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 Bi-Weekly Q&A Session, here's a handy guide to help you get all the info.
From 4-inches.de: 1) A few months ago Hasbro announced a Bothan figure in the Q&A. What has happened to this figure? Is the character that the figure is based on Master Hudorra from the Republic #79 Comic?
2) Ak-Rev comes out with the second part of the big drum and with a drumstick. The band will then at last be completed. But what is the deal with this other instrument Ak-Rev plays? Will Hasbro jumps at the chance to release this to a later time perhaps within another figure compilation or in a new band edition? What considerations have led to the decision not putting this instrument in the Ak-Rev package?
3) In Germany we do have some problems refering availability, price and case-composition of the Star Wars Action Figure line that we want to pick out as a central theme encouraged by lots of collectors and likewise by a lot of retailers in Germany. The distribution of the Star Wars segment is nearly exclusively ruled by one single wholeseller. Formerly there were a handful of wholesellers but in the last years only one wholeseller had focussed on the whole sortiment of action figures. Last year that wholeseller has closed down and another single wholeseller has carried over the distribution of the Star Wars segment. Like each seller does this wholeseller even has to calculate his business. Within the last months it has turned out that this wholeseller is rather hesitant and cautious with his ordering policy and it had happened that more and more Star Wars items didn't find their way to the German collector. Unfortunately retailers are not allowed to order directly from Hasbro and of course it is not allowed to import items that are not available in Germany from the US or other countries. So collectors do have to pay a lot more money for each single action figure than in other countries. Another point is the awkward case-mix that seems to be not balanced well in a nearly 100% collector market that Germany is. Retailers don't sell Darth Vader figures as well as in the US but have to buy 3 Darth Vader figures each case to sell other figures at least one time that are asked for by the collectors. So retailers have begun to sell the whole case but single figures and collectors do have pay more and more money to get their desired figures and have to throw away their hundreds of Darth Vader figures. More and more collectors order their figures via ebay or direct from US retailers so more and more retailers give up the Star Wars segment. All these trends do spoil the party for most collectors. The demand is high to let Hasbro take more attention to the German market. Sollutions to these problems would be a) offer solid cases (the market is too small for bad case-mixes and retailers would better be able to buy exact those figures that would be selling and in consequence they would sell more figures as yet, b) prices should not rise over 10 EUR per figure, c) offer better availability of toys for Germany or at least advertise if and when some certain items would be available (even if delayed) and d) perhaps allow retailers to buy directly from Hasbro to avoid higher prices or less availability.
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From Action Figs: 1) Many collectors have noted that Moff Jerjerrod was not a great seller and can still be found in stores, while it seemed as though Admiral Ozzel, Captain Piett, and Grand Moff Tarkin seemed to have sold better. There are times where Hasbro really nails a likeness, but unfortunately Moff Jerjerrod did not look like the actor and had an angry facial expression not seen in Return of the Jedi. Would Hasbro ever consider resculpting this figure or does the perceived poor performance of the Jerjerrod figure make it unlikely he would ever be revisited. Do you agree that if this figure sold poorly it may have been in part because of a poor likeness?
2) A number of fans would like to see more figures from the SW Holiday Special, which you've stated is not a priority for Hasbro. One of the characters from it, Ackmena, played by Bea Arthur, has been getting some traction lately in the collector community as a figure they'd like to see made. Before fans get too fired up, might you comment on if Hasbro even HAS the licensed authority needed to make a Bea Arthur Ackmena figure? (If by some miracle the answer is "yes", could you posit on its chances of being made?)
3) Has there been any thought about doing a few deliberate variations to some of the figures this year as running changes offered in later assortments, like you did with the ROTS line? For instance, the new '08 Anakin-as-Vader figure could be repainted with Sith eyes, or the '08 Obi-Wan could be redeco'ed with battle damage.
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From Galactic Hunter: 1) Just wondering if Hasbro has a "green" initiative. Are the plastics used in the manufacturing of Star Wars figures recyclable? And if so would it be feasible to do a mail-in redemption using action figures instead of UPCs? I know I wouldn't mind shipping off three or four figures to receive a new one, especially if it was helping to save the planet.
2) Is there any chance you can give us a look at what the new Darth Vader's 3-piece helmet looks like when disassembled?
3) More an observation and a couple suggestions than a question for Hasbro: My 6-year-old daughter enjoys playing with my vintage Ewok Village playset using her Galactic Heroes figures. The two generations of product are surprisingly compatible.
Very recently she discovered the Ewok Battle Wagon and has added that to her list of favorite toys. (She loves the working winches and knocks over block walls with the battering ram.)
My suggestions: 1) Offer more Ewoks in the Galactic Heroes line and 2) reissue both of these toys under the Galactic Heroes brand not only for the younger demographic but for the older collectors who just want to get their hands on these fun toys.
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From Imperial Shipyards: 1) Dear Hasbro, is there any chance there could be some new figures from the Droids and Ewoks cartoon series coming out someday? As one of the first Star Wars multi-media events beyond the movies, (consisting of TV shows, comics, toys and more) I think these should warrant some attention. It would be nice to see a tribute to the very first EU figures. Some good choices could be R2-D2 and C-3PO with a Droids color scheme, a realistic Princess Kneesaa from Ewoks, the three masters from Droids and Boba Fett with his droid BL-17 (which would have made a great two pack in the droid factory line!) Boba's Silver Speeder would be cool too! Ok, enough suggestions. But please consider Droids and Ewoks!
2) Hasbro, we understand your dilemma with regards to playsets. Any chance the following might warrant consideration? Test the waters first. Rerelease an existing playset, such as the "Hoth Battle" or "Endor Assault" sets? The tooling is already done, and the boxes are small enough to ship alongside vehicle assortments. Heck, maybe even the Cardboard Dioramas of "Jabba's palace" or "Mos Eisley Cantina". Try them first as an exclusive, maybe throw in a modern resculpt or a new exclusive repaint? How about one half of, say the Millenium Falcon cargo bay with Luke wearing the blast helmet and perhaps a robeless Obi-Wan? All you need do is the three walls, the floor the bench with the Dejarik table and the seat Han sits in. Then maybe the other half but from ESB. The computer wall, the alcove where Leia works, maybe a retool of her while we're at it. A shallow hatch in the floor with a tool box to fall on Han's head, and a portion of ceiling for Chewie to hang upside down through. The Seperatist command room on Mustafar, the computer room from the Death Star for example would also be good ideas. You guys are testing the water this year for big vehicles. Give us another shot to prove to you, if it's cool, we'll buy it.
3) I am really missing the tubular full sized unleashed figures that you have produced the last couple of years. Are there any plans on releasing anymore in the upcoming years? Can I put in a request for an AT-AT driver?
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From Jedi Defender: 1) A question about upcoming Battle Packs. During Toy Fair, you mentioned that you were not sure when the Battle of Mygeeto and Hoth Speeder Patrol sets would hit retail. Will we see these two in the 30AC packaging or will we need to wait until July to find them on the shelves? And any chance we could get a nice image of the new SA Bacara from the Mygeeto set or the Snow Scouts from the Hoth Set?
2) So, when do we get to see more Clone Wars figures? You can’t just make us wait until SDCC for more basic figures, right? I mean, July’s a long way off and we need something to keep us going! So, how about a hint at Wave 2?
3) Since you were willing to share pics of the SDCC exclusive Disturbance in the Force set, can you share pics of the planned Mighty Muggs exclusives - Commander Gree and the Golden Idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark?
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From Jedi Insider: 1) Is there any chance of seeing a re-sculpted Yak Face figure in near future?
2) Will the VOTC line be making a return in any way for 2008?
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From JediNews.co.uk: 1) How far in advance do you plan a new figures release, how long does it take to develop a figure and can you explain some of the design and build process? Also, how much input do LucasFilm have in the design of the figures and do they request certain figures to be made?
2) We know there are 2 Mandalorian Comic Packs coming but with more having been written about Mandalorians (Legacy of the Force series of Books, etc) will there be any more Mandalorian figures coming, for example Mirta Gec, Goran Beviin, Ram Zerimar or maybe Jodo Kast?
3) Have there been any further discussions between yourselves and Sideshow Collectibles with regard to the production of play-sets? If so, are you able to shed any light on this?
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From Jedi Temple Archives: 1) Iconic scenes in the Saga tend to make for some interesting figures. One such iconic scene from REVENGE OF THE SITH among fans seems to be Yoda's "Sword in the Clone" moment, as he and Obi-Wan fight their way into the Jedi Temple. Would something like this be a viable candidate for a Basic Figure pack, even though it might incorporate 2 figures that could stand on their own as Basic Figures? Or would this be a more likely candidate for something like the Order 66 2-packs?
2) The Saga Legends for later this year is reportedly offering characters that we're going to see in the Clone Wars line, such as Anakin, Obi-Wan & Yoda but in the movie-realistic style. It also seems to be widely accepted that these figures will be reissues, as we've seen in the 2007/08 Saga Legends line. Will this upcoming Saga Legends line mine recent figure sculpts, or in keeping with this year's Clone Wars theme, can we expect reissues from 2003's Clone Wars line?
3) In your most recent responses to JTA's Q&A session, you mentioned that the V-Wing fighter will be carried forward in the Clone Wars starfighter vehicle assortment. We've also seen indications that there is another wave of REVENGE OF THE SITH Basic Figures on tap for the Legacy Collection. Given those factors, and collectordom's love affair with all things Clone Trooper, could we be in store for a V-Wing Pilot Clone sometime in the near future?
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From Raving Toy Maniac: 1) It was mentioned in a Q&A last year that Hasbro had potential plans to re-release some of the figures that kept *just* missing out on winning the polls for Saga Legends such as Ephant Mon, Pablo-Jill, Sio Bibble, R3-A2, and Coleman Trebor. Are there any plans to get any of these figures back out to collectors in any form in 2008-2009?
2) Any chance of re-releasing the old Unleashed figures that were hard to find? Maybe as a Target exclusive ala the Luke & Vader versions from a few years ago?
3) Are there any OT battle packs scheduled for 2008? Possibly one featuring Jabba's skiff guards?
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From Sandtroopers.com: 1) 2008 TAC sees a return to the pack-in stands last seen in 2006. What about the Legacy Collection and the Clone Wars figures? Will they also contain stands? And if so, will the Clone Wars come with a Clone Wars stand or the generic Expanded Universe stand? While I'm on the subject of stands... I know that in past Q&A sessions you have mentioned that revisiting the sticker sheet for a new set of names is not something on the horizon. But what about if you were to make a package that contained software and blank sticker sheets so that fans and collectors could print their own name stickers, similar to what Testors does with their car and airplane model makers? And what would be the chances of releasing the stands in small packs - say 25 or so - of a movie specific stand instead of the entire set, so that someone could buy 30 ROTS stands to display a Clone Army or 30 ESB stands to display a Snowtrooper army, or something like that?
2) You recently said no to the idea of modular playsets in battlepacks due to the usual reasons (cost and no play value for the kids). That's understandable so what about revisiting the idea of scene-specific stands like what we saw in the RotS line? You had a few stands that were generically sculpted (hallway/Temple, swampy/Dagobah-ish, rocky/Mustfarish) and were able to get some nice variety of scenes by just repainting them differently. These stands obviously had some intent on being able to connect together (especially the hallway/Temple one) but as much as I struggled with it, I was disappointed to find that I couldn't make anything sensible with the pieces.
This felt like a huge missed opportunity since if Hasbro was going to pay for the tooling of these stands anyway, a better design that incorporated more seamless and logical connectibility could've allowed your company to, in future years, release more environmental stands that plugged in and could eventually give us our Tantive IV hal lway or Hoth rebel base or Death Star hallway... And by making one stand into an "intersection" piece that let us connect many separate stretches of hallways together, we could literally build our own Death Star/Tantive passageways as large as we're willing to pay up for (by buying more and more SW figures of course, to get those stands). And a slit in the floor moulding would allow us to slide in either a cardboard or thin plastic wall piece. So how about this idea? It'd be like Build-a-Diorama but done slowly over years to reward collectors for sticking with the hobby (especially when figures are getting more expensive to collect) and the cost would be incorporated into the cost of the stands as you did with the RotS line.
3) I've always wondered about this: the RotS Padme figure did not have a "baby bump" even though the character had a full belly at that point in the movie. Your Saga line Taun We figure came with a container for a clone baby yet oddly the ba by was absent inside. In both cases, was there some concern about the negative reaction from the more conservative elements of your customer base that caused you to go in the direction you did? I can see that an action figure of a pregnant woman or of a genetically-engineered baby might offend some people but I've always been curious if this was Hasbro's reasoning too. And if not, does that mean we might actually get a "clone baby in a bottle" someday?
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From Sir Steve's Guide: 1) Regarding Luke Jedi in his Death Star 2 look, the only basic figure of this is from 5 years ago, is preposed, has an action gimmick with floppy arms, and a likeness somewhere between "caveman" and "Harpo Marx". That despite Luke DS2 being the only OT main character figure in the last Fans' Choice poll's top 25 - 10 of the 14 figures above him are made or confirmed, as well as 4 of the 9 figures beneath. Hasbro's past answer on this matter was "theming issues, it may be a while, hang in there," yet since the 2003 DS2 Luke figure there have been 7 ROTJ waves and 2 Vintage-style lines with ROTJ figures; as well as 4 more Luke Jedi with Jabba's Palace outfits and Toy Fair has shown yet another ROTJ wave, this time with a Jabba's Palace-styled Luke Jedi from a deleted scene; and the previous new Luke Jedi figure could have fit the bill with its removable vest and outer belt yet was designed specifically against making it into DS2 Luke. Fans want Luke DS2, most of the other Fans' Choice poll results have been made or confirmed, Hasbro's had several opportunities, now we have sandstorm Luke coming - a deleted scene figure - over Luke DS2 which is baffling. So what's the full story here, why no Luke Jedi DS2 yet again? When can collectors finally get the last main OT character's significant costume yet to be done as an action figure?
2) Back in 1996, Kenner/Hasbro was developing a Virago vehicle toy for the Shadows of the Empire figure line to go along with the 2 other vehicles the line produced. Several pieces of concept and packaging art were produced, a retailer-enticement sheet describing some cool features was found not too long ago, as well as a prototype model, but the vehicle never materialized. The Galoob Action Fleet Virago remains one of the most sought-after vehicles on ebay, as this ship makes for a unique and exciting Star Wars toy. Did your Virago design ever get turned into a mold? Does Hasbro still have any molds or prototypes of it? What would the chances be of seeing a Virago released today?
3) The current R5 droid mold (used on R5-D4, R5-J2, and R5-F7) is close to "perfect", but there are a few glaring issues that should be addressed before this mold becomes the all-purpose version. They include the antenna, which comes out and may be lost easily; the pop-up motivator, which worked on R5-D4 but had diminishing returns on later uses; and the chest plate being a separate piece, which has been a problem on every figure to use the VOTC R2-D2 body. The head could just be retooled and used on the more-accurate R4-G9 body. Will these issues be addressed, or will we continue to get more less-than-perfect R5 figures?
4) Also, could we get clarification on the Ishi Tib answer we received last round since there actually is no vintage precedent that we're aware of?
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From SW Collector: 1) Hasbro, do you have any updates on the remaining Saga Legends Sandtroopers that you said we might see this spring? I tried to jot down all the "forthcoming" ones mentioned after the main four in the fall and here's what I came up with:
5. Dirty with black pauldron and probably Evolutions but maybe TSC body
6. Super-dirty Evolutions to be possibly released as a last shot
7. Clean with black (unpainted white) pauldron Corporal with TSC body.
Some claim the clean-black was a short run error that was quickly corrected but its existence caused a demand that made you consider turning it into an official running change at some point.
So, have any of these been released or are they going to be released this year, and can you settle for us whether or not the mysterious clean-black was ever released at the retail level or did all of the existing specimens come directly from Hasbro sources?
2) With the Evolutions sets doing so well, could this be where we might finally see a figure of Senate Duel Palpatine, along with a new THE PHANTOM MENACE Darth Sidious and a non-action feature version of Empire Proclamation Palpatine? "The Palpatine Legacy" has a nice ring to it!
3) I see we're getting a new SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE Comic Pack with new sculpts of Leia and Xizor. Why still no Guri? She's been getting the brush-off for a decade now!
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From TheJawa.com:1) Since Hasbro was able to recently provide a nice "shield" half-piece for the Droideka, is it possible that someday we'll see something like this for a basic-carded eps2 Clone Pilot where he comes with a half-piece for the Ball Turret of the Republic gunship?
2) I love softgoods but I have to admit that there's never really been a case where the hood part of the cloak looks even remotely good. The hood always fails to convey the same sense of "weight" that a real hood would (obviously due to the scale of the figure I realize) so I was wondering if Hasbro would ever do something similar to the Sideshow 12" Darth Maul figure where the hood has a small wire running inside it that lets you shape the hood to look as it does in the movie? If not that idea, then what about using a plastic head/hood combined with soft goods for the rest of the body (you did this with the TPM Darth Maul figure that came with the Sith Attack Speeder for e xample).
3) Will the VotC Lando sculpt ever be updated with ball-jointed elbows? I was more than a little disappointed when after years of waiting for Hasbro to make a Smuggler Lando from TESB, that the figure ended up just being a minor retool of the VotC mold given that the swivel elbows design meant an inability for the arms to be posed straight and more natural. Will we ever see a better Smuggler Lando if the mold itself does get better elbows, say in a Battlepack or as part of a Saga Legends release?
Along those same lines, have you ever considered using the Battlepacks or Saga Legends line as a way to re-release older figures with minor but new SA updates to make the figure more appealing to collectors who may already have that figure? For example, a RotS Aayla Secura or RotS Shaak-Ti but with ball-jointed elbows (since the swivel or fixed elbows were the only real flaw when these figures were originally released) or a taller 41st Elite trooper? ; You mentioned that we are finally getting an "upgraded" SA Bacara in the upcoming Mygeeto
battlepack for example. In all cases, these would be figures that you have 90% of the tooling for but with just a small added cost to update the tooling you'd be able to sell that figure again to those of us who want the real "ultimate" version of that character with the best articulation.
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NEW: From The Private Universe:1) The Mighty Muggs line has certainly been a welcome
addition to the Hasbro stable for those of us who dig vinyl toys (especially those into collecting Biskup, Kozik, Brian Flynn etc).
However, given that the body shape is generic and that two of the most beloved Star Wars characters - Yoda and R2 - don't fit the dimensions, do you plan to represent them in this line by some other means? Or should we just accept that some icons won't make the Mighty Muggs concept?
2) A few fan sites have been touting alleged pics of the rumoured Millennium Falcon re-do. Do pics exist? Can we see them? Is this just wishful fan-boy thinking - or is the product actually in development / production?
3) We haven't seen the Indy line at retail yet, and already interest is focusing beyond your initial offerings - specifically on vehicles. The 'Last Crusade Tank' and 'Raider's Flying Wing' - are these something you've considered producing?
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NEW: From Well of the Souls: 1) Will a 3 3/4 Ark of the Covenant be made?
2) Hasbro currently has the SW license until 2018, what time frame does Hasbro have the license for Indy and any hints at some surprise goodies to come?
3) Can you give us a list of what "artifacts" we can expect to find packed in with the 3.75" line coming out soon? And were there any that you couldn't get to do that you'd like to include somewhere down the line?
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From Yakface: 1) Dear Hasbro, in the forth coming Indiana Jones vehicles (which i might add are brilliant), you have made the inserts of the boxes into pull-out cardboard dioramas and crates. Is their any chance that you could do this for the Star Wars line since you will not produce stand alone playsets? Death Star corridors and Hoth hangars etc would be great.
2) I recently purchased the Force Unleashed Jump Trooper and I understand why you didn't make his new gun and gave him an existing similar gun, but on the cardback it shows him with a jetpack on and even mentions it in the description; so why did you make a jump trooper without a jetpack - the main requirement for his expertise?
3) Dear Hasbro, for several weeks now there have been a couple images floating around of a Stormtrooper Commander (an OT-style Stormtrooper with blue markings) from THE FORCE UNLEASHED line. According to the figure backer card, there is no number indicating that it is part of the “basic” figure series. Is this a store exclusive item? If so where/when will it be available?
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