Questions for March 01, 2004
Q&A Archive

Back again, and so soon since the last time…? Had a couple feedback points from the last edition; Deron Price wrote to suggest to our readers with LEGO Star Destroyer woes that standard Testors model glue works quite well. Also, BobaFettuccini writes to suggest simply gluing the magnet portion of the toy together. After some mild frustration he tried this and hasn’t had a problem since. Sounds like a fairly good option when faced with the thought of gluing nearly 3000 individual pieces… Thanks to all that wrote in for this update, and to those that didn’t get your question answered this time, be sure to check back soon!

On with the show:

1
The Tonnika Sisters: Okay, I know this subject has been talked about before, but I thought we (the fans/collectors) could actually do something about it this time once and for all. I understand that there is a whole licensing thing going on with these characters being made into figures, but what if we contacted the actresses and made an impassioned plea to them on behalf of all the fan boys (and girls) /collectors out there wanting to finally finish their cantina diorama? Other than that I am willing to open up a forum to figure out how to get the Tonnika sisters finally molded in plastic. -TJ Carrieri

I don’t know, but something tells me if an impassioned plea was all the situation required, that this whole thing would have been handled long ago. To be honest, I don’t really know for sure if it’s a case of the actresses wanting too much, or of Hasbro/Lucasfilm not wanting to invest the time in running this down. I suppose the best scenario would be to get all three parties together in one place and see if the fans can’t nudge the process along. Yeah, maybe getting them together at something like Celebration III would work… If the fan’s showed a desire to have the actresses at CIII maybe it would help get the wheels greased. Lucasfilm has recently expressed an interest in knowing what the fans truly want, an out pouring of support for a Tonnika Sisters action figure set might send a clear message.


2
Is it worth buying Star Wars figures this year, all I’ve seen is a rehash of figures I already have, only in slightly different packaging. It seems it’s a cop out on Hasbro's point of view and nothing new planned. Can you assure me its worth buying and will there be anything new? -Ant C; UK

Unless you’re totally into the new package style, or a self proclaimed completist, then I’d say Hasbro has very little to offer this year that’s worth buying. While it looked like they had some interesting things going at the beginning of the year, once we get into the Original Trilogy Collection most of what they have to offer are rehashes or re-releases. Of the twenty one basic figures in the OTC line, only seven of them are new sculpts, and of those seven, only one has never been released in the modern line. The vintage line as it is, has some nice looking sculpts, but again all of characters we have in multitude already. Prior to that we have the Hall of Fame assortment (more re-releases, some of which we’ll also see in the OTC line…) and the basic ’04 line; which appears to be a mixed blessing. While the ’04 line has some nice stuff to it, there are also quite a few rehashes. The up side to all of this is that no one is holding a blaster to our heads and the money we save not buying these retreads is money we can put toward some of the other great Star Wars collectibles being released this year.


3
With the Clone Wars cartoons returning next month...can we expect to see more of the Hasbro Clone Wars figures...especially the Kit Fisto, Super Articulated Trooper and Red ARC trooper???

While it’s possible some of these cases may still be “in the system,” I honestly doubt any new case will be shipping from Hasbro. There doesn’t appear to be any refresh cases being offered on-line, and if they do show up at retail I have to think it’s inventory that was shipped long ago. From what I’ve been able to tell, all the recent resets have eliminated the Clone Wars shelf tags, with the exception of the animated style figures at Target. Bottom line, while some may sneak out, the line has pretty much run its course and I wouldn't give too much hope to the notion we’ll see these figure en mass anytime soon.


4
Around three years ago life threw me a curve and I had to sell my very large collection of 1995 to present action figures. I've started picking up some pieces again with my son, and would like to know how difficult you think it would be to find most of the figures and vehicles from 95 to Attack of the Clones. I'm not looking for mint cards but just want the pieces to enjoy playing with them with my son. I noticed some of the previous releases are being re-released with better sculpts or likenesses, how much of the line do you think this will happen to, including vehicles? I don't want to pay a high price for a figure released in 98 then find it once again at my local toy store for regular retail. Any advice is greatly appreciated. -Mark

Unless you have a specific figure in mind you simply can’t live without, I’d hold of and wait to see what Hasbro comes out with next. They’re re-releasing a lot of figure from previous lines this year, and will likely continue to do so in some fashion from this point on. While I don’t think they’ll re-release every figure or vehicle from the past, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to get a lot of them at retail price, rather than paying inflated prices on eBay or elsewhere. In the long run I think you and your son will have a much better time watching for the latest toys and collecting them together. Good luck and have fun.


5
I got absolutely nothing out of the Jedi Master Points auctions, as I am sure a lot of others had the same luck. Does Hasbro have plans to do any other promos, or even a 2nd run of the auctions? I just want to know if I should trash all these stupid points, or if there is still hope that they may someday be worth something to me. I thought I had a lot when they first began talking about the auctions, but man was I wrong. I guess one of every figure and vehicle that Hasbro has made is not enough to be considered a true collector.

I wouldn’t toss those points yet; Hasbro recently polled registered members of their site and one of the topics they touched on dealt with other kinds of redemption programs. They may have something in mind, despite the fact that nothing has been announced so far. Still, it may be interesting to note that judging by the package design shown at Toy Fair, Jedi Master Points will not be included with the Original Trilogy Collection. I suppose their value as proof of purchase seals would still hold even if the point were worthless… We’ll have to wait and see.


6
What I would like to know is where can I find out which figures are rare i.e. produced in low numbers or a change in the figure while still in production, I only seem to find out later then end up buying them from the secondary market at a higher price. -Youngs...

Well, Hasbro has never really been known to share production numbers on any of their figures or toys, and often times it isn’t until something has gone wrong that a figure ends up being short shipped. The same pretty much goes for variations as well. It’s a rare treat when Hasbro goes to the trouble of telling fans that they will be making a alteration to one of the figures they have in production. Most of the time we all find out about them after the fact, and then scramble around trying to get one for our own collections. For help with this, you’ve just gotta stay on top of the latest collecting news.


7
Will there be anymore possible imperial officer figures to be released this year, and what is the possibility of an E-Wing and Tie Defender vehicles?

Aside from a few rumors (Needa, Tagge, Jerjerrod), nothing has been confirmed other than Admiral Ozzle. I had hoped we’d see at least one of these rumored figures at Toy Fair, but oh well… Possibility of a 3¾” E-Wing or TIE Defender, slim to none. If for some bizarre reason they showed up in Episode III, Hasbro might make them, but these are both post Episode VI vehicles (I think...), EU at that, and as such not something Hasbro has been known to focus on. I think the closest we could possibly get to these would be if Hasbro decided to dust off the old Galoob Action Fleet molds and re-release those toys (which wouldn’t be a terrible idea considering how popular they’ve become with collectors and how expensive they are on the second market).


8
In regards to your Silver Boba Fett bust news items, I have called to sign up for the credit card but have been told I can not receive the bust unless I have the 11 digit promo code from the ad. Does any of the rebelscum.com staff or its readers know that code? -Todd Rice

I’ve done a little digging, I haven’t been able to come up with an eleven digit code, but the code that seems to be printed on the mailer is SN92. There also appears to be an electronic source code (SXQ9) that’s been associated with the on-line application featured on the official site. Either way, this code or the application should get you in line for the exclusive Chrome Jango bust. Good luck!


9
Hey Mark! Glad to see you back on-line! My question is more of a complaint...Am I the only collector who's sick of buying the same character that looks just like the last 5 figures of the same character?? I mean, with a universe (and 5 movies!) full of characters, why are we still being offered Han Solos with a white shirt and vest on?? The current Saga line is the most frustrating in its lack of new characters. Whatever happened to the days of the POTJ line when nearly each figure was new and interesting in some way? Does Hasbro realize that collectors are getting increasingly angry about this and maybe that is why some figures are not moving? -Steve

First off, no – you’re not the only one. A lot of what I’ve been hearing and reading comes down to just what you said; collectors are getting increasingly tired of figure rehashes, and this year appears to be the worst of all for that sort of stuff. It’s one thing to give fans and collectors the new ‘Vintage’ versions with increased articulation, but to also put many of those same characters out on two different card backs (Hall of Fame and OTC) within the same year – and after having just released the exact same figures the year previous? This is just getting ridiculous, and it’s got a lot of people who have supported the line for the last nine years wondering what they’ve gotten themselves into. On the one hand if you truly desire a “complete” collection you’re pretty much stuck buying the same figures you already have two, three, or four times over. On the other hand, you’ve got to be asking yourself “when are they ever going to get to all the other characters from the movies I’d like them to make?” I’m sitting here, looking towards the DVD release – with one of the most memorable scenes in movie history finally coming to an 'official' DVD – and I don’t see one new Cantina alien in the basic line? Did I miss something...? With the movies coming out on DVD, wouldn’t this be the best time to present some of those characters to “new” fans? Granted Hasbro might have some kind of exclusive up their sleeve (I hope), but I find it extremely discouraging that the majority of what was shown at Toy Fair were old toys. The jury is still out, I’m certainly hoping for the best, but I do think we should all be prepared for the worst. It’s nice that Hasbro wants toys out there for new fans, but how long do they think the line will be around if they end up alienating the fans that have been there all along?

10
At one point after Episode One wasn't there a Sith vehicle toy that came with a Darth Maul dressed in full Sith garb? I haven't seen it since but I remember the figure looking pretty cool. Now this isn't the Sith Speeder, but a totally different vehicle--one that did not appear in the movie. Do you have any idea what I'm talking about? -mike

I sure do. The vehicle was part of the Episode I Invasion Force line and was called the Sith Attack Speeder. It was a cool little vehicle, loosely based on the design of the Sith Probe Droid, one of the better toys in this rather short-lived line. It eventually made it to the bargain bins at Toys ‘R’ Us, and should be relatively easy to track down on eBay given time.


Until next time...



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