Questions for April 26, 2004
Q&A Archive

My apologies for the long delay between posts, work has been hell. As always, thanks to everyone that submitted a question for this update, and to those that continue to send questions despite my irregular schedule. I'm already laying out a new batch of questions for the next edition, with any luck I'll have it posted before the week is up.

On with the show:

1
Why, oh why the inconsistency? Today, I got hold of the Yavin wave and I found that Hasbro has done it again. I look at Dutch and see the same figure proportion as figures from 1995 and the movie-released figures (the ones marketed to the kids). Yet I look at Dodonna, Antillies and my two Imp. Dignitaries and I see smaller heads, shrunk(en) bodies and bad and limited posing. These look poor and uncomplimentary when I try to put them together in a diorama. Are we unworthy of a uniform standard and why is it that the "collector's characters" are scaled down compared to the rest of the figs?

My second point is on weaponry. The guns that Dutch and Dodonna carry are the same as the death Star Trooper in the movies. Do you think, just to add variety, that Hasbro will make a properly scaled version of that gun? It seems to be the only gun that hasn't been produced. -Dave

This appears to be an issue gaining a lot of attention in collector's circles, but I've yet to see Hasbro address it. I know there have been times when Hasbro has 'scaled back' on one figure in order to do more with another, but I'm not seeing the correlation in these recent waves. Another possible explanation can be found in the fact that there are several people working on the line at the same time. Could be a simple matter of one sculptor working differently than another. Apparently the discrepancy between these figures is not something Hasbro is overly concerned with at this point, and until fans make a big enough stink about it, we'll just have to keep taking what they dish out.

If you are talking about a properly scaled version for your action figures, Hasbro did enlarge this accessory for the Gold Leader, Capt. Antillies, and Dodonna figures. The previous version came with the Tantive IV Defender figure, and was noticeably smaller. If you were talking about a role-play version, I wouldn't hold my breath. When it comes to role-play, Hasbro hasn't been known for going too far with this line. At this point I would think producing a Rebel Trooper blaster is too much to hope for. The nice thing is if you can afford it, Master Replicas plans to have one out this year.


2
My questions involves the new Ultra Figures Jabba the Hutt & his Court Denizens. I just bought them both & am displaying them with my other figures. I noticed, however, that their scale seemed to be all over the place. The "monk" is bigger than Jabba & bubo is 2/3 the size of a Gamorrean Guard! My question: are any of these Ultra figures to scale or not? I don't remember Jabba being this small or the others so large. -J-man

Honestly, it doesn't look like Hasbro is paying much attention to scale these days, at least not like they used to. While it's hard to compare some of these figures to their movie counterparts, it does look like the B'Omar Monk is in scale. Maybe because Jabba was based on the 'Glob' version he seams to look smaller than he should be, but Hasbro obviously took full advantage of using the existing mold rather than create something that would be a better fit. As for Bubo, he does look larger than he should, but without an abundance of photo reference I'm sure it's difficult to get the scale exactly right.


3
So, which Darth Vader figure is the best one to display strangling Captain Antilles? - Joe Johnson

A lot of people like the Bespin Duel Vader for this purpose, judging by what I saw in one of the recent trade magazines, I think the Vintage OTC Vader will be ideal.


4
I know this subject matter has been gone over before but.. well.. I am going to ask again. I know the chances for official KOTOR figures are null and void (unless they do something for the sequel..who knows?), but I am sure that there are people out there who have made their own versions of the figures. If possible could you point me in the direction of a site where they do that? Thanks in advance, and remember to always collect for the fun of collecting. -Jordan

The best places to look for KOTOR customs would be at FFURG or The Custom Alliance. You should also check out the Customs section of our forum.


5
I noticed from looking at 2 boxed Garindan's that I see at my Wheaton Maryland TRU that there was a variations of him. In the middle of Garindan's head there is a little gadget that I noticed was painted gold on one Garindan, but not on the other.....I found that interesting. Has anyone else mentioned this? -Jason

Nobody has mentioned it so far, and judging by what I've seen on the shelf at a few of the TRU's in my area, I'd assume the unpainted version you saw was simply an error.


6
Perhaps I'm just delirious or maybe I had a dream about this, but for some reason I seem to recall that a new Hoth Probe Droid figure was released or is going to be released that improved upon the 1996 POTF Deluxe figure and looked much more authentic and detailed. Do you have any info about this? -Dave

Sorry, there may have been a rumor floating around, but I haven't noticed an official confirmation on this yet. Sounds like a good choice to me, one with a little more detail and few articulated appendages would be welcome, but no news so far.


7
Just bought the new-ish Jango Fett: KaminoConfrontation figure. While I was examining the figure, I noticed that the helmet was too pliable to be molded to the head. Upon further investigation, I figured out that beneath the formerly removable helmet was an unpainted Jango head. I removed the helmet with little struggle, and low-and-behold, I was correct. I have attached a pic of my discovery. This might not be new news for some, but it has been difficult to find these figures in my area. My questions are thus: 1) Is this a cost-cutting ploy of Hasbro's? 2) Did the original Saga release feature a removable helmet and painted head? -Adam-Wan Kenobi

No cost cutting measure here; this Ultra version is exactly the same as the original version from last year. Same glued on helmet, same unpainted head. Hope that helps


8
Do you know if the upcoming Star Wars trilogy in September will be released in anamorphic - enhanced for 16 X 9 TVs?

I think we can count on it being anamorphic, and it will be wider than 16 x 9 as well.


9
Now that the original trilogy line is being done, what are the chances on now seeing a re-release of the "Death Star Playset" so many people ask you about?

If Hasbro were going to put this in wide release, I would think they would have shown it at Toy Fair. Though it wasn't in their Toy Fair display, that doesn't rule out the chance they may have it at one of the big shows this summer. While it could conceivably be a retail exclusive that we simply haven't caught wind of yet, I find it hard to believe something this big could have gone completely unnoticed. I suppose anything is possible, but without any kind of substantial rumbling to back it up, I don't see much of a chance that it will be released this year.

10
From what I understand most of the Toys R Us Multi Pack figures from the Imperial Forces, Hoth, Bounty Hunter, and Jedi Knight sets are re-paints or re-hashes of some type. Can you list what the original release for each of these figures was? -Jason

I can definitely list them, and if you need a visual reference, be sure to swing by the Multipack section of our Saga Archives. We've got all the figures from these sets linked to their predecessors.

Imperial Forces:
Darth Vader - based on the POTJ Vader (Emperor's Wrath)
Stormtrooper - based on the POTJ Sandtrooper
AT-ST Driver - based on POTJ Imp. Officer, with POTJ Rebel Trooper head
R4-I9 - based on POTJ R4-M9

Bounty Hunters:
Boba Fett - based on 300th figure version.
Aurra Sing - based on the POTJ sculpt
IG-88 - based on the POTJ version
Bossk - based on the POTF2 sculpt

The Battle of Hoth:
Luke - based on the POTF2 Beast Pack version
Leia - based on the POTJ sculpt with elements from the POTF2 version
Chewbacca - based on Chewbacca (Cloud City Capture)
R3-A2 - based on the Sneak Peek R3-T7

Jedi Knights:
Obi-Wan - based on the Coruscant Chase Obi-Wan
Plo Koon - the Arena Battle version
Saesee Tiin - from the POTJ release
Fi-Ek Sirch - based on the Saga Nikto Jedi figure.

Hope that helps!

11
First off I have been out of the game for a long time now....the last one I bought was the Jedi Luke Jabba's Palace, and that was just one out of the entire lot....the one I was really looking forward to was the Throne Room Duel. I bought 3, and let's not say I was disappointed with it, I liked it...but, it lacked. I was expecting so much more. All I really want to know is what happened to Luke Skywalker: Throne Room Duel, as well as the rest of the Throne Room line. They were average figures, but they didn't meet up to standards and expectations. What do we have to do to make Hasbro see there really royally messing up, and when do you estimate well get a new Luke DS II? I know not for prob. another 10 years, but I'm just wondering. -Tom

It's funny you should mention this… The Throne Room Duel Luke came at the tail end of what's pretty much known as the 'Action Feature' period. When Episode II rolled around Hasbro really wanted to do something different, something that would make the figures stand out above the run of the mill toy, they wanted the figures to do things. Magnets in their hands, action levers for quick draw and lightsaber slashing action, it all sounded good up front, but in practice it turned out to be a nightmare. In many cases the features rendered the figures impractical for other uses, and collectors in general despised them. Because that version of Luke was already well into the production process Hasbro released it, but also followed up with the more practical Jabba's Palace Luke. Now that Hasbro has moved away from action features in favor of a higher level of detail and articulation we can only hope they plan to cover the Death Star II version of Luke eventually. Having just released two (three if you count the hologram version) of Luke in his Return of the Jedi duds, I have a hard time seeing them roll out another anytime in the near future. Maybe, when they get around to it, they could kill two birds with one stone and release a nicely done Endor Luke with removable poncho and helmet. Either way, it may not be soon, but I doubt it will take another ten years.

12
I am updating my individual inventory and want lists and was curious about the figures that got re-released on gold border cards from the previous years (outside of 03). You mentioned them in Questions 115.

Also, I was curious, I didn't believe that Luke (Throne Room Duel), Darth (TRD) and the Snowtrooper were released outside of the gold cards...am I mistaken, or is it just a packaging number change? -Sean

Let's see:

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

Nope, you're not mistaken, for some reason the SKU numbers changed on all three figures, but the packaging style remained the same.

13
Jabba' palace 4-pack: Do you know what figures comprise, or are rumored to comprise, this set?

Sure, the figures are the Skiff Guards Cinema Scene Klaatu, Barada, Nikto, and a kit bashed Han Solo. The set has just stared to ship from overseas dealers; it should be at Toys 'R' Us here in the States soon. And, as soon as I find the time, we should be adding this to our archives.

14
Are there any more Clone Wars tie-in figures to be released? I would have thought with the second series approaching we might get treated to some. I know Hasbro says that EU toys don't sell well but in the CW tie-in it would be great if some figs like A'Sharred Hett, Quinlan Vos, another Aurra Sing (with lightsabres?) maybe a Gen. Grievous or even clones from Republic commando (the games set just 1month after AOTC!). -mark turnbull

Zero word on anymore Clone Wars figures, animated or otherwise. Though there may be plenty to draw from; Hasbro seems to have closed this chapter in their toy line and geared them selves up for the big DVD release. I have little doubt we'll see a General Grievous figure before the year is up, but it will technically be an Episode III sneak peek figure and not directly tied into the Clone Wars. As for the rest of the figures you mentioned, I'm sorry to say I wouldn't hold out much hope.

15
A (TRU) pack of Sand people would be excellent as you can't have enough. It could include the Ep1 Sniper, Ep2 Camp Ambush, w/ massif & Mother and child, the 95 Tusken Raider and a tent? It would be a great tie-in for the DVD OT release! -mark turnbull

Not a bad idea, when it comes to Tusken Raiders the more the merrier, but for some reason it doesn't feel like it offers up enough variety. Along those same lines, this would be a great way to re-release the Shmi figure, a couple Tuskens (take your pick), and the Anakin (Tusken Ambush) figure. Might be a bit too gruesome for the kiddies, but I image they could even 'battle damage' Shmi a little to fit the Episode II scene. I really like the thought of the Tusken hut, though if it were in the TRU multipack format, I doubt it would be as big as it should. Well, who knows, as ideas go it's not half bad.

16
Why doesn't the UK official mag include Holonet news or any CW stories, I would have to pay £5 for the US insider on import & get the UK version. -mark turnbull

While they may share some of the same content, I imagine it's because each magazine is published by a separate company. My advice to you, if you'd like to see these features included, is to get a hold of some one on the staff at the UK publisher/distributor.

17
Will the beast & figure POTF collections get re-released? (Maybe in the hall of fame)? I would love a stormtrooper & dewback or tusken raider & bantha. -mark turnbull

No word on any re-issues of the old beast assortment. If Hasbro was thinking about it, it sure would be nice to see them offer up the old beasts with a couple sound effects each, like the Episode II Reek and Nexu… Hey, I can dream.

18
Has anyone seen a picture of Daniel Logan as the young Boba Fett (in Boba's suit!) for a convention? It's pretty recent and he looks like he could be a young Boba! It looks great!!! -mark turnbull

I personally have not seen it, but it sure sounds cool. If a picture comes our way I'll be sure to post it in the news.

19
Is GWL making adjustments to the OT to tie it in with the prequels and if so will these feature in Septembers release or in an ultimate edition? Because I don't want to have to buy it twice (I already have it on VHS). -mark turnbull

There's been a lot of speculation about this, but so far very little concrete evidence pointing to any adjustments. With his track record, I would not be surprised to find out Lucas has, or intends to tinker with his "abandoned" films, but for right now we're all just going to have to wait and see what gets released in the fall.

20
Is there actually going to be an Ep1 SE?

As far as I know there are no plans for an Episode I Special Edition. Any talk that has made the rounds is mere speculation at this point.


Until next time...


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