Q & A Archive for week of August 16, 1999
Look behind you!


Questions for August 16, 1999

1
Another Pez question for you. I've seen pictures of the Jar Jar motorized Pez dispenser. But do you have any word about when the first wave of Episode 1 Pez head dispensers will be out, or which characters will be featured in the first wave?
  -Don

Not as of yet. Outside the Jar Jar one you mentioned, nothing on E1 Pez has been whispered my way as of yet...

One thing I have seen, though, is a picture showing clear dispensers of Vader and Yoda. If anyone has the story on these, please don't hesitate to contact Rebelscum with information.


2
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CINEMA SCENE "JABBA`S THRONE ROOM ALIENS" 3 PACK THAT MANY DEALERS WERE LISTING AS"COMING SOON"
  -Dee

These hit a coupla weeks back, but not in all areas as of yet. Give sponsor Entertainment Earth a try.


3
I noticed you answered an earlier question about yellowing loose figures. I have many vintage carded figs. I've got some 1977 12 backs with crystal clear bubbles and some ROTJ cards with very yellow bubbles. Why the difference?
  -DarthBryan

Cheaper materials, usually. Most ROJ figures I see up for sale have slightly yellowed bubbles... just a tinge, not like a Crayola.

4
As I was looking through the list of Classic figures Hasbro is making I noticed that they were all form a New Hope. Since that is the case does it mean Hasbro is going to start splitting the new Classic figures into waves based on the movies or are they just doing this now to ride E IV until E I dies down?
  -Mike

No plans exist to divide what is now called the "Power of the Force" collection.


5
Is the Jabba glob Hasbro's attempt to satisfy the customers request for a ROTJ Jabba for the Jabba Diarama? To me the Jabba glob looks like Jabba from ROTJ.
  -Jason

Hasbro says "no." I say "probably." I think he's really cool, and looks like ROJ Jabba, but whatever.

6
Hi, I have the Star Wars (IV) movie book however it has no cover, is it worth anything in the present condition?
  -AnnaM

Kindling is always worth something.

7
Any word on when Episode 1 will be out on VHS? My 4-year-old niece wants to see it but her parents are hesitant to take her because she frightens easily and they don't want her to freak out in the theater. If the movie will be out on tape by Christmas, they'll wait for that. But if it's going to be much later than Christmas, they'll try taking her to the theater. Will Lucas release it on tape or wait till episodes 2 and 3 are done?
  -David

There is no official home release date as of yet, but current rumors suggest a Spring '00 release for VHS and when Satan goes skiing for DVD.

8
I have vintage figures, vehicles and playsets. My four year old son is starting to get POTF2 and Episode1 figures....why is it that the two lines (vintage and newer) have DIFFERENT peg sizes? Makes it rather difficult to mingle the sets. Plus you get tired of listening to the question: "Why can't you stand the Battle Droid up in your Death Star Elevator?"
  -Dave

I don't think I was ever given an official answer. Probably so the vintage ships wouldn't be compatible... well, most of them weren't anyway upon there rereleases. Odds are it was for a real easy way to differentiate between old and new product.

9
Why is it that Sio Bibble and Ric Olie have two names, but everyone else on Naboo has only one? If Palpatine has a second name, I'd be curious to know what it is.
  -Clinton

I think it's a case of "we haven't heard much" syndrome. At one point, for example, Ms. Portman's character was known as "Queen Padme Nabierre Amidala." No joke. It still might be her full name... nothing I've seen has made it very specific what, if anything, the character has in the way of a full name. Palpatine has never been given a full name, and most characters probably just have one name because they really don't need two for any real movie-based reason. We might hear the full name from some source or another later. I don't think I heard Crix go with Madine until the RPG, for example...

10
I was looking at my carded "Luke in Dagobah Fatigues" figure and noticed a little black hair that goes over Luke's right arm and into the back of him. Anyways, do you think the hair came from China and would it sell like any other "Luke Dagobah" on Ebay?
  -Tim

Jen, is that you? Keep that sense of humor rolling.

FIN
That's it for today. I'm off to the races! Or the grill. Time to start the ol' dinner...

Oh, and if anyone is planning on going to the Aquabats show in Mesa, AZ on Saturday and needs a ticket, drop me a note. It looks like our party may have bought one extra that we might be stuck with, and well, that'd stink.

  
  Adam Pawlus

Questions for August 18, 1999

1
I would like to write George Lucas to ask him if could try out for the role of Anakin for the next prequel. I am 20 yrs old, have blue eyes, and short hair, a lot of people say I look like an older version of Jake Lloyd and should seriously try to go for it. How would I get in touch with him?
  -Dave

Well, for starters, let's just say you have virtually no chance. No, really. Appearance is far from everything when casting a role, one usually needs some form of experience in the industry (although exceptions exist in the forms of the Spice Girls and the translators for Final Fantasy 7.) In the days of CG, colored contacts, and wigs, I think it's a safe bet that the Costanza Rule might be applied to this role to some extent: Appearance Not Important.

If you don't have an agent, forget it. Most LucasFilm oriented roles always have the stipulation "no agent, no try-out, no deal." (Or something like that.)

If you aren't already involved in acting on some level, be it the local theatre, short films, or something, odds are an agent couldn't even get you an audition. If you already act and you have an agent, then sure, there's always a chance you could submit headshots and a resume to LucasFilm's fine casting agent(s). However, if you don't have any experience in the industry, quit now. You don't want to go through the hassle.


2
    Has there been any thought on Hasbro's part to component playsets.  Sets that could snap together with other sets to make a larger set.  The price point would be lower for each piece, but it could be part of a bigger whole.  For example, instead of a Death Star playset at a large price point, could there be a number of them that snap together to be more to scale and fill the wants of collectors as well as kids.
  -Andrew

Actually, the new Naboo playsets from Hasbro are like this. You know, the ones guaranteed in-stock at Toys "R" Us in July that still haven't shown up. :)

Kenner tried this out in the MicroCollection in 1982, and I must say, those have always been my favorite playsets. If you like older stuff, try tracking those down... it's not a POTF2-sized series, but man, are they cool.


3
Do you know if anyone plans to come out with an Episode I action figure case?
  -Lisa

An R2-D2 shaped case is coming out "soon." It also has a fold-out playset of one of the areas on Naboo as well as an exclusive Destroyer Droid.

4
Is it me or does the Kyle Katarn figure look exactly like a young George Lucas? Do you know if this was done on purpose? Also, how can the same production and design team that came up with such a perfect Watto figure do so horibly on all 4" likenesses of Qui-Gon?
  -Andrew

Actually, the George Lucas/ Kyle Katarn thing is something we've been thinking as well... I got a look-see at GL's yearbook picture recently (it's amazing what you can find while looking through a friend's collection) and it's not too farfetched. Or you could think that Hasbro really screwed up the sculpt. (Well, no you shouldn't, because it's a cool figure...)

When it comes to Episode One, you're not the first person to ask that. Truth be told, Qui-Gon's first big problem comes not from the sculpt, but the crap paint job. I went through roughly 20 Naboo Qui-Gon figures before finding a paint job where the eyes really turned out nicely. Human faces are also pretty hard to do. Look at the Han Solo figures-- how many of those look like Harrison Ford? The closest thing I've seen is the recent Japanese Indiana Jones doll from Real McCoy for like $300. Now THAT is a nice toy. (A nice toy I can't afford.)

Watto? Well, critters are easier to sculpt, especially when one has access to all of the LucasFilm "scrap" (pictures, 3D models, etc.) of the guy. Humans are a pain-- I mean, Watto could be really off-the-mark, but hey, he looks fine to us since we don't notice the nuances in the alien faces like we do in the human ones.


5
A while back I was reading the FAQ's on Hasbro's Star Wars site, one of the questions asked about the way in which the POTF2 figures were released in collections. The representative answered and said that the way in which Hasbro places figures in collections and release them was in a pattern which would become more obvious as the course of the line went on. I don't see the pattern and I was wondering if you could help me.
  -Jeff

In the POTF2 line in 1998, the breakdown was:
Collection 1/Alliance: "Mostly Heroes"
Collection 2/Millennium: "Mostly Aliens & Droids"
Collection 3/Galactic: "Mostly Antagonists"

POTF2 '99:
Power of the Force Collection: Whatever

Episode One saw this breakdown:
Collection 1: Main characters
Collection 2: Secondary characters
Collection 3: Collector-oriented figures

In both cases, Collection 2 always became peg-warmin' poison to some extent. From Rancor Keepers to Ric Olie, it never quite flew, despite having some of the best figures in it (Expanded Universe, E1 C-3PO, Yoda, & R2-D2).

As far as looking for a pattern on the classics, there is but one: "What heroes haven't been re-done yet this year?" New characters are mostly fan favorites or requests.

6
I was hoping for your opinion about the fact that in Episode 1 Obi-Wan is apprentice to Qui-Gon Jinn and by the end of the movie is awarded "Jedi Knight" status. Yet in ESB alone Obi-Wan makes several references that Yoda was his instructor. What gives?
  -Toby

You had more than one teacher, right? I know I did. You can't learn everything you need to know in life from just one person... hence English, Art, Math, and other such classes. Odds are the same applies to the Star Wars Universe, there seems to be a bit of a nod to Qui-Gon being big on "living force" stuff like swordsmanship.

7
Hi, I was wondering if the new wave of Classic figures (Cantina Han, Luke with t-16...) has been seen in stores yet.
  -Matt

Not in the stores on my block. Online stores have had them, but had is they key word.

8
I remember a Leia Hoth/Rebel Base 3-D playset on the schedule last year or early this year.  Has this been canceled?
  -Nick

YES!

9
Any worries that because of the slow sales on the E! figures over the last month or so, that stores will be hesitant to order and display any of the new Classic Figures? I think it would be a shame, since these look like some of the finest figures to be produced yet.
  -Jay

Hasbro's E1 seems to be doing reasonably well in my neck of the woods... there's fewer figures everytime I go to the store, kids seem to be getting in to it between packs of Pokemon cards. As far as classic goes, it's a different beast. I'd expect to see them at places that currently don't have much in the way of Classic first, or the weird places that most people never go when looking for toys. ("Most people" as in "Everyone but me." :)

10
Why do certain figures appear in abundance and remain on the shelves for months while other figures are relatively impossible to find? I had extreme difficulty finding most of the POTF2 figures from mid/late 1998.
  -neil

Popularity, mostly. The desert worn C-3PO is probably not a very highly made figure in terms of quantity, yet he sits in most stores in my area. Maul is produced in great numbers, and he continues to sell and sell well.

Other reasons: scalpers, idiot stockboys, bad timing. I used to get email from this one guy all the time complaining he could never find new Star Wars. Turns out the guy lived a few miles from me and I frequently beat him to stuff... timing really makes a big impact on locating the new goods. And dumb luck, and lemme tell you, I have the dumb luck.

FIN
G'night!

  
  Adam Pawlus

Questions for August 20, 1999

1
I have seen every carded figure released this year except for the new Classic figures.  After last year, where I missed many of them, I feel like I am dreaming. However, my local Wal Mart & TRU currently have a great many figures on hand and I am starting to get worried about the future.  Do you think that my good fortune can last or will I be burried in Rics?
  -Scott

The demon of old stock always hangs over the heads of toy collectors, especially in the assortment-creating-impaired US of A, where no assortment, no matter how good, can ever be perfect due to toy speculation. When it comes to E1, retaillers will most likely have many more Star Wars shipments because of the greatness that is the over-commercialized December holiday Christmas, meaning there should be new figures for all, except for those who never go to the toy stores. Unless retaillers pull another EU...


2
WHERE'S THE NEW INSIDER MAG?! I NEED IT! HAVE YOU GOTTEN YOURS YET?
  -Darrin

I DON'T KNOW!? IT ISN'T OUT YET!! :)


3
Whatever happened to Jen Donahoe? She was really cool and helpful to the internet SW toy collecting community, but I don't recall reading her name anywhere lately...what's up with her?
  -Josh

Jen is still employed at Hasbro, but hasn't done much directly related to the SW collecting community in some time. She's doing a lot of behind the scenes stuff, and working hard trying to make sure the next time Hasbro's web team updates the site, everything will be in working order. Aside from some surgery on her leg a few months back, she's doing well.

4
I'm trying to complete my loose FF set. Accoording to the checklist of the FF holder there would be also a FF of Ponda Baba. To information there isn't one or am I wrong? Futher on I miss Luke, Han and Leia Hoth on the checklist. Are there more FF's missing on the checklist from the FF holder?
  -Edward

Ponda Baba was never produced, and no samples exist inside Hasbro (according to sources inside Hasbro.) Luke, Leia, and Han Hoth are available, and unfortunately the list in the holder is not exactly accurate.


5
I was just looking at some of the old FAQ's at the Hasbro star wars site, and they mentioned a Kenner on-line store. What happened to it, because I know that mosespa.com is the Fan Club's site.
  -Lou

I'm 99% sure it became HasbroCollectors.com.

6
Would you trust all those people who sell at ebay? Also, how much is too much for say a yoda or a tatooine Maul?
  -Tolga

Some people on Ebay are magnificent dealers who are nice, courteous, and friendly. Some people aren't. It's a toss-up, buy if you feel like the guy knows what he/she is talking about.

As far as Yoda & Maul? They sell for $7-$9 in stores, so I'd say $7-$9 plus shipping. Unless you've got money to burn, then send me $50. :)

7
Forgive me if this has been answered somewhere on the site already, but... Can the Comtech chips be read through the card? I was think of buying a reader, but I don't really want to open my figures.
  -Michael

Sure can! Give it a whirl at the store-- Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys "R" Us have a demo unit set up in most stores... assuming it hasn't been taken down yet. Actually, I'd reccomend giving it a listen before buying it-- the reader has been called "ok", "so-so", and most frequently, "crappy" by people writing to the Q&A column. Check JC Penny for the best deal-- their stuff is 40-50% off, and most stores have a few readers left for $25 minus the discount. Granted, they really don't have anything neat there, but if you missed this, you can't beat it for around fourteen bucks.

8
It's been a month since mid-july and no new Hasbro website. Did I miss something?
  -SMOKEYDOG8

Possibly. Other than "it ain't ready", Yakface's Realm reports a Hasbro rep stated it'll be up on the 23rd. Well, It'd be nice, that's for sure.

Just keep visiting the old URL, it'll be there eventually.

9
Any idea on when we might get a glimpse of the new 12" classic figs?
  -Chris

On the new web site? :)

10
   The "Epic Force" Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul are two of the coolest things yet from Hasbro's "Episode I" collection. I eagerly await the Qui-Gon Jinn from the same line, but can you tell me if the "Epic Force" Battle Droid has been cancelled or not? Mesa hopes not!
  -Dave

Umm... Battle Droid? I don't believe that was announced... if it was, I must've glanced over it.

FIN
I'm moving over the weekend, so there might not be an update Monday morning... just a warning.