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 Tri-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 Galactic Hunter: 1) If and when you do a Guri figure as part of a future Shadows of the Empire comic pack, would she be in the more prominent yellow/blue dress based on the Hildebrandt Brothers' Shadows of the Empire artwork (from the Topps cards series), or the less familiar red/grey dress from the comic book itself? Obviously it's a Comic 2-Pack so I'm sure you're leaning towards the comic design, but there's a lot of us that would greatly prefer the Hildebrandt yellow/blue version since it was featured more prominently in a lot of the Shadows of the Empire marketing back in 1996.
2) Given the general reluctance to release many female characters in the basic line each year, I was wondering if the Padmé Amidala Evolutions set has been considered successful enough to warrant another Evolutions Asst. set for Padmé Amidala sometime in 2009 or 2010, or is it more likely a one time release? Additional Evolutions Asst. Imperial Pilots and Rebel Pilots sets have already been confirmed for 2009, so I'm hoping we might eventually get another Padmé Amidala set too (or better yet a Princess Leia Evolutions Asst. set). It would be a good opportunity to release a retooled version of the Evolutions Asst. Padmé Amidala with a torn shirt from her appearance in the Geonosis arena.
3) Over the last few years we collectors have had to go through water torture with re-tool after re-tool of the TIE Fighter. Will we ever see the finally finished perfect re-tooled TIE Fighter? Or are you going to continue releasing the TIE Fighter time after time with minor adjustments of every release like we have endured over time?
What I mean is, are you in the future going to:
1. Re-do the cockpit interior to match the movie ship and get rid of the 1970's mold seat and bare interior?
2. Get rid of the middle nipple between the guns and remove the horrid stick out 'nubins' where the screws go (another throwback of the 1970's mold).
3. Have the proper guns and not those red 'dots'.
4. Have a re-re-tool on the cockpit hatch that matches the hatch on the Darth Vader TIE Fighter, getting rid of the terrible 1970's hatch 'nubins'.
5. Re-tool the cockpit window of the TIE Fighter to get rid of the 1970's one that is so bulky?
6. Basically, all of the original vehicles have been retooled except for the TIE Fighter body. Isn't it time to take on the TIE Fighter?
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From Han's Hideout: 1) Regarding the upcoming A New Hope wave of Legacy figures, any chance we can get a picture of Trinto Duaba wearing his hood/cloak? Or how about a better look at the Jawa & WED Droid duo?
2) In a previous Q&A session, you confirmed a Clone Commando update was coming in in an Evolutions set in Spring 2009 (schedule permitting). Can we hope for a new SA Endor Rebel Commando to be included or should we be expecting more Clones to fill out the set?
3) Things are looking pretty bleak for Dr. Jones as all signs unfortunately seem to point to the end of his toy line. How about this - If retail is drying up and on-lines sales alone won’t support the line, how about putting that nifty 2009 Raiders wave into an SDCC’09 Exclusive Box Set to reward those of us who loved the line? We get the figures we want, you get HUGE amounts of warm fuzzies from us Indy collectors. SDCC seems like the perfect outlet/market for this type set… yes, no, maybe? Please?
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From Imperial Shipyards: 1) I have heard of numerous stories where there were inadequate supplies of the Game Stop Exclusive Stormtrooper Commander figures on hand for those who bought the game. I haven't heard of one store who stocked more than a dozen of these figures to be honest. Knowing that part of the issue was not Hasbros, are there any plans to send Game Stop more figures or are there any future plans to release this figure again as part of a legends or basic carded wave?
2) There are SO many great characters from The Force Unleashed game that beg for their own card. Are we going to see any Incinerator Troopers,
Shadow EVO Troopers, Kazdan Paratus, or even the giant Phase Troopers? Maybe a 2-Pack of Phase Troopers as a battlepack? I know that the incinerator troopers and shadow troopers are in the Wal-Mart exclusive 3-Packs, but will we see these on their own cards?
3) Any idea when we'll see more speeders? Luke's landspeeder should be about due for a re-release or upgrade since it hasn't been available for several years, as well as upgraded versions of Anakin and Zam's speeders from Episode II. And please, please, please consider Boba Fett's Silver Speeder too! It's about time for Boba's other vehicle! (
Please see pic )
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From Jedi Insider: 1) Why do Star Wars figures still use T-crotches instead of switching over to the newer types of sculpts used now on G.I.Joe and the upcoming 3 3/4" Marvel figures?
2) With the inclusion of Fen Shysa in the Expanded Universe Comic Packs, it seems like Hasbro is more willing to go way back into the Marvel run of Star Wars comics. Any chance we could see more old favorites like Kiro, Dani, Bey, Rik Duel, Knife, Drebble, or maybe even a Stenax?
3) In a previous Q&A segment, you guys seemed to indicate that Nom Anor would be making an appearance in plastic form in the near future. Since then, you've showered us with Crimson Empire-related love; first with the Jax/Kanos comic pack and now the upcoming Entertainment Earth exclusive set. This may be splitting hairs, but would it be safe to assume we'll be seeing our favorite Vong infiltrator sporting his armored and cloaked look as seen in the Crimson Empire series or, perhaps, do you plan on retooling [or even pre-tooling] the mold used for the now confirmed Kyle Katarn/Yuuzhan Vong warrior comic pack to offer up a more diplomatic look?
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From JediNews.co.uk: 1) With more Ultimate Battle Packs being announced Stateside, the UK has still yet to see either of the first two from last year? Do you have any update on if, when and where we might get these? Also, talking about things Stateside, will we be seeing the just announced Clone Wars DVD Packs (that are Wal*Mart exclusives in the US being released to coincide with the DVD\Blu-Ray release of the film) in the UK?
2) With the credit crunch hitting people's pockets hard, it's been suggested that lines like the Saga Legends and the continual vehicle and battle pack re-packs are making it easy for collector's to make cut-backs in their spending. Do you see certain lines suffering as a result and with these kinds of things, do you have lower production runs to take this into account or will you also be cutting some of these products/lines back to cope with this?
3) The Galactic Heroes line continues to go from strength to strength and it's very much a fan's favourite - thanks for the vehicles you've added this year, very much appreciated. There are a few core vehicles yet to be made though which would fit perfectly into the range; they are Slave I, standard TIE Fighter, AT-ST and the AT-AT. Can you let us know if any of these are on the drawing board and if we may see any of them in 2009?
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From Jedi Temple Archives: 1) Of the current Dark Horse comic titles on the stands ( Knights Of The Old Republic, Dark Times, Rebellion & Legacy ), we've only seen Comic 2-pack offerings for the Legacy series. When can we expect to see some offerings for the current comic titles? And can you give us some hints about which characters might be in the running?
2) We were very pleased to read in the Q&A's that the vintage Klaatu, Wooof, has been confirmed for 2009's basic figure line. And we were equally happy to see that Jabba's palace aliens will be part of the 2009 RETURN OF THE JEDI basic figure wave. But can we expect to get some of the never before made aliens from Jabba's palace? Perhaps aliens like Yoxgit, Cane Addis, Geezum or Loje Nella?
3) In the most previous Q&A session with Jedi Temple Archives, Hasbro confirmed that there would be a new Imperial Officer on the way in 2009. And that said officer would be an identified character, and not generic. Are we looking at an all new character, or is this going to be bringing another Imperial Officer up to date? And could this perhaps be the Captain Needa figure that's been talked about in collector circles for the past couple of years?
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From MouseDroid.com: 1) I have to say, the upcoming figures in the Legacy collection are very good but one of the figures confuses me... Wioslea. She was a civillian on Tatooine and THOUGHT to be a jedi, may I ask why has a lightsaber been put with the figure set? Many people have been asking this question and I also wanted to know where do you the inspiration for the lightsaber.
2) Now that we've all played The Force Unleashed we see the potential for another wave of TFU action figures.
I would really love to see Galen Marek, codenamed Starkiller in Raxus Prime Survival Gear, Shaak Ti (Felucia) General Kota's Millitia Guards, PROXY, Imperial Purge Trooper, Kazdan Paratus, Captain Ozzik Sturn, Felician Warriors, Rodian Ripper and Rodian Heavy Defender.
You may even want to upgrade the Shadow Guard sculpt, to be more accurate and if you do, there are another two repaints there (Imperial Royal and Senate Guard). I'd even buy a young Galen Marek and Kento Marek figure two pack! You might even want to consider re-releasing the Stormtrooper Commander figure, as there are people who missed out due to retail stores either not receiving enough stock, or perhaps very sneakily, taking them for themselves and profiting from them on the secondary market. I guess what I am asking is...when can we see more Force Unleashed Figures and what will they be???
3) At SDCC you revealed that there will be a Magnaguard in THE CLONE WARS line early next year. In the recent Round of QnAs you revealed that you will be releasing the Magnaguard Starfighter early next year too. My question is: When can we expect to see a NEW, more articulated Magnaguard (hopefully with a soft goods cape) in THE LEGACY COLLECTION?
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From Sandtroopers.com: 1) Since the information flow around the TFU Stormtrooper Commander left something to be desired is there any way we will see this rereleased since it sounds like this was shipped in extremely limited quantities. I know you said that you are not handling the distribution but you could still release more of them right? If there was ever a figure to scream Saga Legend or Battlepack.
2) Back in July you said in a Q&A session that there will be about 4 or 5 figures based on concept art coming in 2009. I'm just wondering if you could give an update on these. Do you have a definite number nailed down now? Will they all be in one wave or spread out over the year? Will they be exclusives? (please no!) And finally, can you drop any hints at all about who they might be?
3) Now that you've entered the realm of removable hats for Imperial officers, any chance of a General Veers resculpt with a removable hat? This would have the added bonus of providing a nice custom "Walter Donovan" head for Indiana Jones enthusiasts who might be saddened by the demise of the Indy line and the absence of a Donovan figure.
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From Sir Steve's Guide: 1) With the recent release of The Force Unleashed and the success of Hasbro's TFU product in the 2008 TAC line, what are the chances of getting more TFU figures beyond the 2009 Felucia Shaak Ti you recently confirmed? Understanding that the soonest there could be new TFU items is 2010, collectors want PROXY, more of Starkiller's costumes, a new Juno Eclipse more accurate to the final game, accurate Incinerator Troopers, teenage Princess Leia, battle-damaged Rahm Kota, Kazdan Paratus, accurate Jump Troopers, shadow versions of the various troopers, and even a 3.75" figure version of the Rogue Shadow and the Bull Rancor. Any of these gonna happen, and what can we do to increase that likelihood?
2) Not long ago, we asked which EU figures were their personal favorites and wishlist entries, but none of the ones listed were from the Marvel series. With the upcoming Lumiya figure (and by the way, who will she be coming with in that comic 2pack? Issue #96 suggests Luke from the duel, but perhaps someone else maybe?), what other Marvel figures might be on the team members' EU wishlists?
3) Back in Dec '07, you told us that while you didn't have a carded basic Wedge Antilles planned, there was "at least one cool new Wedge figure" due in '08 if your schedule held. This August, you told another site that you "had plans for a great Wedge this year, but the project was delayed and will appear in Fall 2009," (again, if schedules held). Then on Sept 5th, a third site asked about Wedge, and you gave a similar answer about the set he's in being delayed until "later in 2009". Now, an online retailer has listed a case assortment for Comic Packs Wave 5 which includes "X-wing Rogue Squadron #32 with Borsk Fey'la and Wedge Antilles (Academy Outfit)" expected out around February '09. Is their set listing accurate, and if so, is this your aforementioned Fall '09 Wedge or a different figure altogether?
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From SW Collector: 1) With the recent release of images of Anakin figural sketches at Target.com, are the Saga-style sculpts something you will pursue for "The Clone Wars" animated characters?
2) With The Legacy Collection encompassing all six films and the Expanded Universe, any chance for more Concept Art figures down the line? Lots of fans would still love to see Concept Emperor, Concept Lando, or even Concept Jabba.
3) Has the response to the AT-TE and new Millennium Falcon been positive enough for Hasbro to consider doing a 3 3/4" scale Jabba's Sail Barge?
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From TheJawa.com:1) When will we see the Yuuzhan Vong? As one of the biggest species to impact the Star Wars universe, I'm sure they deserve the plastic treatment.
2) In terms of iconic characters you want to keep available, how high up on the list might a new version of A New Hope C-3PO be? Specifically, one that is as articulated as the Endor Throne version but with something like the POTF2 Cinema Scene "Purchase of the Droids" version's texture/paint apps? Or if that's getting too "scene specific", how about just a dirtier version of him and maybe throw in a comlink accessory (which would mean he'd need to be able to hold it somehow)?
3) The other day I came across the new Galactic Heroes Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter playset and noticed something odd. On the packaging it states that included in the set is a Battle Droid yet there is no figure inside. Why?
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From The Private Universe:1) Why does the Force Unleashed Juno Eclipse figure differ so much from the game model - where as other Characters do not.
2) How successful has the Falcon been in the US and UK - and will that reflect on whether more larger scale types of product will be made in the future?
3) The Build A Droid Droid Factory droids are great, but when you selectively buy figures rather than the whole wave, it can be off putting. Are there any plans to release the droids in a set or on individual cards?
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From Yakface: 1) Dear Hasbro, We are all devastated to hear the news about the Indiana Jones line's apparent demise.
Is there any chance that a Christmas miracle with huge sales accompanying the KOTCS DVD release could lead to a resurrection of the line? Or have the reports of the line's demise been greatly exaggerated?
Also, NOT getting Toht will register as a punch in the face for those of us who faithfully collected this line. Now, our collections will have a gaping hole in it that can never be filled. So how about taking the sculpt you made, which looks excellent, and producing it as a gesture of good will to us?
If you can't release it stores, go ahead and sell it as an online exclusive for 20 bucks a pop, I'll buy it and so will many other folks. Or, some folks have suggested maybe a "chase" figure in the Star Wars line? Or, instead of putting the remaining stock on clearance, call it back and put them in big movie packs with one of each figure from the movies in them, and sneak in Toht that way? Please? Pretty please with sugar on top?
We simply must have Toht Hasbro, we must! Otherwise, a word of warning: Karma is very unforgiving! Smile Would it make any difference if we descended on your headquarters holding placards in protest? Smile
2) Hasbro, there's a lot of collectors who are very disappointed in how the Indiana Jones line was handled.
We know that you tried, but we feel that one problem was that there just wasn't a good choice of character selection in the initial waves, and ther were some overpacked certain characters (heck, EVEN WAVE FOUR has a lot of figures in it that are pegwarming from the early waves).
Now that the line is ending, is there any part of your decision being influenced by the new line for the GI JOE movie line coming out? And are you going to re-evaluate how you approach that line based on how Indy turned out?
3) The Gamestop Force Unleashed Stormtroooper Commander promotion was, at best, horribly managed by all parties involved. Some stores said they had no troopers, some gave them to their employees, some didn't hold for the preorders as promised, and others just gave them away. Plus we didn't know the official details of the promotion until just days before the game release.
So....are there any plans to make this figure available in some format to collectors who may actually want one (maybe similar to how the Battlefront Scout Trooper was available through StarWarsShop.com) rather than having to resort to EBAY for them?
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From Yoda's News: 1) Now that The Force Unleashed is out, it was really great to see some of those new figures from the TAC TFU wave in action, like General Kota and Juno Eclipse. However, I noticed that a few key characters don't have figures. Does Hasbro have any plans to revisit TFU and make some more figs? There is easily enough for a whole wave: The Apprentice (carded), Proxy, Kazadan Paratus, Purge Trooper, Incinerator Trooper (carded), Shadow Trooper (carded), Felucian Warrior, Shaak Ti (Felucian outfit), Raxus Prime Junk Warrior, The Apprentice's Father, and more. That's plenty, and it would drum up more interest in the game. And speaking of figures/characters from the game, are there any plans to re-release the Stormtrooper Commander somehow? The fact that it was an exclusive to GameStop for the game's releases was okay, but some stores in my area (and over 100 miles away) didn't even know about the promotion, much less get any figures. I was lucky enough to get one, but I know a ton of collectors who didn't and are griping about the extremely limited release.
2) Is there any chance and is it even possible to have an updated sound chip for the BMF? Perhaps with sounds and dialogue from the other films in which the Falcon was in? It would be pretty cool if you could swap out a chip and have the sounds and dialogue from each film! While I realize it's probably not possible now that it's been produced, it might be an idea to think about in future vehicles that appear in multiple films.
3) Will we be seeing any more figures based on Ralph McQuarrie's concepts in the future or has that ship sailed?
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INDIANA JONES Questions
From Action Figs: 1) Back in May, one of your answers about The Force Unleashed was that you're looking at 1 more TFU figure for 2009, and that as the Hasbro Star Wars team saw and played more of the game new ideas for toys from TFU would "spring forth"; more recently, you said that the soonest there could be new TFU items is 2010. Now that we've all had a chance to play this awesome new Star Wars game, some collectors are champing at the bit for another whole wave of TFU figures. What TFU items have found their way onto the Hasbro team's wishlists (beyond PROXY, whom you've already said is on your list)?
2) Might you be willing to give us some of the lowdown on what will be coming up from the Greatest Hits sub-line? With the Saga Legends line (we're aware this is different from GH) reusing last year's Yoda on Kybuck, fans would like to see if Greatest Hits might find some figures from that TAC EU wave which were hard to get, such as Darth Revan, Darth Malak, Pre-Cyborg Grievous. And it's not like the main lines where everything's a secret until development's done, Greatest Hits is made up of existing figures, so could we know what to expect in the sub-line?
3) While we were very pleased to see many new tools for Titanium Series at your Comic-Con display, fans of the line have had a bumpy ride lately. Hasbro didn't bring any new Titaniums to Toy Fair last February, '08 wave 4 was summarily canceled and supposedly redistributed into other waves - though we've not seen any sign of this is case listings so far - and until July many of the line's collectors had only the words in a few Q&As to assure them of the line's progress and were left wondering whether there was a future for it at all (we were thrilled that Comic-Con reconfirmed the Hasbro Star Wars team's commitment to this line). With that in mind, could you give us a preview of any new Titaniums being developed for the future, and what's scheduled for the first half of '09? We'd really appreciate it, it'd help sustain the line's momentum and build a collecting base. And will the Titanium Cylon Basestar you previously confirmed for the last wave of 2008 actually get released since retailer preorders are up to January '09's wave 6 with no sign of it yet the BSG license expires at the end of the year?
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From Cool Toy Review: 1) At one of the premieres of “Crystal Skull”, George Lucas stated - “I have an idea to make Shia [LaBeouf] the lead character next time and have Harrison come back like Sean Connery did in the last movie. I can see it working out.” Does the prospect of another Indiana Jones movie play a role in deciding the future of Indiana Jones toys for Hasbro? While Hasbro’s contract for Indiana Jones toys did appear to only refer to four films, could a “stripped back” line for the lean years between Crystal Skull and the next film satisfy a big company like Hasbro’s bottom line, or would this be a “movie year only” line, rising and falling solely on movie/DVD launch support?
2) I was wondering if, in deciding to continue the Indiana Jones line or not, Hasbro takes into account the truly staggering improvement in toy quality from the first assortments in May to the latest assortments? I came into this late – I took one look at the Indy figures in May and kept walking. In all honesty, some of them looked like bootlegs. Then I saw the upcoming Indy figures shown at SDCC (Toht etc,) looked up images of the new “Last Crusade” and “Temple of Doom” assortments, and was hooked. These new figures surpass the best of the current Star Wars line (which I also collect,) in both attention to detail and accuracy of face sculpts (Kate Capshaw thanks you.) I have never seen a line improve so much – going from, in my eyes, an F to an A+. Could this issue of radically improved quality – so obvious to buyers standing in the retail aisle regardless of age, yet perhaps lost on the accounting department at Hasbro counting up pegwarmers – factor into deciding the future of what has at the "eleventh hour" blossomed into a truly fantastic line? If I totally ignored the line in May, yet have bought up everything released within the last two months, could it be that I am the tip of the iceberg of disappointed fans who have suddenly seen the new releases and jumped onboard this line?
3) What has been your assessment of the foray into 12” figures for the Indiana Jones line? I was surprised to see them when the line was announced given the handing of the Star Wars 12” line to Sideshow and a bit of movement away from the scale, but was impressed with the decent quality of the sculpts and accessories of these dolls for a very low $20 pricepoint, an easy “yes” for parents. Hasbro’s 12” Star Wars figures may have been hit and miss, but a decent number were terrific quality - the 1998 Luke Jedi and Bib Fortuna 2 pack figures are in some respects superior to the Sideshow offerings – along with being terrific value at a $20 pricepoint generally. This made me wonder what Hasbro’s opinion of the 12” scale is in general in today’s mass-market setting, and of the Indiana Jones product specifically. While local retail experience can be deceiving, these toys seemed to sell through in the end and remain pretty strong price wise on eBay. There were mis-steps – i.e. German soldier and Mutt (a somewhat weak character Hasbro understandably assumed was the “new Indy” and therefore produced in heavy numbers) – but these appeared to be the exception. These 12” figures do seem to have value at retail when the character choice is right and the sculpt delivers – any thoughts on both the scale and the future for Indiana Jones 12”?
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From Indiana Jones Collectors: 1) With the "death" of the Indiana Jones Line coming at the end of the year, are there things you wished you did differently (besides not doing it at all maybe)? I know a lot of collectors who were on the fence with the line and had decided not to pursue it after hearing rumors about it's impending demise over the summer.
Do you think if it was advertised more or if you planned a shorter run and issued more key characters and vehicles up front it would have lived on? I realize it was a movie year but maybe if there was less emphasis on KOTCS and stores were not jammed with the same figures, there would have been better success?
2) If there is another IJ movie, will you bring the line back in any capacity?
3) Any chance of doing one last wave, based on collector voting at various sites on the web and at Hasbro.com? It could include one of each figure in a solid case and be sold directly at HasbroToyShop.com as a case only. That would give the collectors a chance to finish off the figures that never made it.
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From Toy News International: 1) There are rumors the Toht wave of figures has been canceled. Is this true?
2) As a follow-up to the first questions, many readers fear that this line is basically dead in the water and about to be canceled. Is this true or is there something you can tell them that will help put their fears to rest?
3) Why is it these days (and probably since Star Wars first hit the shelves back in the late 70's), an action figure line has to have something like a movie or TV show pushing it to survive? Why isn't it possible to create a cool action figure line (not nessecairly Raiders but any line), promote it with other ways (like advertisements on TV, web and magazines), and have it survive? There are many toy lines that fall outside of action figures (like girls dolls and video games) that seem to survive without a movie or TV show pushing them, but we always hear with action figures that if there is no show or movie, the line can't survive. I'm just curious where this line of thinking in the toy industry comes from and do you think that it's a possible reason why boys' action figures have become somewhat limited as far as sales in the overall toy industry as compared with video games, girls toys, etc etc? (This question really pertains more to the selling of action figures to parents and their kids not adult collectors.)
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