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.
Don't forget to check
Rebelscum's Q&A Session as well!
From Action Figs: 1) The last time the "midnight madness" question was asked back in April, the answer was "yes, similar plans and activity to 2005 with the launch of Ep III toys, but too early to talk about". Now that we are a month away, are there any more details that can be given out about Midnight Madness 7/26 openings? And will this release date for The Legacy Collection & Clone Wars product be worldwide?
2) One of the scenes talked about a lot from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the "nuke the fridge" scene. Would Hasbro make a deluxe figure representing Indy and his life-saving refrigerator? Would Hasbro design the fridge pre-blast "clean" or with battle damage?
3) In a recent Q&A, you stated that the upcoming Legacy Collection Darth Vader will likely be your "definitive" Vader, you are having a hard time coming up with more features to add to the character. However, one area still needs addressing is that of his battle-damaged removable hand. In the movie, Luke cuts it off at the wrist, but the articulation on the TLC Vader seems to sport glove articulation which is further back than wrist and can't be popped off to simulate this damage. While perhaps a small issue, it does hold the figure back from being truly definitive. Will it see a change in the future, perhaps as a running change, or a re-release? Also, what about definitive versions for each movie, since the costume does sport quite a few changes?
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From Bantha Skull: 1) The Corporate Alliance Tank Droid is viewed by many fans as an overdue vehicle. Due to the action oriented nature of this tank and the multiple movie appearances, can we expect to see a release of this in the near future? We like CIS vehicles, so don’t forget the a new Droid Gunship and some Spider Droids and Crab Droids for a great Ultimate Battle Pack!
2) The Republic Gunship, ARC-170 fighter and AT-RT have not been released in movie-accurate styling since the initial launch of the ROTS line. A lot of collectors have to be discriminant with their spending and simply cannot buy every product when a line launches. Will collectors who either missed or had to pass on those three ships in 2005 get a chance to buy movie-accurate versions sometime in the near future? (Late edit to this question: Will the upcoming Clone Wars Republic Gunship come with multiple sticker sheets like the Dagger Squadron B-Wing?)
3) As I’m sure you’re well aware of, army building has become an obsession with many collectors. I’ve personally observed army building become more of the norm rather than the exception it was only five or six years ago. To that point, there are two Original Trilogy armies for which there seems to be constant demand. The first is the Bespin Security Guard. While the POTJ figure was a noble effort, the guards never appeared on screen with an open jacket. The second is the Rebel Fleet Trooper. Again, the POTJ figure was great at the time, but Hasbro has spoiled us with articulation on other army builders, so an update would be well received. Each have ample opportunities for running changes for face sculpts and various nationalities. Hasbro has in the past indicated a desire to update each of these figures, but can you give us any firmer indication as to how long we’ll have to wait on each?
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From Galactic Hunter: 1) How many Sandtroopers come with the Disturbance at the Lars Homestead Battle Pack? What mold is the Sandtrooper based on (The Saga Collection or Evolutions)? What color are the pauldrons?
2) How would Hasbro feel about releasing a hybrid of the FX X-Wing (with the homing computer, lights, and some sound) but keeping the cockpit and droid port open for playability?
3) Is there actually a vac-metallized R-3PO (a la the Droid Factory) coming, or was it just a prototype? Also, is there any chance we'll see a silver RA-7 (a la the classic Death Star Droid) in the Build-A-Droid series?
4) I hear there's a figure in the likeness of Adam May being developed next week. What are the odds that it could be mass released?
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From Imperial Shipyards: 1) Several sites last round had asked questions about the B-Wing Exclusive and its pilot, and each of those sites (including our own!) were given that question back blank. What's the story?!?! Now we're more curious than ever!
2) What happened with the price of the G.I. Joe figures? They went up from $4.99 to $6.89 almost overnight. With Star Wars, you tell us you have to pay for the license, and that cost gets rolled into the price point of the toys, but you own the G.I. Joe line all you own. The price point of $4.99 was a huge bonus for fans and collectors.
3) Recently, Amazon.com listed another wave of Clone Wars figures,
including Ahsoka. This looks to be an exciting character in this new series. Can you confirm if she is going to get made in an upcomming wave? Any chance we can see a prototype or mock up of her?
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NEW: From Jedi Defender: 1) Just how many exclusive Clone Wars basic figures will there be this Fall? Everyone is wondering just how much shopping they are going to have to do to find them all... there’s TRU Holo Grievous, Target Commander Fox, and a SWShop Senate Security Clone for sure. Just how many others will there be (you don’t have to name names if you don’t want to, just let us know a ballpark number if you could).
2) Some new pictures of loose samples of Sandstorm Han Solo from Legacy Wave 1 popped up and some folks noticed that Han doesn’t quite look the same as the version shown at Toy Fair. Is Sandstorm Han an all-new sculpt or does he make use of any of the existing “vintage” Han parts (legs, torso, arms)?
3) There seems to be a bit of confusion about the Fall Legacy basic figure waves. We know about the first two waves, but then things get murky due to waves being moved around. Here’s what we think is happening...
Fall’08 Wave 3 - Revenge of the Sith, 6 figures
Fall’08 Wave 4 - Repaints/Repacks, 6 figures
Fall’08 (may be early ’09) Wave 5 - A New Hope, 8 figures
Does that match up to the current version of the Hasbro master plan?
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From Jedi Insider: 1) What are the chances of seeing more fan favorites from the EU, or just characters that played large parts in various comic (being that it’s been mentioned novel-exclusive characters lack visual reference) series throughout time? Personally, I'd give my saber-hand for an armored Nom Anor, but I'm sure there's a huge demand for characters like Cin Drallig, Kam Solusar, the Solo children – especially Jacen/Caedus -- or even updated and expanded Dark Empire figures.
2) Since a new sculpted Skiff is not going to happen, will the old one be reissued again?
3) Since the other two 2005 exclusive star fighters have been reissued, what are the chances that Plo Koon's star fighter will be reissued any time soon?
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NEW: From JediNews.co.uk: 1) Whilst not necessarily a UK centric question I spend a lot of time in Canada and have noticed that for the most part (the BMF being a very notable exception), what is in the stores is usually a couple of waves behind the US and even the UK. Given the Great White North's proximity to the US, what is the reason for this and is it ever likely to change?
2) We've seen a few images of the new Greatest Hits figures. Can you please give us details of what figures will make up the first wave(s) of the Greatest Hits figures and when these are likely to hit shelves?
3) With regards the Disney Star Wars crossover figures (e.g. Mickey Mouse as Anakin and Stitch as Emperor), what involvement (if any) does Hasbro have with the production of these or are they made by another 3rd party for Disney? Also, apart from the box set of existing Star Tours figures that was recently released for the Disney Star Wars Weekends, will there be any new figures released in this line?
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From Jedi Temple Archives: 1) We recently saw the Diamond/Online exclusive Pirate TIE Fighter with Hobbie revealed. It's an interesting take on the upscaled TIE Fighter. But will it feature some of the unique aspects of that TIE as it was featured in the Dark Horse EMPIRE series? Can we expect Hobbie to come with a sniper rifle, and the TIE to include some kind of additional hyperdrive pack and astomech droid? The higher price point (approx. $55) compared with the current TRU exclusive TIE Fighter ($39.99) seems to suggest that there might be some value added features. Can collectors expect as much?
2) In the ramp-up to The Clone Wars, we've seen artwork on www.starwars.com for the Y-Wing fighter as it would appear in The Clone Wars (image attached). If the Y-Wing does appear in the Clone Wars series in this form and it gets enough screen time to be a serious contender for the vehicle line, would you redesign it from the ground up, or attempt to modify the existing tools and add some kind of body fairings? One of the interesting EU notes about the vehicle is that it required such regular maintenance that the groundcrews started to leave the body fairings off in order to more easily maintain their fighters.
3) In a previous Q&A session with Jedi Temple Archives Hasbro confirmed that we will be seeing the Republic Gunship reissued with new deco. Will the Gunship be shipping to retail in cases of Gunships alone, or as part of a large vehicle assortment as it did with the Revenge Of The Sith era ARC-170? And can we get a sneak peek at the new deco for this fan favorite vehicle? Is this new deco shown on the box of the Wal-Mart exclusive that recently showed up online?
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From MouseDroid.com: 1) A while ago, a rumor surfaced that we would see an Emperor Palpatine figure on throne. Are there any plans to issue a ROTJ Palpatine seated on throne in the near future?
2) I've heard a rumour that in order to cut pollution during the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, that manufacturing in China will cease for about a month. I honestly doubt that it will be all over China, but more around Beijing and other Games locations. My question is, if this is the case, how will it effect you (Hasbro)? Have you taken measures to prevent delays or supplies?
3) With the recent release of images of vehicles from the upcoming Clone Wars movie and series, we've seen some new vehicles that will make their debut here just as the modified AotC Jedi Starfighter with the astromech droid in the middle (as on the new Galactic Heroes version); a Republic mobile artillery piece; Anakin's B-wing-like transport; and what looks like a more military-oriented version of the Imperial Shuttle. We're also seeing the Acclamator/Republic Attack Cruiser from 'Attack of the Clones' in full red colouring instead of the all-grey scheme used in AotC (which would make a great re-paint). Are any of these vehicles going to be coming up in the Clone Wars-themed Titanium re-launch, or to coincide with the launch of the Clone Wars film and series?
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From Raving Toy Maniac: 1) What are the chances of getting a TIE Defender or E-Wing vehicle in the next few years?
2) How about a Build a Vehicle with Figures... 6 Pieces for Ultimate AT-AT - One Piece each (Head, Body, 2 Legs X 2) Tons of figure potential like a Battle Pack... Just comes with a vehicle part...
3) What's the future for Unleashed Battle Packs? Will there be any new single-pack versions that are sold at Family Dollar and Dollar General?
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From Sandtroopers.com: 1) With the up and coming Clones wars animations coming out, would you consider making a clone factory? Would you consider having small containerized "manufactured" clones as a mail away item?
2) Read about the confirmation and have seen the pics and the new Millenium Falcon looks amazing. My question is in many of the prior q&a's you have stated that high-end items dont sell as well as the cheaper stuff, so why decide to release two high-end items(Millenium Falcon and AT-TE) on the same day? Dont you think this will hurt their sales?
3) Pictures on the box for the new Millennium Falcon show a Luke figure with the blast shield helmet interacting with the training remote. Does this mean that you plan to re-release and/or retool this figure so it will be available for kids and collectors alike to recreate the scene? I have found that there are several occasions where you folks depict a character or a certain figure on vehicle packaging, but they are nowhere to be found at the time of the vehicle's release (case in point, there are no Clone Pilots at retail for the V-Wing). Why does this continue to happen, and don't you think it's a bad idea to show kids figures that they can't find on the pegs at the same time as the vehicle? Not everyone will understand that a figure is ten years old and not available when they see it on a brand new package.
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NEW: From Sir Steve's Guide: 1) This fall, it seems there will be 4 different Star Wars sub-lines vying for space on the pegs: Clone Wars, Legacy Collection BD figures (that's for "Build a Droid", right?), Legacy Collection GH ("greatest hits") figures, and Saga Legends. How many SKUs will that be: 2, 3 or even 4? It looks like 3, with GH figures shipping in cases with BD figures and Saga Legends wearing the Legacy Collection badge but being a separate line, is that accurate? Is there any concern that all this may create confusion or in-line competition on the pegs, perhaps even squeezing out the coveted new Legacy Collection BD figures?
2) The Hasbro Star Wars team has discussed in previous Q&As their favorites and personal wishlists from the movies. Any hints though as to what characters might be on the team members' various Expanded Universe wishlists?
3) Back on August 17th, you answered SSG's question about the TX-130 tank toy by saying "We have looked at the TX-130 and it is a cool vehicle, but right now would only go after it if it was featured in the upcoming Clone Wars animation." On October 22nd, you answered ActionFigs.com's question about the Corporate Alliance Tank Droid with "We have looked at this, but it would need animation support to make it happen." Well, now we have total confirmation that both vehicles will indeed feature in the Clone Wars CGI animation, as well as the Droid Gunship - and all 3 of these vehicles are now being made by LEGO (the Tank Droid they did for ROTS). What are the chances now of getting toys of the Tank Droid, the TX-130, and even perhaps a Droid Gunship from Hasbro? The first 2 would make excellent $20 entries, and all would satisfy fans of The Clone Wars, ROTS, and the Battlefront video game series.
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NEW: From TheSithEmpire.net: 1) We have seen several large vehicles such as the AT-TE and the Millennium Falcon, will we ever see a sail barge
2) How is midnight madness going to work in the United States and will the holo Grievous be available?
3) Are there any plans for non-animated Clone Wars figures from the movie?
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NEW: From SW Collector: 1) The newest issue of STAR WARS Insider states there will be 12 Comic Packs in the 2008 line. What are they? Does this number include the three Wal*Mart-exclusive sets?
2) The "hot rod" Jedi Starfighter in the Titaniums diecast vehicles line ... any chance we'll see it in the 3 3/4" Starfighter Vehicles line?
3) A lot of collectors are bemoaning their inability to find the 2008 Saga Legends "Fans' Choice" figures at retail, and they've yet to be offered on HasbroToyShop.com. With the line no longer shipping to retail outlets, any chance for an online offering of a complete set of all five?
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From TheJawa.com:1) What are the chances that Hasbro will produce a comic 2-pack based on the Jango Fett: Open Seasons comic? Aside from the fact that there are plenty of Mandalorians to pick from, I noticed that it is also an excellent chance for collectors to get both a young Count Dooku (before he left the Jedi Order) and a young Jango Fett wearing the Boba Fett-style armor! Both figures would be relatively cheap to make since you obviously now have the Evo Fett tooling and any number of existing Jedi bodies to kitbash a new Christopher Lee character.
2) If Hasbro ever updated the OT-era Red Royal Guard, would it be a new sculpt or just a reuse of the RotS sculpt? I'm still hopeful for ball-jointed elbows on a future Royal Guard but more importantly, is there a way to revisit the robes in a way that's a bit more flattering to the character? I love softgoods, but admittedly in the case of this figure, I had to agree with a friend of mine that it looked as though he were wearing a moo-moo and needed to lose some weight underneath! I think the main issue seems to be everything flares out a bit too much (both the moo-moo and cape) so perhaps using some velcro or thin wire to allow for the robes to be tightened up a bit would help?
3) Given that there seem to be many other rebels at Yavin who wear an outfit similar to the Rebel Honor Guard, will Hasbro be reusing that mold any time soon to churn out a few more Yavin rebels for us? It seems like most are only a quick color change or head swap and baseball cap a way from being realized and obviously the cost of making these guys from existing tooling is relatively cheap for Hasbro to do.
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From The Private Universe:1) Have you considered doing a deluxe set from the beginning of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which would include a Hangar 51 crate containing the metallic case and alien remains inside? I think that would be a fantastic set and it is a big part of the movie.
2) Will you be making an Ark Ghost in the 3.75 inch lineup? The adventure heroes ghost is my personal favorite and I think it would go great with the basic figure lineup as well! You could include a rotating head with the peaceful looking lady on one side and the other have the angry skull face.
3) In regards to the Build-a-droids in the basic Legacy collection, will any of the droids included be from the Original Trilogy movies? Most seem like they are EU droids. I think it would be great to get a E-3PO or U-3PO!
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From Yakface: 1) Is there a definitive list/breakout of what will be shipped to retailers for sale on July 26th? I know it all has to do with retailer distribution, but how many Legacy and Clone Wars waves will be out? Vehicles? Battle Packs? Comic Packs? Exclusives?
2) By now, you are aware the BMF has been found up in Canada. I was wondering if the stores in the Canadian market have to meet the mandated shelf date that the US does? What is the punishment, if any, for a store in Canada that sells an item for for the July 26th date?
3) Dear Hasbro, a boxed image has shown up online of the new Clone Wars Republic Gunship and it has sparked the discussion regarding the label/decal possibilities. Will collectors be able to "personalize" their gunships in regards to the nose art? The box front looks to show at least 2 decos (the "Twi'lek pin-up" and a red circular symbol) are these labels included with the gunship and are there other choices as well? What are they?
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From Yoda's News: 1) July 26th is coming up fast. Is there a check list of items that will be available on July 26th that can help collectors plan ahead and prioritize?
2) Images have popped up online of a Wal-Mart Exclusive Clone WarsGunship, can you provide any more info on this? Is this a re-paint or a new mold?
3) Some readers are curious why you suddenly decided to make and release two massive and expensive vehicles back-to-back after years of stating that high-ticket vehicles were not profitable enough to pursue.
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INDIANA JONES Questions
From Cool Toy Review: 1) Well we have seen the TOD wave and what a fantastic wave it is! The only thing we have noticed that is missing is a sankara stone accessory. Will any of the six figures in this wave come with a sankara stone?
2) As you're doing a Thugee Guard figure I wanted to suggest a possible redeco; while watching the movie I noticed that just after Indy recovers from being possessed a couple of Thugees in mostly black outfits take the Maharajah away. These dudes look very cool, and I'd love to see them in figure form. They shouldn't be too hard to do as repaints.
3) While Hasbro has said that the Young Indiana Jones are not a priority at the moment, at some point soon, would Hasbro do a figure of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones from the episode, Mystery of the Blues? The figure would be great for many reasons, but would also give Hasbro the chance to get a different, but still core-image Indy that differs from the existing Indy figures currently on pegs. A new head sculpt would be warranted, but the figure could also see the inclusion of soft good scarves. As far accessories, the figure could be packaged with a saxophone and a non-coiled whip. While this Indy appearance wasn't action-themed, give kids the whip in use and they'll fill in the blanks.
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From Indiana Jones Collectors: 1) With The Last Crusade hitting shelves now and the Temple of Doom wave hitting in September, what else can we expect from the 3 3/4" Indiana Jones line in 2008? We've seen pictures of two new deluxe sets (Mutt w/ Bike & Cairo Thugs) and the Akator Playset, anything else to look forward to in 2008?
2) Do you have any plans to release Temple of Doom deluxe sets? I think items such as the sacrifice cage or the mine car would go great with any collection!
3) How soon do you plan on releasing the second wave of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull basic figures? Are any of the following characters on your radar: Mac, Oxley, Army disguised Russians or the Alien? I would think all would be logical choices!
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From Toy News International: 1) The pack-in relic idea has been welcomed by the collector crowd and children alike. However, the dead-line for mailing off for the "special figure" is late October. Are there plans to continue with the relic pack-ins and if so will there be any additional mail-away promotions planned for 2009?
2) Will we see more 12" figures? If yes will we see some of the Female figures as well, like Marion and the female villains?
3) My question is why did you folks make figures based on the third movie before the second movie (Temple of Doom)? Does the decision come from a marketing standpoint that 'The Last Crusade' is more popular and would sell better? I'm curious as to what the thought process behind this decision was? Thanks!
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NEW: From Well of the Souls: 1) Hasbro, how about a mail away redemption for a museum-type display case for displaying all the wonderful artifacts packed in with the figures this year? And will the artifact pack-ins remain for 09 or will you give us something else? I think the artifacts/crates have been very well received, probably better than almost any of the pack-ins that have been done for the SW line. If the pack-ins are changed to something else, will we still be able to use the stickers from this year's figures for next year's redemption?
2) What is the most exciting thing or idea you are working that you could share with the fans? Something that will blow us away?
3) There seem to be an awful lot of Wave 1 and 2 figures being repacked into the 3rd (and most likely the 4th) wave revision cases, even though most stores (in my area at least) are still pretty well stocked with the early figures. Isn't this going to hurt the sell through on these, especially when most of the "new" figures in the wave 3 cases are only packed 1 per case? If retailers order 10 cases of wave 3, but only sell 8 or so figures from each case (the "new" figures) they won't have enough room on the shelves to re-order more cases. Why pack so many old figures back into the assortments?
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