This year's Hasbro collector event was quite different than previous years. The event was split up into two meetings at two separate locations. While the second half was all about the showroom and the exciting new toys they were showing off for 2008 (which you may have seen by now both here at Rebelscum and also over at Cool Toy Review), but the first half was also very interesting.

We started off at The Times Center, where all of our cameras, cell phones, etc. were confiscated, so we could record anything or take photographs of anything. This was actual the policy of the building, and these rules were strictly enforced, although everyone was very polite about it.

What I really enjoy about these kind of events is that I get to meet some of my peers. We don't often get a chance to socialize, what with running back and forth from meetings, trying to pry the "rumors" out of the various companies (look for THOSE later this week!), and rushing to upload everything to our own websites for the world to digest and discuss. So when there's an event like this, I always have fun hanging out with some of my fellow reporters from sites like Yakface, Jedi Temple Archives, Jedi Defender, Galactic Hunter, Sir Steve's Guide/ActionFigs, Star Wars Action News, TNI/Jedi Insider, Action-Figure, TheJawa/Sandtroopers, and a few new friends like UncannyXmen.net and Hisstank.

The presentations were much like we've seen at conventions this past year at Celebration IV, Celebration Europe, or San Diego Comic-Con, which is a first (in my experience, anyway), followed by a Q&A session. The presentation was showcasing the Hasbro boys' toys line, including G.I. Joe, Transformers, Iron Man (movie), The Incredible Hulk (movie), Spider-Man (a character so big with fans, he has his own department!), Marvel Comics, Indiana Jones, and a little film franchise you may have heard about....Star Wars.

And since this a Star Wars collecting site, let's talk about that for a minute. You can hear the full report on the latest microcast, or browse the presentation I posted the other day (look for other properties' galleries over at CTR, of course), but here's a rundown of the questions that were asked.

Unfortunately, I'm not able to give proper credit to each person's question, since I didn't keep track of that in my notes (yes, pen and paper were allowed!), but I DID get to ask a question myself, so that will be noted below. Also note that the questions and Hasbro answers are based on my notes, so some liberties are taken to form complete sentences.

Question: Will there be any announcements regarding who will be taking over the G.I. Joe comic book line?

Hasbro: There is not yet any announcements on this.


Question: Is the Marvel Legends wave with Spiral still in the works? (She was shown in a video Q&A over at MarvelousNews.com awhile back, but she was not shown in the Marvel presentation)

Hasbro: Yes, she is still coming, but later in the year.


Question: Will the Clone Wars figures from the series get a realistic style treatment?

Hasbro: Maybe down the road, but the focus now is to produce figure that look like they jumped right off the screen. Easier for kids to recognize them in the stores.


Question: Will The Spectacular Spider-Man move to another network? (Apparently, there is something going on with the WB network)

Hasbro: There has not yet been anything announced on this yet.


Question: Will there be any figures from the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles included in the Indiana Jones line?

Hasbro: There are some big plans for the Indiana Jones line, but the focus is primarily on the movies. This is planned as an ongojng toy line. It's not a "one and done" line, so there may be opportunities later on for some characters to be included, although there is some concern that there aren't many characters to bring out as action figures. There are more ideas coming that fans are sure to like beyond what has been shown this weekend.


Question: Will Dr. Henry Jones be done as a figure? What about a Temple of Doom playset?

Hasbro: Yes to Dr. Henry Jones, no to Temple of Doom. A Well of Souls playset would most likely come first.


Question: What about Star Wars exclusives?

Hasbro: SDCC will see 2 exclusives: a Mighty Muggs Commander Gree, and a light-up, sound effect Emperor Palpatine hologram with Darth Vader kneeling from the scene in The Empire Strikes Back....Be sure to check out TheJawa/Sandtroopers in the next regular round of the Q&A session for more info on this. I promised Nick I wouldn't say anything else. ;)


Question: What about Indiana Jones exclusives?

Hasbro: SDCC will have a Mighty Muggs fertility idol, plus there has been discussion of fall exclusives.


Question: What about G.I. Joe exclusives?

Hasbro: There will be 2 for SDCC, plus some fall exclusives, but no more specifics yet.


Question: Will Indiana Jones have any role play toys?

Hasbro: Yes, Indy's whip and Mutt's sword.


Question: What can you tell us about the G.I. Joe and Transformers 2 movies?

Hasbro: Basically, nothing yet. With the writer's strike now over, everyone is anxious to get back to work, but it's too soon to reveal anything yet.


Question: Will there be more Cloverfield toys?

Hasbro: There are only plans for the one item...which is AWESOME!


Rebelscum: So, TAC is over as of wave 2 (the TFU figures, due out next month), and both TCW and TLC are set to launch on July 26, 2008...what will we see in the meantime? Will there just be a gap in Star Wars, or is there another "Saga Legends" type of line planned to fill in this gap?

Hasbro: Originally, waves 1 & 2 of TLC were going to be waves 3 & 4 of TAC, but both were pushed back because typically the final waves of a toy line are under-orderd by retailers, and would therefore make them a challenge for collectors to find. Since these characters (especially the Clone Wars characters from wave 2) are very popular among fans, this was done to allow fans to have a better chance to add them to their collections.

As for the gap, there will be a gap....although it will partially be filled with the final Saga Legends wave, plus some additional repacked figures from earlier waves.

As for another "Saga Legends" wave...no, wave 5 will be the last wave for that line (the one that fans voted on last fall)...although there are plans for another Saga Legends type line for the fall (making this the third line available in stores), although this would be made up of repackaged figures, and not a large line like last time.

(Yeah, this is a long one, but hey, it's MY question!)

Question: Are there any special plans for the 25th anniversary for Transformers?

Hasbro: Nothing that can be announced yet.


Question: Will the AT-TE be exclusive?

Hasbro: No, it will be sold at all major retail stores.


Question: What about the rumored Millennium Falcon (for the record, the rumor mill says this would include lights, sounds, all-new sculpting, a larger size, and even a pack-in figure...or two)?

Hasbro: IF there were a large vehicle like that planned for this year, they would show it at Toy Fair, to generate sales and public interest. A larger item like this would be at a higher-price point and would need to be revealed at this show.



Since no one else has any questions, and we still had some time to kill, Hasbro showed us the new video for The Clone Wars, which was great to see on the big screen.

Then we all headed over to the showroom. Any you most likely know what happened over there. ;)


Our regularly scheduled Q&A session will resume next week.

Got any burning Star Wars questions you need answered straight from the source? If so, post your questions in this thread in our forums, and with any luck, you'll get your answers next time!