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1 How does an internal combustion engine work? -Dan
It works very well, thank you.
2 What can I do about scalpers who buy all the new stuff, have a 200% markup and then sell them in their own neighborhood store? Is there a law or something because this doesn't seem fair. -Chris
Welcome to the unfair world of collectibles.
3 I just got a Wampa and Luke beastpack on Ebay. When I opened it, I immediately noticed the wampa did not look a thing like Toyfare magazine's image. The one in Toyfare was a LOT more evil and menacing looking than the real thing. Plus, his fur is gray, has huge paws, squattier,.... Its not the same figure! So, what is the deal? Are there two different wampas out there or what? -RollaJedi
The same image was shown in a few mags (Go
Figure!...), but I never saw the "ferocious" Wampa prototype in person.
Hasbro did bring the proto of the version that actually came out to a
toy show in Arizona in late 1997, though, and I'm pretty sure the mean
ol' Wampa didn't get printed until 1998. So to answer your question,
there is only one Wampa from POTF2's 4" line available, and the story
behind what happened to the really cool looking Wampa remains a mys
tery. But it'd make a killer exclusive.
4
Easy. Behold... the 10 rules of an Adam-ran SW line.
1. Follow McFarlane's pattern of releasing SPAWN figures. A few series a year, 6 or so figures per series, and rotating shortpacks, which is probably the single best way to handle less popular characters.
2. The Internet Exclusive figure would be voted on by fans on the internet. Since Star Wars has some of the most verbal (and picky) fans out there, this could help the line gain interest rather quickly.
3. Never, ever, never again make a figure where anyone but the most die-hard collector with the keenest eye for detail and a skill for "Hocus Focus" like no other can tell the difference between it and a previous version.
4. Nuke CommTech in favor of the Droids. (If they cost the same to make, I could use some more Droids.)
5. Better communication with fan sites. The days where Hasbro would either post new stuff on a regular basis or send it to a fan site for them to post are missed. We like being talked to, and we really like it when people acknowledge the (oxymoron) priceless free advertising we give.
6. If a store doesn't offer mail order or online ordering options, then they can't get an exclusive. Not as a matter of "fair/unfair" to people who don't have a Target or whatever, but just to avoid a real problem in stores with the things becoming the hairs that clog the drains that are the action figure aisles.
Also, if they would find a way to make exclusives available outside the USA, that'd be great. Appropriate shipping would have to be charged... and nobody gets to complain when they find out how much it costs to ship something big to England or Australia.
7. All "pack-in" exclusive figures would be available bagged directly from Hasbro for $7 per plus shipping (about $10 shipped.) (Because I, you, and everybody else would like to buy extras of the red R2 unit from the Royal Starship.) It's expensive, yes, but considering the low quantities and that most fans would not know about it, the prices would probably have to be kept a little high.
8. If there is still significant demand for a figure-- and by significant, I mean being able to sell at least 15,000 more units-- make a few more, and sell them as specials through a JC Penny or Sears catalog like they did in the old days. I think Sears had a 4-pack with the original Luke, Han, Leia, and Vader figures in Kenner baggies around 1984, when it was nearly impossible to find the former 3 anywhere. (Well, it was for me.)
9. Hide the "variation" number. (.00, etc.) They did it in Canada, and I'm convinced that a lack of obvious knowledge about this sort of thing would cut down on the fever some people seem to have over something like adding a comma to the back of the package. It worked great in the vintage line. Ignorance is bliss... the number makes it look like we're missing something even when a figure starts on .04.
10. Last, but most certainly not least, resculpt Boba Fett. C'mon, they'd be insane not to. (And R5-D4.)
But that's just me. Odds are there's a lot of reasons why these ideas
wouldn't work... I know there's a lot of hassles involved with American
companies selling things online to countries outside the USA (licensing,
etc.), and #7 is more or less just to keep people like me happy. But I
think the rest of it would be pretty good, at least until Episode 2. I
don't mind a glut of totally new figures, ever. However, flooding the
market with things I bought last year... well, it's not going to work
for very long.
5 If Hasbro can't or won't make further Expanded Universe figures or Classic Cinema Scene sets because the current state of the retail market won't support them, what about releasing them as Fan Club, or HasbroCollectors.com exclusives? -Snoova28
I don't think it's the market so much as it is Hasbro not really wanting to make them. Frankly, I think they're nuts not to do a new Mara Jade now that they've got a whole bunch of publicity surrounding the character... just be sure to do a better face, and the customers will buy it.
As far as Cinemascenes go... look at the 3 Episode One scenes. A grand total of two new characters were made available out of nine possible slots. If it wasn't for gems like the two classic ones that nobody could find, I'd say good riddance. It's probably not worth doing since a lot of people just want one or two of the figures in the set, and at $20, well, it's not as easy for some people to drop $20 for 3 figures today as it would be to buy one a week.
6
It was my assumption that all TRU was doing was clearing out old stock or stuff from their wherehouses... the stores in my area didn't get anything new, just markdowns on stuff they had. Meaning the Rancor Keepers that nobody wants for $3 are now the Rancor Keepers nobody wants for $1.97.
But I could be wrong... although most reports seem to correlate with the whole "just get rid of the stuff we have" idea.
7
Thing is, POTF2 is an anomoly in the toy world.
It's a line that has done very well for itself in collector circles, and
it's lasted longer than many other toy lines in the 1990s. There is a
sort of retail "life cycle", and the only line that's seemed to perform
especially well in terms of longevity and strenght is Batman, in all his
incarnations. Star Wars went from a pretty small line to a line where
there was too much stuff and not enough variety very quickly... while
making fewer toys and more variety sure as heck couldn't hurt, I think most fans are fed up with most aspects of the hobby and probably won't be happy with it unless it just flat out ended.
People grow out of things... and a lot of people grew out of Star
Wars.
And that is the final question on the "life of the hobby" that will be
published for a few months, thank you.
8
Heck, X-Wing Luke barely fits in the first POTF2 X-Wing without at least a little struggle. There are no plans for a new X-Wing toy, Hasbro's just giving the market what they want: a really spiffy Porkins figure. And for that, I'm pretty glad. I'm sure there was no intention to get him to fit in the X-Wing, because to do so, we'd have a very spindly Porkins.
9
I wouldn't kick myself over a packaging variation,
really. I saw quite a few of them, and while some people make a fuss
over it, it's not that big of a deal. Like most POTF2 figures today,
they're worth about what they cost when they came out-- the secondary
market for this stuff is virtually non-existant with a few exceptions
here and there. There's a few of 'em on eBay right now, only like
eight bucks each... if you like it enough, it's probably worth getting.
(Me, I'd rather save my dough for Wuher next month.)
10
Truth be told, most of us fans never got a really good look at McDiarmid before the Episode One stuff started floating around... and the figure was sculpted in (and correct me if I'm way off) some time in mid- or early 1997... a bit before the images of him sans Emperor make-up were widely available. I know, it IS possible to do a lot of research and find it... but there is another factor to consider first.
The figure was based off of Cam Kennedy's artwork in the Dark Empire comics, who does not appear to be based off of McD's face as far as I can tell. So while there is room to do a new version (or a custom job) of the actor as the Young Palpy, technically the figure is an accurate depiction of the Clone Emperor in what appears to be a muu-muu.
FIN
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