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!
NEW: Action Figure Insider:1) Any chance of seeing a line of vehicles based on RALPH MCQUARRIE’S art work? A-wing—from the lithograph, its just a paint scheme that is different (easy to do) and changing the guns from two to single mounted laser cannons on the side. Add a new pilot to reflect RM art and bam, on to the next one. Go here to see what Im talking about.
X wing–Oh this would be fantastic, the top half would have to be a total re-tool but it would be worth it. The four engines could have new caps on them to reflect a half moon look on each one. This would be a pricey one if you did it big style. Y-WING–I know the CW just came out, but there was an early design that looked piecemeal that could still look good with the rear bubble turret, it woud require new tooling but the rest of the body could still be re-used. Vader’s X-1 TIE FIGHTER–there was a pic of a prototype of his on screen tie fighter that looked very mean, the wings/panels had supports that slanted forward like the X-30 CONQUEST from GI JOE. The back had this huge, nasty looking engine. The RM concept is great, I would just love to see it extended to the vehicles.
2) Now that you have a Talz Sculpt in Thi -Sen— Is there any chance we can get a Battle pack or deluxe figure set of a slightly different Paint job version of a Talz Warrior with a Narglatch mount– I think that fits your play pattern ideas since they fought against the clones– you could even do a coresponding Battle Pack with the snow clones or Rex with a repainted Freeco or Barc Speeder.
3) While we know that playsets are out of the picture, is there any chance we’ll see any of the following props updated?: Death Star Anti-Aircraft Gun, Carbonite Frozen Han Solo, E-Web Blaster Cannon, Jabba’s Sail Barge Deck Cannon.
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NEW: From CollectionStation.com: 1) In the November Q&A, Hasbro revealed that the latest Droid Factory 2-packs have not performed to expectations and the future planned sequel wave was canceled, with some sets possibly finding their way into other, future sets. With Wal-mart's spotty distribution on these - some stores getting none while others clearanced them for $5 soon after release - and Wal-mart not making them available online, is there any chance that the sequel wave could switch retailers to become another chain's line, or perhaps a shared online exclusive? And if it's not too bold, it sounds like plans were made, so what was the next Droid Factory wave going to be?
2) Are you aware that the eyes on the new Bespin guard and Willrow Hood are painted red? That has come up before with some unmasked Clone Trooper figures, but these are the first non-clone characters we can remember that have red irises. Is that a mistake or intentional? If it is a mistake, will it be addressed? If it was intentional, why was such an odd choice made?
3) The new dewback looks to be a pretty nifty item, however, its appearance has some fans scratching their heads. The fact that it's packed with a sandtrooper and the appropriate riding gear would lead one to believe that this is supposed to be from A New Hope. Yet its green skin and smaller, more pointed face would seem to indicate The Phantom Menace as its source; and it even looks like it took some inspiration from the vintage version. It's been suggested that this is now LFL's "official" look for the beast, but this set is supposed to represent what's in ANH which this doesn't seem to be. What was the thinking behind designing this piece in such a way, why wasn't a more true-to-ANH look adopted?
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Dewback Patrol: 1) Are there any “sneak peak” images of upcoming figures that you can to share with us (us being the collector community)?
2) Have you considered doing a box set, or seven pack, or something, made up of cancelled figures that have already begun production? I am talking about a collector-orientated set. I would bet it could be done as a great exclusive similar to the G.I.Joe Cobra Island battle packs or the Mandalorian battle pack. Just some thoughts but you have started some really cool figures like the Hoth soldier, the 2nd Utai, Holo Nute, Exar Kuhn, Ulec Quel, DARTH NIHL, to name a few. It seems to me that this would be a good way to target the collector audience.
3) In the past you said that you might release some of the animated clone wars TV characters in the regular line. I agree that there is no need for all of them, but perhaps it is time for a few. I would think Ahsoka, Cad Bane, Commando Droid, and Rex would be prime candidates. So, any chance of this happening? P.S. You should be so proud of the new slave Leia. It is one of the best figures ever. I bought two so I could have one standing and one sitting.
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From Galactic Hunter: 1) This is your last chance before the end of 2009 to dispel any Star Wars toy rumors — start dispelling! [As voiced by Stewie Griffin.]
2) Is the Build-A-Droid system a goner after Toy Fair? If so, what's next?
3) What was the most surprising information gleaned from the now-completed Fans' Choice Poll? (Ackmena all the way, you know it.)
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From Han's Hideout: 1) Things have been awfully quiet on the mid-sized vehicle line. We got a couple of great new additions this past summer (still loving the Droid Tank), but nothing since then. Any chance that you can spot us a couple of hints on upcoming starfighters/ships we'll see on the shelves this Spring?
2) With Comic Packs and EU basic figure waves seemingly headed for a hiatus, we'll have to postpone our crusade for a Marvel Star Wars #15 Han Solo & Crimson Jack Comic Pack for a while. But before we move on, we thought we'd give the pack one last plug in case you get a chance to bring the Comic Packs back. Staying on the theme of "comics that would have made sweet, sweet Comic Packs if you'd had the chance to do them", which comic issues/series do you guys regret not being able to sneak into the line?
3) A question from one of my boys - Will you make a new Galactic Heroes "TIE Fighter with the bendy wings" [aka a TIE Interceptor]?
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From Imperial Shipyards: 1) A couple of weeks ago, the new Clone Wars episode "Landing at Point Rain" aired showing us two alternate color schemes of clones that we had seen before and one design that we had never seen on the series before. We had been wanting the snow version of the flamethrower trooper sculpt since the episode where it was debuted last season. What are the chances that we will see a release of the flamethrower trooper, the earmuff trooper " as it has been called" and Waxer and Boil type camo Arf trooper figures in the future? Also, even though you had stated that it is unlikely to happen, any random release to the Legacy line of a version of one or all of these troopers would be loved by all legacy collectors.
2) Over the last several years I have been absolutely amazed at the number of high quality pieces of Clone/Imperial Trooper fan art and custom figures that have been produced. Many of these pieces have made me, and I'm sure others, wish that one or more of their favorites could make their way into the official Star Wars universe. Which brings me to my question. Would you ever consider having a contest where fan's could submit their trooper concept art to Hasbro, LFL and Hasbro could narrow their top choices down to maybe a top 30, and then turn it over to collectors to vote for which concept they would like to see made into a figure?
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From Jedi Defender: 1) Jedi Robes are great accessories. The recent The Phantom Menace Obi-Wan in particular had a really nice robe. Any chance we'll see Jedi figures get a little more standardized in terms of their accessories so that they all come with nifty soft goods robes and unlit lightsaber hilts?
2) It sounds like we're heading for a break from EU figures in the basic figure line after the upcoming EU wave ships. Is the break from EU figures just in the basic figure line or will we see an overall drop in EU based figures in 2010? Any plans to mix in more EU versions of the main 'A List' characters to sort of fill the gap for the EU figure fans?
3) Following up on a previous Q&A, you had asked us to poll our readers to see if they desired updates of the Delta Squad Commandos with the new Evolutions sculpt or if they would rather just see new Commandos instead. Most folks that responded said they'd prefer to see Delta Squad redone over new Commandoes. One note that popped up a lot during the voting was a desire to see further improvements made to the Republic Commando sculpt - removable helmet, ball-jointed shoulders, etc. Is the Evolutions Commando sculpt likely the last revision of that sculpt or is there a chance you'd add more improvements over time?
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From Jedi Insider: 1) There has been word a Twin Pod Cloud Car vehicle from Empire Strikes Back could be in the works; is this true and can you provide us with details and images if it is true?
2) While we are on the topic of Empire Strikes Back, next year marks the 30th Anniversary of what is arguably the best movie in the series. Does Hasbro have anything big planned to celebrate this awesome movie turning the big 3-0?
3) Celebration V has been announced for next August in Orlando, FL. Is it safe to assume Hasbro will be there with all the bells and whistles showing off new product. Any cool exclusives you can hint about now?
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From JediNews.co.uk: 1) An image of what appears to be the new packaging for Star Wars product was recently posted on Yakface.com, with a continued focus on Clones. Is this also going to be used for what will replace The Legacy Collection i.e. movie-realistic figures, even though the Clones only
really figure (excuse the pun!) in the prequel timespan? If so, what is the thought-process behind such a decision?
2) Would you ever consider selling unpainted Star Wars figures, a bit like the black and white Mighty Muggs, or perhaps bags of arms, legs, heads, etc.? It could be a bit like Build-A-Droid and would give customizers and any collectors with artistic tendencies a blank canvas to more easily create their own unique figures.
3) As you can imagine, we are all disappointed to hear the news about the Comic Pack line (but I'm at least relieved we'll see Tholme and Tra'Saa released!). What do you consider to be the reasons that the line's success has gone downhill? Has it been the price increase, have the best characters been released, or the general collector slowdown?
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From Jedi Temple Archives: 1) As of this writing, Celebration V has just been announced for August 2010 in Orlando, Florida. Comments from Steve Sansweet on December 3rd indicate that an exclusive figure like those at past Star Wars Celebrations may not be likely.
However, in a November 16th Q&A session with Jedi Temple Archives, Hasbro indicated that some items from the due to be cancelled Expanded Universe comic 2-pack line were now slated to possibly become convention exclusives. Obviously, the announcement of a Star Wars Celebration Hasbro exclusive is usually something of a news event of it's own. But can we expect one of the previously seen comic 2-packs to become a Celebration 5 exclusive? Or should we expect any C5 exclusive to be themed around the 30th Anniversary of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, since that is one of the main themes of Celebration 5?
2) The production sheet that you shared with Galactic Hunter was such an amazing and informative piece of information. It makes us think that of course there must be one of these for every figure. Would you be able to post these on your website or provide them to collectors? They are absolutely mesmerizing and it makes us want to see them for the other action figures. If you cannot provide them on the web or in some other similar way, can you work with Lucasfilm to perhaps generate a book of the all and sell as an exclusive? We are confident that this would sell beyond all expectations. The Wooof production sheet created such a buzz in the collector community and these are the types of resources we want to see. Any others you would like to share with us? We would love to add these to our archives!
3) We've seen an admirable effort by Hasbro to offer some variety to the more anonymous characters of the Star Wars universe by offering running changes. However it seems that a number of possible factors affect the feasibility of bringing all of them to retail in a way that works for Hasbro, collectors and retailers. There seemed to be a question about the second Cloud City Wing Guard (Utris M'toc) until one site received a correction on that figure.
But on that roster of running change characters we've seen the Hoth Rebel Trooper, the Ugnaughts, Cloud City Wing Guards, the Utai and Imperial Scanning Troopers. Only the second Ugnaught has made it to market so far, and the Cloud City Wing Guard running change should be shipping with the next wave. How are the other running change figures faring? Can we expect these other figures reasonably soon? And in which format are they likely to be offered if at all?
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From MouseDroid.com: 1) Hasbro has often released special role-play items to coincide with special events, Darth Vader voice changer for the Anniversary of ANH, Rex voice changer for the launch of Clone Wars. With the 30th Anniversary of Empire Strikes Back in 2010 what are the chances of us seeing a Boba Fett helmet/voice changer in the role-play line, maybe even a blaster?
2) With Boba Fett appearing in the Clone Wars Rise of the Bounty Hunters what are the chances of seeing everyone's favorite bounty hunter in plastic, Clone Wars style in 2010?
3) In previous Q&A Hasbro have alluded to Wave 13 being the last wave of The Legacy Collection before it goes into "hiatus" and change into a Vintage Line. Can you confirm this?
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NEW: From Raving Toy Maniac: 1) Looking over all the "action-oriented" vehicles from the six movies, the Gungan Bongo is conspicuously absent. Why was this vehicle left out the first time around and are there any plans of having it in the future?
2) Will we see any figures from the old Droids cartoons? An updated Thal Joben would be awesome!
3) Which character has been bumped from wave list to your "parking lot" the most times?
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NEW: From Raving Toy Maniac: 1) Hasbro previously said that the Attack of the Clones wave was rather limited. Well, the Phantom Menace wave so far seems to be even more limited. Toys R Us, Khol's, Meijer, and KMart didn't stock it at all. It showed up only a few times at Target stores over just two or three weeks and only seems to have hit Walmart stores once or twice over just one week. Even Hasbrotoyshop.com only restocked it once. Why? Will it ship again?
2) We have had many and varied versions of the Clone Pilot but will we ever get the Actual V-Wing Pilot (full face-mask) that was in ROTS? I know I could kit-bash one but I want to pay you for an "official" version.
3) As 2010 is the 30 Anniversary, can we expect to see at least one TESB-related item in each of the toy line categories: figure, battle pack, beast, vehicle?
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From Sandtroopers.com: 1) Now that CV is announced, what's the plans (if any) for an exclusive? ANY clue?
2) Will you try to improve the quality of the packaging? The red package might be the easiest to damage yet. We realize Hasbro is only concerned about the product inside, but does this really not matter?
3) Is there any chance Hasbro could make Anthony Forrest and Koo Stark available to sign the convention exclusive at their booth?
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NEW: From Sir Steve's Guide: 1) In a recent answer, Hasbro stated that there won't be an ANH wave in 2010, the next one being the beginning of 2011. Does that mean there won't be any new Cantina figures released in '10, or is it possible we might see 1 or 2 in a battle pack, a comic pack, an exclusive, or perhaps even another venue? If the answer is "no", is a Cantina figure planned for that early '11 basic figure wave, and if so, who?
2) In the current Fans Choice final 30 ToyFare poll, there are several figures that have been mentioned by Hasbro to be figures they would like to do anyway. Without asking about too many specifics, could you tell us how many are already in some stage of production? How many of those finalists may be released in 2010 or 2011 alongside the winner? Were any finalists in some level of planning or production before the fan site lists came in?
3) Recently, you gave an answer about Malakili and Willrow Hood that they were to be released in the same quantity, "the lowest of the fall releases, 30% lower than the lowest-run figures from 2005 until Spring 2008". We know Hasbro policy is to not talk hard numbers, but could you at least give us percentages on those types of "hardcore collector-interest" figures as they stand against the most popular and thus heaviest run figures in Legacy, as well as Saga Legends, and even Clone Wars? And heck, while we're at it, how much higher than the Malakili floor was Yarna's run? We hardcore collector types are always curious about how much risk the brand takes on our limited-interest figures vs. more mainstream entries, and it'd be helpful to inform us why it's more complex to run the line than some collectors' short-sighted arguments of "just make that guy and everybody will buy it".
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NEW: From Star Wars Action News: 1) From these Q&As we know that there is always a balancing game regards to how many figures and accessories can be included in a set and meet the price point. But in regards to the recently rereleased McQuarrie figure sets we can't help but be disappointed in the lack of key accessories like the shield for the Stormtrooper and the alternate heads for Boba Fett and Vader. Would it really have increased the street price of those packs that much to include the original accessories? What tipped the balance towards not including those pieces?
2) Whatever happend to the Galactic Heroes Purchase of the Droids and Kamino Showdown Galactic Heroes sets? They were shown in the Toyfair slideshow but so far appear to have failed to materialise. Are these still on the schedule, been delayed or moved, or have they (dare I ask) been axed? If so, is there any word on any of the new figures being released in another format please? I was excited by that gonk droid in particular.
3) The retractable-leg R2 body is a fun version of our favorite astromechs, and the head-click ratchet was a great way to incorperate a vintage "action feature", however if close attention is paid to the third leg, it's pretty obvious that every incarnation of this mold has had it inserted backwards. This error makes his feet unable to achieve the proper angle when in three-leg mode, which is only more obvious if placed next to a B.A.D. R-series droid. Before this mold goes away, is there any hope of seeing this error corrected?
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NEW: From SWCollector.com: 1) In comparing the new R3-A2 BAD to the older Hoth battlepack version, I noticed they were painted differently. The new droid has the top back panel orange, and the rest white, and the old one has the top back panel white, and the rest orange. Was this done intentionally, since in fact there were two orange R3s on Hoth, with the only obvious difference being the different paint patterns on their back, just like those on the figures?
2) Do you plan on making any more concept art-inspired figures in the foreseeable future?
3) Seeing that both Luke and Leia have had many EU figures made and there are only a few movie versions of Han Solo still needing that definitive figure, is it almost time to consider making the first EU figure of Han? There are quite a few good designs out there that could make for a nice looking figure such as Han in space suit (see pic) or a New Jedi Order era Han (see pic) Is an EU Han something that you think you will be able to get around to someday?
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NEW: From TheJawa.com:1) I am certainly looking forward to getting a look at those Force Unleashed box sets! My hope is that they will not only look good and be an affordable price, but that they will be the beginning of a new way to release EU figures now that the comic packs are coming to an end. With the rumored jacketless Cade Skywalker and the two Legacy comic pack figures shown at ComicCon now needing to find a home, it seems like the makings of an exclusive Legacy box set could already be in place. Add a few more all new figures to those three and I'm sure there would be a lot of happy comic fans wanting to pick up a set. The same could be done with Knights of the Old Republic since there are already two figures from that canceled comic pack needing to be slotted in somewhere. Has this been considered or has it already been decided that the Force Unleashed packs will not be the beginning of a series?
2) Previously when asked why the Geonosis Arena 2pack red battledroids were so incredibly rubbery, we were told that if they were harder then the plastic would break. But last night I was looking at my TAC 2-1B figure and noticed that here is a figure with just as thin limbs, and basically the same articulation as the red battledroids but yet it is made from fantastic stiff plastic (and 2-1B stands perfectly without rubbery legs that eventually give out). In fact, I believe the PotJ Battledroid had similar leg articulation as the new BDs but also used stiff plastic. So why is there a difference between the Geo BDs and the 2-1B and PotJ version?
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From Yakface.com: 1) SInce the Build-A-Droid/Droid Factory concept is coming to an end in 2010, what can collectors expect to see in terms of the next pack-in? Will there still be a new "bonus item", will we see a return of the figure bases or will extras like this be dropped altogether in favor of controlling costs?
2) With the demise of the comic packs and the focus shifting away from the Expanded Universe (EU) sources toward more "core" Original Trilogy and Clone Wars sources for 2010 will that shift also mean less "Concept Art" type characters in the basic figure line too? (Hopefully not as many consider these some of the best figures in the entire line.)
3) Some friends and I were throwing around our own "OT wishlists" the other day and we were wagering a few credits (read: cold beverages) on whether or not some are/were in the "parking lot" of upcoming soon-to-be released figures. Without been specific of course, care to give a count as to the ones "on the list"?
ANH
Princess Leia (Ceremonial)
Cantina Band Member
Grand Moff Tarkin
ESB
Luke Skywalker (Hoth Gear)
Leia Organa (Hoth Gear)
Dengar
ROTJ
Admiral Ackbar
EV-9D9
Saelt Marae ; )
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From Yoda's News: 1) Any there any The Clone Wars Geonosis scene vehicles and figures in the pipeline? Super Tanks? Bugs winged and no wings? Camo clone troopers? Bad Kitty Republic Gunship?
2) Any word as to when we might see those missing Galactic Heroes sets? The "Kamino Showdown" and "Purchase of Droids" sets were supposed to show up at TRU stores in August hit the shelf? So far we have neither heard nor seen anything. Have these sets been cancelled? Please say NO. Thanks!
3) I'm sure it has been asked before but I could not find it, any chance that Hasbro will start up a Official You Tube Channel and put up videos of the figures, ships and toys in a "toy progression" that follow it from inception, to early prototype and then final products
being made at the assembly plant? LEGO, Gentle Giant, Sideshow and many other have done it and I think it would be awesome to see this from Hasbro!
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