Q & A Archive for week of November 8, 1999
No significant accidents for at least three days!


Questions for November 8, 2000

1
Why are the upper nacelles on the Galoob X-wings longer than the lower ones? This is the case with the micromachine, die-cast, and action fleet X-wings. It is obviously a choice that the designers made, but I can see no reason for it. Are they that sloppy?
  -John

As for why, well, Galoob never really gave me a straight answer. :) I guess that's just how they decided the toy should look. In the old days, Kenner took a sort of artistic license with adjusting the toy's colors, proportions, etc. Sometimes it made sense (i.e., AT-AT's oversized cockpit) and sometimes it didn't (i.e., the Death Star Droid ain't silver, it's black). This happens in the toy biz a lot-- I wouldn't call it sloppy, but I would definitely point it out as an oddity.

CORRECTION: Many wrote in with the answer. It turns out Galoob altered the design for safety purposes, this way, a child could not impale him or herself on the toy quite so easily.


2
I just saw a custom darth vader dagobah figure on ebay high bid was $432.50. is a custom figure really worth that much?
  -Xizor

The expression my dad used to tell me was "It's your money." (Or "You don't need that.") Is it *worth* it? Well, depends-- if you think it's $432.50 worth of cool, then yes, by all means. Would *I* pay it? Heck no. Unless it was done by a Hasbro employee as a side project or somebody from LucasFilm's modeling department, I don't think more than $100 would be what I (and by I, I mean me and not necessarily anybody else) would want to pay for it.

(Plus we're supposed to be getting a Dagobah Vader next year, and while it isn't 100% until we see a picture [and even then...], I don't see the kick out of that kind of price. Fake bidding has been common on many SW items lately...)


3
Admittedly you're area of expertise is toy releases in American, but could you shed some light onto the poor distribution of Hasbro POTF2 toys in the UK? Since the line started we have had ~25 figures, maybe 50% of the spaceships, none of the EU craft, no Millenium coin figures and only 2 cinema scenes.
  -Jer

Well, international distribution of all toy lines varies from nation to nation. The companies local affiliates typically import what they think will sell well, or what they see as being as the next in-demand item(s). Some times they guess right... some times they don't. (Does anybody want that Pokemon Polliwhirl 3-pack? I don't think so. Now Bulbasaur, which I would buy, is NOT available over here...*) I hear that the extreme shortpacks in some US toy lines end up as pegwarmers in the UK. Because of that, lines like Star Wars won't see 100% distribution because someone said "well, it might be too much product, and remember how Phantasm didn't exactly fly off the pegs?"

As far as Millennium Mint Coin figures, we're still in 'em pretty good on our side of the pond... must've seen 20 or 30 at the Toys "R" Us I visited in Phoenix last weekend.

*=Well, the solution: I found a cart at the mall that carries legit import (not bootleg for a change) Pokemon toys. The Japanese packaged toy-- with all three forms-- was eight bucks... the same as a Hasbro released US version would cost, and this one had a small playset. While it won't be so simple in your situation, the basic premise remains: you've got to import some stuff in many a hobby. Heck, look at vintage Star Wars... you ain't gettin' no Yak Face if you only buy US-carded product.

4
Is there any way to notify Hasbro of my frustration with the Action Man body (those beefy short arms are annoying!) used with all Star Wars12" figures? I understand this whole price point bull, yet I am willing, as I'm sure MANY people are, to pay a couple of bucks more to get the far superior (better articulated and better proportioned) G.I. Joe Masterpiece Edition body utilized for this line. I know this is non-issue for those bean counting collectors who keep them in the box, yet I wonder why do we live in a toy world where Bob Hope gets the classy treatment and Qui-Gon does not.
  -Michael

Hasbro really screwed up that line... the toys cost more, aren't that much better looking, and suffer from the "let's give him a new hat" syndrome of "new products." Price point is *exactly* why these things are lousy most of the time (not all, mind you, those new Pit Droids and the Battle Droid are nice items). I would have no problem paying, say, $30 for a truly awesome figure. That first 12" Maul-- which I never saw in stores-- was a nicely articulated hunk of plastic. But you're right... Star Wars is (or at least was earlier this summer) a huge license, and deserves better than being repaints and weak articulation.

Hasbro has heard we don't like it... that whole cost thing probably has something to do with it. Frankly, I'm not all that interested in paying $24.99 for figures like the 12" Watto, and I'll bet many of you are of the same opinion. Basically, all you can do is hope Hasbro releases a few less turkeys, reduces the price, raises the quality... or stop buying 12". Or customize, head-swapping adds up, but using the better body results in the better toy.


5
Adam, I prefer to use your checklists (I'm not a variation collector, so I don't need all that .0000, .0001 crap), but I haven't seen an update lately. Are you going to be bringing your checklists to Rebelscum? If not, when can we expect an update?
  -Bill

A pretty big chunk of them have been up for a week (or a few weeks). There are a few that are missing some product, or are not up yet, but most that people will be interested in are up today.

6
Why do EP1 Action Collection figures have only twice as many Jedi Points as 3 3/4" figures when they are 3 times the price? Shouldn't they have 3 points as well? Or has Hasbro discoverd yet another way to rip us off?
  -Zapacity

Rip you off for what? Those things are totally worthless. :)

(At least for the forseeable future.)

7
What do you make of the recent price drop on the Comm Tech Reader? Is this simply a sale to move product, or does this say something about the popularity of the whole Comm Tech idea?
  -Judd

Episode One as a whole didn't do all that well in terms of toys... I could spend hours writing up all the 50-90% off deals I've found on stuff. The CommTech readers-- at least in a lot of the stores I visit-- seem to exist in greater numbers than figures. I mean, there were cases of these things in the back. For $20+, it is not an attractive item. I think most parents liked the in-store one to see who a figure was or something like that... the CommTech idea is a MARVELOUS way to sell figures in stores. If say, you could scan a barcode and a sound would pop up ("This is Buzz Lightyear!" or "Naga NOONCH!"), that'd do wonders for the point-of-sale figure sales. But most parents don't want this in their homes... heck, I've got one and I'm not exactly thrilled with it. Only a handful of really awesome chips out of... what, 40 or 50?

Of course, no company would probably try to do that because it's a killer marketing idea, and anyone that sees this probably won't do it because of the great legal invention issues. (And if someone saw this, yes, I want a cut of it. :)

8
Rebelscum mentioned that EI Racer is slated to come out on the Color Game Boy. Do you know if the Color Game Boy carts will work with the Super Game Boy that was made for the Super Nintendo?
  -Derek

Some do, some don't. There's a logo on the packages of the games to inform you what works on what. For instance, every GameBoy family game will work on the GameBoy Color, but most of the newer GameBoy Color games only work on the GameBoy Color. The Super GameBoy doesn't have the capabilities the new portable holds.

As far as your question... last I heard it was GB Color only. If you don't have one, I can say that it's a magnificent and battery-efficient portable. (I had mine for almost 10 months of regular use before the batteries died.) Thing is, the GameBoy Advance is in development and that could make the GB Color that I bought on the day it came out last year obselete very quickly. But then again, waiting sucks, so go forth and buy ye the best portable on the market.

(Plus they're gonna reissue the first, original, NES Zelda for the GB Color. That alone makes it worth owning one. [Heck, I have it on my NES and I want it!])

9
How come no one really considers the Princess Leia Collection as POTF2?
  -Quartet

Most people consider all 4" figures POTF2, but since these were made by a different team, were packaged differently, and so forth, some see them as outside figures. I blame the cloth.

10
My question is about the Captain Panaka figure and the boo boo on the card back listing his COMMtech would say "blah, blah, blah, sign a treaty, blah, blah". Instead the actuall COMMtech chip says "blah, blah, we can't win, blah, blah." This is the first COMMtech I noticed an error on but I've heard there are a lot of them? Should I hold onto it to in hopes to help some rabid variation collector or open the dumb thisng and be done with it?
  -Denver

Open it. Hasbro has so many uncorrected "errors" it's not worth collecting most of them any more. I bought and opened my one Panaka, and he's very happy to be standing on top of my scanner. He says "hello."

FIN
Never leaves a gap unfilled

Always pays on time always fits the bill he comes well prepared

Cube top squared off eight corners 90 degree angles

Flat top stares straight ahead stock parts snake eyes blockhead

Never tips over stands up on his own

He is a blockhead thinking man full grown he comes well prepared

  
  Adam Pawlus

Questions for November 10, 1999

1
Why are the upper nacelles on the Galoob X-wings longer than the lower ones? This is the case with the micromachine, die-cast, and action fleet X-wings. It is obviously a choice that the designers made, but I can see no reason for it. Are they that sloppy?
  -John

As for why, well, Galoob never really gave me a straight answer. :) I guess that's just how they decided the toy should look. In the old days, Kenner took a sort of artistic license with adjusting the toy's colors, proportions, etc. Sometimes it made sense (i.e., AT-AT's oversized cockpit) and sometimes it didn't (i.e., the Death Star Droid ain't silver, it's black). This happens in the toy biz a lot-- I wouldn't call it sloppy, but I would definitely point it out as an oddity.


2
What ever happened to the second wave of galoob die cast ships? I believe there was supposed to be a Snowspeeder, Slave I, an A-Wing, and I think 3 others. I never saw them here (Toronto Canada) in the stores, and I really liked the first 6 (7 if you include the Death Star). Were they ever in stores in the US, and did they ever make it up here to Canada at all? I know the first 6 were real peg warmers here at a lot of stores, in fact there are still a couple sandcrawlers here and there. I would imagine that is why I never saw the second wave. Also, any idea where I might find them now? I have looked around on the net and on Ebay, and such places and have had no luck. Any help on this would be appreciated.
  -Tim

Wave 2 included the three you mentioned, a Super Star Destroyer, TIE Bomber, and the Landspeeder. A Death Star was said to be included in wave two, but I know I never saw one at retail. Many people found theirs on close-out sales at Kay-Bee Toy Stores along with the others.

As far as Canada goes, I know (or at least think I know) there was a box set with the Death Star and possibly a few other Wave 2s... but it might have been all wave 1s.


3
Will Hasbro be making a Destroyer Droid that fully transforms into a wheel?
  -Mojo

Eventually, probably. No such toy has been announced in any Hasbro scale. Now for Lego...

4
I recently saw at an antique store a 12" Wampa and Luke Skywalker two pack. What made this one stand out was the Wampa had a detached arm. Blood was on the arm, the wampa and a spray of blood on Luke. Luke was holding his lightsaber and he was standing up instead of hanging upside down. Is this a custom job or an exclusive?
  -Paul

Sounds like a custom job to me.


5
Why does the R2D2 figure from the Phantom Menace have those rockets? Was there a scene cut from the movie where R2 uses them?
  -Mitch

A scene was shot but eventually cut where R2-D2 falls off a ledge on Coruscant and flies back up via his rockets. Since the toys are made while the movie is still in development, it was too late to change the toy. Still, it's kinda cool... at least it wasn't "does nothing action!"

6
Besides being an avid SW toy collector, I occasionaly purchase non-SW toys that, for one reason or another, I consider particularily interesting and/or creative. Mcfarlane toys manages to produce some pretty fascinating action figures. I recently purchased an entire set of the new Beatles Yellow Submarine figures, and I was completley surprised at how cheap they were-7.99 at TRU. That's just a dollar more when compared to the prices Hasbro charges for SW figures, and the amount of plastic that one gets when purchasing these items seems to be about 10 times more than any single SW figure. This is especially true of the RIngo figure with the Blue Meanie-that thing is unusually heavy. Now, I understand that Hasbro can charge whatever they want for SW figures because of the fact that they have exclusive rights to the SW licence, but, relativley speaking, shouldn't they considerably cheaper?
  -Jubjubjedi

Well, I frequently say that I expect at least more articulation or accessories when I pay seven bucks for a figure that small. The best example in terms of toy for the dollar is the McFarlane Monsters sets, where you get a playset, accessories, two four inch figures, more accessories, all amazingly detailled, for like twelve bucks at most stores. Star Wars figures are priced as such, most likely, due to the license fees. When compared with a $6 Lego Landspeeder or a $5 Beast Wars toy, a $7 Star Wars figure doesn't shine the way a $5 one did just a few years ago. Hence why the kids don't go as nuts for them as they used to.

7
I have an ever popular Star Wars DVD question? The most popular rumor at the moment seems to be that Lucas is waiting for an advanced form of DVD to be introduced (blue laser?) before he releases the ultimate Star Wars set. I'm all for waiting if the set is going to be done right the first time, but I don't like the ideal of having to buy a whole new DVD player for six movies. What have you heard regarding this?
  -Chris

I've heard the same thing everyone else has heard Lucas say: he wants to wait until Episode 3 is done so he can release an ultimate box set of all six films. (And so a few people can make millions on the streets of Hong Kong selling bootlegs since they don't have an option to buy licensed product.)

8
You have made references in the past to going shopping at weird times and unusual hours. What are these times...when are these hours?
  -Paul

I hunt for toys while the normal people dream! (Bwa ha ha ha.)

Seriously though, there is no "ultimate time" to look for toys... but you never have to fight lines at 3 AM. Except at 7-11, that place is always busy at night. Dennys, too. If you go there, get a Vanilla Coke, they're great and the refills are free. (Try to pack down at least four before you leave. Get your money's worth.)

9
do you know if there is any chance in seeing a wald figure for ep 1 sometime?
  -JChase9781

Everything's possible.

10
I keep seeing brand new and months away from release figures (i.e., holograph Sidious, Naboo Guard, Skiff and Luke, etc.) posted on EBay by people in Singapore and Hong Kong. Are these just unscrupulous factory workers palming what they're manufacturing to sell on EBay? Or is it something else?
  -Andrew

While some of it is stolen goods, a lot of toys just show up early in Hong Kong and Singapore. And in some cases, stuff rarely shows up elsewhere... not Star Wars usually, but anyone out there that collected ALIENS knows what I'm referring to.

FIN
Hey kids! Check the "week of November 8" link below for a correction in Monday's Q&A!

  
  Adam Pawlus

Questions for November 12, 1999

1
Is there any chance Hasbro will repack the AT-ST in a new box, or is the one I purchased in late 95 going to be my only one?
  -MMAMP5

Well, it doesn't have to be your only one.. you can always buy another somewhere other than the primary market since Hasbro has no plans to make the item again, which isn't surprising because it sold rather poorly until Hasbro hinted that it wouldn't be shipping any longer.


2
What happen to that "exclusive" Cinema scene with Boss Nass, Queen Amidala, and Sabe? It was suposed to be released in Japan last month and there isn't a single picture of it.
  -JohnSteede

If you don't see a picture, you might not want to put too much stock in what you hear. I mean, I could say here that Amanaman is the 2000 Fan Club Exclusive, which will be shipped in December 2000 and preorders start in August. It's not true, but I could say it.

As far as exclusives go, there are no Hasbro exclusives in 1999. No new ones, anyway. So if such an item was actually in development (and for all I know, it might be) it would come out over here as well as elsewhere.


3
I'm sure you've been asked this a zillion times and have given a zillion answers....but I'm a newcomer to Rebelscum so I'll ask again. Has Hasbro ever confirmed or denied an Ephant Mon figure?
  -czahr

Hasbro has yet to reveal an announcement on this figure's release.

4
Does the Lego TIE Interceptor come with a TIE pilot minifig?
  -Brian

If you mean the new Model-Team-Esque one (since there is no other as of yet), well, it's not quite known since no pictures have surfaced to say one way or another. On the two Ultimate Collector's Series sets, the only minifig that's easily noticable is R2-D2, and for all I know he could be the only one used in the construction. Stay tuned.


5
Hey Adam. I've heard lots of rumors about upcoming 12" figures, in fact it seems that Garindan actually showed up on a release list somewhere. Any word on ole long snout?
  -warremr

He appeared on an early release list, but is not scheduled to be produced. Heck, it's still not known if a prototype was made.

6
Why do the Episode 1 die cast ships not come with a stand the way the trilogy ships did?
  -Dennis

Cost cutting. Galoob was so cheap... ("How cheap were they?") They were so cheap that when I got my Slave I which was missing the stand, they didn't even make extras to sell me. It kills the displayability of a few ships, and unfortunately, another stake in the heart of my interest in the product. Some of these buggers need stands, unfortunately... maybe we'll see a fan-made product that takes care of that in the future.

7
Has Watto's box been released?
  -jam

Rebelscum Sponsor Entertainment Earth has had 'em, so I'd wager yes.

8
Does Hasbro have any plans of continuing the Expanded Universe line?
  -Crinehart2

Probably not. Not that they're talking about... I wouldn't expect any more.

9
Any ideas of what to put commtech chips in that will protect them and keep them viewable, kinda like the holders/binder things for the ff slides. Let me know if you have any ideas.
  -Tim

A box? Nothing exists for any special way to hold 'em, but I'm sure the fine readers of this column have an idea. Mine are thrown in a shoebox.

10
Do you think we will see an end to the Episode I line before Episode 2 comes out or will the Episode I line continue well into the Episode 2 line?
  -John

Depends on how fast Hasbro cranks out new figures. If the classic line is any indication, it could be a very long time before Episode I figures cease production. Of course, if you're looking to cut corners in your collection, might I advise passing on the various Anakin rehashes in 2000? :)

FIN
I got to see an advance screening of Dogma this week. If you're a Kevin Smith fan, you'll love it. Fun stuff... definitely not a great film for the younger set, but I think a lot of people will enjoy it.