As part of Hasbro's tri-weekly Q&A session, Rebelscum passed on 3 of your burning questions and now we've got the answers for you.
Rebelscum: This is a two-part question: The list of vintage Kenner figures waiting to see an updated re-release is getting shorter and shorter. From those vintage Kenner figures that have yet to be released in the modern Hasbro line, what are the top 5 character that you would like to see produced?
Also, collectors understand that not EVERY character previously released during the POTF2 and POTJ years is going to have an updated sculpt, but again of those POTF2/POTJ characters that have not been re-released who would be your top 5 candidates to see updated sculpting/articulation?Hasbro: Among vintage figures, Imperial Dignitary, Cloud Car Pilot, Death Squad Commander, and Lumat top our list. After looking at the vintage "undone" line again, we concur - it is getting short. But that's a good thing, right?
As for PotF2/PotJ, the highest priority redos for us include Dr. Evazon, Ponda Baba, a Millennium Falcon Nien Nunb, General Lando, and Klaatu.
Rebelscum: Collectors are frustrated. We've been told that sales of the Legacy Collection are down, yet many collectors have been unable to find many of the 2009 figures and battle packs. We know that Hasbro sells to stores (both brick and mortar and online stores) and from there we buy from those stores. Once the figures are out of your hands, we know there isn't anything you can do. here's our dilemma. we go to the stores and see older figures that we already have. There is space for more TLC figures, yet the store employees put the SL or the TCW figures on the legs marked with the TLC price code. When collectors ask the store employees, they always say, "what's on the shelf is all we have" or they ignore our requests for TLC figures because they don't understand the difference between the three different lines. Collectors become frustrated because of this poor customer service and try to find other stores to buy TLC figures, buy online, or use ebay. None of these are good solutions for the line. We would like to stop banging our heads against the wall when we ask you about these distribution problems because we understand that you can't do much about them, but would it be possible for you to suggest a strategy of how we, as the collecting community and not just as individuals, could go about letting the stores know exactly what we want to buy? It seems that store employees and even the toy managers have no understanding that their are three different basic carded lines and they don't know how to get what we really want.Hasbro: When a replenishment order comes in, it's up to the department manager to get it out. The actual peg the product goes on doesn't matter, as it's invisible to the computerized inventory system. If the store personnel can't match the Asst SKU (87535 for Droid Factory/Legacy, 87995 for Saga Legends, and 87628 for Clone Wars basic figures) to a case of product in back, then not only are they frustrating you but they are not doing their job to move the merchandise.
We have made it as simple as possible for them to replenish inventory as needed, so we really don't know what to say when they won't put it on shelf. That is, if they have it in the back room - they might be telling the truth and the store may not need more inventory depending on the level....just because there is room on the pegs doesn't mean that the product has been re-ordered if inventory has not sunk below a certain level.
Let us know store #numbers when that happens and we will try to follow up. When all else fails, we recommend sourcing the new figures from Internet retailers who should have the ability to get
any of the new waves.
Rebelscum: The focus of a previous question was to find out if we might be getting more Ewoks and especially about the possibilities of Ewoks from the made for TV movies. Words cannot express how great it was to hear that Wicket, Deej, Logray, Kaink, Teebo, and Chukha-Trok are all on your short list. Now that the box has been opened a little, what are the possibilities of seeing other characters from the Ewok movies - namely the Towanis, some Sanyassan Marauders, Charal, Noa Briqualon, and ESPECIALLY TEEK? Hasbro: Teek would be on the short list. The others, however, are very unlikely.
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