Questions for March 15, 2004
Q&A Archive


Another edition in the record books! Thanks to all that submitted a question, I've got a ton of other Q's to get to and hope to have another update before the end of the week.


On with the show:

1
A few questions based off the toys we have seen at Toy Fair...

1. Looking at the Cloud Car Pilot figure, it has bendable knees. Is
there any more information on the long rumored exclusive Cloud Car?

2. Does the Luke Dagobah come with exchangeable arms and head, or is there
going to be two versions?

3. Since the UK can supposedly start ordering the Sandcrawler, have you
heard anything about it becoming available here in the US?

4. Any more news on the second wave of Cantina Figures? Can't they take
the 3 we have seen and make them into an exclusive TRU 4-pack with another
figure, maybe one we have not seen huge distribution of, like Muftak or the
Cantina Band Member? -Mike Sprague

No official info on the Cloud Car yet, but considering Hasbro doesn't really show or talk about exclusives at Toy Fair, I wouldn't have expected to see anything about it there. Odds are it's on the way, we may hear more about it soon from overseas distributors so stay tuned…

According to the latest Hasbro update, the figure will come with two heads, and two sets of arms.

Sandcrawler rumors have been floating around for a while now, last we heard Target was interested in the piece, but there has been no official announcement as of yet. Regardless, if orders are being taken in the UK, it should be a done deal in the U.S. as well. I doubt Hasbro would put the toy into production without a domestic deal in place.

Hasbro has been pretty quiet about the second Cantina wave. Word from abroad claims Hasbro couldn't find anyone interested in picking them up, and from what we know what was available could best be described as a partial run. A few eBay sellers are stating the series has been cancelled and the figures have been released from the overseas warehouse, but I'd feel better about those details if they actually came from Hasbro. I'd like to think the folks at StarWarsShop.com would have realized how important these sets were to Star Wars fans and stepped in, but we'll have to wait and see if that turns out to be the case. Either way, Hasbro still has the tooling for all three figures, while they may not show up in the same format as the Cantina Scenes, I'm sure we'll see them offered again.

Quick follow up, in the time between the start of this edition and its completion, StarWarsShop.com has opened and close without any sign of these figures, and Yakface.com posted what look's like a possible mock up Screen Scene set featuring all three figures and their base's. Despite the image, there's been no confirmation from Hasbro about the future of these figures…


2
I have just a few questions:

1) What, after all this time, is the final fate of the 2nd wave of Deluxe Cantina Bar figures? Some fans have suggested in different forums that they be released in the Ultra line, perhaps including the backdrop pre-cut in the package. What is your take on this matter? They show up online (eBay, retailers) very rarely and when they do, the price is just criminal. Any hope for these or is the matter dead?

2) The SA clone trooper is absolutely impossible to find at retail and the online market is just as out of this figure. What will be the future for it? With the 2nd season of the CW cartoon out in March, maybe these will re-ship. Or are fans like myself, who go hunting online and in stores multiple times a week just out of luck?

3) What are your thoughts, and please, in detail, on Hasbro's showing at Toy Fair now that the dust has cleared. I was shocked to see so much on display that we already have. I know there is a need to get some figures (SA Clone Trooper, Ree-Yees, Holo R2) into the hands of fans who actually want them but couldn't find them the first time for reasonable prices, but Hasbro seems to be taking advantage of fans by constant recarding. I would be personally ashamed to work for a company that touts so much repackaged stuff as new offerings. On top of this, the Fans Choice poll which has been a great way to get 1st time figures is now in on the game. Why should the line be expected to stay afloat when consumers are being taken advantage of? At least the RIAA and the MPAA have studios and labels that offer new tracks and bonus features in reissues of their products for home use. Sorry to rant, but how many times can Commtech/Ep4 Han get recarded-isn't enough, well, enough? -christopher kuniega

The final fate of the Cantina figures is unknown. EBay sellers are claiming the figures are cancelled, we've heard nothing from Hasbro, and nothing from a potential host retailer. With StarWarsShop.com coming online there's a glimmer of hope, but unless Hasbro put the figures back into production (word is only a partial run was on hand overseas) I fear there won't be enough to go around. Alternate routes for the figures could include Ultra, Screen Scenes, a TRU 4-pack but we've heard nothing on any of those fronts yet. While I'd like to see a little more articulation for my money, Kitik Keed'kak would get my vote for a carded figure alone… While I think hope is fading on the Wal-Mart packs as we originally saw them, there are certainly other things Hasbro could do with the figures and would not at all be surprised to see them surface again.

This is a pretty popular question, but unfortunately Hasbro has yet to address it. I imagine there could be cases somewhere in the system that could show up, but there's no guarantee of that. Wal-Mart and Target (in my area) both appear to have eliminated space for this line and cleared out whatever they had on hand. I see a lot of Anakin's and Yoda's at my local TRU's, and hear a few reports from KB, but seldom do I hear about the SA Clone Trooper. As nice a figure as it is I'd like to think we haven't seen the last of it, but until I hear or see otherwise it would appear that line has moved on.

I have to admit, after I got over the initial cool factor of the new packaging, I was pretty disappointed in what Hasbro choose to show us. As you and many others have said, there was just too much of what we already have. Even between the OTC line and the Vintage line, there are just too many repeated characters. The selections they made for the Vintage line make sense, but why repeat those same characters, from the same films in the OTC line? I mean if OTC #7 has to be a 'Han Solo' why not make it Han Bespin to go with the new Leia Bespin? Why do you have two Leia's from A New Hope? Two C-3PO's? Two ROTJ Boba Fett's, two ESB Artoo-Detoo's (three overall!), two Stormtroopers… Why two ESB Darth Vader's, and if there has to be two, why couldn't one of them be the cancelled CD-ROM Vader we've all been waiting for? It just seems like a complete waste, even if they are truly attempting to get (as they claim) older figures out to new fans there are far better choices than the ones they put on display.


3
A few questions for you:

a) Of 12 choices for the Kenner/Hasbro Vintage Commemorative line why oh why are there 2 Han Solo's & no Stormtroopers? How does this make any sense?

b) Will the Master Replicas Stormtrooper blaster have an orange plug shoved in the barrel or not?

c) When will the LEGO Millennium Falcon be showing up at retail? -Dan

Since Toy Fair Hasbro has corrected the information listed on the back of the sample 'vintage' cardback. The second Han Solo (Return of the Jedi) has been replaced with a Stormtrooper. No telling if this was originally intended or not (sample cards are just that, samples), or if this was done in response to collector feedback. The end result is the same - we're spared on more version of Han Solo this year… but only one.

Considering the litigious society we live in, the Stormtrooper blaster replica will almost certainly have an orange plug at the end of the barrel. Consumer safety is always prudent these days, especially in cases where the product could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.

As far as I know a release date has not been locked in yet. With these types of things though, and the DVD coming in the Fall, I'm guessing it will hit retail (if it goes there at all) late Summer/early Fall. Just because we've seen it before, I wouldn't be completely surprised to see this limited to LEGO Shop at Home, the individual LEGO stores, or as a retailer exclusive. Time will tell.


4
1. In the past to avoid paying an actor, companies have "altered" the faces slightly if that is what in fact the problem is. (Unless the actress' last names were Tonnika)

2. I don't know for sure if royalties would ever have to be paid to someone in make-up (even paint), the licensing is usually on the character likeness and I don't think these two "sisters" walk around like that all day, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill on the other hand have little choice in the matter. I would almost bet there would be a way around it if Hasbro wanted to do these two figures bad enough. Also to your discussion on re-doing already done figures, I am liking the Vintage look on these already done characters. Not only is the articulation a plus (though too much is always a bad thing), but the fresh look is welcome as well. I'd like to see them do some more, maybe 4-LOM or Zuckuss could be added as well as new figures such as Captain Needa, or Ewoks, or maybe an R5-D4 or E-3PO. And as far as anyone out there who thinks there are too many versions of C-3PO or R2-D2 on the market already...never! I think they should keep doing them until they get them right! Thanks for letting me rant, and keep up the great work over there! - Jon

I tried that one; the answer I got back was "if we alter the faces then it wouldn't be the" Tonnika" sisters…" Honestly, even if it isn't exact, I think use of their likeness (even remote) opens up a whole can of legal worms that Hasbro would rather avoid if at all possible. If they don't have written consent there's just too much of a potential problem there.

Typically no; royalties would not be paid for something like that, but in most cases if there's a chance an actor's likeness could be used, anyone onscreen will have signed a release as part of their contract. In this case, which was prior to the whole 'action figure' phenomenon, either the thought of figures based on these women never can up, or was dismissed considering their relative miniscule amount of screen time. Without their consent, if Hasbro were to use their likeness, they could have a case for demanding some financial compensation. As ridiculous as it sounds, that's the problem as it was described to me.

I like the look of the Vintage figures as well, the added articulation is a big plus and they appear more versatile for things like vehicles and such. As much as I like them though, I don't see Hasbro going to far into the character pool with this treatment. I can easily see where going the extra mile for main characters works financially, but if they were to treat every figure in this fashion I'm sure it would be quite costly. This could in fact be one of the reason we're seeing so many repackaged figure later this year; the money they are saving on them helps offset any additional costs incurred with the Vintage line… As such, as much as we'd all like to see them, I doubt we'll ever see background characters with the same level of articulation as this.

R2 & 3PO? I'd say Hasbro has done a bang up job on R2 - use the same mold all they want as long as they can continue to give us versions that make sense. 3PO on the other hand could use a little work, they haven't quite nailed him yet…


5
I have a couple of questions that have been driving me crazy. For a reason of which I no longer have any idea why, I bought my first Master Replica sabers without display cases. ( This includes ROTJ Luke and TPM Obi wan.) I know MR has said they are not going to produce these anymore, but I was wondering if this has changed. Also if it hasn't, are there any retailers you could suggest that I might purchase it from? Cost isn't the issue, since I have started displaying my sabers I realize how vital the display case is. My second question is about the 12" figures. Do you have any idea where I can get a hold of display stands for my 12" collection? They don't stand on their own all that well and I have the entire collection, so I would need a few.

Last we checked with Master Replicas, and that wasn't all that long ago, there was no change regarding availability of cases for their earlier sabers. Unfortunately I'm not aware of any on-line sites that currently have these cases for sale. I was in the same boat as you a few months back and the only place I could find mine was on eBay. Entertainment Earth sells some stands, but from what I recall they weren't exactly 'brand neutral.' A few readers have suggested the craft section at Wal-Mart for figure stands. Along those same lines any kind of craft or doll store should also have a selection to choose from.


6
Okay, we've got a few interesting things coming out and a lot of not so interesting rehashes (my bank account won't mind the break ;-). My question is: the OTC (by the way, that's taken by the pharmaceutical industry as "Over the Counter") is homage and promotion for the DVD release in September, so is there any word if we will still see some basic EI and EII figures during or shortly afterward as we head toward the EIII release? While I'm looking forward to the Classic 12 and some of the others and acknowledge that there are many Classic figures Hasbro should be doing, there are also still a lot to be done from the prequels that are being ignored for this, and it will be a rather dry spell if I'm only getting 18 figures over 6 months! -Matthew

"Over the Counter," when you say it that way I guess it just drives home the fact that we're all pretty much suffering from a Star Wars addiction… Interesting. Anyway, judging by a few of the rumor lists out there, we may see more Prequel era figure mixed in this year, but so far I don't recall any of them being officially confirmed. In fact, as I sit here I can't think of one Prequel figure that has been confirmed for '04. Most of what we've seen announced for this year has been Trilogy based, certainly of the first six waves (21 figures) none have come from the Prequels. After the DVD release is another story, I imagine we'll see some Prequel characters come back into the line, but at this point there have been no confirmed items. While it does seem rather odd that Hasbro would ignore their younger audience, those brought into the line by Episodes I and II, I guess it's not much of a surprise. From a collector's point of view, Trilogy toys have always been in higher demand than those based on the Prequels.


7
Do you suppose Hasbro will make some E1 figures that many people have been asking for? Believe it or not there are some really big E1 fans who'd love to see figures like the Royal Handmaiden, Ben Quadrineros, Wald, Swokes Swokes, Kittster and a Naboo pilot with orange overcoat. These are a few examples of some really interesting and NEW characters that deserve to be made. It's frustrating because in a recent poll the Handmaiden competed against Dadonna and Capt Antilles. It's awesome to get both of those figures made but I fear that Hasbro may get the wrong message. I understand the need for new Luke and Vader figures once a year but PLEASE! I'd love to see some new faces. If they made Handmaidens or really cool articulated pilots many like me would buy multiples of them. -Paul

I find this interesting, for all their talk of appealing to the new generation of fans, those whose first dose of Star Wars came with the Prequels, Hasbro spends a lot of time and resources on the classic Trilogy. I too, even as a classic era fan, have a long list of figures from Episodes I and II that I'd like to see covered, but each year they get passed over for some new version of Luke, Han, Chewie… I honestly don't know what it's going to take to get some of these figures made, as you mentioned, they rarely stand a chance when pitted against classic characters in the Fan Choice polls, and they become less of a likelihood the further we get from their source movies. One thing that could help would be Episode themed Fan Choice polls. That would at least level the playing field when it came to Prequel characters, but in the end it's going to be up to the fan to make some noise regarding these characters before anyone at Hasbro sits up and takes notice. Next ime you see them at a show, or send them an email, be sure to ask about 'em.


8
We've seen Hasbro make every possible figure (excuse the one of importance on the Imperial Officer side but one. The one man who actually accomplished his mission, who actually did what he was instructed to do without getting choked out, is the one that has never truly had his own figure: General Maximillion Veers. Yes, there was a generic ATAT Commander figure, but it looked nothing like Veers. This man deserves plastic goodness. What do you think? Can I get a witness? -Brian E. Santore

While I wouldn't go so far as to say they've made every possible figure, I will agree whole-heartedly that a General Veers figure is something the line is sorely lacking. Next to Tarkin he's one of the coolest officers the Empire has ever seen, and a figure modeled after him just has way too much potential for greatness. Removable armor, tiny holographic Vader… This is something Hasbro has got to do, in my opinion, and until they do the line will never be complete. Alas, there's been no mention a Veers figure yet, but I have to think he's on Hasbro's radar.


9
I have seen the photos on Rebelscum of the Republic AT-TE and Republic Gunship vehicle carrier. Have there been any more updates telling if Hasbro is going to put them out in toy stores soon? If so, would you know when? Also, what did those Chinese symbols mean on the box?

We followed up on this pretty soon after the images were posted; turns out they were customs and not something Hasbro has planned for release anytime soon. As for the text that went with the photos; we never got a translation, but I imagine it said these were custom toys.

10
Does anyone happen to know if/when the silver clone trooper is going to be released? I know it was supposed to be a TRU exclusive. I have a friend that works there in charge of the action figure department (for years) and he's seen neither hide nor hair of it, or heard a thing about it. I see them on eBay in small numbers but you never know where those come from. -Scott

According to the Hasbro site April 4th is the big day. We've heard a few rumblings lately; cases apparently are on their way to some stores with strict orders not to distribute until the advertised date. It's kind of an odd piece at this point; the sticker on the bubble clearly dates the figure as a 2003 edition… Oh well, better late than never I suppose.

11
I'm excited to see the new "Original Trilogy Collection" coming, since I only started collecting 'Star Wars' in 2002 when the first Saga line started with the release of "Attack of the Clones" and haven't had a chance to get all of the classic characters. I am confused a little... what's the actual difference between the "Basic" figures (C-3PO, Han Solo, X-Wing Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia, R2-D2, Stormtrooper, TIE Pilot, Cloud Car Pilot, Lobot, Dagobah Luke Skywalker, Bespin Princess Leia, Dagobah R2-D2, Spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Bob Fett, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, Wicket, Scout Trooper) and the "Vintage Style" figures (Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, C-3PO, Lando Calrissian, Yoda, Boba Fett, Chewbacca, R2-D2, Stormtrooper)? They all look the same to me. -Telly

The Basic figures will be packaged on vintage 'style' cards with the large Saga bubble, featuring similar graphics and a scenic type display. While we'll see some new sculpts, most of these figures will be re-releases from years past. The Vintage figures will be all new sculpts, featuring added articulation, and carded in the small 'coffin' bubbles used in the '70's and '80's on what's essentially a reproduction of the original vintage cardbacks. They won't be exact reproductions; the back of the cards is quite different, but from the front they will look as they did in the days of old. The vintage figures will also come package in a special clamshell case for added protection. While they may look the same at first glance, the differences should be quite easy to spot once they're put side by side.

12
I'm an avid reader of this column and have heard similar questions asked before, but due to my frustration I'm forced to ask yet again- what is up with distribution of the new 3 3/4" waves? I live in So Cal and out of the all the new product, very little has shown up. What I find unusual is that, unlike last year, there is little or no product on the shelf, and by little, I literally mean three figures (aside from the cartoon figs at Target.) I usually don't go out every morning, but due to the available space, I have hit a Wal Mat, two Targets and a TRU every morning this month (February) and found a total of five cases this entire time. Two were the Hoth wave, Two were the rehash Boba Fett wave and one Lando skiff wave, all of which sold quickly. What's even more frustrating is that my local TRU has had about six figures on the pegs (three Lott Dodd, three Imperial Dignitary #1) and have only gotten the two Hoth wave cases mentioned above. My friends, who hit different stores here in the San Fernando Valley, are finding the same general lack of product. What do you think could explain this lack of product? The usual "there's too many peg warmers" doesn't apply. And what about TRU? If they are advertising a sale, are they not obligated to supply product to support it? There's several cases out there to be had, the Yavin wave, the Jabba's palace wave, the hall of fame assortment and the new ultra figures. Where are they? -Anthony

Yep, New Year - same old story. There are however a number of things that could explain it. One is the recent holiday overseas, where (if I'm not mistaken) everything pretty much shuts down for a month. If the product shipped out prior to the holiday there's a good chance we'll see it in stores, if not there could be a bit of a wait. Considering the month off and transit time to cross the Pacific, there would naturally be a lag at retail. The second factor, and one that originates more at home, depending on your area many of the stores just completes their annual inventory. In fact several Wal-Marts in So. Cal. just conducted there's on the 11th. As it stands to reason that cases are easier to count than loose toys, I'm sure some figures were conveniently held in the stockroom until after the count. While I didn't see anything new for Star Wars at my local store on the morning of the 12th, there were about a dozen employees in the toy department busily re-stocking the shelves. In stark contrast, I heard from one friend in Vegas that said the Wal-Marts there each filled their pegs with new figures on the 11th, only to be completely sold out again on the 12th… So between hiccups in the flow of product to retail, ravenous fans, collectors, and (unfortunately) dealers, the distribution woes just keep rolling on. Not toworry though, as Hasbro always reminds us, "they're in the system and should be at your local retailer soon."

13
I was wondering which version of the Tie fighter will the OTC "vintage" release be, POTF2 '95 version or KB exclusive new rear version? -Winston

Hard to say from the images taken at Toy Fair, I didn't notice anyone that had a good shot of the TIE from the back. My guess is that it will be the version from last year, the KB exclusive. I can't possibly imagine Hasbro taking that big a step backwards (unless they were including electronics - which they don't appear to be) when they have that more accurate version handy. I'm sure that's the slight modification Hasbro recently referred to in their Republic News update.

14
I am really excited about the effort Hasbro has made with all of the original trilogy figures recently, everything from a new Ewok to an opportunity for fans to select previously limited production figures. I have my fingers crossed for the Imperial Scanning Crew, though I hope they use the new AT-ST driver body-sculpt in the TRU 4-pack, instead of the old buff (fat) one from the POTF Falcon Case. My question is this: will Hasbro be creating a new version of the Sandcrawler, or will it be the out-of-scale version that was originally released? Also, will the included droid figure be a repaint of the Death Star Droid, or another figure altogether (I would like to see the small black droid with a dome)? Is the Jawa an exclusive, or will they be using one from say the Ronto Beast Pack? -Blackleader

The jury is still out on the Sandcrawler; so far no one has been able to come up with a definite answer on that one. Last summer Hasbro indicated it would most likely use the existing tools (circa 1978), but since then box dimensions have been leaked that don't quite match that particular size (which in and of itself doesn't mean a lot). For now we just sit and wait, eventually though that question will be answered - pre-orders are already being taken overseas. As for the figures; considering this item will come out of the Hasbro Direct branch, odds are they will be existing figures re-painted for this set. Rarely does Hasbro Direct offer a genuinely new figure - and certainly not in the case of a vehicle pack in. From the prototype images that have been leaked, I'm expecting a re-painted Death Star Droid, and one of the existing Jawa sculpts; in this case though both are probably more than acceptable. However, I'm sure the will be a few disappointed collectors if the RA droid is not vac-metalized… We'll see.

As for other droid possibilities, we'll probably have to wait for Hasbro proper to get around to them. I'm pulling for a WED-15 myself… Considering the recent release of the R1-G4, there are only four notable droids from the Sandcrawler left; R5-D4, RA-7, LIN-V8K, and WED-15. Sure would be nice to complete that scene.

15
I might have missed this, but exactly how big is the Master Replicas AT-AT? Bigger than the action figure scaled toy? I need to go into debt for this one, so I want to make sure it's worth it. I was a little disappointed with the Code 3 Falcon at a fraction of the AT-AT's price. -Chris

You haven't missed anything, as far as I know the actual size/height of the AT-AT hasn't been divulged yet. Judging by the photos I've seen so far, the model looks larger than the Hasbro version, but still not quite action figure scale. We have a little something planned for some time in the next few days; hopefully we'll have more definite information for you then… stay tuned.

Hold the fort, we'll have a little more info on this piece soon, but I just got a confirmed height of 18½" to 19". The Hasbro version measures the same oddly enough… go figure.

16
A question and a rant. Does the Red Leader X-wing come with two Red Leader Action Figures? That may sound like a stupid question, but photos that have surfaced so far (included) show a pilot in a packaging bubble and a pilot in the cockpit in the same package.

I really can't wait to get this one. A great X-wing with the great Red Leader. I mean, the new pose, the facial likeness, the removable helmet...oh wait, that's not Red Leader. I can't believe that we're getting such a crappy Red Leader action figure. I mean come on, gone are the days of pilots with their helmets crammed onto their heads. And to top it off they give him the prissy Luke pilot body!

Now don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no problem with kit bashing for new figures. But if you're going to kit bash, do it with good figures. To do a proper Red Leader they should have used the Wedge Antilles body, Endor Soldier's head (non-beard version), with his helmet paint job. How hard could that be?

I mean, we all just got such a great rebel pilot figure in Gold Leader. I'm sitting here looking at him right now and thinking how cool this figure is. It's great. Then they go and screw the pooch with Red Leader, a more important character in my opinion. Look, if they were going to do such a crap-tacular job on the pilot, they should have just done his red R5 Unit and called it even. Cause now I'm gonna have to paint up one of my Star Tours R5-D2's to be Red Leaders Astromech.

Other than that, Hasbro has been doing a great job with the line the last few months. An overall thumbs up. -Joseph

The question: From the images we've seen so far the figure is displayed in tray, and the cockpit of the toy has a picture of the figure tucked inside. They did pretty much the same thing with a picture of a droid in the Astromech slot too. It may seem odd not to just put the figure in the cockpit, but I'm sure there's a very good reason for them having done it they way they did.

The rant: You know, when I first heard about this figure I was really excited. Hasbro was doing some really nice work, everything looked great - lots of detail… I figured this would be something special for us old-time fans. Then we heard about Gold Leader, I figured okay, they're gonna use the same body for both, two different head sculpts, they were doing that sort of thing now and in this case it made a lot of sense… I was really pulling for an Astromech pack-in too, but oh well… Then I heard the figure would come as a pack-in with an X-Wing, and that it would be an exclusive… It was at about that time I began to worry - Hasbro Direct had never really been known to go the extra mile, but there was still the Gold Leader figure so maybe there was hope yet. Once images finally hit the net, it was all too clear; Hasbro had had an opportunity to do something really nice for their fans and they let it slip away. For what they're giving us I would've rather they include a plain old repainted Astromech with the X-Wing, and released Red Leader as a running change to the Gold Leader figure. Who knows, maybe that was the plan originally, maybe TRU balked at having a vehicle on their self without a pilot, maybe Hasbro just never realized how much we would have appreciated a nicely done Red Leader figure…

17
A friend of mine swears he saw a pic of a 12" Bespin Leia doll I have not seen the Lee's he says it was in nor did he purchase it so anyway if you could shed a little light on it please if you know anything thanx chris

Funny you should mention it… We were sharing this link around the water cooler the other day to a new page at the Star Wars Collector's Archive that features this very figure. Great looking piece, shame it was never produced, but maybe Hasbro will give it a crack…

18
I was wondering why the DeAgostini Star Wars Fact Files are impossible to get in the US. I had a subscription a couple years ago and received the first 6 issues along with the mouse pad and t-shirt premiums, and then nothing. I tried emailing them quite a few times and received no reply. What can a collector do to get the remaining issues? -Johnee D'Shea

It's my understanding their license does not include U.S. distribution. I've managed to work out a trading relationship with someone overseas to get my copies of the files, but I have not heard of them being directly available to fans in the States, yet. I wouldn't be surprised to see these offered at StarWarsShop.com, but there hasn't been any official word on that up or down at this point. As for obtaining the issues in addition to what you have, I suppose you could try eBay, or simply wait until they do become available in the country; whenever that may be.

19
Do you have any idea what the numbers on the Exclusive Clone Pilot Mini Busts are for the LA Wizard World Convention? Any idea what the limit per person will be? -Dan

I haven't heard any specific information about what will be offered at the show or how they will be distributed; even Gentle Giant is unaware of the details. What I do know is that the bust is limited to 2,500 pieces, and will also be made available through Tomy Direct in Japan, and Attakus in France. Whether Tomy and Attakus will get what's left over from the LA show, or a predetermined number of busts is anyone's guess at this point. Hopefully, at the very least, anyone attending the show will at least be able to get one for his or her collection. I can't imagine Gentle Giant setting themselves up for another mess like the one they got into with the Blue Clone Trooper, but I suppose anything is possible.

Latest word (no surprise here really) Gentle Giant claims they have no knowledge of how Wizards will handle the exclusive, and Wizards insists distribution of the bust is in Gentle Giants hands… I guess we won't really know for sure until Friday. I'll be there and will be sure to let everyone know as soon as I can.

20
Do you know if we might see a Hermi Odle figure in the future? Has there been any rumors from Hasbro about this figure?

Considering it seems to be a fan favorite, there's a reasonably good chance we might see this figure made eventually, but so far pretty much all we've heard are rumors (though none of them have come from Hasbro). Keep your fingers crossed!


Until next time...



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