Questions for September 7, 2004
Q&A Archive

Hard to believe summer is over; college football has begun, dropped my little girl off for her first day of first-grade this morning… My how time flies. Anyhow, it's finally time for another dose of Question Mark. Thanks to everyone who supplied a question for today's update, and to those who supplied questions for updates yet to be. With the DVD release looming, there are sure to be plenty of questions on upgrades and additions to the Classic Trilogy, with a little luck we should have a complete rundown on the DVD contents (and changes) shortly. Until then, keep those cards and letters comin'!

On with the show:

1
I have a star wars action fleet [collection] with all the old classics in very-good condition. I would like to know if you could tell me what they are worth. Is there a web site I can go to so that I can value them? -Andre

The best resource today to determine the current market value of almost any Star Wars collectible is eBay. Search under completed auctions under your item description, and you should get a rough idea of how much your Action Fleet items are worth. Where price guides and retail websites may vary, eBay can show you quickly what people are actually paying.


2
Do you think we could be seeing any Yuuzhan Vong/NJO figures in the future? A lot of people have mentioned KOTOR figures, but do you think the NJO stands a chance for being developed? -dave

The future is always in motion, I suppose anything is possible but I wouldn't count on it. Getting EU figures made has been a real struggle and unless Hasbro has a 'media' event to plan around (like Shadows and/or Clone Wars) they seem very hesitant to jump into that end of the pool. We'll see, things may change once we're beyond Episode III, but I imagine EU will still be seen as a risky proposition.


3
Are those new OTC figs of Yoda and Vader gonna have that sticker and will it be on the protecto pak or the cardback? -JB

-and-

The vintage carded figures of Vader and Yoda you posted form the OTC aren't going to have those big warning labels all over the front of them like in the pic are they?

Killing two birds with one stone: Yes, the warning stickers are on the VOTC package, but they are on the inside of the clamshell, not on the cardback itself.


4
Do you know if Hasbro is still making the Unleashed Leia I have not seen her. Obi-wan is the only Unleashed figure I have seen from that wave. Has the Unleashed Leia been Cancelled already?

Unleashed (Slave) Leia has not been cancelled; she's just a very hot toy right now - in more ways than one. I've seen pretty much the same thing you have, pegs filled with AOTC Obi-Wan, but I've also seen fresh cases and I know for sure Leia is packed with Obi-Wan, she just sells out before most people can get their hands on her. Keep searching though, you should be able to track her down eventually.


5
Which, if any, of the figure-and-cup-set figures are new and which are re-packs?

All of the figures released so far in the Cup and Figure sets are re-packs, as it appears are the 'possible' upcoming sets with Han Solo, Boba Fett, and Yoda. The closest thing to a 'new' figure would be the Luke Pilot, but it actually did ship previously with the Wal-Mart exclusive Saga Snowspeeder. While there was hope a new General Grievous figure would be released in this line for Target, it's not looking like that will happen anytime soon.


6
I was just wondering if you could tell me why Hasbro seems too allergic to making a decent figure of Mace Windu. From the AOTC and Clone Wars figures, none of the three are actually any good. One has a broken elbow and extreme facial expression, another had a huge plastic knob sticking out of his back, and the third has a miniature head and wacky armour, plus non-film robes. What I'm wondering is, are Hasbro planning on releasing a good, movie-correct Mace Windu without any action features? Also, on the same track, do you think Hasbro would consider figures like Windu, Vader, Luke, etc in the same vein as the Super-Articulated Clone Trooper? Finally, any word of Star Wars Micro Machines? -Adam

Well, Mace will be a prominent character in the next Episode so I guess anything is possible. While it looks like action features will return next year, the indication Hasbro gave at Comic Con is that they will include them where it makes sense, not just to have them. Hasbro also said they would go back to a two collection system, and that the second collection would feature more fan favorites but with out the drastic poses we saw with the Episode II line. We'll see, but I'd say the chances for a more 'normal' Mace Windu figure look good for '05.

Super articulation; we're actually seeing that now with the vintage line. The recent VOTC Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker are loaded with articulation. It's hard to say whether Hasbro plans to continue in that vein with Prequel characters like Windu, or additional versions of Luke, but I'm sure it's something they've considered. We'll see…

The word on Star Wars MicroMachines is a bit of a mystery at this point. I asked about these specifically in San Diego in light of the news we got from Australia. While Hasbro did say nothing would be released under the MicroMachine brand next year, they did say enough to lead me to believe something MicroMachine-like might be released overseas. The Micros have always preformed better in overseas markets and it appears Hasbro is at least considering making them available there. What does that mean for U.S. collectors? If Hasbro goes forward with that plan we could possible see them offered through specialty sites like Entertainment Earth or StarWarsShop.com. At this point it's too early to say for sure, but at least there appears to be a slight glimmer of hope left.


7
I just bought my first Unleashed figures, a repackaged Obi-Wan, and Leia. My question for you is, who painted the pictures for these new cardbacks? THEY ARE FANTASTIC! I would love to see more of this persons Star Wars work, can you direct me to a website? -Chris

Actually, yes; we posted a little bit about Draxhall Jump Entertainment back in July. While there's not a lot of Star Wars content, their galleries are filled with lots of cool stuff. Hopefully someone at LFL or Hasbro will recognize a good thing and start making this artwork available in other formats…


8
Where might I find a list of all Hasbro vehicles/playsets/etc. containing partial figures (i.e, an R2 droid dome, the cruisemissile trooper, etc.) rather than fully-built, removable figures? -Rich

While I'm not aware of anyone keeping a list specific to that particular criterion, I can't imagine it could take very long or be that difficult to come up with. To the best of my recollection, such a list would probably look pretty much like this:

X-wing Fighter: R2 Dome (any version; vintage through OTC)
Cruisemissle Trooper: CM Pilot
Power F/X X-wing: Luke Pilot and R2
Naboo Starfighter: R2 Dome
Y-wing Fighter: Droid Dome (POTJ and OTC)
Jedi Starfighter: Droid Dome (Saga and Clone Wars)
Anakin's Jedi Starfighter: Droid Dome

If anyone can think of any other partial figures, by all means pass them along…


9
I can't seem to find a list of identification numbers such as bar code numbers, assortment numbers, P/N numbers. If I had these I could begin to fill in the missing products of my collection. I have about 5000 pieces and the description alone isn't enough. The P/N will indicate 1st produced and variations after. Can you help? JW

While I don't think we actually have a printable list (yet), Dan and Anne do a pretty good job of tracking that info in our Photo Archives and Jedi Archives. Between the two you should be able to come up with the information you need, hopefully one day we'll be able to offer it in a user-friendlier format. Other than that, I'm not aware of any site or list that keeps track of such detailed info.

10
Is there any word on re-releasing the Count Dooku, Mace Windu, and Darth Vader with and without helmet Unleashed figures in the new artwork packaging? I don't know that these figures ever really made it to mass retail or that they were produced in mass numbers. If they did they didn't sit on the shelves for more than 2 seconds. -JediTronzo

Yes, from what I understand the Dooku, Mace, and the 'Empire' version of Vader will be re-released in the new Unleashed packaging. According to a few on-line retailers, we should see this wave some time between the Bossk and Aurra Sing waves. So far there's been no word whether Hasbro plans to re-release the Return of the Jedi version of Darth Vader (with alternate head) or not. However, in light of possible changes to the character for the DVD release, I imagine it's entirely possible Hasbro could make slight alterations to that figure if it were put out again.


Until next time...


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