'm so there. Even though I crack jokes, I'd be one of the first to buy a BoShek and yes, probably even the upcoming Crusader Maul. (Complain as I may, I loves the Star Wars figures.) But after Episode III, the world at large will most likely not want to hear about Star Wars for a while, and if the line goes beyond 2007, I'll be astounded. I'm hoping it'll last long enough for them to remake the complete vintage line-- I include the dianoga and cartoon figures in this-- but odds are it won't happen.

Never-before-seen-in-plastic characters is part of what makes the Hasbro era of Star Wars innovative and fresh, yes. But if it wasn't for remakes, we would've been without some of the best figures in the line. At least three or more versions of Han, Vader, and Boba Fett were released before the astoundingly good ones (Cantina, Removable Helmet, 300) showed up, and well, some still scream for POTJ treatment. R5-D4, I'm looking at you here. Characters with a little popularity are the lifeblood for toylines these days, hence why there are a zillion Batmans, Darth Mauls, and Cheetors. If more original remakes are what the fans want, like Amanaman, great. If not... well, you won't hear me gripe about new characters. (Except Ben Quadrinaros, he sucks.)

Since that went long, short rant: remaking old toys is something I *don't* like because I feel it does hurt the appeal of the originals. Value, I don't much care, but if a person can swap out parts (i.e., cramming a perfect old box with the minty-fresh remake toy), or pass off the remakes as originals, I don't much care for that. Also, it's time and energy that is better placed on something else. While mint carded Masters of the Universe are a hard find, vintage carded SW are a dime a dozen. (Several dimes for some, but you get where I'm headed.)

That said, I'd still love to see some sort of "special" vintage-esque product for the 25th Anniversary of either Star Wars or SW Figures. Classic looking Maul, Han Solo Stormtrooper, Jar Jar Binks (*especially* Jar Jar Binks [and yes, I'm serious]) and Boss Nass would make a really cool collector's set. But whatever happens, I don't want to see vintage guys with a new copyright date. That's just lame.

7
I could have sworn that I read somewhere that there was supposed to be a couple of two packs for the 3 3/4" line composed of young Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader & young Obi Wan Kenobi/old Ben Kenobi.Was I hallucinating this?If not,where are they?Were these pieces cancelled?Thank you for any help you can provide.
  -Wes

There were several products for Episode One that were cancelled in some stage of development, and these seem to be among them. Never did see anything direct from Hasbro confirming these, but obviously, they didn't happen.

Other "close but no cigar" products are said to include an Epic Force Battle Droid, a Coruscant Taxi vehicle, and another completely new line of Star Wars figures. Items I've seen pics of that never came out include Holograph Amidala and Obi-Wan, a really lame original concept called the Skeeto, Qui-Gon vs. Battle Droid 2-pack (which was REALLY cool), Gungan vs. Destroyer Droid (also cool), and the much-lamented loss of the final two "trophy" figures, Obi-Wan Kenobi and OOM-9. OOM-9 didn't look much different, but CRIMINY, I WANT THAT OBI-WAN!!!

8
In your discussion of classic trilogy figures yet to be made you didn't mention Bespin dress Leia. While I realize she was produced in the Leia collection, the rest were also produce in the regular line. Seeing the detail they have put into both of the Queen Amidala Coruscant and Theed Throne room, I would love to see what they could do with the Bespin dress Leia in all plastic. Am I the only one wanting this made?
  -Shawn

Well, ya hit the nail on the head-- since she appeared in the Leia collection, I didn't include her in the tally. I know a lot of collectors that want to see her redone, especially if she's redone well.

Since she came out in the Leia collection, which was available for a while on clearance (and I mean $0.99 clearance) most people haven't really campaigned to see a new version of this figure. However, if someone did, I'd be all for it.

9
I have a question that I know you've been asked before, but it was a long time ago, and since things do change here it is... Will we ever get a real Jabba? I am fortunate enough to have my vintage one, but it's darn old and I was pretty young when I got it, so it's not it great shape. Could Jabba be done as a deluxe figure or even as (I'm pushing it here, but since the beast line is dead) a vehicle? I'm desperate! One last question, and it's really stretching it...are there any chances for more of the complete galaxy globes? In my area, they actually sold fairly well (still ended up on clearance, but not like some other things [cough...cough...cinema scenes..]). Out of all the stuff in my collection (figures, beasts, vehicles, etc.) these still get the most compliments from people visiting.
  -N8Littlefield

Well, not only is the beast line dead, but if you've watched POTJ, we haven't gotten a single product EXCEPT for the 12" Tarpals with Kaadu that wasn't basically just a figure.

While the mill calls for two or three new vehicles this year (all classic), Hasbro has yet to confirm anything to the unwashed masses (like yours truly), and as such, it's hard to figure if a conduit still exists to release a new Jabba.

Personally, I wanted to see it in the Deluxe Beast assortment with a new seated Slave Leia and a Salacious Crumb for good measure. (Imagine that in a nice big window box. Yowza.) But right now, I can't see how they'd do it, or to be more depressing, why they'd do it. Jabba Glob is, sadly, as good as it seems to be getting unless a) he appears in E2 or E3 like he did in ROJ or b) Hasbro revives the Beast assortment. Based on what I've seen in terms of leaked E2 Storyboards, "b" seems like it's not too unrealistic if they slip classic stuff in to it, but "a" I don't know. The prequels seem to be your best hope, but considering the E1 Jabba kinda stank (despite having the "real feel skin" for once), this is one of those "be careful what you wish for" situations.

Complete Galaxy was one of the first casualties at Hasbro in 1998. A fifth globe, Hoth with Hoth Leia, was axed. I was sent a shot of the prototype (which I *LOST* because I didn't back it up), and well, it was dull. Basically just some ice cliffs with a figure, and the figure was the one that was released on a card to the Fan Club. Hasbro's reason for the cancellation? "There was just too much product on the shelves." And there was a lot of stuff around in those days.

10
I've got a few questions for you...

1. (If you're avoiding E2 costume spoilers, pass on this one) Did you notice that Obi-Wan is wearing the exact same outfit (just longer hair and a beard) in E2 that he did in E1? Do you think that this sort of thing drives Hasbro nuts? (Actually, this just goes to prove that Lucas does not make the movies just to make toys. If that were the case all the characters would have 5-6 costume changes per picture.)

2. How come Lego toys show up all at once when they are expected to, and Hasbro's stuff sort of trickles out bit by bit?

3. Do you think that Hasbro is hinting at forthcoming figures in the "Allies and Enemies" section of the ForceFiles? If you look at them there are many characters (Like Ketwol, Tessek, and Aurra Sing) that have been pictured, and are now being released or at least announced. If this is true, maybe we'll be getting the Imperial Commander and General Dodanna sometime late in the year.
  -SK

Well, good questions. And for that angry person who read #1, I don't consider costumes or names spoilers unless it's like RH Vader or Boushh or "Yoda: Jedi Master." If you do, you're gonna hafta get over it.

1. Hasbro? Not a chance. Collectors, yes. Hasbro's made Maul in basically the same outfit a dozen times over. At least with a beard Obi-Wan looks different. (To me, a new head is enough to justify a repaint-- that's typically what I look at. If Hasbro stuck a new head on its TransFormer repaints, I'd probably start buying them more than on 75% off sales.) Hasbro likes to reuse/revise old molds when they can, so this is a good thing for them.

2. Lego's got a different marketing model, and it's all relative. When SW Lego first hit, it took a while to roll out to the point where you could walk into a store and find the first five sets all at once. Lego sells their toys in cases with only one item in it, while Hasbro sells assortments. Lego's also a bit more outgoing when it comes to getting out parts and stuff. I have never, ever seen an action figure company deliver figures on time, in quantity, and consistantly. (Playmates has been good in the past, but it's hit and miss. Takara's been good.)

3. I think it's very possible that they're hinting, but then again, they might not be. Technically we got the Imperial Commander (the vintage one was generic, the POTF2 release was Piett), so that's a big "maybe." It'd be nice, considering we're starting to see remakes of stuff we want and haven't seen a Luke figure since September of 1999, anything's possible. I'd be astounded if we ever saw Dodonna in stores.

FIN
Oh, and three members of DEVO started a new band called "The Wipeouters." Mark, Bob1, and Bob2. Should be neat.

The Holy Grail/ White Whale of my SW collection has shown up on eBay. Will let you know if I end up with it.

More... Wednesday, maybe. Got some good questions this weekend.

NOTE: In a shameless grab for additional hits, Adam has decided to do Q&A without pants today. We now return you to your regularly scheduled column.

1
Are they gonna bring out any more 12 inche figures? I heard that a gammorean gaurd was to be one of them. Do you know if he is coming out?
  -Lee

The line hasn't been cancelled, but the 12" line has the biggest morgue of "confirmed-but-not" figures that comes readily to mind. Chewie got tossed from Wave 1 in 1996 until he finally came out two waves later in wave three, Action Collection Death Star Gunner and Bib Fortuna never happened, and about a half dozen figures appeared on the POTJ Action Collection roster may or may not happen. The Gamorrean, a new Stormtrooper, Weequay, Oola, and others appeared on a price list, but Hasbro's 12" division has basically always been bad about getting info out. (Info, good product, same thing.)

It is more than likely a wave will follow the curent "Death Star" trio of Han Stormtrooper, Imperial Officer, and Death Star Droid later this year, but one never can be sure in this day and age.

2
My biggest regret ever is passing up on the Han Solo with Tauntaun and Luke Skywalker with Wampa Beast Packs...What do you think the odds are of these figures being (a) redone for the POTJ line, or (b) re-released ala the Dewback, Ronto, Jabba, Luke w/ Tauntaun Beast Packs?

Were the aforementioned Han and Luke Beast Packs produced in the same quantity as those other Beast Packs, or are they gone?
  -Ryan

Hasbro has said-- constantly-- that no item will be repackaged and reissued in the POTJ range. I kept bugging them for CommTech Stormies and Holo Leia R2 last year as well as some choice E1 figures like the Pit Droids since most people have never even seen them.

Judging collector demand, the three "Hoth" beasts are definitely tougher to get than the "Tatooine" ones and one might assume a smaller quantity is a big reason for this. Don't expect to see them again anytime soon.

3
I'm one of those variant collectors, and I'm curious as to why all the new POTJ figures are coming out on .0100 cards and such. The new Theed invasion amidala and saesee tiin are on .0300 cards. I have a theory, let me know if I'm wrong or, well wrong. I've actually studied the cards, and no where on it does it say the name of the figure it is. Only the force file, and the *stick on* barcode thing on the back has the characters name. So does Hasbro just use the same cards for all the fig's, and when new fig's come out, they change the back to show the new fig's therefore changing the card number from .0000 to .0100, etc? Which might be why sebulba had a very very short .0000 run? (I actually got one whoo hoo!!)Thanks!!
  -Dave

Welcome to Q&A Storytime, kids! Today, the story of "The Decimal Point and Two-to-Four Digits!"

There's a little number on the back of Star Wars packages. A series of digits are written at the bottom of the back of the package, and this is called a "part number" in Hasbro lingo. It helps them to know what revision of the package that they're currently looking at, and it applies ONLY to the cardboard piece of the packaging. Any variation to the plastic components of the package (figure, weapons, insert, bubble) is coincidental.

From 1995 to 1998, the suffix (.0X) was two digits. Starting in 1999, some figures had four digits, some figures had two, then went to four. With Power of the Jedi, it went back to a two-digit suffix.

Any time a change was made to the packaging, the suffix changed as well. (And I just found my checklist for variations, complete through January '99, to cite for examples.)

    Darth Vader
  __ .00, long Lightsaber black armor, orange stripe
  __ .00, long Lightsaber grey armor, orange stripe (VERY RARE)
  __ .00, short Lightsaber in long tray, orange stripe
  __ .00, short Lightsaber in short tray, orange stripe
  __ .01, short Lightsaber in short tray, green stripe, Collection 1, new photo
  __ .02, short Lightsaber in short tray, green stripe, Collection 3, new photo
  __ .02, above, but it has the Vader from the Shadows of the Empire 2-pack
  __ .03, Freeze Frame Film Slide, Collection 3

As you can see, the number corresponds with cardback changes. When a figure was shifted to a new collection, the card was usually altered so it was easier for stores to track which of the assortments they were running low on. Each figure had a unique series of digits, and well, it made cardback changes easy to track. More often than one might assume a "plastic" change corresponded with the cardback, and on figures like Boba Fett, the figure's hand was painted to have a full circle shown on it at the same time the cardback was changed. Some new versions of the figures shipped on old cards and vice-versa, but well, the part number on the card was for packaging changes only.

Now, with Power of the Jedi, the system has changed and many of you have noticed. To keep costs low, figures now come on a generic cardback with absolutely no printed indication with who will come on which package. A sticker with a barcode and the name is the only piece of the packaging (except for the Force File) to indentify the figure, so theoretically, it's very easy to put an old figure on a new cardback whenever they deem it necessary. It's also very easy to update the cardback with new toys since they only have to make two new ones-- one for Collection 1, one for Collection 2. In other words, it's not only possible, but likely figures will appear on more than one cardback, while some figures will never, ever have a ".00" version. For instance, there's no reason for a .00 Aurra Sing to exist since she came out long after the .00 cards were created.

A common misconception is that ".00" is the first version of a figure released to stores. This is not the case, as it stands for the first "complete" version of the cardback to be produced by Hasbro. The bulk of the nine Expanded Universe figures have no released ".00" versions, and some like the Spacetrooper started at ".03". These numbers were not created to "help" collectors notice variations, nor were they placed there to draw attention to changes. These numbers appear on all Hasbro products, but we Star Wars collectors are the only ones anal enough to make a federal case of it.

To answer your question, Sebulba most likely came out in a weird transition period where they had some of the other cardbacks left over. (Heck, there's been reports of Collection 1 and Collection 2 versions shipping as well.) He's the space oddity of POTJ.

4
I remember when the POTF line was going strong in the late 90's that hasbro website was offering a poster with all the figures listed on it. I think you had to collect points from the packages to send away for it. I'm realizing I really want one now and can't seem to get one anywhere. Do have any idea...even a repro would be nice.
  -Darrell

The now sadly outdated and highly sought after poster was issued around the same time as Mace Windu in 1998 as a Wal-Mart mail-in premium. The idea was you had to buy figures at Wal-Mart, keep Wal-Mart receipts, send them to Hasbro, and get a poster. It's really a dumb idea when you think about it, considering how easy it was to fake a receipt (or just not include one) and the fact that had they the posters in the stores as a freebie, they'd probably have moved a lot more product.

We used to give them away here at Rebelscum, but alas, no more. I got *one.* Scans pop up around the web, and a high-quality scan combined with a nice printer is your best bet other than paying for one, but on the bright side, it's usually less than $30. Which is still pretty pricey, the figures on the poster aren't all to scale and it's only through 1998. But I'm being critical. It's really one of the nicest things Kenner has ever put out, as an 11th hour premium before the "Kenner" name was ultimately dropped and Hasbro reared its head. If the Probot was the right size-- i.e., not shorter than a Stormtrooper-- I'd give it no complaints.

Hey Hasbro-- just FYI, I'd send in as many UPCs as you need and pay $10 for a revised version before Episode II comes out. And I'm willing to bet lots of my fellow fans would as well. There were somewhere between 150 and 200 figures available at the time, counting all mail-in offers and pilots and such, and we're at a minimum of 330 or so right now. That'd be one hell of a nice poster... or pair of posters. Or trio. Whatever.

The closest thing to a follow-up was a lovely (I used lovely in a sentence, man I need new adjectives) Episode One poster showing a bunch of the early figures through Fall '99 that was given away in Star Wars Galaxy Collector #5 in May 1999. Hasbro has made no plans known of a future poster release, but I know I'd love to see one every year or two. Or at the very least, one after the final figure is released. (Make it big, I've got space on my walls.)

...and in the most likely follow-up question, the figure tallies Hasbro used when compiling the 300th Fett figure counted only *carded* figures made for the various Star Wars toy lines.

5
Hi Adam. I missed out on the Toyfare Radioactive Homer offer, much to my current regret. In a recent Q&A, you mentioned that there will be a Pin Pal Mr. Burns offer from Toyfare in an upcoming issue. There seems to be a large overlap in SW and Simpsons action figure collecting, so could you keep us posted on such offers in your fine column? Or, if you prefer, could you direct me to a site that would keep me updated on Simpsons figure developments?
  -Nick

My attorney and I have been posting updates like that to another web site which I shamelessly plug whenever someone gives me the chance at 16bit.com. There's a "Simpsons" area with checklists that list all available and upcoming figures along with where and when those exclusives are expected to show up. There are others, but eh, I like to plug my own since I'm pretty good about getting it right once in a while.

6
I am restarting to collect after several years. I understand today that Hasbro has already remade a couple of the Bounty Hunters from the original trilogy (ie-IG-88, Boba Fett). Will Hasbro remake the old 3 3/4" 4-LOM, Bossk, Dengar and VHTF Zuckuss? Or do you believe that a first ever 3 3/4" Bounty Hunter set could be a possibility?
  -Miguel

Well, anything's possible. So far Kenner/Hasbro's made 4 Boba Fetts, 2 IG-88s, and one of the remaining four bounty hunters, not counting the vintage line.

While I don't ordinarily condone secondary market stuff, fact is the Zuckuss figure may be hard to find but it ain't expensive. Current auctions have it at under seven bucks.

Since Dengar sold kinda poorly and Zuckuss & 4-LOM & Bossk rocked, I have serious doubts there is much of a mandate to release the figures again. But like I've said elsewhere, there's no reason NOT to... people want 'em, and even Boba Fett could be redone another two, even three times. (EXAMPLE: "Protofett" suit with yellow gauntlet, a non-action ESB outfit, and a new ROJ outfit.)

Considering Hasbro's trent toward remakes-- which seems pretty random-- I wouldn't rule anything out. But to be honest, just buy the ones that are already out. $10 or so ain't bad for a figure that, in all honesty, you won't be seeing on clearance anytime soon. (Yeah, watch, I just made it so they come out next week...)

7
Does the Sw collector decide what actually gets made?, or does Hasbro decide what should be?

My Reason.....

New movie, 'x' amount of figures are made, and don't sell well, therefore HAsbro continue to re-make old trilogy figures. I'd rather they STOP the re-makes and concentrate on making all the necessary Ep1 figures, collectors who i think primarily are the only people left buying the SW line, would buy the Ep1 stuff regardless if they ever made another trilogy figure.
  -Doug

The line is created by Hasbro with LucasFilm having a huge influence on it. In other words, LFL has veto power when it comes to getting something made, or not.

Fans have had at least some influence on the line. Wuher and the Skiff can be at least partially credited to the petitions run at Yakface's Realm a few years ago. Porkins has always had a strong small fan base, and while no petition for it really seemed to take off, Hasbro made it due to fan interest. Fett 300... well, that one made everybody happy. And I think Aurra Sing was due to fan request, but personally, I think the whole hype thing around Aurra was carefully scripted and they were counting on us wanting it from day 1.

I know many of you want to see POTF2-era characters end, but well, there's just as many who don't. After seeing Bespin Han redone, I'd say there's a strong case for reissues. They sculpted the friggin' piping on his pants, people! It's a nice, crazy cool figure. The demand for a new Jedi Luke is brewin' up something fierce these days, and more than a few people still want to see their favorite characters redone. Considering that Hasbro can still *sell* these characters, they won't go away anytime soon.

If it were up to me, I'd have a line where there were no more remakes. But with today's business model, that wouldn't work since Hasbro wants a NEW Vader on shelves every few months. Looking at how many unsold Dagobah Vaders are around might change this, though. If remakes stop selling, Hasbro will stop making them. I keep mentioning this, but aside from the Skiff, we haven't seen a Luke figure since September of 1999. (Actually, according to my records, only two Luke figures have been released since the start of 1999.)

I would prefer we see new figures. But stuff like Dagobah Vader is just really cool... and to put things in perspective, the POTF2/E1/POTJ range is now at over *330* figures. That's crazy. And if you miss one or two at this point... well, I doubt anyone's gonna notice. Due to funding issues, I've cut down to just buying one of most figures, two of some of the army builders (Scout Troopers, Battle Droids, etc. Gotta get me some more Mon Cals.) My advice? Stop buying stuff you don't want, because there's gonna be a lot of it.

The whole Episode One thing relies on a variety of factors. Episode One was (if I recall) the top-selling line of 1999, or #2 at the worst. That's impressive. Sad fact with E1 was that they made too much of it, and as such, a lot of people got turned off. Also, E1 came at the result of almost a decade of hype including books, comics, figures, VHS re-releases, and countless other things... we're looking at a market that was bound to collapse eventually. Classic stuff was VASTLY ignored in 1999, with only three new flashback figures, four cinemascenes, seven commtech figures. And people had a hard time finding those last three commtech guys. POTJ is currently a sort of "correction" making up for lost time, and considering that by not making classic guys a lot of people would just quit, well, can you blame them?

2002 is another movie year. I expect another giant chunk of E2:other ratio (1999 seems to be about 3:1) which really seems kinda low when you look at it that way. Soon, Hasbro's gonna run out of classic stuff to do, not because they're out of ideas, but because the market won't care. Still, I hope it lasts long enough for the line to be one of the largest ever, but I don't have tallies handy on GI Joe: A Real American Hero or Playmates' Star Trek lines to make a comparison.

8
I recently picked up the Vader- Dagobah figure. I remember seeing pics online showing the front part of his mask removed with Luke's face exposed. Was this feature canceled at the last minute ? The full helmet comes off the body but the front part of the mask is notremovable. what gives ?
  -Tom

It comes off, but it's tricky. You really have to look for the seams on that helmet...

9
most collectors agree that the vintage figure cards were great (which they were) and I've seen vintage-stylee custom cards for ep1 figures. Do you think it would be a good idea if Hasbro produced vintage style cards for new figures in, say, packs of ten with self-adhesive bubbles? I know from a kid point of view this makes no sense (the point of packaging for kids is. . zero, except to remove it as fast as possible) but I'm sure collectors would like it, and those people who currently buy two of each figure might even end up buying three. I'm sure a package not unlike the 3-D dioramas would sell (with a bonus figure?) and seems to be the kind of product that the fan club SHOULD provide (maybe it wouldn't go down too well in TRU).
  -Amanda

Great as they were, I'm willing to bet almost nobody would buy an extra set of figures to open and re-seal on vintage style cards. It's just not economical.

I think selling just the cardbacks might be cool if the price was low enough, especially if we saw a nice "collect them all" kind of picture on the back.

When it comes to collectors, I've always wondered just how important packaging is. The Simpsons line has incredibly generic packaging, and it's astoundingly popular. Star Wars, while constantly berated as having the worst packaging out there, has always done pretty well. If a collector likes a toy enough, a thin layer of cardboard and plastic won't keep them from their favorites.

Kids, on the other hand, might need some more convincing. I go on no less than two toy runs in a week, and it's only two if I'm sick and/or busy. (Toy runs also include grocery shopping and other similar necessary activities. If I'm out of the house, may as well look around.) I'm always looking for specific things, and a shiny new package probably won't change my mind. Right now, I'm looking for Aurra Sing, Saesae Tinn, and the three new Classics Spider-Man guys I haven't found yet... and that's all I'll buy. Kids usually have a few bucks in their pocket and unless they're kids with a plan, a shiny nice package will grab their attention more than a dull one will. (And today, SW's green really seems to fade into the background.) ANYTHING a company can do to make its packaging more attractive to kids is a BIG deal. I mean, this is what sells a kid who hasn't already decided (s)he will have a toy on the idea of buying it. (There's a good reason window packaging, try-me gimmicks, and other similar features exist.) I don't think a bigger photo would help sell a figure these days, but man, there's gotta be something more innovative than what most companies are doing.

Figure-specific card fronts are, sadly, pretty much an antiquated concept. Playmates stopped having them a while back, with little more than a name or product number be different form one figure to the next. Right now, it makes more sense to highlight the figure rather than what the figure should look like (ala vintage SW) so short of some special anniversary thing, I think this is all we're gonna get from now on.

10
I've always wanted an authentic Boushh costume. One of the more complex pieces is the helmet. Back in 1999, I heard a rumor that Don Post was going to be doing a deluxe electronic Boushh helmet. Then last year, I heard that Don Post had decided not to produce it and that an Australian company (I never learned the name) was going to produce a helmet for fall 2000. I've yet to find anyone who has produced or is producing a Boussh helmet. Do you now anything about these rumors or if someone has one in production?
  -Giles

I have never seen a Boushh helmet myself. I can bet money on Don Post never having one up for mass production, and I never did find out much on that Australian company... if anyone's got info, write on in!

FIN
Got some responses on the RFI for back issues of ASWN, my old e-newsletter. Philip ("the guy who runs the site" Philip) had the bulk of 'em, but if you have anything before issue #10, please send it my way.

So far, I've found out that after the first year or so, I started being verbose, sometimes abraisive, and a lot of what I write would only make sense to me. It's nice to see things stay the same.

Aside from making a notebook/archive of some sort for my own purposes, a lot of this info will be re-archived and reformatted for use here on Rebelscum. I'm surprised how much info I crammed into some of these issues... well, except for the last year or so, those ain't much meat on dem bones.

So remember kids: when you write a Star Wars e-newsletter, keep a good archive. You'll be glad you did. And don't do drugs. (Well, maybe some drugs. But not all drugs. "T" pity the fool who... oh, nevermind.)

More... soon? I'm up for a busy next few days, so it might be Monday, it might be Friday if I get everything set up quick enough. Considering about six other sites have started doing their own Q&As in the past month, you might want to check some of them out if you need your fix.

Also, some of you have asked what it'll take for another Q&A Megathon, the daily-updates-for-a-month thing. In a nutshell, more questions than I can answer. So if you wants a megathon again, start throwing questions at me. I'd like to do a end-of-March-through-early-May kinda thing.

(And lastly, where does one get a Holo Sidious or Naboo Guard with the different Pit Droid?)

Questions for March 9, 2001

NOTE: In a shameless grab for additional hits, Adam has decided to do Q&A in an anatomically correct gorilla suit. We now return you to your regularly scheduled column.

1
A post on Rebelscum tonight for Toy Palace reads, "Still in stock: - POTJ Carbon Freezing Chamber w/ Bespin Security Guard for just $46.00". How can this be? Do overseas vendors get product from the Fan Club before the Fan Club offers the product itself? Keep entertaining!
  -DJ Eds

Hasbro's distribution is unusual. But you knew that.

A lot of items show up to Asian or European distributors at different times than the local ones, and when an item like an exclusive is being planned for one big roll-out, some advance items-- like these-- tend to show up. Actually, quite a few places have had these come and go... I'm waiting, myself, but the option's there for those that care.

2
I have noticed a few questions that have alluded to what I am about to ask. Currently there have been several variations of characters such as Luke Skywalker, Darth Maul and Amidala. If you compare the Sith Lord, Jedi Duel and Final Duel Maul it seems that there is not much difference. I respect that some characters in a course of a film do vary greatly. But isn't Jar-Jar really in the end a figure who doesn't change much? Do you think it would be better of the figures are more able include a wider scope if several features are in integrated into the one pack? More articulation?
  -Steve

In addition to representing a character, a figure can represent an aspect of a character's personality. In the case of Jar Jar, we've been treated to several very mellow looking versions of the character before getting the figure I'm wanting: the "Tatooine" version with his tongue sticking out. I mean, c'mon. He actually looks like he acts for once.

Darth Maul... ummm... there's no personality, and there's been about a dozen of him. So there, well, the resculpts are quite excessive, but some of them have a nice feature.

If Hasbro made one really good figure-- say, good articulation, nice accessories, and all that-- they wouldn't be able to sell six versions of it. While we'd prefer it that way, well, they're a business, and if they can sell six Mauls, they will.

It's a necessary evil... or at least it is for now. If the figures stop selling, well, they'll stop doing remakes.

3
On the new IG-88 4-inch figure, the top half of his head turns separately from the bottom half. Is he Canadian?
  -Thomas

Indeed he is. Canadian toys are weird that way.

4
For the newest set of 3 3/4" figures Hasbro has been adding upper arm articulation and often wrist articulation, which are great in and of themselves. But, many of these figures are now holding their weapons with both hands (300th Fett, Leia escape, senate guard, etc.), cradling the barrel with their 2nd hand. If you take the gun away, they look really silly. Do you think they will continue with this?

My Leia escape had 2 guns exactly the same but could hold only one. What's the point of that?
  -Jim

Right now, Hasbro's adding articulation as necessary to each figure so it can recreate a scene or something. (The first time they've admitted to that was with Muftak so he can brush his... mouth. I know what the word is, but I can't spell it and I'm not looking it up.)

It can be a wee bit goofy... but hey, that's how it is. Just leave the gun in their hands.

Leia's extra gun? I gave it to IG-88, and he's very happy that he now has two. It didn't quite click with my CommTech Stormtrooper...

5
I have a question that I don't believe has been asked yet. Why doesn't Hasbro do a direct market line of SW figures? It seems DC Direct has been quite successful selling figures that might not sell in a big toy chain, and distributing them to comic and hobby shops. Wouldn't it be a good idea for Hasbro to release their mainstream SW figures to the retail chains, and doing obscure characters e.g.: Ozzel, Myo, J'quille, various pod racers etc. in smaller quantities to comic shops? I think a direct market expanded universe line would also be cool. Would this be a worthwhile venture for Hasbro?

Lastly, this is more an insight than a question: a Rebel General three-pack with Dodonna, Rieekan, and Madine. Would that be the coolest exclusive or what!
  -Joe

Well, for quite a while, I've been mentioning that a lot of figures would probably flourish as an exclusive. Your three-pack is a perfect example, but since three-packs aren't happening (and those characters are as exciting as toast that hasn't been toasted yet) I wouldn't hold my breath for something like that.

I assume Hasbro will do something as an exclusive sometime soon, mainly because there hasn't been an exclusive figure since... uhmm... hunh. I think the last exclusive figure-- not exclusive vehicle with figure-- was Wuher last year. I'm ready for something new. J'quille (aka Toothface aka Whipid [aka Whipid Good... no?]) has always been a nice looking character... who knows what the future might hold?

If Hasbro gets an order for the right quantity-- and we're not sure what this is now-- I'm fairly sure they'd give any chain an exclusive that wants one.

6
a couple of questions about carded vintage figures. i've read several places that there are only around a dozen carded vinyl caped jawas left, but i've seen three in the past month. any idea how accurate that figure is? how about the double telescoping luke carded? Someone tried to sell one on ebay, but no one met the reserve. i've never seen another one. Vader and Ben? Same source says there's only one of each carded...true or false?

  -Mark

With the vintage stuff, well, I know a lot about it, but I don't swim in it exclusively. But based on what I've found out from asking people...

Vinyl Cape Jawa seems to have dropped off. Posts to the rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.vintage group circled around a discussion that mentioned the piece may have become readily available enough that the interest dropped. As far as only a dozen... uh... what? There are several, probably hundreds (if not thousands) around the world and in private collections and while there might be a dozen available on the market today (well, I doubt it, but you never know) there are others that'll come up soon. They're around, but not cheap and not common.

I've never seen a double-telescoping Vader carded, but a good friend of mine has a Ben in his collection for a few years and I've seen a few Lukes sell in my day. Which was your day. So in our day, some sold. They're around.

I'd say you're swimming in a light haze of misinformed buddy, there.

7
A while back my girlfriend picked me up a ringer SW shirt with YODA "jedi master" on it. She got it at hot topic ( a punk/hardcore clothe style store). I am big into retro SW gear. My question is why don't companies do more 77' style SW gear and do you know any online stores that sell these items.

ps- they also have a MR T shirt that says "I pity the fool" Thought you might like that one.
  -xdanx

Bah. Mall punk stores. (If you're REALLY punk rock you shop at the mini-mall thrift stores for your goods. Like school bus driver jackets and Circle K employee shirts. Oh yeah. Who be bad?)

Anyway...

There've been a few ringer shirts on the market over the past few years, from a few manufacturers. Today, there's a definite lack of classic SW theme shirts on the market these days. Your best bet would be to find an old T-shirt transfer book in good shape... and probably not wash the shirt too much. I haven't seen a real source of these kind of shirts lately, but keep your eyes on The Star Wars Insider, Suncoast Motion Picture Co., and of course, the Diamond Comics PREVIEWS catalog.

I think I'm gonna need that "Mr. T" shirt. If they have a "Three's Company" shirt I'll have to get one of them too...

More Monday. Maaaaybe something good. Maaaaaaybe something bad. I guess we'll never know. Well, we'll know Monday. But before then... never.

8
I don't know if you would consider this a collectible question, but do you happen to know of an Episode I version of Behind the Magic?
  -Tvllr

Ah, yes they did. It's one heck of an awesome product-- I finally got the Mac version last year, and man, is it loaded with Star Warsy goodness. There's so much trivia and information on the film that pretty much any fan could learn a lot from it. It's called "The Episode One Insider's Guide" and is marked down at a software vendor near you.

9
How should I re-attach stickers (labels?) that have dried out and fallen off my vintage SW vehicles and playsets?
  -Thomas

I've had luck with a cheap-o Elmer's Glue Stick. A label on my CAP-2 has stayed put for over 10 years with no discoloration or other problems.

10
this is probably stupid, but I'll ask anyway. I've never seen the 2000 Chewbacca in stores (I don't shop much), but I know he was common. so, If you have a loose one, have you stood him next to COMMtech Han or Luke? I'm just wondering if Hasbro finally fixed his height or if he's still a 1/2 inch too short, like all previous Chewie figures have been. (if his height or the forthcoming mechanic's height are finally in scale, I'll pick 'em up.) production?
  -Rabbit7

This Chewie's roughly the same height as the previous versions like the Mynock Hunt and Boushh's Prisoner versions.

The mechanic one is friggin' huge. It's pretty great.

FIN
UPDATE: Thanks to all of you who sent in info on the Boushh helmet. A company called Altmann's Armour has it listed as "coming soon." Dunno when "soon" is, really, but it's worth a look.

So anyway, yeah. 'Tis the weekend. Gonna spend time runnin' 'round town and eating food that should shave ten years off my life while listenin' to Origato Plastico. (Man, I love that album.) They opened a Krispy Kreme next to the In N' Out Burger, man!!! If I finds me one of them new Spider-Man Classics, it will be... the good weekend. (Oh, and what are you planning on? Spending time with loved ones? Well, aren't we fancy?)

While I'm having the time of my life, how about you send in some more questions?