Questions for April 28, 2004
Q&A Archive

Blame it on a slow week at the office, but I'm glad to be able to catch up on a few more of your questions. Thanks to all that wrote in for this update, and to everyone else, whose questions I'll get to next time!

On with the show:

1
I have found lately that I have been looking for more information such as detailed pictures of accessories, paperwork, inserts as well as descriptions for vintage ships, play sets and the 12-inch line and it seems like this would be the place, but alas nothing but the basic figures. So my question is if there were going to be any updates to the vintage line within the photo archive? -Erik A. Pedersen

Our Vintage Archive project is on going and should resume later this year. I don't know what the exact schedule will be, but if there's something you are dying to see added to the site, by all means email Dave and let him know. I'm confident by the time everything is said and done; all those toys and more will be included.


2
I have a strange favor to ask of you. I'm scheduled to get my tattoo in a couple of weeks and I want to get an imperial symbol on my arm. The problem is I can't find a good picture of it to bring with me. Do you know where I could find a good, fairly large picture of it or could you possibly email me a pic that you might have? I just don't want to have to bring in my Tie Fighter Pilots and have the guy squinting at their helmets as his template for my tattoo. Muchos gracious! -Ryan the Hutt

Well you would think something like this would be all over the Official site, but most images seem to be integrated into the backgrounds. We do have an image of an unlicensed decal in our Jedi Archives. The Imperial Army Logo Vinyl Decal by g3pograhics is about the best I can do. Short of that feel free to use the graphic I whipped up for my old page at Galaxy's Most Wanted. Good luck, and enjoy the pain!


3
Long time listener, first time caller; I'm sitting here in my room and I noticed that with the 12" line of figures, Luke Skywalker looks like Mark Hamill, Han Solo looks like Harrison Ford, but Princess Leia looks nothing like Carrie Fischer. She resembles a Barbie! What gives? Did Hasbro not think Carrie's likeness would transfer well? Did Carrie not give permission for likeness? Or is this just a bad sculpting job? Its actually kinda weird, but I just never noticed this before.

I'm not aware of any restriction that would prevent Hasbro from producing a Leia doll with a more accurate likeness, I think it's just harder than it seems it should be. Let's face it, even some of the Real Scan stuff they did for Episode II didn't turn out so well. Looking at the shear number of Luke and Han figures in the 12-inch line, it stands to reason that Hasbro should have nailed their likeness by now; they've had plenty of practice. On the other hand when it comes to the relatively few Leia figures they've produced, you can maybe understand better why they just haven't gotten it right yet…


4
Would you happen to know the name of the recently released ultra Ewok Warrior? Was he one of the Ewoks that helped Chewie take over the AT-ST? -Zig

I dug through the old Decipher Archives, but I couldn't come up with a name for this fuzzy fellow. I do however know that his coloring is not the same as either of the two Ewoks that assisted Chewbacca in the AT-ST raid, so I would have to say he's definitely not one of them. For now his name is a mystery, but there's always a chance it could come up once Wizard's gets around to their Endor campaign.


5
The Official SW site listed all the material for the bonus DVD a few days ago. The thing I noticed was that there wasn't a listing for Deleted Scenes. This is one of my favorite features on any DVD I purchase. I know there are scenes missing and have seen a few myself. I think a lot of fans will be upset if these are not included. Have you heard any info on this? -Tony K.

I haven't heard anything specific regarding deleted scenes, but there's always the chance they may be included on the individual disks with their respective films. It's hard to say for sure until there's more info available, but it looks like that will be our best chance for now.


6
What's the story with the Red Unleashed Clone Trooper variant? I was intrigued by the brief story you ran about it, but many questions went unanswered. Are they a particular store exclusive or are they randomly packaged in regular cases? Are they available now or are they coming later in the year? What's the availability? And are there other colors as well (like green, blue and yellow)? -Joe Schrage

Unfortunately we still know very little about this item. Hasbro has made no official announcement about it, and the Official site gives us little more than the picture. For the time being I have to think this is merely a running change for the character that will likely ship in a later assortment, but it could just as easily wind up an exclusive - we just don't know. So far the red variant is the only one pictured, while more colors are clearly an option, nothing has indicated they will, or will not, be made. For now we wait…


7
Hey I am wondering what is the next wave to be released after the Endor wave? Will it be the OTC stuff? -Dan

Yep, according to what's been listed at many of the on-line shops, basic figure wave 7 (the OTC Dagobah theme assortment) is set to follow the Endor wave and should be released in June. That was quick, huh?


8
I'm a huge Amidala fan and have been recently looking for the FAO exclusive set that was released in 1999/2000. However I've read in some postings and messages that there were problems with these dolls. Do you know what the main complaints were about? I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on a doll that collectors were not happy with.

The only problem that we are aware of has to do with the hairstyle on the figure. Apparently, either in the production process, or in shipping, they were all messed up. According to Philip, Robert Tonner redid the hair on all the dolls upon request. I'm not aware that they are still honoring those requests, but if the doll you're considering has already been 're-done' you should be fine.


9
I was taking part in America's spring weekend past time, yardsaling, when I came across a COX Remote Controlled Landspeeder. I have looked around online, and have failed to find any information on the item. I was wondering if you may know anything about it, or where I could find any info. -Mark

Based on the information posted here, the COX/Estes Landspeeder was available in late '98/early '99 and sold for $70 (possibly the clearance price). Other than that I really don't know what to tell you. Hopefully if anyone out there in collectorland has additional info, they will pass it along.

10
In regards to the Sandcrawler, I've been hearing quite a few confusing info on whose stores will it be an exclusive from. Some say it's a Target exclusive, some say it's an online specialty stores' item. I just need to know if you can help get some definite facts because I've looked at different sites and none can confirm the marketing status of this item. -Mel

Right about now I think everyone would appreciate some definite facts about the Sandcrawler; unfortunately they are extremely hard to come by. According to the latest Insider (#75), it was set to be a Target exclusive. Now however, it's looking like that deal has fallen through and the vehicle is sort of up for grabs. We've gotten wind that someone is trying to gather enough wholesale orders to qualify for the minimum quantity requirement, but who knows if they'll be able to pull it off. Minimum quantities tend to be rather high for smaller operations to handle, and unless there's clear demand for an item it's often a risky (and pricey) proposition. From what we understand the deadline is fast approaching, and Hasbro has informed us they plan to make some kind of statement soon. Hopefully we'll get a clearer picture by the end of the week, but at this point the odds do not look good.

*Well, Hasbro made their announcement and we now know Target did drop the Sandcrawler. As I mentioned, Hasbro is shopping it around and hopefully someone will pick it up, but until someone does it looks like this toy is a no-go for 2004. However, if a deal cannot be struck this year, I'm sure Hasbro will try again in 2005.

11
I've been wondering which is harder to find, the red arc trooper or the blue arc trooper? I have the red one and I read that that was the variant but I've only seen the red ones and not the blue and I'm a little confused

Considering the red ARC Trooper only shipped in one assortment (compared to the blue ARC Trooper's two), for most the more difficult to track down was the red version. I personally, have never seen the red trooper on the shelf, and only managed to get one from a friend in Vegas. While your case may be the exception, I think for most collectors the red trooper was much harder to find.

12
Just a silly question; will the upcoming trilogy Millennium Falcon have a spot to plug in the table that came with the POTJ Dejarik Challenge Chewbacca?

According to the version that was shown at Toy Fair, the ship will have the same spot for the Dejarik table as the Vintage and POTF II versions had. As we know, the table from the POTJ figure fits that spot, so you should be able to use it in the new Falcon as well.

13
I have 2 questions regarding the Saga Han Solo Endor Strike AT-ST figure. I won an early-unreleased Hasbro carded sample a while ago on Ebay. Then I got another one when it was finally released here in the U.S. After comparing both figures I saw they were not exactly the same. They had different color plastic for the head sculpts. The sample had dark brown hair and had very dark brown eyebrows the other one released here had light brown hair and very light brown or tan eyebrows. They're so light that it almost looks like he does not have eyebrows at all. And sample's head is not as thin as the one released here. My question is why is this so? Are the Endor Strike Han Solo's being made abroad in other markets just like my sample or they like the ones released here? And is there any way to get another carded sample like the one I already
have. -Davy

Two possibilities; either changes were made to the figure after your 'sample' was produced, or it's simply one of the many slight production variations that exist with all figures. Though they come off of a production line, variations in shading and paint application are quite common. Likewise, the molding process can produce a number of variations, including the one you described regarding the two figure's heads. If in fact Hasbro made some slight adjustment to the process after reviewing their samples, neither of these sound like major ones. If the head were completely different, or they went with a completely different color/process for the hair, you may have a real gem, but it doesn't sound like that from what you've described. As far as tracking down a version like the sample you purchased off eBay, the only suggestion I can give is to dig through as many of them as you can find at retail.

14
Second question, it's regarding Hasbro press releases where they announce new figures with preview sample photos. The figures sometimes look different than what is released eventually. There sometimes painted differently or have totally different head sculpts. The Lando Calrissian Jabba's Palace figure looked like it had a totally different head sculpt in the preview than what was released. My question is what is the term to describe these figures in the press releases? Testshots, hardcopys, prototype? Is there any way to get a hold of theses preview figures? If
so where should look to find them? -Davy

For the most part I think these are considered hand painted hardcopies. You can usually spot them right away by the paint detail, and the fact that the joints never seem to look like they fit well enough. These are basically models that Hasbro uses to fine tune what the figure will eventually look like when it comes off the line. Often times you'll notice where a few changes have been made here or there between this version and the final production version, though the changes could be for any number of reasons. As there are typically very few of these made, finding them for your collection is quite hard. Unless you happen to stumble across one of them on eBay, or know someone that has backdoor connections at either Hasbro or the factory in China, you'll pretty much have to settle for admiring them on-line.

15
I've been seeing some of the early reporting on the new Star Wars Trilogy DVD set coming in September. I have to say that I'm a little pissed. First both Episode 1 & 2 are 2 discs and the trilogy is only going to be one disc each. The fourth disc is supposed to have a new documentary on the trilogy and I want all the classic documentaries as well. Such as "The Making of Star Wars", "Special FX The Empire Strikes Back", "Classic Creatures Return of the Jedi", "From Star Wars to Jedi the Making of a Saga" and that documentary that was aired on Fox Network about the Special Editions hosted by that football player. How about all the classic trailers and the Lapti Nek video from Return of the Jedi. When the Indiana Jones Set was released they didn't include any of the classic documentaries on that set either. That also pissed me off. I remember Lucas saying he wanted to wait on the DVD release so he could use it for all that it could offer. It seems he should wait a little longer if this is all he is going to give us. I was wondering if anyone at Rebelscum had heard a rumor of Lucas re-releasing the whole saga once Episode 3 is ready for release. Maybe making the original trilogy set bigger? Has anyone else been saying that they are a little pissed also? Please email me back if you have time and tell me what you think. -Greg, another disgruntled fan!

You know, it's times like these that you have to feel just a little bit sorry for George. I mean the guy said he was going to wait to do the Trilogy DVD's after Episode III, and we (as a community) couldn't just accept that. Surveys, polls, petitions, the works rolled out to show him how wrong he was for wanting to hold off, and now... Not that I blame anyone for wanting more, but I'm forced to wonder how much of this content is still available, or in good enough condition to put on a DVD. Hard to say for sure though, we still don't know exactly what will be on the other three disks, but I suppose it would be impossible to get all this content on a four-disk set. As far as an "Ultimate Edition" DVD box set, I would think it's a no brainer. Just look at all the VHS sets that were released, you can't tell me this DVD outing is the one and only release the Star Wars Trilogy will ever see. I imagine too that whatever content fans cry out for the most will likely be picked up for the next release. Still, while there will always be rumors, we haven't heard anything about a larger DVD set anytime in the near future. For now we'll simply have to enjoy what we end up with this fall, and rejoice in the fact that there's still something more to look forward to.

16
1. Is the TIE Fighter Pilot that's packed in with the KB TIE Fighter, TIE Bomber, and TIE Interceptor the same figure?

2. I was under the impression that the Jawas that will be included with the upcoming Sandcrawler were to be exclusive figures? They look just like previous versions that we've already seen.

3. Is the Sandcrawler going to be a store exclusive?

4. I don't think that it's necessarily fair that Hasbro releases these convention exclusives (i.e. Toy Fair Vader). The majority of us aren't able to travel across the country to attend these conventions and those of us who weren't lucky enough to obtain one when it was released now have to pay HEAVILY if we ever decide to purchase one. Do you foresee Hasbro ever re-releasing the Toy Fair Vader? Perhaps on a different card and NOT some cheesy silver paint job like the new TRU Clone Trooper? -Rich

1. Yep, same figure.

2. If the set is released, the Jawas will most likely be based on previously released figures, with perhaps some slight deco changes. From a certain point of view, they'll be exclusive to the set, but not entirely new…

3. Right now it's hard to say. While it was lined up to be a Target exclusive, that seems to have fallen through. With any luck, hopefully one of Hasbro direct market customers will be able to pick it up. If not, it could be a while until we see it offered again, if at all.

4. No, I don't see them re-releasing the Toy Fair Vader, silver painted or otherwise. This was admittedly a touchy thing for them to do, but it's really no different than what many other toy companies do on a much more regular basis. The down side here is that for many Star Wars collectors there's a strong all or nothing attitude.

17
I've noticed that the Red Leader Pilot (Garven Dreis), that comes with the Red Leader X-Wing, has an incorrect helmet. In the film, the helmet is yellow, but the figure has a white helmet. It looks like they attempted to get the markings correct, but I'm perplexed about the simple coloring of the helmet. Why didn't they just paint the helmet yellow like it should be? -Aaron

Basically, the problem here is you have two entities within Hasbro working on the Star Wars line. On the one hand you have Hasbro proper (Jen, Andy, and now Jeff with their teams) that does there best to put out a nice set of figures and toys for fans and collectors. On the other hand you have the crew at Hasbro Direct (basically in charge of the 12-inch line, exclusives, and few other items) who seem to just not care. In most cases they'll cobble any old figure parts together to give us things like the Bespin Guard that came with the Carbon Freeze playset and be satisfied with that. It's something that has lead to a lot of frustration on both sides of the fence, but clearly nothing is being done to address the problem. Why Hasbro Direct couldn't get the helmet color right on the Red Leader figure is a complete mystery, but it probably has a lot to do with them not wanting to spend the time or money to do so. Our only hope for a decent version of this figure now is if Hasbro proper decides to make a running change to their Gold Leader figure. Hopefully this has already been considered.

18
I have a question regarding the vintage Luke Stormtrooper disguise. I believe I have this figure complete, loose, but complete however on closer inspection I noticed his blaster is a very dark blue color instead of black. After some intensive searching on the web I couldn't find a decent picture that shows the correct color. Could you help me out and tell me if it has to be black or dark blue? -Gerto Rijsdijk

According to this section of our Vintage Weapons Guide, the Luke Skywalker Stormtrooper figure came with a black blaster. The dark blue version came with a variety of other figures, there's a good chance yours just got swapped around.

19
Is the Boba Fett Slave 1 that is coming out around the DVD release the same mold as the AOTC version or is it based on the vintage one (like Shadows of the Empire)? -Darth Parker

According to the images in the latest Star Wars Insider magazine (#75), the OTC Slave I will be based on the Attack of the Clones (Saga) version. Pretty cool, for those that haven't seen the pics, it looks like Hasbro has added a few new features - pop out blasters and torpedo launchers (none functioning, unfortunately). Should be fun.

20
Any word on whether or not the Silver Sandtrooper will be offered at the Origins gaming convention Columbus in June? I know Paizo is listed as an exhibitor again and they offered the Silver Boba Fett there last year. -Semaj I.

So far the only show associated with the Silver Edition Sandtrooper is the San Diego Comic Con, July 22-25th. The original announcement at StarWars.com did mention some would be held over for 'future' events and StarWarsShop.com, but Origins was not mentioned. One thing to keep in mind is that Paizo/Fan Club does not appear to be offering this item; it will be available at the "Star Wars pavilion" which in my mind indicates Lucasfilm (or some subsidiary) will be distributing it.

*News Flash - as announced today, Paizo won't be offering this exclusive because Paizo no longer runs the Official Fan Club, imagine that. As hypothesized, Lucasfilm now has direct control over the Fan Club, as well as the Star Wars Insider. Yep, Lucasfilm is now the ultimate power in the universe…


Until next time...


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