"No, I don't know why your stores don't have the new figures yet..."
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1 What is going on with the selection of the POTF2 figures? Another r2, Luke w/ model t-16, Wuher, another Vader, another original costume Leia, etc, etc. Where are the Bespin Leia, Bespin guard, squidhead and re sculpts of some of those 95/96 figures-like the biker scout, Boba Fett, Lando Calrissian (bespin), Hoth Han and even the likes of Dengar. All of whom the originals were mediocre at best. -Daniel
To tell the truth, main characters sell. And usually, sell well.
While almost every collector to visit the site agrees with you on at
least some level, thing is, Hasbro works in weird ways. For example,
they continued to pack Ceremonial Leias at two per case after she
achieved "pegwarmer" status, yet phased out the new Vader a little too
quickly. With few exceptions, the redone Leias, Vaders, Lukes, and so
forth do sell very well. And Wuher? Geez, we've been asking for him
for quite some time. While I agree another Luke, Leia, and even Vader (although it is the best sculpted Vader I think I've seen) are getting a little dull, the new R2-D2 is nothing short of fantastic, and a lot of droid afficionados seem to like it. But yeah, I agree the lack of a Boba Fett is just a little... odd. Sure I've said it in past Q&As, but right now, he's the most requested resculpt not to mention the most wanted character from the questions I get.
2 I have finally seen the carded picture of the new Vader figure due later this year and it looks great, but I can't tell if it is going to be proportioned correctly as compared to other POTF2 figures. Is there any chance we may one day get a Vader that is? How about any figure? My Nute Gunray and Rune Haako are as tall as either of the Maul figures (and if you have seen any stills from E1, like those in the Insider a few months back, both characters are a good head and a half taller than Maul.) -Jody Height is probably the least-addressed concern with Star Wars figures. Scale has never been perfect in the line for whatever reason, even Tatooine Luke comes in differing heights (compare the Gunner Station to Blast Shield.) Compare the two Han Solo in Carbonite figures. Heck, even the Rebel Fleet Trooper was taller than the Darth Vader figure available at his release. Size has never been perfect in this line, unfortunately, and I'm not sure what the new Vader's height is since I haven't seen a good comparison shot as of yet. With Episode One, scale problems are a little more understandable (after all, the toys were made before the movie was finished), and lately Hasbro's done pretty well on scaling the Classic figures since the Blast Shield wave, off the top of my head anyhoo.
3 I saw pictures of freeze frames for Han Solo Hoth and Luke Hoth on somebody's site. Were these ever produced? -DrkJedi79 These were packaged with the Freeze Frame Binoculars Viewer that were available as a mail-in premium in 1998. Since few people sent for the offer (because the offer was printed on figures most stores never ordered), the slides can be a little tougher to come by. If you can get these, I highly reccomend you do so-- the binoculars are a great (and relatively cheap) way to view almost any slides.
4 I really like Captain Tarpals but my friend told me that it is discontinued as of yesterday. Please tell me if that is true and if it is not, where I can get one. -XaRaTX As you might have guessed, your friend has no clue. One of the most amazing things about Star Wars is it seems to be filled with friends who make stuff up. Tarpals is still shipping and hasn't even been spotted in every area as of yet. Where can you get him? Well, local toy stores are a good place to check, as are Rebelscum's sponsors. If he isn't there now, keep checking, he will be.
5 What is the difference between .0100 versions and .0000 version of Episode 1 figures, and how can you tell, by looking at the package what version it is? -grilli4 Well, the difference is a number that appears on the back of the package... there's a little white box on the cardback with a number, and the suffix of the number is the ".0000" or whatever. You can usually tell the number by looking at it. :) (Sorry, it was there, I had to say it.)
6 Why hasnt hasbro made any blue role-play lightsabers? What do they have against them? -Qui-Gon Joe Mattel, in a move surprising the nation, took out a patent on all blue Lightsaber toys that measure over five inches in length back in August of 1977. Since then, the only licensed lightsabers have been licensed through Mattel, and the only company to do that was Rubie's Costumes. This is, of course, a lie. Hasbro hasn't made any blue sabers because they just haven't. Nothing against blue, it just hasn't happened yet.
7 Hello, just wondering is the new talking darth maul valuable. Are they making more than the regular 12 in. I live in north carolina and find them by the truck loads. -CBDAWG26 A simple rule to live by: When a store in your area has truckloads of something, odds are it isn't rare. For example, nothing Hasbro has produced for Episode One is rare by any reasonable definition of the word-- I mean, figures are made in the millions, vehicles are produced in vast quantities, and large action figures are just popular and released in oddly packed assortments, not rare. Electronic Maul's worth about what it sells for-- $30, give or take a few bucks.
8 Will Hasbro release more new boxed STAPS /w Battle Droids, cause I never got mine on May 3rd, when the Episode 1 Toy Rush Hit, and soon after I never got one, but should of? I would like one? -TimStar29 This I don't know-- I haven't seen the red boxed STAP in a long time... check online toy stores if you can't find one in your area. Since so many of the preview boxed ones are left, it's hard to say if stores will order more of the same toy in a new box.
9 Sure has. The game is currently available on the Nintendo64 and PC, but it is being ported to the Macintosh and surprisingly the GameBoy Color.
10 According to LucasArts' site, it's out now. I haven't seen it yet, personally, but then again I keep forgetting to look for it... can't wait to pick that sucker up!
FIN
1 Whatever happened to the Dewback Beanie Buddy and company (I think they were Darth Vader and Stormtrooper)? Where they ever released? Are they still going to be? Are any more beanie buddies going to be made? -Senni
Hasbro showed a bunch of Episode One Buddies at a few toy trade shows, and I have yet to hear of any change of their being released. I haven't heard much of anything regarding the classic ones for some time, so basically, "check back here in a week or two for a real answer." :)
2 I have been searching (in vain) for someplace that sells XXL Star Wars t-shirts. None of the stores or websites (including Mos Espa) carry anything larger than XL. Got any ideas? -Jack Hoo... well, this is a toughy. Other than saying "talk to the people at Changes" there's not much I could say... maybe someone out there has pointers? Short of ordering them direct from places like Changes Distribution (responsible for a lot of the shirts), I really don't know what to tell you.
3 So...uh...what's the best figure ever? I mean, what's your favorite (and why)? For my money, its the Removable Helmet Darth Vader. Best variation of the best Star Wars character. -Brian Best ever? Well, Watto is one of the most detailled... Weequay, if you REALLY study it, it looks phenomenal. As far as my favorite goes, probably Dark Empire Luke from Expanded Universe, closely followed by Obi-Wan Kenobi (Naboo) from Episode One.
4 I've gotten for myself an awesome boxed and unopened POTF2 electronic X-wing. The previous owner had been taking great care of the item and the batteries inside the X-wing hasn't gone dead yet. The question being that, since I do not wish to remove the X-wing from the box, how can I prevent the batteries from corroding in time to come? -Darth-Anakin A good question. Unfortunately, the answer rhymes with "well, you're screwed." Sometimes batteries take forever to corrode... this is your hope, in this case. But when it comes to items like this, packaged electronic figures, and even some opened electronic figures, there's really nothing you can do short of cracking the box open. It's like some boxed models-- if you leave the shrinkwrap on, over time, it keeps shrinking and eventually starts to crush the box. If you take it off, the box won't be crushed-- but it stops being a shrinkwrapped model at that point. It's a "save the patient by removing a leg" type of thing... you're better off slicing the tape on the box and removing the batteries if you're concerned about having a toy that will most likely work in a decade. Or at least one without battery acid on it.
5 I noticed in a prior Q&A that you also use the Plano tackleboxes for figure storage. For others who may want to use them, here's the model numbers I use. 3700 for the regular-sized figures (fits 12 figures), and 3620 for the short/tall figures. (better customization for figures like R2-D2, Ewoks, Ugnaughts, jawas and EV-9D9).
But I have a question regarding a problem I've had with my cases. What do
you do with figures like Gamorrean Guards and ASP-7 which are too wide to
fit in either of the above model numbers? And Darth Vader (hard-cape), and
Lando Calrissian (Bespin) whose capes won't fit?
I checked the model number, and the 3700 is the same one I referred to-- sans number-- a few updates back. They're the best, if you've got the $4 to spend. :) As far as the big guns are concerned, I take off the capes that are too large and place them in... a tool box. A good box has a few trays and runs around, what, $15 or so? You can store the deluxe accessories, Cinemascene stands, and a whole bunch of "too-big" accessories, or even oversized figures, in the tool box. It ain't perfect, but it works better than a shoebox.
FIN So that's it. Umm... yeah. I'm working on the next ish of my newsletter now, so if you're a subscriber, good things are coming. Really!
1 I've always heard about your infamous newsletter. But how do I subscribe to it...and what is it? -Ian
ASWN-- the once-legendary Star Wars newsletter turned four years old on
August 1. Due to a variety of reasons, I took most of the summer off.
Let's just say it's hard to do collecting when one hasn't had a steady
gig in a while.
As to what it is? Well, imagine this column with more answers and less
questions. The content is... well, whatever I deem worthy that week
(toys always included), there's links to weird discounts I find while
surveying the web, and when I get bored enough, really bad jokes. And
SW comics info. Just a whole mess of useful news.
The page with ASWN subscription information is at
http://www.16bit.com/aswn/subs.htm
The page itself hasn't been updated due to a new way to sign up that
should be coming soon... for the readers, the future of the newsletter
is kinda in doubt. There were three things that needed to happen for
me to quit, and two of them have happened with the third pending... but
this is off topic, let's get back to your questions.
2 Has there been any confirmation of new Star Wars games on the Sega Dreamcast? -Jordan Not as of yet... I'm crossing my fingers for a port of the arcade game (hey, I liked it)
3 Are there any weird Pepsi cans out there that we haven't heard of? -EddieB2 Actually, yes. I picked up some classic ones (yes, CLASSIC ones) courtesy of an aquantaince in Wisconsin, and another in Mexico. For the Star Wars Special Edition, cans with Vader, R2-D2, the Stormtrooper, and the SWSE logo were created and distributed in the US, but most states never saw them. Actually, most people I know either didn't know about them or just didn't care. Around the same time, some were released overseas, and I'll try to get images of those up next week. Got some Mexican cans, one orange soda, and another Pepsi.
4
Sure, I'll probably buy Motti and Wuhrer, but realistically these two
figures are only going to be bought by older collectors, not kids. A
figure like Bo Shek would be interesting enough that younger kids might
actually want it just because he looks cool.
And I just don't think kids will want to play with a fat-bottomed booze
jockey...
I've been following the POTF2 line since its rumored conception in 1994 (before if you count obsessively reading any sci-fi or toy mag for info), and I must say, this is the first time I have ever heard anyone ask for Bo Shek (for the uninitiated, he's the one Ben is talking to in a grey flight suit in the cantina.) I'm not saying it's weird, but it is a first-- I didn't think he was on the top 10 of anybody's want list, but hey, this proves the Star Wars Pizza Theory. (See below for more on that.) Why not? Well, when it comes to cantina characters, the fan demand is generally just "more please" without many requests for specifics. Wuher was a popular character because a lot of us thought Hasbro defied what we considered a shoo-in, and that was having him as the pack-in figure with the pop-up diorama instead of the Sandtrooper. Like you said, Wuher's not for the kids... he's for us. Well, "us" meaning the people that have a Cantina Diorama set up and realized "hey, who the heck is supposed to go behind the bar? Sure, we could use the Jabba Dancers as waitresses, but we need a fat-bottomed booze jockey!!!" Motti? Well, I've never talked to a collector who hasn't expressed interest in more Imperials... soooo... well, he's a good one. Anybody with a choking action is a must-buy in my book! :) Put those 27 Vaders to good use, I say. Minor characters are like pizza toppings. Statistically speaking, it is impossible to fill a room with people and get them to agree on any one of these things. (Especially those "cheeseless pizza" freaks.) Yes, Motti and Wuher are aimed at older fans, but let's face it, so's Bo Shek, and Motti is a wee bit higher on the recognition scale... plus, as many of you would chime in, he makes better custom fodder. I, for one, cannot wait for those two figures... but then again, I'm one of those people who has a room whose population in 4" people rivals many a midwestern town. Like the one near Doane in Nebraska. (Actually, I think the toys could take the town...)
5 How shocked are you to find that people are willing to pay $50+ on a presale on ebay for the not-yet released Anakin Naboo, and Adi Gallia figures? -Dave Shocked? I live in a world where Dan Quayle actually thinks he has a shot at the presidency. I live in a world where the game Cosmic Carnage could actually be released and tagged as a "game." I live in a world where people were paying $50 to have Maul two weeks before the May 3 rollout. A wise man (or a screensaver, I forget which) once said: "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." There's never been a figure in the POTF2 line-- variations aside-- actually worth $50. Why should figures being made in more than reasonable quantities for the biggest movie of the year command such I high price? If I had the key to helping fools part with their money, I'd have a bunch more stormtrooper figures...
6 You can sink somewhere around $65 for the 3-pack from FAO (includes Han & Obi-Wan), or you might be able to contact a buddy overseas and buy just the Chewie. If you have any luck, let us know... I still need to track those down.
7 Well, Hasbro's got the license for Star Wars through the prequels, and even if the fad of Star Wars collecting dropped off, there would still be enough interest to squeeze 10-20 figures a year in the Star Wars brand. If Hasbro's proven anything, it's that they can market the heck out of core characters. I'd be surprised if POTF2-- prequel figures included-- didn't amount up to numbers that rival GI Joe: A Real American Hero.
8 Well, Hasbro's got ownership of Galoob now, so any new policies on putting one new vehicles in a box of 20 you already bought for being a loyal customer are as of yet untouched since no such product has been made under new management. There's been no announcement of the item yet, but I think Hasbro/Galoob would be wise to make an item like that in a really nice display box for collectors. Hey, I think it'd be cool.
9 Hasbro doesn't even know yet, unfortunately. If you mean in the next year, I've heard estimates ranging from 30 to 50 more characters-- considering Hasbro has made very little (at least I hope it's very little) of their 2000 schedule public, it's hard to say. But I'd start picking up quarters and clipping coupons if you want to get 'em all, because it ain't gonna be cheap and it ain't gonna be a small pile of plastic.
10 Mike, you sure aren't. Hasbro pretty much stopped reusing old molds in 1997, with all-new tooling made for the Darth Vader's TIE Fighter and Luke's X-Wing in 1998. I think an ultra-deluxe $100 Falcon would be great, and I'd buy that over the Royal Starship in a heartbeat... but I don't think it'd sell well with a $50 model (even if it kinda sucks) sitting next to it on the shelf. I think the reissue of the Falcon like it was done-- without even reworking the cockpit for Chewie to fit in it-- was a little weak. Be glad Hasbro/Kenner didn't go with the original plan: reissued vehicles and reissued figures. Well, maybe it'd be good-- after all, the figures could fit inside more of the ships and carry cases that way. Last I heard, Hasbro was working on a new sculpt-- as in NOT REISSUE-- for the Skiff next year... and I don't think anybody's said anything solid on the Y-Wing Fighter yet. And to answer your next question, no, there aren't any plans for a new Imperial Shuttle (aka Shuttle Tyderium) as of yet. :) Maybe in the future if the support is there? But I think an all-new big honkin' Falcon would be a lot more fun, if Hasbro decides to go that way.
FIN
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