Questions for April 5, 2004
Q&A Archive

1
I was wondering back to a few years ago when a Hasbro list mentioned some accessory packs that were to be sold. If memory serves me, they were supposed to be in the 12" scale. So do you remember what I'm talking about and what happened to them? -Randy, of Ask Randy (AFTimes)

I do remember them, not 100% sure if they were ever officially confirmed or not - don't think so - but they were in fact never released. Considering the way the 12" line appears to be heading, down the drain, I seriously doubt we'll see Hasbro drag these out anytime soon. With fewer and fewer store carrying the line accessory sets for the figures makes very little sense.


2
I was just wondering, with the release of the exclusive 'Jorg Sacul' figure - where did Hasbro get the Micro Machines X-wing from? Is this part of a new line they are gearing up for, or is it from old stock they had leftover from Galoob? If the latter, would could I go about trying to find out if there is any more old stock that Hasbro would sell? -Adam

Now that Galoob has been absorbed by Hasbro, I'm sure they just used the old tools and ran off a few more MM X-Wings for the exclusive figure. There's never been any indication Hasbro was planning to roll the MicroMachines line out again, but word has it there's a chance we could see its return in 2005. If indeed Hasbro did bring the MM line back, I imagine at this point they would include any/all of the previously produced vehicles along side newer ones from Episodes I, II, and III.


3
I keep hearing rumours on various Star Wars orientated websites that Hasbro are planning to finally release the TIE fighter with re-tooled scale wings. Is this true? -Shellatella Versace x.

At this point it does not appear to be true, more like wishful thinking on the part of some of those sites. With the OTC TIE Fighter release, and the Darth Vader TIE exclusive at TRU, I can't possibly see Hasbro putting a third Imperial fighter out there. Even as another exclusive it would be just way too many resources put on this one type of vehicle.


4
Hey Mark, just wondering if you knew anything about the future of the 12" scale MARMIT figures, or the 12" Star Wars figure series from HASBRO for that matter? Are these lines dead? I hope not.... G

While I haven't heard anything official, the Marmit line appears to be on indefinite hold at best, most likely cancelled all together. The last few things that were mentioned, Darth Vader and Royal Guard, never surfaced. As for Hasbro's 12" line; I see fewer and fewer signs of them at retail, and fewer and fewer figures made each year. I don't think Target has any shelf space for them anymore, nor does Wal-Mart, and Toys 'R' Us is still trying to unload figures from 2002. The ones that do make it to retail usually show up way past the date they were released from Hong Kong, sometimes months after the on-line guys first have them. I continue to see lots of old stock sitting on the shelf, and all of this together does not appear to be a good sign. So far we only know of six 12" figures planned for 2004, compared to roughly three new figures every quarter in the early years. Putting aside the fact that Hasbro seems stuck in a rut with this line, endless rehashes of the same characters, I'm forced to wonder who really cares anymore…


5
I think I am going crazy! I am looking for a figure which would either be in the Power of the Force or Power of the Jedi line. It was a Darth Vader body with a Luke Skywalker head. It was taken from the scene where Luke goes into the tree that is strong with the dark side of the force and he fails his test. When he cuts off Darth Vader's head- it reveals his own face. I thought the figure had a removable helmet? I have had several people tell me that I am dreaming and that is does not exist. Well, it if does exist I want it. If it was a dream, I think I need to go to Hasbro and go to work to give those people some new ideas! This would make a great 12" figure however I think the one I am looking for is 3.75. Does this figure exist? If so do you know who has one?

I am also looking for information on the Illusive Concepts Darth Vader bust. I know that they lost the license and stopped in the middle of production. How many were made and what was the original selling price?

I love Darth Vader as I am sure you can tell. I can't wait for EP III- better be some good figures!!!

I am on my way to my local Target to look for those glasses/figures!!! -Paula

It was no dream, the figure was released under the Power of the Jedi line as Darth Vader (Dagobah). Considering it was released back in 2000, you're not going to find it at retail these days. I would suggest checking out a few of our sponsors, or looking for a reasonably priced auction. A quick look at eBay tells me you can pretty much get one at or near its original SRP.

Had to do a little diggin' for info on the IC Vader bust, but it looks like of the original edition size of 9,500 pieces, fewer than 2,000 were actually made. Original asking price rang up to a steep $1,200 when they were released, but after the company closed and the remaining stock went to clearance, the busts could be found at one point for less than $200. A quick search on eBay didn't really turn up anything, but I imagine that would be as good a place to watch for one of these than anywhere.

Good luck with the cups!


6
Why is there still no figure for R5-D4 yet? Why is Hasbro so reluctant to remake this figure?

R5-D4 was given serious consideration at the tail end of the Power of the Jedi line; he nearly became a reality in early 2002. Hasbro made a switch somewhere along the line and decided to release a completely new droid (R4-M9) instead. Around the same time Disney had an R5 droid listed for their Star Tours line. While it was assumed this would finally be the R5-D4 figure Hasbro had intended to release previously, it turned out to be the slightly different R5-D2… Why Hasbro is reluctant to put this figure out there is anyone's guess. The figure has been in demand ever since the atrocious Power of the Force 2: R5-D4 scud launcher was released. It's possible Hasbro has been holding back to release it with or around the time the Jawa Sancrawler was released, but it's equally possible Hasbro considers it a less than exciting figure that probably wouldn't inspire much enthusiasm in the market place.


7
Is there anyway I can get a job at Hasbro....seems these marketing GURUS are worthless!

Last time I checked Hasbro was not hiring based on collector/fan experience alone (as helpful as that would seem to be), you'd probably have to go back to school and get a degree in marketing and or design.


8
My complaint is simple (well, not quite), what's up with all the re-releases of all these ALREADY released (like 15 times) characters like Leia, Han, Luke, Chewy, and C-3P0!!!! There are two groups, the new collectors and the old experienced ones. Hasbro says they're trying to re-release older figures for the new generation of kids and collectors, and I say why not make new sculpts of these figures like that new "vintage" line, that way they please all of us. The "hall of fame" line was a big mistake, its almost as bad as making Palpatine Supreme Chancellor. All I'm saying is there are so many figures that I could think of that haven't already been made or re-sculpted for the recent line. For example (here are just a few)- Ree-Yees, the skiff master, Chief Chirpa, emperor's royal guard, Grand Moff Tarkin, Captain Needa, Ugnaughts, a decent Stormtrooper, Tusken raider Ep.IV, a detailed Gammorean Guard, and an emperor with real cloth, teeth showing with anger, and a smaller hood! Instead of re-releases of R2-D2!!!! OH YEAH!! Let's keep buying R2-D2s and build an army so we can rule the universe!!! (*heavy breathing*) Sorry I haven't been brief but I think we all have to stop this madness and tell Hasbro, "Hey, we already have these, can you please start making some new figures worth going all the way to the store for." With the few great waves like "Jabba's Palace" and "Hoth wave" that came out with in the beginning of the year, I thought it was going to be good; now, I have a bad feeling about this! -- Adam S.

What's up is pretty simple, Hasbro wants these characters to be available to anyone that a) is new to Star Wars toys, or b) missed them the first time around. They are there more for new customers (whether they came in with Episode II, or the Classic Trilogy DVD release) not their long time fans/customers who have been in for the long haul. For us, we basically get the Bespin and Dagobah waves, plus the Vintage line. Why some of these characters are repeated between the basic and a vintage line is also simple, they want each character available at the lowest price point. Does it make sense to someone that's been around since 1995 - probably not, but marketing-wise, with the release of the Trilogy DVD's, it is a safe plan. Would it make more sense, considering the vintage line, to offer all new characters in the basic line - sure, but it would also cost more money to develop those figures. Toy sales what they are, whether we like it or not, this plan just works better for Hasbro.

The best way to tell Hasbro to stop the madness is to simply not buy the toys. As that, in some ways, runs counter to what it means to be a collector (a completist anyway), I wonder how many of us can actually hold to that plan of 'non-action.' The new card design is pretty spiffy, something we've been asking for for a long time now, but is the card design alone enough to buy into this rehash mania? Maybe if it were a few figures at a time the pill would be easier to swallow, but looking at the basic figure line for the later portion of the year I see too few figures to get excited about, and frankly the thought of slapping down cash for a bunch of figures I already own turns my stomach. I don't know, I guess we'll see how it goes - there could be hope yet, but I would have thought Hasbro would make a better show of it at Toy Fair if there was.


9
Going through my old Action Fleet collection I found a TIE Pilot with a removable helmet. I seem to remember reading somewhere long ago that this was supposed to be Mr. Lucas underneath the helm. Which vehicle did he come with? Is he a variant, and is he worth anything. - Tom

Pretty sure this was one of the two pilots that came with the TIE Interceptor. At that scale it's hard to get a good likeness, but the figure was intended to resemble Mr. Lucas. As far as I know the figure came with all the TIE Interceptors within a certain period of time (like a year or so), but was later changed out for the normal TIE pilot when the vehicle shipped to refresh stock in later waves. Considering how many sets the figure shipped in it was a fairly easy to find; I certainly wouldn't consider it a variation, and I wouldn't think it would be worth more than any other AF mini-figure.

10
With the next 10 episodes of the animated series unveiling at the end of March, do you think there's any chance we could see an additional wave of animated figures. Since Amidala, 3PO and R2 play a bigger part in the coming episodes, it would be great to see their animated figures along with a General Grievous figure. -Todd Hartsell

While there are persistent rumors, nothing has been announced yet. As close as we are to the final chapters, I would have expected (if there were in fact more figures coming) to have heard something by now. At the very least, we should have seen prototypes or samples offered up on eBay. Even though, I suppose anything is possible.

11
What's the future for the Saga line? Is it going to be replaced by the Original Trilogy Collection or we'll see some prequel waves on Saga packaging? By the way... are we going to see some carded prequel figures this year, or only on the Jedi Council sets? -Francisco Mastache, Mexico City

From what we've seen so far, the "Saga" line is pretty much over once the OTC line starts to ship. With the DVD release, everything is pretty much geared towards the Original Trilogy Collection, and we've had no news on any of the Prequel figures rumored since the beginning of the year. Not to worry though, I'm sure once we get closer to 2005, we'll see lots of Prequel items popping up, including the Episode III sneak peek figures. At that time we'll likely see another packaging change and a return to a Saga type focus. As I mentioned, we've heard and seen nothing that includes Prequel characters in the Basic figure line, the only items that have been announced are a few random exclusives like the Jedi Council sets.

12
Is it me, or Pote Snitkin's Force pike looks very similar to R5-D4's "loved" missile? -Francisco Mastache, Mexico City

I'm confident Pote's weapon was based the R5 missile. Hasbro does a lot of that type of thing when it comes to accessories.

13
For the always popular Tonnika Sisters topic: Do you think these characters could be replaced on the upcoming Ep IV DVD by other extras wearing the same costume, but with a signed agreement to use their likenesses? I think it could be a good solution -Francisco Mastache, Mexico City

Sounds like too much work just to be able to make a couple action figures… Probably not.

14
It's still a little early to say, but... What would you like to see as a sneak preview for Episode III from Hasbro? I think a Grievous figure would be very cool -Francisco Mastache, Mexico City

Based on what we saw in the last preview set, I'd say Grievous is a very safe bet. We'll most likely also see a new Clone Trooper, maybe a random Jedi, and a Droid - if Hasbro follows the same pattern. In any case, we'll probably know more fairly soon - something tells me this wave is closer than we may think.

15
I recently bought a Saga Jedi Starfighter. Right now I have no shelf space to display it so it will be boxed for a while. Would you recommend me to apply the labels now, or the glue will still be good later? -Francisco Mastache, Mexico City

The decals may last longer if they're kept on the sheet, but we're talking some serious long time before you should be worried about the glue drying out. Either way it's totally up to your preference.

16
The POTF2 Jawa/Gonk Droid. I just got them and the Gonk droid refuses to stand up. He has a "walking" button which moves his legs back and forth but his legs are askew when the button is not pushed. Did I get a defect, or is this figure not meant to stand on its own (no pun intended)? -Arnie

Nope, it's not a defect, they're all like that. I solved the problem with one of the clear rubber bands Hasbro uses to secure figure in the package; it's not pretty but it works.

17
I've read the upcoming Original Trilogy collection of 16 figures are "Classic styled figures with added articulation." In what way is the style similar to the figures of the late 70's and early 80's? Honestly I think the first 2 waves of POTF2 could be called "classic styled figures with added muscles" in that every expression was blank and there were 5 points of articulation. I'm just not seeing a real connection between these upcoming figures and classic figures. -Arnie

The term "classic style" refers more to the packaging than the figure itself. In each case, all 12 figures will feature package art recreated from the original Kenner line, and will be sealed to the cardback in a vintage style 'coffin' bubble. The figures, though based on characters found in that line, are totally new and of a style very much their own.

18
You just answered a question regarding display stands from Master Replicas but I have a similar, yet different, problem. I bought the ROTJ Luke saber from MR in '02 and did not receive a plaque stand. Since it was my first MR saber I didn't know it was supposed to come with one. I then got several others, all with stands, so I wrote to MR and they refuse to help me get ANY stand for it. I could live with it not being exactly the right stand for the Luke ROTJ saber so long as it's not grossly over or under-sized. Any idea where I might be able to find one? -Arnie

Wow, you might have some luck at your local craft store, they'll probably have something that will work. Even if it's just a piece of plastic to hold up the plaque, a strip of two-sided tape is about all you'll need to secure it. Your next option would be to search out a local company that work with plastic, and see if they can replicate the piece for you. It's not a complicated part so I would imagine they could do it relatively cheap. It's a shame MR didn't have one of these lying around, but I can understand where they wouldn't necessarily stock separate items like this. Good luck.

19
My question is very similar to question #4 in Question Mark 115. I too am trying to find all of the reprinted carded figures that came out at the end of 2003 and 2004 with the gold bar on the front left of the package. The list you provided is very helpful, but could you also provide me the names of the "handful of figures from years prior" -the group with Jango Fett. I would really appreciate it since I can't find this information anywhere and I am running out of places to look.

Here one other question I have: Is there a website that will break down case SKU's with the figures inside the case? (so I could look for certain cases at TRU, for example)

Sure thing:

03/20 Jango Fett (Kamino Escape)
03/21 C-3PO (Tatooine Ambush)
03/25 Darth Maul (Theed Hangar Duel)
03/26 Princess Leia (Imperial Captive)
03/27 Han Solo (Flight to Alderaan)
03/31 Luke Skywalker (Tatooine Encounter)
03/32 Darth Vader (Death Star Clash)

I've yet to find a site that keeps track of this information on an ongoing basis, considering the shear volume of cases assortment that have gone out in the last nine years, not to mention all the refresh cases, I doubt anyone will ever be able to.

20
Why, just why would Hasbro ever release a new figure and make it one per case? Case in point; the new Tanus Spijek. Oh, don't get me wrong, all the dealers and scalper seem to have them, my local comic book shop for sure, at 3 times the original price. But a lowly collector like myself, whom only wants 1 for their personal collection and not monetary gain, can't find any. It's bad enough that we can't always find new stuff when it comes out, but SHORT PACK IT ON TOP OF ALL ELSE !!!? I don't get it and I can only wonder how they can arrive at the decision to do this. Who makes the call? -a lowly collector

Yeah, it's fairly frustrating to see this when everyone these days knows the situation it creates. The explanation for it has to do with what's called ramp-up. It's a production term that addresses the time it takes to change over to the new pattern and how many units can be produced and packaged before the next wave ships. If you want to stay true to your ship dates, and most companies do, you have a limited amount of production time between each date. In that time you can only produce so many figures, and assuming you want to produce more for future shipments, you crank out a few more after that. In the case of Tanus, Hasbro probably ran the quantity they felt they needed for J'Quille, then made the changes they needed to make for the new figure, and started running that. Because the time between the change and the next ship date was shorter than usual, Hasbro only had time to produce enough figures to pack Tanus one per case. Usually more units will be made for future shipments, and in the end the same number of figures are produced for each (J'Quille and Tanus), they just can't produce them all within a time frame needed to pack each two per case. Yada yada yada; that's all well and good, but it does insight panic buying, and that is never good for collectors. In the end though (barring any unforeseen distribution problems…) there should be more than enough Tanus Spijek figures to go around, and everyone that wants one will be able to find it.

Until next time...


Got Questions?