So many questions, so little space... Many other
Star Wars collecting sites also submitted questions you need answered, so if you want to know the latest answers from this week's Hasbro
Star Wars Weekly Q&A Session, here's a handy guide to help you get all the info.
From Action Figs: 1) After hearing news on both super articulated versions of Mace Windu and Qui-Gon Jinn, what are the chances of seeing a super articulated version of Luke Skywalker in his Death Star II costume? We now know this Luke was among the top 25 in the Fan Choice poll results but not the winner, yet this iconic version of Luke from the last half of ROTJ has long deserved a high-quality figure, and it'd even have several additional applications (such as a removable vest, and removable Endor helmet & poncho), so when can fans expect to see this?
2) Will Hasbro ever produce a figure of the "Imperial Trooper in space" at the Death Star trench's guns watching as the Millennium Falcon is being tractored into the Death Star? This is different from the Expanded Universe Spacetrooper.
3) Why does Hasbro think the Titanium Series 6" Ultra Vehicle line failed? Was it the pricepoint, the early offerings, general fan disinterest, etc.?
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From Action Figure Insider: 1) Since you have stated a desire to see original Kenner figures reproduced in the Vintage Original Trilogy collection, will we be getting the "Death Squad Commander" (aka Death Star Commander) soon to finish off our collection based on the original twelve figures? If playability is an issue, you can always do the cap/helmet trick with him ala the recent General Veers or the 12" figure - that way kids will have two options when it comes to play and collectors will have twice as many reason to buy multiples!
2) Did the amount of EU characters in the Fans' Choice poll surprise you? Did this affect your 2007 (or 2008) plans?
3) How many waves for 2007? You said there would be a Concept Art figure in the first 8, but will there be more than 8 waves?
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From Galactic Hunter: 1) Almost annually (I think they skipped a year or two) warehouse clubs like Costco have offered a really nice, value-priced, value-added Star Wars toy set for their membership to purchase. Is there anything in the works for this year, and, if so, can we get any details? (Side note: I'm asking because we often don't find out about these sets until it's too late, and they're sold out. So please, any advance warning will help.)
2) Have we seen the last of the Holiday Edition action figures? Was the Holiday Darth Vader the end for that series?
3) Hasbro Q&A revealed a few weeks ago that the 2007 line has been "put to bed". Is the team hard at work on Clone Wars 3D toys, or do they get some downtime before that ramps up?
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From Jedi Defender: 1) Can you give us details on which sculpt was used for Saga-064 Commander Appo? And on the topic of sculpts, it appears that the Saga-069 Combat Engineer Trooper re-uses the ROTS Evolution Clone Trooper sculpt. Does that mean he has a removable helmet?
2) When looking at main character re-sculpts, what's the criteria for choosing any given version of a main character out on the market? For example, why choose Tatooine Luke over Throne Room Duel Luke or Bespin Han over Hoth Han, etc?
3) After 100+ basic figures in the 2006 line (75 Saga, 13 Hero & Villains, 14 Greatest Battles), a lot of collectors are feeling the budget pinch trying to keep up. Can you give us a ball-park estimate for the number of basic figures you are planning for 2007 so we can start planning our 2007 budgets now?
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here for the answers to these questions.
From Jedi Insider: 1) Any chance of seeing a Yarna figure in 2007?
2) With the AT-AT having been recently released, is there any chance of seeing a AT-TE ever being made?
3) Any plans for a VOTC Bespin Luke or Han Solo figure in 2007?
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From Sir Steve's Guide: 1) When the Action Fleet line was cancelled the second time (under the 2002-2003 Saga line), one of the comments that kept coming up in the discussion with Hasbro about it was the future of the molds that were almost to production but halted, and how molds are a very significant portion of the toy's cost and have specific budgets that they are expected to make back in order for Hasbro to consider them worth doing in the first place; the Action Fleet line had several molds that were nearing production and many others that were more than halfway finished but were cancelled and shelved before release rather than risk not making their money back. Shouldn't those molds nearing or at fruition at least be run to recoup some of their budgets in partial sales, how can a mold that's already spent most of the budget be more cost-effective to make zero sales than 50% of its expected sales (isn't that still making half its money back versus making none of its money back)?
2) Hasbro was recently quoted as saying that whenever you make a new General Grievous figure it will be correctly scaled, will we be getting a new Grievous figure next year in the 30th Anniversary Collection?
3) Hasbro has a minimum sales requirement/expectation in mind for each line and even each item within it - often with a timeline attached - which seems to always be geared towards mainstream mass retail audiences, lines such as Action Fleet and Unleashed and Titanium Series 6" Ultra Vehicles often suffer because they either don't meet these requirements, or like the Titanium Ultras even when they do sell they don't sell fast enough for Hasbro's requirements - many of these lines being collector favorites, and some actually get better products as later waves come out. None of the other Star Wars licensees seem to have sales expectations as high as Hasbro's - with the possible exception of LEGO, and even there they vary their expectations wildly between mainstream casual buyers and the hardcore collector base – yet those others continue to produce their Star Wars lines even when it means lower volume sales. What is the difference between Hasbro and those other licensees in this regard, why does Hasbro need to have higher volumes, why are Hasbro's expectations higher or for faster sell-throughs or overly-focused on mainstream audiences which can lead to premature demises of some popular and quality Hasbro StarWars lines?
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From The Jawa: 1) We often see Hasbro is trying to offer some kind of value added pack-in with the Basic Figure line. In the past 18 months we've gotten stands and the mini-holograms and we're now expecting coins in the 30th anniversary collection. What goes into choosing this kind of pack-in, and has Hasbro given serious consideration to abandoning the concept to bring Basic Figure prices down?
2) We've heard on many occasions that Hasbro is always trying very hard to make sure that everyone who wants a figure or a toy can get that item. But then collectors are presented with the WalMart exclusive wave of Basic Figures and the situation is somewhat different. Obviously these basic figures will be available at WalMart stores, but is Hasbro actively pressing WalMart to offer these figures online through Walmart.com as well?
3) Any chance we'll see new vehicles in the Galactic Heroes line? The figures are great, but we really need a TIE Fighter, and re-releasing the X-Wing, even the dune buggy variety, can't tell the whole story on how a new ship would sell.
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here for the answers to these questions.
From Yakface: 1) I have a question - will we ever see a Commander Neyo clone figure? If so, when? We can't address any more specific character questions for the line next year.
2) Any chance of a Galactic Hero's carry case? My son has a ton of these and hauls them everywhere.
3) Does Hasbro have any future plans to make more waves of the animated Clone Wars figures. There are still more figures to be made. Also any plans to go outside the Clone Wars era and animate other figures (a la Gentle Giant)?
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here for the answers to these questions.
From Yoda's News: 1) Though I am thrilled with the accuracy and detail (removable knife) of the new Chief Chirpa figure, being a long-time ewok fan, I have a few questions. Why not make his lizard advisor toy? What do we do now with all our other larger ewok toys? Will they be re-made as smaller, more accurate figures? And last, what ewok plans are there for the 30th anniversary collection?
2) We will be seeing any wholesale club exclusives this year? If so, where and when?
3) Does your
Battlestar Galactica license cover both the new and the old series and does it extend to figures or just vehicles?
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here for the answers to these questions.
