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 Hasbro's
Star Wars 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) The new ESB vintage figures look really great. Is the previewed AT-AT Commander based on Commander Veers or is it intended to be a generic Imperial Commander?
2) Many fans were excited to see the Boba Fett helmet previewed at the European Toy Fair. Will there be a Fett blaster rifle to go with it?
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ASMzine:1) Now that you've confirmed (via Galactic Hunter) that a new AT-AT is coming out (and will be seen at Toy Fair), we have a question regarding large vehicles. What kind of unique challenges have you had to solve to create the large-scale Star Wars vehicles like the Millenium Falcon and the AT-AT?
2) After Master Replicas lost the prop replica license, Hasbro picked up the Force FX lightsaber line. Since these are premium format items, there have to be different engineering processes and thought processes used in improving and expanding the line. But what ideas/processes/concepts have Hasbro team members been able to apply from making the toys (action figures and role play weapons) to the Force FX line, and do you expect to see this line expand much as the role play has expanded into multiple clone blasters and dual-bladed lightsabers?
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NEW: From CollectionStation.com: 1) Most of Emperor Palpatine's scenes from ROTJ feature him seated in his throne, which hasn't been released in 13 years. That release, the "Final Jedi Duel" Cinema Scene, suffers by comparison with newer items in its relative lack of detailing and permanent attachment to the extended base from that set. Have you considered, or would you consider now that we brought it up, an improved version of the throne which would ideally have more detailed controls, a swivel base (that's not several inches long), and Luke's lightsaber hilt (with a spot to put it on the arm)? Oh, and while we're at it, what about an Emperor who can sit in it as well as he stands?
2) Many collectors are reporting their local stores' Star Wars pegs clogged with slow-moving Saga Legends figures, stagnating and choking out Legacy Droid Factory basic figures. Recently, Wal-mart and Target stores have been selling "blockbuster value" buy-1-get-1-free 2packs of Saga Legends basic cards alongside the 2packs of Legacy basics. The SKU is the only one in the brand to not be changing this year. And now your site is offering a promotion where the purchase of many of the Role Play toys will get 3 free Saga Legends figures. Is the future of Saga Legends perhaps not as bright as had originally been forecasted? If not, why the incidents mentioned above? We already know that the main figure line in 2010 will be more a mix of Greatest Hits and have vintage-themed packaging which will help differentiate it from Clone Wars, and Saga Legends is going to share the CW line's card style, so how will Saga Legends fit into the mix other than a packaging change, will it be scaled back so as to not overwhelm the pegs? Will we see a quicker rotation of product so to avoid pegwarmers like Saesee Tiin or character crossovers into Clone Wars and Legacy like Plo Koon?
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Dewback Patrol: 1) On the web there has been much discussion about the Fans Choice Poll. Many believe that it was a forum to get figures that Hasbro would never make in the spotlight. I myself enjoyed the vote for figures that should be included in the Saga Legends Line. This allowed fans to get figures that they missed or would like to troop build. Have you thought about having another type of vote towards figures that fans would like to see re-released? In my experience all the figures that were voted for were instantly grabbed off the pegs. I for one would love to see a single carded TIE Pilot that I could troop build!
2) EU is ending for the most part and I think it is a wise decision for the health of the line to focus on the movie characters. Your reasoning makes a lot of sense. Two non-EU characters on the top 30 list do have some movie significance - Bom Vimdin and Dr. Evazan. Bom is practically the first alien you see in the cantina and Dr. Evazan is in an action scene that has dialogue (plus he needs an update to go with an updated Ponda Baba which I believe you said is coming). Does their landing in the top 30 help their chance of being done soon? If they are in the queue, any chance we could get an early pic/pre-production shot of Evazan, Bom, or Ponda?
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From DroidsandEwoks.com: 1) If you add any more concept art figures to the line in the coming years, who would be some characters that would be at the top of your list? Of the two characters at the top of my list, one would have to be the Kenner concept Clone Warrior. Being developed in the mid 80's, this is probably the earliest Clone Trooper concept ever. Here's a link so you know who I'm talking about: Clone Warrior. The other would be Count Dooku. In this picture he looks a lot like he is from the same species as Ventress: Count Dooku concept. Whoever you choose to make, I really hope that you are able to continue the concept line in the near future.
2) I am absolutely delighted to see Vintage becoming the main line and I hope it has a long run, but at the same time it's sad to see the buildable droid concept come to an end. Do you think that the droid factory will return at some point, or are you looking for different ways to get more of those obscure but cool droids out there? There are still so many great droid models still waiting to be made like Marvel's Z-X3, a GE3-series protocol droid from the Knights of the Old Republic games, a Junk Droid from the Force Unleashed, Han's old droid ZZ-4Z, and of course some of our favorites, Proto One, BUN-Dingo, a Pirate Droid and comedian droid LIN-D from the Droids TV series!
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From Galactic Hunter: 1) Since we have harangued Team Star Wars for so long to make a "classic" Jabba The Hutt action figure, now that he's official and all, would it be safe to assume that the set will be comparable (or even a step up) to the Jabba The Hutt pieces from other licensees? We are very Hasbro-centric, so we like to think that "Our Team" can and will do the best version (to date). Also - not trying to squeeze in an extra question, but - would a scantily clad green Twi'lek Dancer be more suited as a pack-in, or (in this day and age) would she be welcomed by retailers? (Can we "bring sexy back" to the pegs?)
2) The Clone Wars moves so fast that things happen before we have a chance to ask about them. (That's a win, right?) However, while we're on the subject of Hutts, is there any movement toward making the mincing, lisping Ziro The Hutt weasel its way onto a retail shelf?
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From Han's Hideout: 1) Looking back at Toy Fair, what items (besides that new AT-AT) generated the most buzz? Anything that you didn't get a chance to mention during the hectic collector event that you'd like to share with us now? (the pulpit is all yours!)
2) In addition to being a huge Han Solo fan (I hope you're still working on a way to get me that Marvel Star Wars #15 Space Suit Han), I'm also a huge Cantina Alien nut. Looking over my cantina, it's apparent that a few figures are in dire need of some attention. Above and beyond the often requested Evazan/Ponda duo, what are the chances of seeing these guys upgraded in 2011/2012 - Snaggletooth (Red and/or Blue), Labria, and Lak Sivrak?
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From Imperial Shipyards: 1) Will you be attending Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo in April? In the past, you stopped going to Wizard World because it was "too soon after San Diego Comic Con." Your presence in the Midwest has been sorely missed, and this would be a GREAT time to show up. Right in between New York Toy Fair and San Diego Comic Con, it'll give us Midwesterners a chance to actually see some of your new products up close for once!
2) Have you ever considered making a battle pack like a full Rogue Squadron or Red Squadron? Or making Ultimate Battle Packs like two x-wings including comic pack rogues who havent been released yet like; Gavin Darklighter, Alph, and an updated Derek Hobbie Klivian?
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From Jedi Defender: 1) When you were looking at 2010 (and beyond), what were the main factors you wanted to address to bring back the consumers you felt you lost during the Legacy years? Collectors seem to feel that the Legacy figures of 2008-09 were pretty fantastic and other factors were issues as to why there's been a drop in interest. We''re curious what the targets are for you with the Vintage line to bring people back into the fold and boost sales.)
2) Toy Fair U.K. gave us a sneak peek at the upcoming "Vintage" line. Collectors were a little curious about the figure choices. Take Bespin Luke for example, who had a recent super articulated figure in the vintage line-up for The Saga Collection. What was your reasoning for going back to certain figures that were just done recently and fairly well, rather than just maybe updating a headsculpt or other small detail you wanted to polish up?
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From Jedi Insider: 1) Which line is more fun to work on, the Clone Wars animated series or the regular movie lines?
2) Do you watch the Clone Wars animated series on a regular basis, and if so, what has been your favorite episode so far?
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From JediNews.co.uk: 1) With the announcements of new Star Wars cars (Hyperdrive) and larger-scale Star Wars figures being released, what prompts the decision to develop new lines such as these, particularly in light of the perceived failure of the similar offerings like the Custom Choppers and Force Battlers from years gone by - is it merely to try and bring more children to the line on the back of the success of the Clone Wars?
2) It's great news that the UK will see the new Vintage line (as a Toys R Us exclusive) as well as the new vehicles like the Bespin Cloud Car, Snowspeeder and the AT-AT; will these items see a worldwide release in places such as Mexico? Also, with the recent announcement that the last wave of Legacy (EU) is now a TRU exclusive in the US, are there any plans to bring it to TRU (or another retailer in the UK) and what about our Canadian readers?
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From Jedi Temple Archives: 1) We have all seen the first four vintage figures and it makes a question a few things. First, since we already received a Luke Skywalker (Bespin Fatigues) in the 2007 VTSC line, we were wondering if you were going to release the new figure on the second card back from the vintage line (the light blue background that shows a bigger picture of Mark Hammill’s face. We also wanted to know if this will be true for the others as well that may see a second release in the modern vintage line (for those that have multiple vintage card backs of course). It would really change things up a bit for carded collectors – and we imagine a whole new group of people will become carded collectors again – we love vintage!). Also, since the vintage Ewoks were always packed one per card, how will you handle this in the new vintage line since it is your approach to include two Ewoks on a cardback now? Will the new vintage Ewoks also be one per card or are you not releasing them into the line?
2) The recent announcement of the AT-AT Commander figure at the UK Toy Fair and the Vintage Collection as a whole seems to indicate that completing the modern resculpts of the Kenner vintage line is a very real consideration for Hasbro's Star Wars team. Case in point, we also recently saw one of the remaining ewoks made in the form of Warok in the BATTLE ON ENDOR battle pack.
So at this time which characters from the Kenner vintage line does the Hasbro Star Wars team consider undone? Which of these character are a high priority to get done? And considering how few of these characters are left, would you care to speculate on how long it may be before all of the Kenner vintage figures are reproduced in modern form? We put together a special report right here talking about the figures that remain to be made. Can you comment on our own list of "yet to be made" figures?
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From Raving Toy Maniac: 1) I recently purchased the Walmart exclusive Clone set and was very surprised to see that the Clone Commando had new articulated legs. Is there any chance of the Commando, in one form or another, being released on a card? They seem to be popular enough and they are different enough from other clone as to sand out on the shelf.
2) Back in
an October Q&A, one of the answers referenced the names of the ARC-170 droid and Wedge's droid: Did anyone ever find out their names?
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From Sandtroopers.com: 1) Now that Sideshow is offering a Grand Admiral Thrawn that includes his command chair and an Emperor Palpatine with his throne, is Hasbro (finally) planning to produce similar accessories? In particular, a quality version of the Emperor's throne (the throne from the POTF2 Cinema Scene is far too small; plus, its attached to that cumbersome base) is sorely missing from the collection and seems like a natural fit, especially for a battle pack (like the Scramble on Yavin pack that included the cart). Personally, I'd be more than willing to trade a figure for the throne (in other words, a pack with two figures and a throne instead of three figures and a throne). Even Kenner came close to creating a throne for their vintage Emperor figure.
2) Rumors are going around that your FX Sabers will now come with a removable blade. If this turns out to be true, what are the chances you guys will be making Galen Mareks "unfinished" lightsaber? Also, if the blade can be removed, how about an alternate black blade? If the blades will be interchangeable and what type of connector system they will be using to lock the blade in place?
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NEW: From Snowtroopers.ca: 1) I'm very happy to see Hasbro putting an effort to give us cardboard dioramas again with the recent Geonosis Arena 2-packs and I strongly hope this trend continues. If the Arena 2packs are coming back, any chance of say cardboard diorama pieces representing the Geonosis balcony (where Dooku and Jango are standing) or perhaps the arena entrance where the beasts walk in from? Something we can assemble like the old cantina/Jabba Palace dioramas? And please consider doing Hoth 2-packs the same way (with an Echo base interior diorama!!!).
2) There is a lot of back and forth and here-say going on with regards to the 2010 International carded figure packaging. It was eluded previously that the international market was expanding and thusly it might allow for the same type of individual character artwork the US normally gets. It is of particular concern for the upcoming "vintage" line whereas us Canadians and fellow collectors abroad are fearing the typical generic clone head. Any words to set us at ease?
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From Sir Steve's Guide: 1) While we know that the readership of ToyFare Magazine and its parent company, Wizard, are not chiefly a Star Wars collecting-oriented group which can give weird results like the 2006 EU-centric Fans Choice poll, it seems like the most recent Fans Choice poll results are arousing even more raised eyebrows and suspicions among the collecting community. Certain characters seem to have come out of nowhere to claim top spots, and the website which ToyFare ran the poll seemed to have no obvious safeguards against ballot-stuffing. To quell fans suspicions on this, where there safeguards in place to prevent overzealous fans from flooding the poll with votes? We know it's just a toy line, but obviously collectors take it seriously, so what can you tell fans to satisfy their concerns about the poll's veracity, that this is truly all of their choices, and not just the choices of a few unscrupulous fanatics?
2) Regarding the head on the Cloud City Wing Guard figure, the cardback bio suggests this is supposed to be Sgt. Edian, yet while the coloring is a black person's and Edian is a black man, the sculpt is clearly that of a white guy. Everything about the head sculpt, even the part in the hair, is a different guy given a dark brown deco. While it could be seen technically as an update to the vintage black Bespin Security Guard on skin tone alone, the features and cardback on that Kenner figure were clearly Edian and were differentiated from the other Kenner white Bespin Guard figure. In fact, there is some similarity to another guard, Sgt. Merril, an older white man. Was the original idea to produce a Merril figure and that looked too similar to the planned Utris M'Toc so his ethnicity was changed? Why was this new Edian figure given a white guy's face sculpt? Any chance we'll see this head sculpt again as Sgt. Merril, and a new, more accurate Sgt. Edian sculpt in the future?
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From SWCollector.com: 1) Could we see the Separatist Droid Gunship vehicle (also known as the Heavy Missile Platform [HMP]) or the Multi-Troop Transport (MTT) ever be released in the Legacy Collection or it's upcoming replacement?
2) I have a question about mail away/online exclusive figures. Over the years there have been some really nice choices for these offers like Wuher, Concept General Grievous, Rex, Joker Squad and the upcoming Nahdar Vebb. An interesting thing about many of these figures is that several of them are made from all new tooling but their appeal is largely to the collector market. What I am wondering is how you determine which figures would be best suited to be online exclusives/mail aways, and if this could be a potential avenue to release other collector demanded figures like modern updates of the vintage Droids TV figures or Marvel Star Wars characters?
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From Toy News International: 1) Can you give us any more details on what Hasbro will be offering in the way of convention exclusives for 2010, either at Celebration V or SDCC?
2) Why are you able to get really big expensive vehicles like the new Falcon and AT-AT to retail but not playsets like Cloud City or the Death Star? I would think something like a playset would allow people to display their figures better than on a vehicle and have more playability for kids?
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From Yakface.com: 1) With the confirmation of the return of the Vintage line look, I was curious to know if the Power of the Force (1984-1985) style card back will be represented as well - making a great catch-all for OT and PT figures alike?
2) There are bound to be several questions asked regarding the shocker of the last Legacy EU wave (wave 13) being set as a Toys"R"Us / online exclusve. With that troublesome news, what can be said about the production run for those figures. Were they produced in the same volume as prior waves or was there a shorter production run done to avoid costly over-stock now that the TLC line is no more?
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