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 CollectionStation.com: 1) To some SW fans, Luke is THE hero of the saga, and is seen as never more triumphant and important than his final cinematic duel in the throne room of the 2nd Death Star. Yet Hasbro has dragged their feet every time with this iteration of Luke, despite releasing 6 Luke Jabba's Palace costumes in just the last 5 years (TLC '08, TAC '07, TSC '06, OTC '04, 2 different figures for Saga '04). In the past 14 years of the modern line there have been just 3 Luke Death Star IIs, and all are incomplete in some way: POTF2 Cinema Scene 1997 (preposed, soft sculpt, limited articulation), Saga 2003 (limited articulation due to action gimmick, preposed, Harpo Marx face), and now TLC 2009 (ill-fitting recycled limbs, wasp waist and odd proportions accented by reused limbs, incorrect belt, odd hand poses); and that's putting aside the whole "wrong lightsaber accessory every single time" issue. Now you've answered another site that the belt won't be corrected in this run, which suggests we won't be seeing Luke DS2 for a while again. We do appreciate that you've been trying to get the design better this time, but whether conscious of it or not, Hasbro clearly seems to have a problem with Luke Death Star II, so what is that problem? Who is drinking the Haterade, why does Luke DS2 keep getting the short end of the stick?
2) Wizard/ToyFare's Fans Choice top 30 poll has begun, but a few anomalies have cropped up that we'd like to get official word on. First is the picture of Bom Vimdin, the image comes from the Holiday Special rather than ANH, which version would we get should he win? Same with the ROTS Palpatine pic being from the scene where he announces the formation of the Empire rather than the claimed Senate Duel look, which would we get? There's also the suggestions that Cliegg Lars might have removable legs yet no mention of his hoverchair, and that Queen Apailana might get packed with another Naboo character despite being closer in size to a full-sized adult character than a youngling and not remotely Comic Pack-worthy. So would Cliegg likely have removable legs and/or his hoverchair, and would Apailana likely come with a second Naboo character?
3) Although Aayla Secura is getting a Clone Wars figure in 2010, your answer about a new realistic version said it didn't make the cut for 2010 and may have to be an exclusive. What about, instead of that trouble, just revisiting the ROTS mold and tooling up a new set of arms? You don't even need to tool up hands or the right shoulder since that figure has satisfactory versions of both, just new arms with working elbow joints. That could be a significant budget savings, she could be in one of those re-release waves that occasionally come out, and you'd get another popular Jedi figure definitively made. Any chance of seeing this happen in the foreseeable future?
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Dewback Patrol: 1) With next years line up completed can we get some of my favorite info? How many Legacy figures? How many CW figures? What movies will be represented? How many waves? How many figures from each movie? How many comic packs? How many of the super build a droid figures that I hope continue? Any info would be great! Thanks!
2) Collectors are noticing a particular pattern with the Legacy/BAD waves lately. Often, a wave hits a store only once and is snatched up completely by one collector (including myself). In many cases, news waves completely skip stores. I could hit 10-20 stores in a day and find nothing that I am looking for (I don�t usually hit 20 in a day but it has happened). This leaves many collectors with only the option of purchasing figures online. That is not always the best option for collectors who care about perfect paint applications (I hate crooked eyes) or perfect card condition. And, sometimes army builders snatch up multiples so they sell out very quickly. Is this the future of SW collecting?
3) Recently I watched the Clone Wars movie and Episode "Rookies" with my son. During our viewing we both noticed that the shuttle that delivers Ahsoka, Commander Cody, and Captain Rex is a very cool ship and definitely has the feel of the Imperial Shuttle. Has Hasbro looked into creating this vehicle?
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NEW: From Galactic Hunter: 1) You mentioned in a Q&A a few months ago that a new Wookiee character is coming in 2010. Is it Ralra from the Heir to the Empire comics, or perhaps Merumeru from Revenge of the Sith?
2) I crossed over and bought the G.I. Joe Pit � which is one mighty toy. Obviously throwing scale out the window, could this type of design be used for a large wedge-shaped ship spanning the entire saga?
3) In another past Q&A you stated that a new Aayla Secura figure missed the 2010 main line cut and may become an exclusive next year. Any update on this figure, or what particular version/costume we can expect? Is it possible to strike gold twice and ask to see a reference sketch? (Sorry, they're so cool.)
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From Han's Hideout: 1) Following up on a question from a previous round of Q&A - we asked you about the future of the second Imperial Scanning Crewman and you said he's in the EU Wave... but that's the case where the second Bespin Guard is, so we think you may have confused your variants. Is the second Scanning Crewman displaced at the moment or will he definitely make the basic figure line in 2010, even if it takes a card change before we see him?
2) Again, a follow up from previous - no Bespin Han in 2010, eh? I have to tell you, that's a huge bummer to a big Han fan like myself. With the 30th Anniversary of ESB, I thought he'd be a lock for 2010. Now you have to tell me which Han we're getting in 2010 so I can regain confidence that my main man is going to be treated all right in 2010! If you can't tell us which Han it is, can you at least tell us the source he's from?
3) Well, we're heading into the home stretch for 2009. By the time we get answers to these questions, we could very well have the final 2009 wave (Willrow!) in our hands. Looking back at the past year, with the Legacy drop-off issues you've had to deal with, where there any big surprises? Any item that sold more than you were expecting? Any item that didn't sell as well as you'd hoped? What were the team's favorite items for 2009?
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From Imperial Shipyards: 1) Dear Hasbro, we are eagerly waiting for the release of the upcoming at-st, sandtrooper with dewback, and gelagrub battlepack, is there any reason your targeted street date for the release of these offerings is so far off?
2) Dear Hasbro, we are all loving your new Freeco speeder and thought the frosted glass was a very nice touch. Wouldn't it have made more sense to release this great vehicle with a Winter Geared Obi Wan or Anakin or Captain Rex and are we going to see these nonproduced winter environment figures in the future?
3) Dear Hasbro, I would like to know if there is any attempt at a schedule for Australian star wars legacy collectors?, it seems to me that all of the figures that are on the pegs are Clone Wars, Clone Wars, Clone Wars!!! when we do get some legacy it's always seems to be wave 4 in blue and white packaging i haven't even seen new stock for 6 months.. so why is it that all that is ever stocked on our limited pegs is clone wars figures when the show is not even on air in our country?
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From Jedi Defender: 1) On the topic of the recent "way too purple-y" Jango Fett figures: In a past Q&A answer, you said that (due to the timing) you couldn't change the Target Geonosis Arena Jango Fett to a blue/gray version, but that you had a blue/gray figure planned for 2010. Is that still happening? If so, are we talking basic figure line or some other release?
2) The recent Fan's Choice Poll highlighted a few of the resculpts that the community is clamoring for (Tarkin, Ponda Baba, Dr. Evazan). We'd like to toss a few more out there for consideration as well - the Star Wars entertainers! What are the chances of revisiting and updating the Cantina Band Members, Jabba's Dancers (including Oola), or the Max Rebo Band Members?
3) When you started planning the 2010 basic figure line, did you approach the year with the idea that the line was maybe "burned out" on any particular film? For example, maybe one of the six films where you felt that the 'parking lot' was running a bit bare now that you're thinking in terms of "more A, less C (or D) list" characters these days and ultimately ended up skipping that film for 2010?
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From Jedi Insider: 1) Dear Hasbro, the very ends of the Y-wing exhausts have a pattern which provides a pretty clear orientation - there is one fin that sticks out further than those around it giving either the appearance of a horizontal or vertical orientation. The vintage Y-wing, which had to be assembled, allowed one to orient those last exhaust pieces whichever way one might choose. Pictures of the original movie models seem to indicate they should be oriented in a "vertical" position. I've noticed however that the new Clone Wars Y-wing has one vertical and one horizontal. Was this an accident or on purpose, and will it be fixed for subsequent re-issues? It seems like a small thing but once you notice it, you can't un-see it and it looks a little odd. On a similar topic, how much of a chance is there we might see those end exhausts re-done so one could see down into the nacelle, in other words, make them look like the vintage Y-wing's exhausts?
2) A minutia question: the Essential Guide to Vehicles, both the earlier edition in '96 and the updated edition in '03, refer to the Turbo Tank as the "Juggernaut". Was that name not carried forward into the toy version becaue of trade-mark issues with Marvel - either the company or the toy line - or for another reason?
3) The question of playsets/large vehicles comes up quite regularly in these Q & As and the answer tends to be the same. With the exception of the Falcon which will always be an iconic vessel, other big items need a) media support and b) to be multi-faceted i.e, vehicle AND playset such as the new Falcon, AT-TE and Juggernaught (Turbo Tank). Multiple requests for Anakin's Twilight from the Clone Wars have met with the dreaded "not exciting enough" response time and again, yet the Falcon in and of itself, is not very dynamic (I believe the famous quote was, "What a hunk of junk!"). It's only through seeing it in action (aka "media support") that it became the ship we all love. With this in mind, Anakin and Ahsoka spend a high percentage of their time on board the Twilight. It's saved their hides more than once. It bears all the basic hallmarks required to become a new classic - "ugly" by conventional standards but souped up with much more under the proverbial hood than one might think thanks to Anakin's tinkering and tough as nails. Couple this with the thought that it also seems to be a great shape to offer some playset playability. A toy Twilight, with the length of the B-wing (or only slightly longer) and the volume of the original Vintage Falcon toy (but in a more convenient boxy shape) would be a good compromise between size and playability and could fold out or open in such a way as to have a usable interior. With some solid designs, I could easily see a Twilight fit in to the new 75 dollar price-point, and maybe the hundred if you guys really went all out.
All this is to say, you'd be hard-pressed to find a vehicle that is not a starfighter of some sort with MORE media support than the Twilight right now, and I'm curious how it could still be considered such a dog for forecast sales - can you please give it another look?
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From JediNews.co.uk: 1) A while ago you confirmed a jacketless Cade Skywalker figure. Will this figure be all new or a retool of the previous Cade figure? Any pictures of the figure would be cool as well :-)
2) Saga Legends is obviously the medium for ensuring that previously released "Core Characters" are still readily available for kids and collectors (that are perhaps joining the hobby late), so I was wondering what the reasoning is behind including re-packs in the regular Legacy Collection line (in some cases, more than once, e.g. Anakin Skywalker (Jedi Hero), Jango Fett etc), particularly when it leaves gaps in the numbering system for those collectors that don't want to buy these figures again? This is especially true here in the UK and Canada where the Saga Legends line has been taken in preference to the Legacy Collection.
3) The "Scramble on Yavin" Battle Pack has been very hard to find at retail or even on eBay. Please can you confirm if this Battle Pack will be re-released in the new Red\White packaging and if so, when? Also, how do you decide on which Battle Packs to re-release?
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From Jedi Temple Archives: 1) The Target exclusive Geonosis Arena 2-packs seem to be selling through nicely. The character choices in these 2-packs give us a nice mix of army builders, core characters and some fan requested Jedi.
Since the revelation of these sets we have already heard some rumblings that a second series of Geonosis Arena 2-packs may be in the works, and that either Jedi knights Sarissa Jeng or Sar Labooda might be in consideration for that release. But first it seems worth asking how has the response been to the first round of Geonosis 2-packs? Does it seem likely that we might see a second round of Geonosis 2-packs? And might a second such wave give us the opportunity to get Anakin Skywalker with his green lightsaber from the arena, or perhaps a new arena battle Padme?
2) Looking forward to 2010, we've been seeing indications about potential wave themes for the Legacy basic figure line. Particularly, that there will not be a wave of figures representing A NEW HOPE. Will the Legacy Collection and the following movie based figure line that's set to launch next summer continue to follow an individual movie theme for each wave? And can you give us an indication of which movies will be represented in these waves for 2010?
3) A number of collectors expressed disappointment with the recent news that a Bespin Han Solo figure, which had been previously confirmed, has been pushed back in the pipeline. The news from Comic Con seemed to indicate that THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK would be a core theme for 2010's line as the 30th anniversary of that movie. Can we perhaps expect a different Episode V Han Solo in place of the Bespin version? And might that be an update of Han Solo in carbonite? We have not seen a TESB version of Han in carbonite since the POTF2 days.
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From Sandtroopers.com: 1) Why do you move the foot peg holes around from heel on some figures or in the arch (middle) of the foot on others? Is there a reason why don't you keep them on the heel all of the time? I have these stands and it seems that the figures with the hole in the middle does not sit all the way down on the stand.
2) You have basically said on several sites that the comic packs are not meeting sales expectations. my question is how will this affect the throm and exar kun wave and the walmart exclusive wave? will these still be released this year?
3) Last night I recieved and read Star Wars Legacy: Issue 41. There is some great Mando fodder in that issue! Any chance that will become a comic pack? A green and yellow or a black and gold Hondo Karr and his wife as a two pack? Heck, you could even do Auch's and Mandalore Ordo as repaints off the Hondo Karr! The Hondo Karr figure,with a new head could potentially make 4 characters that wouldnot warm the pegs!
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From Sir Steve's Guide: 1) The new Battle Droid figures in the Geonosis Arena Showdown sets are quite nice, but there are a few issues too, even aside from the eye design problem which you've already talked about. On the long-awaited commander, the yellow chest circle is positioned incorrectly, it should be moved up a bit as was shown correctly on the package art, as well as the 1999 OOM-9 figure and the 2007 Saga Legends two-pack figure. Then there's the issue of arm position: in the films, whenever the droids hold their blasters, they do so with both hands, yet Battle Droid figures from the last 4 years still can't do this, despite this new sculpt being made as a big upgrade. And finally, there's the the battle droid neck, which is assembled backwards with the angle bar in the front instead of in the back, and separately it telescopes into the torso rather than pivots down the way it does in the films, especially odd since we've had previous Battle Droid figures that could pivot. What caused these issues? It can be assumed that the Target sets won't be modified, but before either of these droids gets re-released, will we see any of these issues addressed?
2) Back in January, we asked about what happens to pulled-back pegwarming figures, and at the time you hadn't bought back some in a while so your answer focused on other methods of using the packaged figures, but on October 2nd you answered another site that this year's pulled-pack figures were being destroyed. How exactly are they being destroyed, and are those destroyed materials being recycled in some manner, or are they just destined to become landfill? Can Hasbro further clarify the details of this issue and address rationale behind this measure which could negative effects on the environment?
3) With the updating of Imperial trooper figures lately to have more accurate designs and sharper sculpting, the Biker Scout is so far one of those figures left out. Although one of the "vintage-style" figures, the existing Scout figure could use some upgrades including sharper armor and undersuit sculpting, a slightly larger helmet, more accurate arms including the missing elbow pads, less bulky shoulders, and better range of motion for the head, knees, torso and hips. How likely are we to see an updated Biker Scout figure like this? What would hold something like this back from being delivered in the foreseeable future?
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NEW: From Snowtroopers.ca: 1) For years we've had 8D8 and his torture rack lever, but no Power droid to put in a turning harness to melt his feet. Would you consider doing one with harness to go along with 8D8?? Could it be done as a BAD figure?
2) With the year coming to an end there are a number of items which have not made it to Canada or came in small quantities. In an August Q&A the possibility was raised about periodically publishing a list for Canadian collectors confirming what products are shipping. We appreciate the exclusives timetable that was provided but will there be something similar for mass retail products? Perhaps just as important is a list of items confirmed as not coming.
In lieu of such lists wondering about the status of the following products:
Toys� R Us Crumb Bomber Gunship
Wal-Mart Under the Helmet Ambush 2 packs 1&2 (Rookies 2 packs did come)
Grey Ugnaught (ROTJ revision case)
Ahsoka Tano�s Jedi Starfighter / Corporate Alliance Tank Droid
Battlepacks � Geonosis Assault, Gelagrub Patrol, Rishi Moon Outpost Attack, Battle For Endor
Comic Packs - Katarn/Vong, Luke/Lumiya, Dare/Krayt (London Drugs reports, can we expect them at national retailers?).
The Legacy ROTJ figure wave (non-revision case) arrived recently. Is it known what other 09 Legacy waves we will be getting? We have been told further Comic Packs for Canada are highly unlikely. Might other 2010 Legacy products specifically basic figures suffer a similar fate?
3) Any chance of seeing Hondo Karr in his Mandalore armour as seen in Legacy #41? I'm sure you could find a two-pack combo... maybe throw in his wife in her armour? Hey... a husband-wife two-pack... got some possibilities there for future packs...
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From SWCollector.com: 1) I am really glad that you have made much needed updates to two of the core characters from the Phantom Menace (Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan) and I am hoping that there will be more coming soon. Do you have any plans to add new Episode I versions of Anakin, Padme, Jar Jar and a much desired super articulated Darth Maul to the line in the next year or two?
2) We know that you do have some new astromechs coming up in the Clone Wars line, but that Ahsoka's R7-A7 is not among them. Does this mean that we are finally getting an animated R4-P17, or maybe Kit Fisto's R6-H5?
3) I've been getting pretty fed up with getting figures home, opening them up, and then discovering one of their hands has been permanently mangled by the accessory being rubber-banded into its hand. Surely there's got to be a better way to package figures so that they aren't damaged by their own packing materials?
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NEW: From TheJawa.com:1) Do you think we can expect many more figures from the Marvel comic series? Luke and Lumiya were by far the best two figures to come from that series to date, so I'm holding out hope for more like them! Five future figure hopefuls at the top of my list are Z-X3 from issue 47, Flint (Dark Lord of Belderone) and Luke Skywalker wearing his white and black outfit from issue 92 (first Star Wars comic with art by Jan Duursema by the way!), and Vlix and Tig Fromm from Marvel's Droids issue 2. I don't know if any of these characters have a real shot at being made in plastic someday, but whether they do or not, please keep looking for ways to slot in a few figures from the old days of the EU!
2) Many of us assume that one of these days, Hasbro will finally get around to releasing a Sim Aloo figure. Would Aloo be designed/produced in a way that he will blend in with the existing Janus and Kren Blista-Vanee figures? I'm a fan of SA and softgoods, but here my concern is that Hasbro will actually do something similar to the recent Ghost Anakin and put too much softgoods in order to ensure he is SA. While I didn't like how Janus and Kren were basically statues, and would like Aloo to be able to do a bit more posing than his predecessors, perhaps Hasbro could stick to plastic and give Aloo arm articulation similar to your Po Nudo? Maybe a removable hat or some accessories, but let's keep softgoods out of it so that all the Imperial Dignitaries look alike on my shelf :-)
3) With news of a forthcoming Force Unleashed battlepack, will we get a newly sculpted head for Galen Marek? I recall reading that the actor who plays Galen (Sam Witwer) wasn't cast until late in the game development which presumably is why the earlier Starkiller figures don't really resemble him at all - now that the game has been out for a while and Hasbro has a good idea of what Galen looks like, can we please get a better likeness for the next Galen figure?
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NEW: From The Private Universe:1) With some great new cantina patrons out now I was wondering if or when it is likely we will see updates to some of the earlier characters like Ponda Baba, Momaw, Labria, Muftak, Dr Evazen, Wuher and Duros? All could do with some improvement in articulation to fit in better.
2) There has been a steady increase of EU figures being made, which has been very welcome, are we likely to see this continue to include maybe whole waves of EU characters? Also is there any chance that we will see characters from Shadows of the Empire like Dash, Leebo or Guri? Out of interest do sales of EU characters sell as well as characters from the movies?
3) This is a cheeky request for any images of anything that has not yet been seen in any detail of anything that is currently in the making... I don't want to be specific as I want to cover all bases. Go on give a little British fan site a scoop ;)
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NEW: From Star Wars Action News:1) In recent Hasbro Q&As you've repeatedly referenced a waning adult Star Wars collector base. I was wondering what evidence you are seeing of that (is it just the more collector oriented figures like Yarna sitting on the pegs, or do you have deeper research)?
2) It seems lately that figures, any figures, are scarce on our pegs. While some waves have shown up recently, they sell through and seem to not be restocked as often, if at all (and this holds for both the Legacy and the Clone Wars lines of figures). Some Star Wars fans are beginning to speculate that there are less of these figures being released into the market. While I know you can't give specific numbers, can you tell us if the production runs of Star WArs figures are smaller today than they were 1, 2, or even 5 years ago, or is there some other reason for the scarcity of these newer waves?
3) While the extra accessories packed with some recent Greatest hits figures were nice, collectors and diorama builders have been asking on our forums for more types of accessories, be they lightsabers or original trilogy era weaponry. Are there any ways such additional accessories might be made available for collectors in the future (either in more Greatest Hits figures, through HasbroToyShop, Accessory Packs, etc?)
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From Yakface.com: 1) With the new season of The Clone Wars in full swing and the recent airing of the action packed and merchandise laden episode "Landing at Point Rain", a few questions have come to bear. Will we in fact see a red version of the Y-wing Bomber and if so, will it be in 2010? Also, speaking of repaints/reissues, might we see a return of the Geonosian fighter due to it's prominence in this Geonosis battle story arc?
2) Dear Hasbro, I have a couple of questions regarding the new Clone Commander Cody (BD44) from the Legacy Collection. First off, from the articulation to the deco - what a marked improvement over the previous version - although there is one slight problem. Despite the figure's overall accuracy there is one familiar malady from which it suffers - he has been assembled with the belt upside down. On a plain clone trooper this oversight is generally looked past, but on this figure it causes 2 problems:
A.) the yellow and gray ammo pouches end up being on the wrong side of the body
B.) the Obi-Wan's lightsaber hilt is carried on the wrong hip (note: the figure on Cody's card back is assembled correctly)
Is there any chance that this manufacturing/assembly error will be corrected before the end of its production run? Oh, and one more thing... Now that Cody has a more subdued orange coloration, would it be possible to reissue his Utapau clone troopers (TSC-026) with this matching color as the previous version's paint is practically fluorescent orange in comparison. Cody needs his troopers to coordinate!
3) Since their reveal at SDCC, collectors who missed out on acquiring all of carded TAC McQuarrie Concept figures were overjoyed at being able to fill those holes with additions of the McQuarrie Signature Series boxed sets to their collections. Now that they have been released, those same collectors are in a state of disappointment as many of the accessories have been left out, leaving Jedi without the lightsabers, holsters without blasters to fill them and alternate head sculpts to never be displayed. What is the reasoning behind the short change considering the missing parts exist? Was it a costing issue? If so, why then were some of the figures repainted slightly from their original releases?
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From Yoda's News: 1) Are any of the following characters on tap for the Clone Wars line: OOM-224, Republic Gunship pilot Hawk, Wat Tambor, Nute Gunray, and generic gunship pilots?
2) Have you ever thought about doing a promotion where a select amount of "tickets" were randomly inserted in Star Wars products with special codes on them, and five or ten of the tickets would be winners and get a VIP type tour with the Hasbro Star Wars team, spend a day in the meetings, pitching ideas, a prize pack., etc?
3) Is Hasbro planning the same type of Press Day event this year at NYTF for the collectible sites as they have with years in the past? Hasbro has put on some fantastic shows in years past with sneak peeks, movie trailers, new products and more. Without blockbuster movies like last year, can we still plan on an event this February?
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