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Welcome back... Here's our Question 10 recap:
I am a collector of Star Wars children's books. There are two titles
that I keep seeing pop up in Internet lists, but no one seems to own a
copy. I suspect that these books don't exist because I can't find them
listed in the U.S. copyright registry. Can you confirm if the
following books actually exist?
Well Rick, I wish I had more concrete news for you. We got one report on the 'Droid Dilemma' book from a reader that says he had a copy as a kid, but no longer has the book in his possession. Todd, recalls the book featured C-3PO and R2, and co-starred a malfunctioning 'Gonk' droid. Todd also says the '79 date sounds about right, but again, he can't be sure. I did what I could to look this one up, and the School Days
book, but I couldn't find much. There was a series of learning books at one time, which could refer to the 'School Days' title. It's possible this is a sub title for the book(s) you're hearing about. If any additional information pops up I'll be sure to pass it along. Until then, I wish you luck with your search.
Thanks to Todd for the help.
On with the show:
 1 I read recently that the deluxe Amanaman figure is going to come with a Salacious Crumb figure. My question is, is this true and why? Didn't he already come with Oola? Why make two? Yes, Amanaman will come with a Salacious Crumb figure, which will mark the little guy's second appearance in the modern Star Wars line. Crumb is being packed in as a bonus with the Deluxe Amanaman figure, mostly for those that may have missed the Fan Club exclusive Oola set. Early word from Hasbro is that this version will be slightly different from the previous Crumb, but the figure is still in process. From the beginning, Hasbro wanted to have a little something extra to round out the package. With most cost for the Amanaman figure going into size and deco, they were limited as far as the type of additional item they could do. Once they got a clearer picture of what the actual cost was going to run, Salacious fit the bill. While there may have been other figures Hasbro could have put with Amanaman, there's nothing that says we won't see those offered eventually. 2 I live in the Seattle area, and out here, (I am not sure how common these are) we have Wizard of the Coast stores in some of our malls. I am curious, with WOC owning the Fan Club, if there is a chance of seeing either A: Fan club exclusives in the stores, or B: the stores getting exclusives of their own? While a lot of what's happening with the 'new' Fan Club is pretty much a mystery, I do know Hasbro and Fan Club are looking into future exclusives now. There's no telling what those items will be at this time, nor how Wizards will market them, but the current Fan Club exclusive will probably be a good indicator. The Carbon Freeze playset has been promised for mid May, I'd watch this one very carefully and see if it shows up at the Wizard's stores. My guess is if the Fan Club has difficulty getting their exclusives out, we could see something in stores. However, because of the limited nature of the WOC stores, I have to think we would not see them offering exclusives without seeing them at the Fan Club as well. 3 Do you know if Hasbro will be making any more beast packs? They look very appealing with the real feel fur and skin. While there are no plans for additional Beast Packs at this time, you never know what Hasbro is thinking about for next year and beyond. With a new movie in 2002, and the Star Wars brand getting back on its feet, anything is possible. I'd look for something from Episode II next year, and a possible continuation of the Beast Packs in 2003. When it comes down to it, it will all depend on demand, but I can't think of a better way to release a Deluxe Beast Jabba the Hutt... 4 I have been looking to fill my POTF2 Freeze Frame collection. I am only missing the Weequay on American card. However, I am afraid to invest the $400.00 this baby is worth fearing that there will be a mass release soon. What do you think. Should I just cough up the cash and buy it now? Ah yes, the crystal ball question... I wish I had an easy answer for you, but at this time it's anyone's guess. Could more Freeze Frame Weequay figures show up on clearance? It could happen. Will the price on this figure go up or down? Who knows... The big question here is what's a complete collection worth to you? I know there are guys out there that can afford to drop $400 on a figure like it's chump change. I also know others that need that money to put food on the table and would never consider shelling out that much for a piece of plastic, complete collection or not. I'd suggest taking a long hard look at what $400 means to you. If you have it to throw away, buy the figure. If you have a better use for the money, then pass. From the looks of it, most of the Freeze Frame figures have been through the clearance run already, now we seem to be getting late Episode I and CommTech figures. I would guess we won't be seeing more Freeze Frames, but that's only a guess. 5 In the old line, we Canadians (I'm Canadian) got a few exclusives (Sears, etc...). What are the chances we'll get one in the new line? We have been depraved of lots of cool figs in the last few years, when will the Great White North get a break? -Steve Yep, Canadian collectors seem to be getting the raw end of the deal when it comes to Star Wars. I wish I could say all the exclusives and figures will be made available to you, but the track record clearly shows this is not the case. The only thing I can suggest is that Canadian collectors have to make themselves known. Petition Hasbro Canada and the major chain retailers, let them know there is a market for these goods in Canada and that something needs to be done. Short of that, the only thing I can suggest would be to organize some kind of Canadian Collectors Club and approach Hasbro directly. It may be a long shot, but if demand is not being met by traditional retail, I would think Hasbro might be willing to listen. Good luck. 6 I think you almost hit the nail on the head in QM 4/10/01 regarding retailer ordering being skewed by scalpers picking up tons of items. The problem isn't that the items are sold - it's that they are returned en masse as soon as the item becomes generally available and the scalper can no longer get a premium on his money. It is the ultimate no-risk investment: buy 20 at 10 per item, sell 15 at 20 per item, return the five leftover for a full refund, and the scalper has made $100 (plus "shipping and handling") - without ever running the risk of overstock. Which leads to my question - how about a no refund policy at all the major retailers? Well, either by accident or design, Target just tried something like that not too long ago. The SKU for the 12" assortment was changed right before a price drop. When collectors came in for an adjustment, the store simply said they weren't the same items. That rubbed a few collectors the wrong way, but who knows how they would have felt if that was a published policy. I for one, if it will deter a scalper, am all for it but it seems like a headache retailers would just as soon avoid. When they're put in a policy just to deter Star Wars collectors, it puts a bad taste in their mouth. At some point it will just be easier not to carry the exclusives than it is to manage them. The bottom line is retail just doesn't care. If a guy walks in and wants to pay for a whole shipment of goods, who are they to say no. All they want to do is sell the item, I've never seen them really care how many they sell to whom and what he ends up doing with them. 7 I have a question about one of the questions in the recent installment of Question Mark. Sure, the Target exclusives are for the hungry collectors. What about the younger collectors? I'm 15, so I can't drive yet, to get to Target quickly, and I don't get enough money to pay scalpers for it. I also don't buy things over the Internet. My parents are very cautious about that, especially for things over or near $50. What would collectors like me do to get the Y-Wing, Skiff, and B-Wing? -Pizza the Hutt This is one of the biggest problems in all of collecting, adult collectors beating kids to the punch. These are toys after all, and many of us grew up spending hour upon hour playing with our Star Wars toys. Now, unless a kid can get his mother or father to make the 8 a.m. toy run, there's very little chance they'll see some of these harder to find toys. Unfortunately, the only suggestion I have for you is to keep asking your parents. Parents have a way of making things happen sometimes, whether it's driving you to Target at opening, or getting the manager to pull something from the back of the store. At your age you don't have a whole lot of options, but persistence usually pays off in the end. 8 What have you heard, in the last few weeks on a software game like age of empires, but with Star Wars stuff (AGE OF GALAXIES?). It just sounds wonderful to me to have a battle at Naboo, Hoth, Cloud City, Tatooine, Theed, and heck, all those other great places. With an army of Stormtroopers, Destroyers Droids, Rogue Squadron and why not some great heroes like Han, Luke, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Obi-Wan. Can wait to play this. I'm not 100% sure what Age of Empires is, but there's a real time game coming later this year that sounds a lot like what you've described. Star Wars Battle Ground was just recently announced at the LucasArts site. More information will probably be available after this month's E3 convention, but it looks to be a real time strategy game where you control the forces of the empire, rebellion, or any number of alien species. I'm not aware of any main characters being featured in this game, but some of the early screen shots and concept designs look pretty cool. There's another game, Star Wars Galaxies, which I hear is a real time on-line role-playing adventure. For the latest information on either of these games, you should definitely check out the LucasArts site. 9 In Hasbro's next 12" wave, I say that the Death Star Trooper will be the hot one, and the Han Stormtrooper & DS Droid will sit (how long is anyone's guess). I think a lot of us were hoping to get a 12" DS Trooper. Han's a recycle, and WHO actually asked for a 12" DS Droid? What say you? Depending how the case assortment breaks down, you may be right. As far as I can remember, all the 'troop' type figures have done very well. Because Han was only available previously in the Kay Bee 2-pack, this one might do well also. As far as the Death Star Droid, I'm glad to see Hasbro doing 12" figures like these to round out the collection. Still, unless Hasbro packs him one per case, I imagine it will be the first among this assortment to sit. Tenth Question: "This one's for you..."
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Until next time...
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