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I hope everyone had a good Fourth of July, I know I did. Now that things
have gotten back to normal, so to speak, I'm looking forward to clearing
out some of this mail and answering more of your questions. So, without
further delay...
On with the show:  1 Is the Han Solo pack-in that came with the keyboard attachment the same as the Gunner Station or carded figure? No it's not. It's closer to the Gunner Station figure, with the gloves and headset, but the Keyboard pack-in has articulated knees. 2 I was wondering if the Episode I figures that have a French talking chip are worth more than the English talking ones, since there were fewer of these produced? While the numbers produced may indeed be lower, the market for such figures is not that strong. There are some collectors that absolutely have to have every variation, but most will stick to what's readily available to them. As a result foreign carded versions don't necessarily demand a higher price than the more abundant English versions. 3 I've heard that AMT/Ertl has given up their rights to the Star Trek license and have no interest in making sci-fi kits in the future. I'm assuming this covers Star Wars kits as well. I'm curious if you, or anyone else, knows if Ertl still holds the SW license and if not, if we can hope to see new EP 2 kits from another model kit company? -Brian To be honest, I hadn't heard they dropped the Star Trek license, but with Playmates getting out of the Trek toy business I wouldn't be at all surprised. Even so, the Trek thing is kinda done for right now, they may have a new series next year (Enterprise), but they have repeatedly said they were going to hold off on a new movie until Star Wars had made its way. Will there be Episode II model kits? Good question. Early word is there will be a dramatic reduction in licensed product for the next film. While I'm sure some of that is voluntary, I'm equally sure many licensees are not eager to chance a repeat performance of their Episode I line. I haven't heard AMT/Ertl lost or gave up their license to make Episode II product, but anything is possible. My gut feeling, with Star Wars being the type of movie that it is - heavy on models, we will see some kits for the Episode II ships. Will they be from AMT? Time will tell. 4 Is TIE Bomber Pilot the same as TIE Interceptor Pilot? -Glenn Yes, I believe they are the same. The pilot that was packaged in the sample Bomber shown in Shreveport came loose and was rolling around in the box. I got a pretty good look at him though, and it looked to me like the legs were articulated. I'd be very surprised if it came with a different pilot. 5 It seems the emphasis is on Classic figures for Power of the Jedi, not too many EP1 figures being offered. There are still Pod Racer Pilot, Senators, Jedi Council Member and ship to be made. If POTJ is all Classic toys, when will Hasbro start making more Episode I figures in the line? -David Fuller As of late, Hasbro consider all characters and toys from the four previous Star Wars movies as "Classics." For the Power of the Jedi line 2001, Hasbro has tried to present a more balanced selection, pulling fan favorites from all four films. As a result, Episode I based figures only make up about one quarter of what's being offered this year, with the rest of the line coming from the original trilogy. While much of the 2002 line will focus on Episode II toys, there are still a number of Episode I characters we can look forward to. For the first part of the year we will see Queen Amidala in Black Travel Gown, and Jedi Master Eeth Koth. Almost certainly some characters seen in Episode I will return for Episode II and those may find their way into that line. While many of the plans for late 2002 remain undetermined, there is already talk of a few Episode I figures to be made available then as well. As for vehicles, the only ship I've heard mention of is the Sith Infiltrator, possibly an exclusive for next year. Aside from that, it's anyone's guess how or when additional ships will be made, but with Hasbro Direct producing it's first original ship, the TIE Bomber, anything is possible. Personally, I'm hoping for a bongo or an MTT! Beyond that, Hasbro plans to continue with the Power of the Jedi line and bring fans and collectors the best toys possible from all the Star Wars films. I'm sure over time they will have Episode I well covered. 6 I am a huge Mara Jade fan and bought her Decipher card last year, the one with the black suit. I heard that a green-suited Mara card was going to be available. Was that card ever produced? Also, do you know when the TIE Interceptor will be released? I heard July, but haven't heard anything lately? -Greg Romine
The only other Mara Jade card I know was produced was the Arica card for
Reflections II. I've been all through the Decipher site, as well as my
own collection, and have not found a card for a green-suited Mara.
However, I did find this shot
which looks like it came out of the Insider or another fan-zine. It's
possible multiple shots were taken in different costumes before the
final card photo was selected. I imagine this is what you heard about or
saw, but this image never made it into a Decipher deck.
UPDATE: As for the TIE Interceptor, I was able to speak with Hasbro and
they pretty much confirmed the information that's already out there. The
Interceptor is set to be released this month, July. We've got a few
people watching the TRU system to see when these show up, and we'll be
sure to pass the word when it looks like they're on their way to the
shelf.
7 Okay, the Hasbro Commtech Stormtrooper comes with what seems to be the Blastech DLT -20A Laser Rifle. The POTJ Sandtrooper seems to come with the Blastech E-11 standard Imperial Blaster. With the movies in mind, the Sandtrooper should have the rife and the Stormtrooper the blaster. First, am I mistaken? Second, do you think Hasbro could produce a new Stormtrooper in the Power of the Jedi line with the correct weapon and the sculpt and articulation of the Commtech Stormtrooper? -Eric Well first, you are correct, though both can be seen with each weapon at different times in the film. Second, I've asked about this a number of times, it seems like a great idea, but nothing is in the works yet. I'd love to see a new Stormtrooper that can hold a blaster with two hands, maybe even come with a holster and that small blaster shown on the cover of the Visual Dictionary (DK). Will Hasbro do it? I don't see how they can't, but with the Sandtrooper coming out this year, and the Episode II line taking up much of next, I wouldn't look for it any sooner than 2003. I'll keep reminding them though... 8 I was wondering if anybody else had noticed that the Power of the Jedi figures seem to be scaled down a little, especially Bespin Escape Lando, and all the figures guns seem to be way smaller in proportion. Do you know if Hasbro had a reason to do this or what? -kevin With the Power of the Jedi line, Hasbro is shifting to more "movie-accurate" toys. Many of the figures this year have been sculpted as near to actual scale as possible, including weapons and accessories as well. It's something collectors have been talking about for years, now Hasbro is making it happen. 9 Have you heard if Hasbro is going to continue to ship the past couple of waves (Lando, Snowbi-Won) with the last waves of the year (Bespin guard, Luke X-wing)? The stores around here have been very erratic about the shipments they receive. For instance Wal-Mart received the Lando wave (only two cases) about a month ago, then they received the Snowbi-Won wave (a decent amount), then I found 2 Lando figures and 2 new Jar Jar figures left on the pegs. Does this mean that some of the tougher waves to receive will be re-released? Could they also pack them in with the last waves? I am asking because I missed the R2-Q5 and Tessek and do not want to pay someone on eBay $12 for the figure and another $5 for shipping and HANDLING. What a crock, we pay the scalper to scalp. -hans According to the pack-outs that have been posted for the last two waves of the year, none of these figures will be shipping with the new assortments. With the exception of Collection 2, which will have some Wave 12 (Ellorrs Madak) figures included, they will be all new figures. However, Hasbro assures us they have plenty of product in the pipeline and we should start seeing it soon. Hopefully this will get everyone caught up by the end of summer. If not, Hasbro has always stated they're willing to put out 'make-up" cases for those figures collectors are having a hard time tracking down. We could still see some of these by the end of 2001, most likely in time for the holidays. Tenth Question: "This one's for you..."
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Well, just when I thought I knew it all... guess I'm going to have to watch Return of the Jedi AGAIN! I had never heard about this until now, if anyone out there knows the answer, now's the time to send it in. Hopefully we'll have answer for Brian soon!
Until next time...
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