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!
Action Figure Collectors:1) Will we ever see some of the classic Star Wars characters produced in "clone wars style" animated figures?
2) Are there plans for another LARGE vehicle, playset or accessory for 2010? We realize you probably can't say what it may be, but is something on the horizon?
3) Now that we've come 10 years since Episode I premiered, we would like to know, where does the Hasbro Star Wars team see the brand 10 years from now?
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From CollectionStation.com: 1) Understanding that new tooling costs are a major prohibitive factor in creating playsets, has the Hasbro SW team considered digging out the original GI Joe Headquarters playset tooling to repurpose for the Clone Wars line? Its design is generic sci-fi enough that without resculpting it could pass as a Republic base - such as Rishi Station from "Rookiees" - with simply a different sticker sheet for the control panels. It has a landing pad, a hallway/garage for BARC Speeders, and basic features that keep costs down but fit Clone Wars play patterns. So, any thought given to this idea before? If not, what do you think, and what would its chances be?
2) With the inclusion of alternate "sitting" legs for the new Slave Leia, it reminds us all that Oola hasn't had an update in over a decade, and could also use legs to sit next to Jabba. Any chance of getting a new Oola with similar alternate sitting legs so she could sit on the Jabba's dais we all hope you'll make soon?
3) In ye olden days, playsets were keen, but MICRO-scale playsets were really where it was at. Old-skool fans still to this day fondly remember Kenner's expansive Micro Collection series. And Galoob put themselves on the map in the mid-'90s with nearly 30 different creative, clever, fun Micro Machines playsets. Granted, Hasbro's stance on playsets for the 3.75" market is abundantly clear in that there's no mass market left there, but has any thought been put into playsets for the ongoing Galactic Heroes line? The brand's cute little styling could translate very well to playsets, and the brand has legs with both kids and collectors. Collectors love to put figures in context, and kids can always use environments to structure play patterns. The cardboard "playsets" from the recent battle packs are nifty, but kids play rough and cardboard doesn't take much abuse. Competitor Fisher-Price's Imaginext line has tons of creative and fun playsets around the same scale as G. Heroes which some kids have repurposed into Star Wars environments such as Jabba's Sail Barge from the pirate ship. So what about actual playsets for Galactic Heroes?
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From Galactic Hunter: 1) So the end-of-the-year's big kick-off to the 2010 wave is an Expanded Universe wave. Are there any particular themes that Hasbro has hashed out for the big year? We would be happy to read about them.
2) With seated Enslaved Princess Leia ready, we know that she needs something to sit on, so when (WHEN!!!) will we see a Jabba with his Dais? After seeing that awesome Dewback, we know it can happen! Please give a desperate guy an ounce of hope. [Rancor Pit trap opens!]
3) Ummm... so with this Fan's Choice Poll, we're assuming that everything is on the table? If not, please give us a breakdown and the reason(s) involved.
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From Han's Hideout: 1) A few sneaky folks were able to shoot some pics as you were setting up your SDCC'09 booth. One thing we noticed in the set-up shots was a second Utai figure sculpt that was clearly at the show, but not shown officially. What's the scoop there? Potential running change that was cancelled? Will the second Utai end up on the same "maybe someday" list like Ratts Tyerell did at Toy Fair '09?
2) The Walmart Clone Wars 2-Packs - will we have to buy the 2-pack sets to get Clone Troopers Rys and Fives or will those two be coming on basic cards like Jek, Echo, and Denal?
3) On the Fall ANH wave Scanning Trooper - can you confirm that there will be different head sculpts to go with the different cargo boxes? Seems to be some conflicting info on whether or not the figures will have variants or just the cargo box/scanners? And on the topic of Scanner Guy, are the "innards" of the cargo boxes removable pieces or is the box one piece?
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From Imperial Shipyards: 1) Will the new two seater AT-ST be released with two drivers or can we assume you will release a ROTJ Legacy or Legends Figure Wave with an AT-ST driver so we can man up that awesome looking atst?
2) The new Target Two packs with the fold down droids look sweet and one immediately thinks of a droid gunship and an MTT. Is there any hope of getting either one?
3) We have all noticed the New Legacy Nikto with the great looking gun. This gun seems to have a clasp that might be made to grip onto a handrail. Could we expect to possibly see an updated Sail barge or Desert Skiff for the future?
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From Jedi Defender: 1) The Vader's Funeral Pyre set got the collectors talking in our forums quite a bit. Do you think this piece will be able to come in at a reasonable price (like under $30 maybe) or is it likely to be a bit more expensive, if it comes to light?
2) The Clone Cash promotion is really neat and we were wondering if figures outisde the Clone Wars line would have the coupons in them? Some folks buy a lot more of the Legacy and Legends figures and that coupon would be a nice plus when you buy so much every year.
3) Did you happen to catch the images that cropped up of those "new" Indiana Jones Figures during Comic Con (toht, Ghost, etc)? Can you comment on if they were something top secret, simply a custom hoax, or something more?
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From JediNews.co.uk: 1) Will we ever see any more Pod Racing Vehicles or Drivers in the 3.75" line or is what's been produced it? Have you considered scaling these down for Galactic Heroes?
2) There are so many Clone Troopers in the 3.75" line... how about giving us some sets of Clone Troopers in the Galactic Heroes line, say a squadron of Troopers from Utapau or Coruscant packaged as a Cinema Scene; there are so many different environments to choose from and this would be a great way to give the younger (and older) collector a way to army build rather than just getting one trooper in each two pack every now and again? Also, will we see the Republic Gunship in the Galactic Heroes line anytime soon?
3) The Eopie mail away was confirmed for the UK, US and Canada after the US Toy Fair in February, but we've now been told that the offer will only be available in the US and Canada, why the change of heart? UK collectors were very much looking forward to being able to get this, will it be made available another way, if not why?
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From Jedi Temple Archives: 1) The day before the recent Comic Con 2009, a number of pictures appeared online of what seemed to be new Indiana Jones figures, including signage that seemed to be right out of the SDCC display cases. Within hours of them being reported on several sites, the pictures quickly disappeared from Photobucket, where they were posted. Luckily, I saved the pictures to my own Photobucket, and here's the link: http://s56.photobucket.com/albums/g190/ebaymogul/
These pictures included utterly convincing “Hasbro-like” versions of a Raiders motorcycle sidecar with riders, and an ark spirit/ghost. While these figures are pretty much 100% now believed to be “kit bashes” that are fan made (albeit with what everyone on the boards seems to agree was really remarkable skill,) could you comment on the rumor that these are the work of either Hasbro employees (presumably done for fun or as a gag,) or are mock-ups (including components from other 3 ¾” toy lines) used informally by Hasbro? The theory is that while several of them are clearly kit bashes, the skill level seems more the work of someone working in the toy industry, and there are parts used that appear to come from unreleased Hasbro prototypes (such as Toht's salute hand and poker.) The bigger question - is this - or was this - some hint of Hasbro Indy plans either past/abandoned or planned/future?
2) As usual, your presentation at Comic Con was great. My question is why didn't we see more for 2010? Last year the presentation showed things coming out as far away as March of '09. That is almost eight months after SDCC. I am curious as to why is R2-X2 in the Empire Strikes Back wave? Isn't "he" one of two possible droids from the Yavin Hangar scenes in ANH?
3) 2005's AT-RT vehicle was an interesting concept. It's one of the few motorized vehicles that we've had in the line. But the mechanics of the toy don't seem to replicate just how agile the vehicle has been shown to be in the Clone Wars animated series. Given that appearance in the Clone Wars, is an AT-RT in the lineup for the near future? And might it be retooled?
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From MouseDroid.com: 1) The current Saga Legends Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker is in desperate need of some new arms. I feel this figure has out grown the swivel elbows, which makes him look funny in the new packaging, as well as make it awkward for him to hold a Lightsaber with two hands. How long are we going to have to wait to get this upgrade? Because other than that, the figure isfantastic!
2) I'm actually really loving the new 2009 card designs, they look great. I have a couple of short quick questions. We have heard rumors that Darth Nihlus may be getting a run in the legends line, is this true as he would be a fantastic figure. Even Darth Bane would be very cool as we all know how well Sith sell.
My other question is how come we never get Darth Tyranus or Darth Sidious printed on the cards of Palps and Dooku. I would love to get these two guys with their Darth names for my collection. My final question is will we be lucky enough to see Concept Anakin on the new cards to go along with the other three concept figures coming this year as he
3) I've noticed that DK Books are publishing a Star Wars Lego Visual Dictionary. Is there any chance of Hasbro jumping on board for a Star Wars Visual Dictionary as well?
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From Raving Toy Maniac: 1) What happened with the Boba Fett in the Wal-Mart Droid Factory Wave? All the press materials showed him to be a repaint of the going to be a repack of the animated version. Why the change? Will we be getting that cool repaint of animated Fett in the near future?
2) The fan's vote contest is coming up and all types of characters are going to be thrown into the hat. However, there are a few characters (Tonnika Sisters for example) that we have been told are "off-limits" for various reasons. Could you please publish a list of these so we don't waste our votes on these characters?
3) I saw the Darth Vader funeral pyre in action at Comic Con. How do we go about letting you know that we DO want this scene?
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From Sandtroopers.com: 1) You have mentioned in the past that media support (i.e. appearances in The Clone Wars TV show) helps drive and determine what toys you will produce for the lines. Can you tell us what designs or ideas you have that are "on the bubble" that you would love to do but are waiting for more media support in order to give you the go ahead?
2) In the last Q&A, you said that if the sales on the CW Y-Wing were good this might open up things for a new line of "midsize" vehicles. Would that then include a new OT-era Y-Wing by any chance? I've never bought a Y-Wing previously because there were just too many small dislikes about the old mold (too small, the pilot cannot sit without leaning back in his seat, R2 unit cannot be removed, landing gear seemed too weak, wing plastic was too bendy, etc). After the spectacular job that was done on the BMF and AT-TE, I'd snap up an OT-Y-Wing in a heartbeat done with the same care and quality! How about it?
3) Do you think you'll ever get to a point where you will stop re-making and "improving" the same characters that have been done over and over before? Will you ever get to the point where you make a Luke Skywalker Tatooine figure and say "AHHH! It's perfect, we will never have to create another Luke Skywalker Tatooine again!"? There really doesn't seem to be any shortage of characters in the Star Wars Universe that haven't been realized in plastic, yet it seems like every year we are "treated" to another Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Ben Kenobi, etc. etc. I do understand that you want to be able to attract newer, younger fans and consumers by making popular characters available at all times - or at least as often as possible - but why not just use the Legends line for this purpose? Instead it seems like the Legends line is used to reissue figures that are still sitting on pegs in their original release cardbacks, that haven't sold the first time you sent them to stores - what's the purpose of sending MORE of the same figures? How is a figure that was released 2 months ago considered a "Legend" so soon?
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From Sir Steve's Guide: 1) Resculpts and Clone Wars outfits notwithstanding, there are 20 new outfits for Padme Amidala that you could still produce, and nine years left until your license expires. That said, what's your plan for our favorite queen-turned-senator? Relatively lackluster sales of Breha Organa, another regal female character, might point to a lack of interest in new Padme outfits; there's also the fact that many of the costumes are similar to one another in style and color, particularly her many dark blue and purple ROTS robes. However, when released in cautious numbers, Padme can fully sell through and satiate collectors. Do you plan on making all of her outfits over the course of the line? If not, then how many more do you think we can expect to see, and which ones are most likely?
2) There is some confusion for the tail end of the Titanium Series line, what with the wave numbers and date cards shown at SDCC. The Mist Hunter is showing up in retailers' computers in wave 10, while your slide show says the previous wave that should have hit shelves before it in late July and includes 3 new tools - the Republic Gunship, Punishing One, and the Malevolence - is nowhere to be found in retailers computers, nor is the wave after the Mist Hunter with the Outrider and Nebulon B frigate. Where does this confusion lie, and will those sets actually get released or will they get lost the way the Gungan Sub and Basestar did? If they are still on track for release, what are those waves and when are they slated for?
3) At some point during SDCC, photos were taken of a second Utai figure standing near the Utai Varactyl Wrangler figure on display during the rest of the show and the slideshow panel, however there was no mention of this figure anywhere and it wasn't shown during the main display. This second Utai has a stockier head, different deco, and no headgear. What is the deal with this Utai, will it be released as a running change, has it been cut, and could we get a clearer photo of this figure?
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From Snowtroopers.ca: 1) With the recent announcement that hasbrotoyshop.com is now shipping to Canada, we would like to know specificly why there is an additional $20 fee being tacked on to the normal shipping fees, plus the cost of the figure. If this is the case, it would not be worth buying the figure from hasbrotoyshop.com as it would come to nearly $50 for a $15 3.75" exclusive figure from hasbrotoyshop.com. If, you waited long enough it would be on ebay for less than half the price including shipping. Many of us would prefer to buy directly from hasbrotoyshop.com, as the chances of getting it near minty would be higher and we also like to get product as soon as it has become available. Please, clarify exactly what this extra $20 is for?
2) If you are ever re-visiting the Clone Wars Super Battle Droid would you consider changing the forearm articulation on him? If the swivel post from the elbow joint connected to the forearm rather than the bicep you would get considerably more viable arm poses including the most common "at attention" position with the elbow bent, forearm up, wrist flat front and blasters facing forward. (If it saves on tooling you could just add the forearm post to the elbow joint.)
3) Is it possible to set up some kind of information feed that would inform Canadian collectors of exactly what is coming to Canadian retail? As things get finalized you could let us know. For example, if a retailer steps up for the Scramble at yavin battle pack assortment, you could let us know when this happens. Or once retailers place an order for a certain wave, you could automatically confirm this for us. This would save us from asking every Q&A "Is x vehicle or wave coming to Canada"? It would also benefit retailers because we would then not resort to ordering things from the US for fear of them never arriving at retail here. It would basically act as product announcements like Hasbro USA does when revealing new products, but be Canada specific.
And speaking of Canadian retail and SW toys, the distribution of TLC this year has been terrible, with constant reloading (and clogging) of the pegs with wave 1 and barely a trickle of waves 3 and 4 (and obviously the absence of the last two waves completely). So given that Hasbro at SDCC has stated it will ship four waves in only 2 months(!) will ALL of these waves actually be coming to Canada? And what about existing announced blue-white packaged items like:
Scramble on Yavin
CW Jabba
AT-TE Assault Squad
Ambush on the Vulture’s Claw
Rancor w/Luke which was said in a previous Q&A to be headed to
“smaller accounts”
Spring 2009 comic packs
These answers are exactly what we hope an information feed would tell us, since this year Canadian customers have been left feeling as if we are fumbling in the dark and no idea of what we can or cannot buy. It loses money for Hasbro and obviously makes collecting incredibly, incredibly frustrating.
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NEW: From Star Wars Action News: 1) At SDCC you showed the Asajj Ventress F/X Saber. It had a gray and blue plastic handle. While it was said in the presentation there would be chrome, can you describe if this will be all chromed, or which parts chrome and which plastic? Do you have any photos to share of the item?
2) With the rerelease of all the McQuarrie figures in a box set, one can't help but wonder if anything is planned for a box set of all the build-a-droids we've seen over the past year or so. Is there anything in the works for this?
3) In the Hasbro panel at SDCC it was stated that Ahsoka is the most popular female figure in Star Wars history. Can you explain how that was calculated, or by what metric this is measured?
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From SWCollector.com: 1) I know you don't want to get into financial figures, but I'm wondering how well the comic packs are doing and if they will be around for the foreseeable future. I hope they are here for the long term since there are so many great characters left to make. Knights of the Old Republic and Invasion need their first figures, and dark side Leia from A New Hope Infinities could be a cool one too (hint hint)!
2) Looking over my old vintage figures, it's hard not to be impressed by the attention given to the Jabba's palace characters. The detail on figures like Squid Head and Bib Fortuna was some of the best work of it's time. I'm hoping that someday soon Hasbro will start turning more attention towards Jabba's gang. When I look over the list of vintage characters from Jabba's palace: Gamorrean Guard, Ree-Yees, Weequay, Squid Head, Nikto, Klaatu, Rancor Keeper, Bib Fortuna, Klaatu (Skiff Guard), 8-D8, Amanaman, Barada, EV-9D9 and Yak Face, almost all, with the exception of the soon to come Rancor Keeper, are in need of a nicely articulated modern version. Bib Fortuna especially needs a definitive update with articulation! The new palace characters that you have been making are great, but are there plans for new versions of the vintage characters?
3) Since Dark Trooper Phase III is in the new Wal*Mart "Droid Factory" sets and Phase I is going to be single-carded, any chance we'll see the Phase II version before too long?
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From The Private Universe:1) It's been really exciting to see images of the new figures at the SDCC, can't wait to collect them. I am especially excited to see Major Panno, but disappointed that all the pictures have his cape covering most of him up. Is there any chance of a picture without the cape on?
2) With 2010 being the 30 anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back are we likely to see a new rescaled Slave 1 or the much wanted Bespin Cloud Car vehicle?
3) It's great to see more Cantina characters like Leesub Sirin and Hrcheck Kal Fas being made and wonderful they look, but does this mean that we will eventually get the Tonnika sisters?
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From Yakface.com: 1) In light of the revelation that the second version of the Hoth Rebel Trooper is going to be the scarcest of the Legacy Collection figures, how has this effected the distribution of other upcoming figures with running changes like the Bespin Guards and the Imperial Scanning Crew? Are more preventative measures being taken to allow collectors to complete their loose/carded figure collection?
And speaking of figures with running changes, where does the second version of the Utai figure fit in to all of this?
2) This year at SDCC, it seems like their were several new items announced or on display for the first time that hit store shelves at virtually the same time as the convention was taking place (Corporate Alliance Tank Droid, Ahsoka's Jedi Starfighter, various Clone Wars figures etc). Was this a mere matter of coincidence or something that was planned in order to bombard collectors with new merchandise in a few short days?
3) SDCC gave collectors a look at many new and unique figures from the A New Hope wave - even after all these years it shows that new takes on existing characters can still achieved (R2-D2, Han and Chewbacca) and the Cantina scene continues to produce some of the most unique figures of the saga and that brings us to Leesub Sirln. While she looks to be a great figure on her own, she appears to be a little light in the accessory department. Would it be possible to get a small bar table with her, maybe like the one that came with Momaw Nadon or Hem Dazon from the TSC line? It's a small enough accessory to fit in the new smaller bubble and she needs a place to set her drink after all.
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From Yoda's News: 1) The AT-TE, BMF, Turbo Tank, and the new G.I. Joe PIT are all examples of massive multi-tiered playsets contained within a vehicle. Can we expect to see this trend continue at least once per year (as long as sales support the investment)? If so, does this leave the door open for playset vehicles such as the Executor, the Imperial Star Destroyer, and the Republic Venator-class cruiser?
2) With the unveiling of Concept Anakin Skywalker (Episode III) and Concept Ki-Adi Mundi, it seems clear that Hasbro plans to expand beyond the McQuarrie designs and delve into a larger arena of concept art-based products. Can we expect this to eventually include vehicles as well similar to what we saw back in the "Power of the Force 2" era?
3) Considering Master Replicas spent years telling collectors that they couldn't figure out a reliable way to build Force FX sabers with curved hilts (Dooku and Ventress), it was a very welcome surprise to see both of them as your first new entries in the Hasbro Signature Series Force FX line. Were these developed solely in-house and can we expect to see even more innovative higher-end products from Hasbro's Star Wars brand in the future?
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