Questions for March 18, 2004
Q&A Archive


It’s late - I’m tired, but hey; that’s forty questions this week… Thanks to all that wrote in, I’ve got plenty of questions for next week already, but don’t worry, I can always take more!


On with the show:

1
I'm a big fan of the Unleashed line. Please tell me why they would consider doing a Tusken Raider or Aayla Secura before they would do Qui-Gon Jinn or Lando (with Jabba disguise, helmet and Vibro-axe). Bossk is a cool idea though

I’m sure Hasbro is looking at a long term plan when it comes to the Unleashed line. In order to maintain that they’re going to have to spread the main characters out a bit in order to continue giving fans something to look forward to. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see side characters thrown in from time to time, just to keep things interesting. I’m sure Qui-Gon and Lando are on the ‘list,’ but maybe they didn’t necessarily jump to mind for this wave. Considering we’re now five years out from Episode I, I could easily see where Aayla Secura came to mind before Qui-Gon. As for the Tusken Raider and Lando, both are Trilogy characters, but maybe the Tusken turned out to be the more interesting of the two… There may not be a rhyme or reason to their selection, but as long as the figures look cool, does it really matter?


2
Like most of us, I had a sizeable Star Wars collection as a kid. However, my Mom threw it all in the . . (Well, you know the drill). I got back into collecting full time shortly after Episode I. Since that time I have built-up a large Prequel collection as well as a solid Saga collection. This has left precious little time (or money) to add to my Vintage collection. After the hot and heavy months to come (June - Sept) I should have a small window to dedicate more resources to my Vintage collection. My question is, do you think that all of the DVD/Episode III excitement will drive up prices for vintage items? My second question is, do you think that the Episode III packaging will sport the "Retro" look of the OTC line in an effort to further bridge the gap between the two trilogies? -Anthony

Any kind of added awareness usually translates to price increases on vintage toys. You gotta figure more people will be looking at them and thus prices tend to go up. The new “vintage” figures alone will likely get more people looking at the “true vintage” figures, and the new movie will likely attract new fans too. Honestly if you are looking to get into vintage figures, I’d suggest waiting until some of the hype (and prices) dies down.

No telling what Hasbro will do with Episode III packaging. My guess is there will definitely be a change, though they very well may use some of the elements from the OTC design. Time will tell…


3
We have all more or less seen, heard or participated and possibly bought the eventual fan choice poll figures. But is there any chance of Hasbro taking notice of a Fan choice Vehicles poll? There are a lot of vehicles out there I know I and several friends of mine would like to see, Like the AT-TE and Carrier gunship (they were cool customs by the way) and others from the likes of the Clone Wars cartoon IG droid or Obi Wan on speeder bike (all though not as big still I’d class it as a vehicle) or the Republic Starfighters. or even the royal yacht from E2 I know the Royal cruiser is probably just a dream but they did release the royal starship in the E1 line maybe even a few different pod racers like Gasganos and Ody Mandrells or Teemto Pagallies (the figures of them were released why not the pods? Any ways I could go on and on with a list of unseen vehicles so ill stop there. Again any chance of Hasbro taking notice of a fan choice vehicle poll? -Grim

While it has been brought up before, it never seems to be something Hasbro appears overly excited about doing. It’s always a possibility, but when you look at cost alone compared to a figure, and the fact that vehicles never sell as well as action figures, I don’t see where Hasbro could really justify it. Would be nice to give us fans a chance to select a vehicle, but I don’t see it ever happening.


4
What about the drawing of the (Tonnika) sisters in the Star Wars Essential Guide to Characters? Can’t that be used as a reference for the figures and have the drawing on the front of the packing? -Håvard

As I understand it, nope.


5
I was wondering did the 'Brown Coat' version of the Han Solo (HOTH RESCUE) figure ever get released yet? If so, when was it roughly released and would you happen to know what case they were in? -Taka

Yes, it was released at the end of last year – some recently showed up again not too long ago, Target, I think – and no, sorry, I don’t have the exact case number.


6
I have an idea that Hasbro could use instead of the fan choice poll. Instead of asking us what one figure we want for the next year, why not have a poll asking us what four figures we want from each movie (Four for each movie)? That way they would know what we want and they would still be able to throw in any major characters that they wanted.

When you look at other toy lines, I think we’re pretty lucky as it is that Hasbro allows us to choose one figure (well actually one figure from a list they choose…) let alone twelve. Hasbro has their reasons for selecting figures the way they do; I don’t imagine they will ever allow fans to choose what would amount to half a year’s line up, but at the rate of roughly two Fan Choice polls a year at least we get a little say.


7
I've seen in many sites nowadays the banner for the AFA (Action Figure Authority). Who are they and what qualifies them to grade toys the way they do? -Van-Troi Perozo

Honestly, and this is my opinion alone, they’re just a bunch of guys that figured out a new way to weasel more money out of Star Wars collectors. They developed a standardized rating system by which they grade the condition of a carded figure. Basically you pay them money to grade your figure, so that you can turn around and justify trying to selling it for more money. In theory I suppose it’s a service best applied to the on-line trading and selling of figures, instances where you can’t physically hold the item you’re buying and inspect it first hand. In reality it does nothing to address the long term condition of a figure and once graded there’s no telling how long that grade will hold up. There are too many variables that can effect the condition of a figure, card, and bubble; many of which we have very little control over. We’ve all seen cases where the bubbles on figures released just a few years ago have already begun to show signs of yellowing. If you are looking to purchase an AFA graded figure, you should definitely take into consideration when it was graded. If it’s been two years or more, you may want to consider asking the seller to have it graded again before plunking down your hard earned cash for what was at one time a highly graded figure.


8
Well with the release of the first two Star Wars saga glasses and figures (sorta, they still haven't shown at our Targets), I can't help but wonder if Hasbro plans on releasing an Episode III glass, either soon, or down the line to complete the set. I think it'd be a really neat "Sneak Peek" figure option personally. -John

I would be shocked if this was not part of the “plan” when it comes to the cup and figure sets. It’s such a slam dunk, that Hasbro would be crazy not to wrap this series up with an Episode III edition. Who the figure could turn out to be is anyone’s guess, but with all the attention on a certain general these day, I suppose he stands as good a chance as any.


9
I’m a little concerned; I’ve collected every classic trilogy figure on their original cardback from 95' onwards. Now Hasbro are going back and re-releasing some of these harder to find figures on the new OTC packaging. My question is which figures are re-releases from the past and which ones are completely new figures (cos they’re the only ones I’m interested in)? –scott leighton

Based on what we saw at Toy Fair, the only new figures we’ve seen so far for the OTC line are Luke Dagobah, Spirit Obi-Wan, Yoda, R2 Dagobah, Leia Bespin, Lobot, and Cloud Car Pilot. There appears to be a smattering of figures from the first part of this year that will be re-carded on OTC, but the rest will be from previous years.

10
I'm really hoping that you can help me identify an item from the E1 onslaught. I haven’t seen it in stores for a few years but I remember seeing it a few times here and there. I believe that it was a Micro Machines product that was in the shape of an MTT troop transport. It folded out and inside there was a Naboo battlefield with micro vehicles and kaadus and droids etc. I believe that there were also gungan energy shields that you could put figures under. I have checked several different resources and all of the transforming playset lists do not list it. Do you remember this item or do you know what it’s called. I'd really like to own one but I've got no clue where to look or what to call it. -Paul

I sure do, we have it pictured in our Galoob section, under Transforming Action Sets. Apperantly it’s classified as a Mega-Deluxe Platform Action Set, the name on the box is Trade Federation MTT/Naboo Battlefield. Not something you’re likely to find at retail these days, but there are two of them currently listed on eBay.

11
Have you heard anything about when starwarsshop.com will be reopening? I had saved an entire paycheck for when it opened and spent the entire thing only to have my order cancelled! Please tell me you have heard something :(

I wish I had, but nope, not a word. I asked the other day when they called to confirm my shipping address to send out the Revenge patches, but they had no idea, not even a time frame, for when the site would be back up again. According to the noticed posted at the site they do promise fair warning about the sites return, but that’s the most I’ve heard. Keep watching the news though; I’m sure we’ll get wind of it sooner or later.

12
I have been wondering if we are ever going to see the return of the Action Fleet series. I was so taken back when they announced they were canceling the line AGAIN, I understand their concerns about the sales of them at retail outlets. Why couldn't they make them exclusives? I would love to see the Fan Choice series include this line. Do you foresee the possibility of us seeing the return of the Clone Trooper pilot? I know that the Gunship is going to be in Ep. III so why shouldn't we see the pilot come back? This would be a great Hall of Fame fig, and as long as they are repackaging and re-releasing figs how about bringing back Dash Rendar or Prince Xizor? How about a repackaged AT-AT for the Trilogy line? That would be a great time to include the General Veers fig that we have been asking for, and the one playset that I believe would send fellow fans into a drooling mess would be a retooled version of the original Death Star playset. Include some electronics and a resculpted Tarkin and you have an easy sell. I think the OTC line is a great idea, and I look forward to see what all they have planned for release from the other movies. -Daryl Beck

Last we heard from Hasbro on the Action Fleet line is that it was a consideration for 2005. No plans have been announced and as far as we know the line could go either way. The problem stemmed from the fact that Hasbro could not get a enough commitments on the line to meet minimum quantity requirements, and turning the line exclusive still wouldn’t help to reach that mark. Were Hasbro to bring the line back a Fan Choice poll might be possible, but until then I don’t see one happening. There has been a rumor of vehicle cup set similar to the sets Target is now offering; these could include Action Fleet vehicles but I’d wait for more info before I got too excited. Vehicle/Cup sets would be a great way to revisit the line, and bring back some hard to find AF vehicles though…

I don’t see any other way for Hasbro to bring the Clone Pilot figure back other than the Hall of Fame assortment. The rest of the line is wall to wall Trilogy figures, the only way it would make sense this year is as an HOF re-pack. 2005 five may be a different story, Episode III leaves the door open to seeing these troopers again, and I would assume anything is possible. However, we’ve already seen where the standard Clone Trooper will look different, the same may also hold true for the pilots.

There were so many Dash Rendar and Prince Xizor figures lining the pegs after the Shadows campaign that I can hardly see where re-releasing them makes good sense. Now I wouldn’t mind seeing them resculpted, and update to today’s level of detail, but I’m sure I’d be in the minority on that one. They just weren’t very good figures, and very popular characters, the chances of a come back have to be slim to none.

OTC AT-AT sounds like a great idea. It was a great toy in the ‘80’s, surprisingly improved in the ‘90’s, and with the DVD release stands out in my mind as a real crowd pleaser. Can Hasbro justify the cost, would retail buy in? These are the question Hasbro has to face before we’d even stand a chance of seeing it again.

OTC Death Star Playset; Again, can Hasbro justify the cost, would retail buy in? The track record on playsets has been poor. Something the size of the DS no matter the cost, would take up lots of shelf space. Would retail dedicate that space to such a large item with a questionable track record when they could put two or three other items in its place? Probably not.

13
I have a question...have u noticed or anyone else that the Jan Dodonna figure does not match the actual character? His jacket in the name photo has the Rebel general logo on his chest, and the jacket top is brown...the figure fails to display this...also, Captain Antilles is wearing what looks to be the Jacket for Jan Dodonna. however looks to be missing in the captain Antilles photo insert...I am curious if this is a mix-up somewhere along the lines because both were ties for fan choice...Interesting I think...any input?

After close inspection, it turns out that while the figure doesn’t match the image depicted on the card, it is still correct. Dadonna is clearly seen wearing the smock during both the rebel briefing and the end ceremony (in fact you can clearly see where he’s wearing the smock over the jacket in those final scenes). During the battle of Yavin, when they are all huddled around the big scanner thingy-ma-bopper, Dodonna is only wearing the jacket, and it’s from those scenes that the image for the package was taken. Considering the figure comes with the three medals, I suppose you could say it’s actually a Rebel Ceremony Dodonna, but that’s getting a bit picky, isn’t it?

On Antilles, while the image Hasbro used on the package doesn’t do a very good job of showing it, the figure’s jacket is the way it should be. Interestingly enough however, the colors of his shirt and trousers have been swapped. No telling if Hasbro will ever correct this, or why they didn’t catch it before production, but I suppose that’s the way it goes sometimes…

14
Now that Hasbro has released a Capt. Antilles figure, are there any plans to release a Darth Vader figure that can hold him up and choke him?

A few friends have told me the Bespin Duel Vader does a pretty good job of holding Antilles neck, but from what I could tell from the recent images in Lee’s Toy Review of the OTC Vintage Vader, that figure will fit the bill much better. You’ll probably have to use a stand, but the shape of the left hand should grasp Antilles neck perfectly.

15
Not necessarily a toy question but is it just me, or does General Grevious's head/helmet look a lot like the "bounty hunter logo" that Boba Fett wears on his shoulder? - Ray

Yeah, if you tilt your head a little to the left and squint just a bit… While it may be reminiscent of the skull emblem, I doubt it’s directly related. I guess we’ll know for sure in about thirteen months or so.

16
I was wondering if you could tell me if their is going to be any kind of Star Wars convention in Atlanta that you know of this year. I've wanted to go to one but I haven't heard anything. -Chris Bergquist

I haven’t heard of one, there may be a local Sci-Fi convention with a few SW related quests, but nothing organized around Star Wars specifically. If we hear of anything we’ll be sure to put in the front page news.

17
You may have already addressed these questions before, but please understand that I've been out of the loop for about a year, now. So to keep things simple, I'll ask these two questions in a way that only requires a short reply for each.

Firstly, what happened with those Target accessory packs that were supposed to come out last year? The Yavin Hangar with Rebel Technician, Jabba’s Palace with Gamorrean Guard, Gungan Defense with Gungan Warrior, Endor Celebration with C-3PO, Death Star Station with Imperial Gunner, and Droid Factory with CZ-1? Were those cancelled, or merely delayed?

Secondly, can I throw away the bajillions of old (1995 - 2000 Non-Jedi Master Points) proofs-of-purchase I've saved for years, or might they still be useful? -Beedo Sookcool

I don’t think we ever got an ‘official’ answer, but word is Target passed on them and they were cancelled/never produced.

Yes, you can throw them away, and yes they might be useful. There’s no telling what kind of offer Hasbro could come up with, but unless you’ve stopped buying new figures and toys I don’t see how you could ever have a hard time coming up with the necessary POPs to qualify for it. Depending on what it is, how many points are required, and how many you want those old POPs could come in handy.

18
Would you please give me links for any web sites containing adult related star wars pics. Like female fans who are dressed as Star Wars characters (or undressed). I knew you guys would be the place that would have the information. -Annonomous

Why would you think we’d know that? Sorry, I doubt anyone here would know where to point you. Well, maybe Dave might...

19
Do you think we'll see a Clone Starfighter toy for Episode III?

Have there been any rumblings from LEGO about what else they have planned for this year? I still would love to see a TIE Interceptor.

How is the decision made to decide what SW toys to make and what not to make? I realize you can't please everybody but it seems that HASBRO misses a lot of opportunities to make money. For example the SA Clone Trooper appeared and vanished leaving a lot of army builders forking cash to the secondary market. The Clone Wars cartoons seemed to light a fire in many anti EU fans but there was very limited product to get (this would have been the perfect place for the Clone Starfighter). And most disturbingly HASBRO doesn't support its video games with action figures. I think KOTOR figs would have done EXTREMELY well and the upcoming Clone Trooper game SCREAMS for action figures. Do you foresee a time when SW games can get the figs they deserve?

A Clone Starfighter as seen in the Clone Wars carton, maybe – but not likely.

No word from LEGO aside from what we’ve already seen images of. LEGO usually puts everything out early, with maybe a couple exceptions (like the new Falcon) and rides it through October/November. We’ll probably see the beginnings of their 2005 line up near the holidays though, with Episode III sets the following April.

The bulk of what gets produced is judged by what has the broadest appeal. Within that Hasbro has some room to throw in a few fan favorites, but the majority has to be proven and easily identifiable – and when I say ‘identifiable’ I mean to collectors, kids, and parents. While there’s no doubt Hasbro is missing out on sales to collectors with some things they end up passing on, it’s questionable if they would have any chance at getting sales with the same items from kids and parents… Hasbro has said it before and they clearly believe they cannot have a successful line that is geared solely to collectors. Expanded Universe via books, comics, games, and now cartoons are a hard sell, even within the collecting community, why take the risk with them? I don’t know what the deal is with the SA Clone Trooper; I fully expected to see many more of those at retail, and I know plenty of people looking for them or wanting more. At this point there just doesn’t seem to be a way to get them back out there.

The problem with figures based on games goes back to the length of time it takes Hasbro to generate a toy. I doubt they’d want to base a line of figures on a game without knowing if it’s a hit or not. Unfortunately, once they realize they have a hit on their hands it takes nine months to a year to put out figures. Who’s gonna care about figures from a game that came out a year ago – some people sure, but probably not many. It all comes down to taking the risk and timing everything to hit all at once, and from my talks with them Hasbro there’s just too many unknown factors there to deal with.

20
What's up with the cockpit of the new Red Leader's X-Wing Fighter? There's a figure attached to the box in a window, but what is in the cockpit? A cutout? And a cheap paper insert for the R2 unit? What gives? -Chris

Yep, a cardboard cutout so kids will know where the figure is supposed to go…Ya know, it must have been easier/cheaper to do it that way than come up with something that would keep the figure displayed well in the cockpit. It is all about presentation after all. As for the droid, I don’t know why Hasbro Direct couldn’t have just added a couple more bucks to the price point and tossed in a red R5 to complete the set, but that’s just me. Hopefully, via one of those TRU 4-packs maybe, Hasbro will come up with a set – say like a Rebel Hanger set – that includes the droid and maybe the Rebel Technician and accessories that were originally intended for the Target Deluxe Accessory sets…


Until next time...



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