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.
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Rebelscum's Q&A Session as well!
NEW: 16bit.com:1) The dioramas with the vehicles are a nifty idea. What are the chances we'll see fold-out dioramas with an original trilogy theme, like a Death Star segment or a Hoth Rebel Flight Deck in the next few years?
2) You guys have done some great 501st-themed figures over the years, like R2-KT and the Stormtrooper with the flag a few years back. There are a lot of creative repaints of the armor, ranging from a Trooper repainted with the American flag to a tribute to someone who may or may not resemble a popular American singer. Are there any plans to do more 501st stuff for Comic-Con or Celebration or some other venue?
3) There have been rumblings that the droid TODO 360 was at one point meant to be included with the recently released Cad Bane action figure. Is this true? Also, is the little Seth Greenbot coming in some form?
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From CollectionStation.com: 1) With your recent answer about the Holiday Special aliens, you've put another nail in the coffin by pointing out that it is "forgettable" (though we'd argue clearly not as 3 generations of SW fans now talk about it and ask for figures from it despite having only grainy bootleg videos as their source) and figures from it won't be produced. In the past, you've done both animated-sequence figures (Boba Fett) and live-action-sequence ones (Zutton), so there is precedence to ask our question: what about Chewbacca's family? All 3 of them have appeared in other EU sources beyond the Holiday Special, but due to their origination, do you consider them figures that have little to no chance of production, or is there hope for any/all of them at some point down the line? (They wouldn't even have to come with their Life Day robes, if you absolutely couldn't find it in your heart to include them. But wouldn't that be like making a Tiny Tim figure and not including his crutch? That would be cruel... but we digress. ;-) )
2) The Clone Wars episode "Trespass" from season 1 has resonated with a lot of fans, and the episode also sports a significant amount of noteworthy new characters and outfit variants just begging to be made into figures. Already we have the Freeco Bike confirmed, as well as snow gear Anakin and Obi-Wan, and Thi-Sen; but there's still Rex and the clones in snow gear waiting to be confirmed, the other Talz warriors, the arrogant Chi Cho, Senator Chuchi, and the Pantoran guard - there's more than enough interesting and exciting characters in this episode to fill an entire wave. While Hasbro is likely to do a number of these characters eventually, the episode will fade in buyers' memories fairly quickly, so can you reveal if any will be coming in 2010?
3) Will you be reissuing the Scramble on Yavin Battle Pack in the new packaging design? Although a sleeper at first, it seems to be very popular and now many collectors themselves are scrambling trying to find it. We know you said that future Battle Packs would go back to the kid-focused styles, but as this is existing tooling and it's popular and it had a relatively short run due to the packaging change-over, it should get a re-release in the '09 packaging, don't you think? If not, what about reusing the vehicle in the Clone Wars deluxe figure & vehicle assortment? You've got other "just out of frame" vehicles there, heck, even the Desert Sport Skiff. Is it hard to believe that Clone pilots might use a transport like this?
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Dewback Patrol: 1) You always talk about your "short list", "long list", and "parking lot". I was just curios how you physically organize your ideas. Do you have giant spreadsheets or lists of characters? When one character is made, do you bring a new idea into the mix to take its place? Do you sit down and have brainstorming sessions to decide which figures you will do and if so, how often? Can you tell us a little more about this whole process?
2) You have been on a roll with rebel pilots lately. Will you consider releasing a generic pilot with generic helmet from the Yavin medal scene in ANH? This way we can army build with him and work toward completing that iconic scene as a diorama. And why you’re at it can you make some other army builders from that scene?
3) Redleader76 was telling me about how much he enjoys the character file card on the back of the G.I.Joe cards. Have you considered doing something similar for Star Wars figures?
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From Galactic Hunter: 1) OK, so, we are aware of this "parking lot" concept for developing figures. So, knowing that our dearly departed Ackmena is not on the "lot", what's the weirdest darn figure that is parked there as-of-this-very-moment? (I'm betting it's that rabbit.)
2) You — the team, the Boss Man, whoever draws the short straw on Q&A day — yes, you! You get to black-ball just one character from ever reaching figural form. Who is it, and why? [Note: Vehicles and beasts do not count.]
3) A new Bith/Modal Node — late 2010, or "don't hold your breath"? Considering the other Cantina crew, they're looking a little dated, and the time seems right to perfect the sculpt. What are the Vegas odds?
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From Han's Hideout: 1) Now that you've had some time to digest the fan response to that Funeral Pyre Darth Vader set at and after SDCC, what do you think - yea or nay? Any closer to finding it a home in the 2010/2011 line-up? Or is it pretty much dead thanks to the slowdown in Legacy product demand?
2) It's probably a foregone concluson, but we'll ask just to try to get you on the record. How long will we have to wait to see that nifty new TIE Fighter sculpt in a blue/gray color? The white Target TIE is cool, but folks are salivating at the thought of a movie accurate color.
3) Do you have any updates on the timing of the Fall 2009 Comic Packs that were shown at SDCC? Most e-tailers haven't even started taking pre-orders for them yet, which indicates they are probably farther away than we'd like. That fact, combined with some of the recent "Legacy Slowdown" answers in the Q&A is leading to many theories that the Comic Packs line may be ending sooner than anyone wanted.
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From Imperial Shipyards: 1) Is there any chance for Imperial and Rebel army builder packs as there are with the Clones?
2) Are there any new OTC vehicles in the works, you can keep what they are hush hush I just want to know if there are any new vehicles, other than what we already know of?
3) The 30th anniversary of the Empire Strikes Back is next year.Is there any thing grand planed that will knock us collectors off our feet. I mean new Vehicles, figures, battle pack with Hoth Turrets and accessories?
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From Jedi Defender: 1) The ball/socket joints we've been getting on figures lately are great and they add a lot of poseability. Most of the time the pin is hidden well, with its color matching the figure, however some figures lately have had colors on parts of the joint that did not match the rest causing things like boots or ankles to look funny. Is this something that can be helped at all or is it a manufacturing issue that's difficult to fix?
2) Both the Octuptarra Droid and the AT-TE have been well-received by collectors, so well received in fact that folks are clamoring for more. What are the odds of a new movie-accurate RotS deco for the Octuptarra Droid or a nifty EU "Imperial Forces" deco on the AT-TE? Or are they too big/bulky to take down the repaint road?
3) We know that many stores were recently cleared of certain Legacy Collection figures, as confirmed in a previous Q&A. What we're curious about now is that stores in some areas, Wal-Mart especially, have started stocking more of the older wave cases that contain the targeted figures (like Yarna, the Organas, and others). Would you considering doing a second round of clearing now that more of them have found their way out at many locations or do you think you've pulled enough for now?
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From JediNews.co.uk: 1) UK Toys R Us stores are stocking the Imperial ARC-170 at double the price of the Republic ARC-170. How can this price be justified for what amounts to just a simple repaint, and it’s not just this item that’s suffered from huge price increases either (oil prices have come down from their highs of last year)? ** Editor’s note: This doesn’t seem to be isolated to the UK either, with both the US and Canada experiencing huge increases for the bigger vehicles **
2) Now we've had the BAD news that no red card Legacy figures are coming to the UK this fall, a number of readers have asked why. Your response cited an excess of blue card stock was the main contributor. Numerous collectors have cited the exact opposite... as collectors there has actually been a drought on blue carded figures with the last new figures being the ROTS wave which came out at the end of last year. We’ve seen very few ANH, TESB or AOTC waves available in the High Street and this has forced collectors to use specialist shops or go online (at vastly inflated prices). Will these blue card figures be turning up in the UK anytime soon and secondly you quote no red carded Legacy figures for fall but what about later this year and in 2010?
3) Although it is a legal requirement in Canada to have any writing in both English and French, the latest packaging shows two additional languages (Spanish and Portuguese) and the European cards also have multiple languages e.g. German, Italian, etc... Whilst there is obviously a limit to the amount of text that can be on the card in terms of space, would you ever consider creating global packaging to reduce the cost of producing different cards for the various markets (and also limiting the number of possible variations)? And on the same subject, what is the reasoning behind the Canadian cards only showing a generic character (e.g. A Clone Trooper for The Clone Wars, Darth Vader for Saga Legends) on the cards, rather than a picture of the actual character itself as is the case for the U.S.?
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From Jedi Temple Archives: 1) We're still keenly interested in the TRU exclusive FORCE UNLEASHED multipacks that were mentioned at San Diego Comic Con. We know that some things need to be kept under wraps, but can you throw some hints our way about some of the details....or perhaps a sneak peek at one of the new offerings in the set? And will these sets tie in at all with the upcoming ULTIMATE SITH EDITION of THE FORCE UNLEASHED?
2) Since the introduction of numbering the Basic Figure line offerings, there's been a keen interest among collectors to know what that lineup is for both planning and indexing purposes. Now that has been passed on to the Expanded Universe comic 2-pack line. Can you please give us a rundown of the numbering on the remaining comic 2-packs?
And on a related note, can collectors expect either the Heir to the Empire pack (with Noghri & Ralracheen) or the EMPIRE "Darklighter" set (with Camie & Fixer) in the not so distant future?
3) The Legacy Collection Walmart exclusive Droid Factory and TARGET exclusive Geonosis Arena Showdown sets really made us happy. It was a clever use of old parts, awesome new figures and incredible retools and/or repaints of upgraded favorites. We were wondering if they have met or exceeded expectations because they are a bit of a chore to find (at least all) at retail and we can only assume that they are selling through. Do you think that we will be fortunate enough to see another round of each in the near future? Along similar lines about "being difficult to find at retail," we are wondering if the Legacy basic figures are going to hit us hard all at once. As of the end of October, the Return Of The Jedi wave has only been found sporadically. We are a bit concerned about this. Legacy Collection has an amazing array of characters and we want to buy them all and are wondering why it is so difficult to get them.
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From Raving Toy Maniac: 1) It was once stated in a Q&A session a few months back that the Build-A-Droid format would not be utilized once the remaining 2009/2010 figures are released. If that is the case, what will become of the droids that were designed for that format? The astromechs and protocol droids were great fillers, but unique characters, like HK-47 and the upcoming YHV-1 are uniquely different designs that have never before been released, and in the case of HK-47, have been very difficult to come by at retail. Will it be possible down the line to see these released as individual figures?
2) With the announcement that Star Tours at Disneyland getting a makeover in 2011, will we finally see non-droid Star Tours characters made? I'm talking about the flight crew (cast members), Teek or the Mon-Calamari flight controller? A full-sized Star Speeder 3000 that could double as a carrying case would be a welcome addition as well.
3) Often, Hasbro's response to a question about a requested vehicle (like the Cloud Car) that "it is still readily available to fans on ebay" - however, looking at the improvements in paint and deco on any Hasbro re-release(as seen in the multiple releases of the TIE fighter) fans feel that any re-release would be an improvement on the original. Maybe you could explain to me the reasoning that Hasbro would prefer fans to buy from the secondary market rather than from your vendor partners?
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From Sandtroopers.com: 1) This question is to follow up on an answer you gave on the individual figure card art. Back in late 2007, someone in a QNA had commented on how great the card art was for the Thirtyth Anniversary Collection and wondered if you guys could somehow post that card art to where we could download some of it for wallpapers and such. Your reply stated that sounded like a good idea; maybe a little way down the road. Now, Since recently, after seeing pics of the Expanded Universe wave due out later this year (which again, the card art is great!), it got me to thinking. Would you guys ever consider releasing a book (maybe that could be ordered at Hasbro online) containig the awesome card art done over the years? I don't know if you have the characters drawn full body or not, but with some fullbody, page spreads of each character done over the years. Also, you could include some unreleased art (like from the Clone Wars series that was moved to the Legacy Collection), and the Unleashed series. I think this would be really cool. What do you think? Could this be a possibility?
2) Why do you find it neccessery to repack the following Battle packs and ship them in mass quanities:
Dagobah Training
Jedi Vs Sidious
Sheild Generator assualt(granted this one came out last year but it is still warming the shelves)
Just to name a few.Why do you repack battle packs that didn't do well the first time?I barely have seen the Geonosis assault,the one with the gun turrets as well as a few other folks.It doesn't make sense.
3) Why are the eyes of the folding battle droids not painted on the Target Geonosis 2 packs.. was this to show they were powered off?
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From Sir Steve's Guide: 1) We've been hearing how the TLC line has been having sales troubles going back to its inception in July '08. There have been numerous Hasbro comments about lowered volume due to a shrinking of the hardcore collector base and a virtual drying up of the casual consumer base. Now through Q&A we're hearing about entire waves of basic figures, the bread & butter of the line, possibly getting pushed back or dropped into exclusive territory as brand management tries to ensure that those molds get into collectors' hands at all. Yet through all this, we continue to hear that Saga Legends is a strong seller with the casual consumers and thus with Hasbro's retail partners. While we fans appreciate and admire the drive over the past 6 years to deliver 40 to 50 new figures per year, without entertainment support it appears that pace has become an albatross around the mainline's neck as multiple outside forces such as manufacturing and the economy beat up the line (along with the rest of the toy industry). When fans look at something like the AT-AT Driver figure, which had a chiefly satisfactory figure released only 3 years ago yet now has an entirely new tooling coming up, it seems like the priority to meet x-many new figures per wave is no longer a viable concept, as budgeting for figures that either won't see widespread release at retail or will get pushed back means the next products down the line suffer worse fates is spent across a wave rather than the mainline as a whole. Though not ideal, have you considered merging the mainline figures and Saga Legends back together, scaling back the overall scope of new figures to fit in releases alongside the Legends figures, and cutting down on new resculpted figures when existing ones like the 3-year-old AT-AT Driver would satisfy interest with little or no change? Would focusing all of the non-Clone Wars figures back into a single SKU help keep mainline figures afloat, even if the number of new figures is scaled back significantly?
2) Why did K'Kruhk not come with his mythical hat as an accessory? Many of his fans had high hopes for its inclusion, as it's an important part of his persona. Did you consider this when you decided to make him, and if so, why didn't it make the cut?
3) The end of the Titanium era has brought much dismay to collectors, not simply because of the grim unlikelihood for the future behind the "hiatus" status, but also because it leaves many great ships nearly impossible to find. Many Titaniums that saw limited releases or worse and were expected to get re-released in the future are now going to be mythical at best, such as the Gungan Bongo Sub (now doomed to be postponed into eternity), Trade Federation Landing Craft, Mon Calamari Star Cruiser, Rogue Shadow, Luke Skywalker's X-wing (Sculpt 2), AOTC Naboo Royal Cruiser, P-38 Magnaguard Starfighter, and more. What with the line's demise skunking the fans out of some great molds, would it be possible to get any sort of limited rereleases of these incredibly difficult to acquire treasures - and the ones that almost made it such as the Bongo - as HasbroToyShop exclusives? If not, why not? Isn't seeing ANY financial return on molds that haven't made their money back better than no return at all?
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From Snowtroopers.ca: 1) When designing a new figure how much thought goes into whether or not the figure will stand on its own? Some figures just won't stand on their own no matter how hard a person tries to pose them. Sometimes even with peg support they wont stand (Mon Mothma ROTS). For collectors who are openers and like to pose their figures it is very annoying. Especially, when you get the domino effect when one falls over.
2) It was announced awhile back that Hasbro was taking over the Master Replicas Force F/X Lightsabers line. So far, I have only seen one such release at Zellers about a month or so ago. Are there still plans to continue with this awesome line and if so, could you give us a hint as to what some of the future sabers will be? Is there any chance of having some of the others that have been already released by Master Replicas, rereleased? I missed the Yoda and Darth Maul (duel blades) ones and would like to pick them up.
3) Having recently bought the Vos/Commander Faie comic pack, I was happy to see that with the bigger helmet (as opposed to the flip-up visor head on the earlier Kashyyyk Clonetrooper) gives the clone a bit more height so that he's no longer as much of a "midget trooper". Will we be getting Faie eventually in the basic card line (either in TLC or Legends) so that he'll be easier to army build rather than ending up with 30 Vos's? And please consider finding a way to make him just a *bit* more taller if possible, he remains considerably shorter than the standard white eps3 clone. As well, perhaps changing the deco pattern would yield a "new" 41st Elite trooper who doesn't look like Faie - it'd be great to have a few varied deco patterns in fact.
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NEW: From Star Wars Action News: 1) In the upcoming Holocron Heist battle pack is the included Cad Bane figure any different than the currently shipping carded version?
2) How relevant were the sales of last year's AT-TE to the release of this year's Clone Turbo Tank, and do the sales you've seen on the Turbo Tank indicate we might get a similarly large vehicle next year? (As the CTT was shown at Toy Fair in February it had to have been started quite a bit before then I'd assume).
3) With the results of the Fan's Choice poll revealed from all the major sites, were there any figures that shocked you? And were there any figures the sites voted for but could not be put on the list for one reason or another (and if so, who and why)?
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From SWCollector.com: 1) I'm wondering if you could give us an idea of how you will be handling future EU figure releases. As you have indicated, the comic pack line is not selling as well as it once was and may not continue beyond 2010. Would all EU characters need to find their way into a coveted slot in an EU wave in the basic line, or are there other possibilities that you could see working to keep a steady flow of all new EU figures in the mix? As you know, there are still many prominent characters out there that have not been honored with a figure, like Zayne Carrick & Marn "Gryph" Hierogryph (KOTOR), Finn Galfridian and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (Invasion), Dass Jennir (Dark Times), and Celeste Morne (Vector). Most of these are still at the height of their popularity. Without comic packs, would these characters become long shots to ever be included in the basic line, or do you think you could find a way to fit them in somewhere else?
2) What was the inspiration for some of the EU characters in the old Power of the Jedi line, especially for Obi-Wan Kenobi in cold weather gear? I've never heard of Obi-Wan wearing that outfit before. Was the design a Hasbro creation? Although the figure is really dated now, I always liked the concept of that figure. Speaking of the POTJ line, it was a fantastic line, but given it's age, some of it's figures are due for updates. Aurra Sing, Coruscant Guard, concept art Darth Maul (yellow cloak), Mon Calamari Officer and the Rebel Fleet Trooper are good characters who have been out of circulation for almost a decade and could really benefit from a modern articulation upgrade and sculpt. I know he probably doesn't stand a snowball's chance in July of getting a new figure, but I'll put in a plug for a new cold weather Obi-Wan too!
3) How far in advance do you get to see characters from upcoming Clone Wars episodes to help you plan the line? Do you generally wait until you see finished episodes before you plan what characters you're going to make, or are you already getting info on what important characters will be coming towards the end of this season, or even next?
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From TheJawa.com:1) As someone who only collects the realistic line and not CW (though I enjoy the cartoon series) I did recently find myself purchasing an Admiral Yularen figure during a TRU sale. Why? Because he was packed with an awesome holo-command table accessory. Being "playset starved" for environmental pieces to put next to my figures, this was a strong draw for me since the piece went well with my TLC figure display (sadly the Yularen is in a junk figure drawer... his strangely tight pants/feminine legs looked odd standing next to my realistic Needa). While I know Hasbro has rejected the notion of a "build a playset" idea, what about other pieces from the Republic Cruiser bridge/interior coming as accessories in the future? It certainly got a die-hard realistic collector like myself to actually buy a CW figure.
2) Is there any chance Hasbro will ever re-visit Taun We and redo her to the proper scale? I own the original Saga release and would still like to get a new version which is the correct height (the older one is just too short, although it is nicely sculpted). A new SA young Boba Fett to complement Taun would also be fantastic!
3) Has any progress been made in creating a Droideka for the realistic line that can roll up into its ball configuration? This question has been asked before and the last time you said you'd ask your designers to look into it, just curious as this seems like an obvious evolution for this particular character/figure. And if it's not feasible, couldn't Hasbro just include an already rolled-up Droideka as an accessory to go with the unrolled figure?
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From The Private Universe:1) As a fan site we have been asked this sort of question many times over the years, and thought we should ask the official line for collectors to take. Many collectors and parents of young collectors loose small parts of figures and vehicles, hands tend to be separated from arms during play with Jedi or Sith as do vehicle parts during battle... Is there anyway to obtain these small removable parts or is it back of to buy a new one? I recall years back when I was a child here in the UK Palitoy kindly replaced my Action Man's hands and broken bits of Star Wars vehicles, can this still be done?
2) Customising is a popular hobby amongst Star Wars collectors, as so many want to alter the figures or create characters of their own. Recently with 'Build A Droid' and changes to figure structure customising has become for the most part easier, with heads, hands etc being more easy to remove by a good pull instead of boil and pop. Was this a planned change or just coincidence? Are we likely to see more customiser friendly features with figures in the future or perhaps a 'Build A Figure' set of various arms, legs, hands, heads, helmets etc etc so collectors can personalise figures to taste and customisers can build up their 'parts' box? With the additional amount of figures customisers buy for 'fodder' it would be nice to give them a further nod of appreciation.
3) The new Jawa in wave 4 of the Legacy collection includes a material lower cloak, it fondly reminds me of the vintage cloth cape Jawa, which I feel so far has not been beaten by any of it's modern counterparts. May I suggest a future Jawa release come with a full material cloak and a well articulated body underneath as this would look fantastic... please :)
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From Yakface.com: 1) It has been many moons since we heard that the Galactic Heroes AT-AT Imperial Walker was put on hold for a possible 2010 release. Has there been any progress made as to when and where this ultra-cool (and fun) set will be released and has there been a preliminary pricepoint established? It has also been revealed that there is a GH Clone Wars Y-wing coming - are there any Separatist companion vehicles like a Vulture Droid or AAT Tank in the pipeline? And finally, Anakin's Twilight Spice Frieghter continues to see heavy rotation in the animated Clone Wars series, will it too be realized in GH form for us soon?
2) First off, I commend you for the awesome execution regarding the Dewback with Sandtrooper - is it a fantastic upgrade to one of my favorite Star Wars beast of burden. Speaking of beasties, would you be able to confirm a swirling rumor for us? We've heard that Hasbro is looking to release an all new Jabba but we've also heard that there is the potential for a new Tauntaun in the works for '10 - is there some credibility to this rumor? Whether you can confirm this or not, if there was one in the works, would it be worked into same assortment pricepoint as the Dewback or more along the lines of the Clone Wars figure w/vehicle price structure? Again, if there was a new Tauntaun in the works, would/could it include the split open belly feature to protect Luke from the harsh Minnesota Hoth climate.
3) With the establishment of the figure w/vehicle assortment for the Clone Wars line, we can't help but wonder (and hope) for something similar for the Legacy line. One item collectors are requesting is a revisit of the Anti-Vehicle Laser Cannon (the small one that looks like a radar dish) from the battle of Hoth. Any chance we could see this item return to shelves as it would be the perfect opportunity to get that pesky beardless Hoth Trooper into our hands.
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From Yoda's News: 1) Will there be an eventual release of the TIE Bomber featuring a brand-new movie-accurate cockpit like on the new Interceptor?
2) Are there any plans to release Darth Sidious and Ahsoka Tano Force FX lightsabers in 2010?
3) Will Hasbro be producing more items that are based from The Force Unleashed video game? And if so can you let us know what may be coming and share any images of what is in the works?
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