Questions for November 15, 2004
Q&A Archive

Moving right along, twenty more questions and twenty more answers. Thanks to everyone that took the time to write. I’m hoping to get a few more updates posted before taking a break for turkey day, so by all means keep them coming!

On with the show:

1
Regarding the silver TRU Vader, what are my retail options? Is this fig going to be sold for $10, or is there an upcoming promotion where he is free with a $20 purchase? -Eric Shepard

Technically I think it was only supposed to be free with purchase ($20+), but not every store followed that rule. I heard in some cases where stores were selling them individually for $9.99, and I see that it’s listed on Amazon.com for the same price. It’s still free with a $20+ purchase, but ordering on-line never guarantees what condition it will arrive in. My advice would be to check with your local stores and see how they plan to handle it, or are handling it as the official release date was October 31st (or so I was told at my store…).


2
I want to find where I can buy Darth Maul’s prop replica lightsaber? -Julian Wall

At this point I’d say your best bet is eBay, the saber has been sold out for some time now. You may also do well by checking with some of our sponsors, many offer Master Replicas items. Failing there you could always poke around in our Props forum. It may not be as easy as buying one off the shelf, but with a little work and a lot of patience you should be able to track one down.


3
Do you [know] a UK website where I can buy old back issues of one-shots and trade paperbacks, particularly Boba Fett: Agent of Doom and Death, Lies and Treachery? Do you know when and what film the new ROTS trailer will be attached to? Do you know when the OTC is coming to the UK. All I've seen is the Dagobah wave, but I really want the General Lando repack. Do my eyes deceive me or is that a clone trooper on the front of an Empire #27 comic? I don't read Empire (I'm waiting for some £/$ to collect the trade paperbacks) so do you know when it is set? i.e. pre ANH? I think the newest Republic issue is great talkin’ about Commander Cody and other ROTS stuff (and Anakin's new hair)

A website, not really... If I were you I’d try eBay or ask around at some of your local comic book shops. The Revenge of the Sith teaser was attached to the Pixar movie The Incredibles here in the U.S. on November 5th, and according to our man on the Isle, with Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason starting the same weekend. According to the press release, it sounds like Empire #27 is set after ANH, Luke is already a pilot for the Rebellion and training to become a Jedi. It will be interesting to see where the story goes; we from the films Luke is a Commander by the time we get to ESB, not sure I recall his rank being mentioned in ROTJ.


4
PLEASE PLEASE can you print this - someone needs to address the issue of Action Fleet.

Could someone (perhaps Rebelscum?) start a petition for Hasbro to start producing Action Fleet vehicles (with mini-figures?) again, it breaks my heart to see these unreleased prototypes at previous toyfairs & not being able to purchase them! What was the point of Hasbro buying Galoob, when all they did was run Action Fleet AND Micro Machines into the ground? They were both great lines, for a various franchises (just look at the great Aliens/Predator stuff!) - can someone try & bring this to Hasbro's attention? I am sure many people would agree - just look at the amount that get bought & sold on Ebay week in, week out.

Sorry to get on my soapbox, but I think they are wasting a great opportunity with AF & MM’s right now. -Paul

Well Paul, soapboxes are always welcome but at this stage of the game I really doubt a petition will do much good. Hasbro gave Action Fleet a second shot in 2002, and while many may argue that it was a halfhearted attempt, the line ultimately didn’t sell. Deciding they had better use for the shelf space, retail dropped the line and once again Hasbro was left with a bunch of items and no one to sell them to. That being said, Hasbro may well dust this line off again at some point, but it will be at a time of their choosing. Who knows, with the appearance of the ”Titanium Series” there may be plans for 2005 that we’re completely unaware of. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the line released under a different name to throw off those pesky retail buyers.

Why Hasbro bought Galoob, two things come to mind. One, you absorb a competitor and by default increase your market share. And two, you keep Mattel (or anyone else) from buying them and grabbing a piece of the Star Wars pie…

From all the talk and emails, I can say with confidence that Hasbro is aware there are Action Fleet and MicroMachine fans out there. I’m sure they would love to make these toys for them, it’s just a matter of finding/waiting for the right time to do it.


5
I assume that the POTJ Darth Maul Sith Apprentice figure is based on the Phantom Menace concept art. What are Qui-Gon Jinn Jedi Training and Obi-Wan Kenobi Cold Weather gear figures based on?

In the POTF2 line there were many vehicles and beast packs such as the AT-AT walker or Luke with Tauntaun that have never been released or resculpted for the Saga and beyond lines. What do you think the chances are of figures like these being made available again?

I know it is regularly discounted that there will ever be anymore EU figures, but surely it would help expand the line beyond the release of Episode 3 to produce figures from sources like Knights of the Old Republic or the New Jedi Order. And surely a Darth Malak figure would sell more than new figures like Pablo-Jill or Sly Moore? -James O'Sullivan (Sussex, UK)

I believe I recall seeing something in the concept art that the Qui-Gon was based on, early costume designs for the Jedi… Otherwise I’m not aware of any other possible source for the costume. The cold weather Obi-Wan on the other hand was (from what I’m told) originally based on an Anakin Skywalker comic book appearance in a Jedi Quest story arch. After the comic was postponed or delayed, Hasbro ended up with a finished figure and no obvious link to release it with. As the story goes either Hasbro asked or Lucasfilm requested the figure be changed to Obi-Wan as an established character, thus leaving the development of older Anakin figures for the Episode II line.

I think once we get beyond the ROTS line in 2005, the chances are very good Hasbro will go back and revisit some of these toys. There’s a big question mark right now what the focus of the line will be following Episode III, but I have to think the line will favor the Classic trilogy and include a smattering of Prequel toys. For the most part very few new toys are produced in off movie years and I think Hasbro will definitely fall back on what they’ve produced previously to fill in the line. There’s a good chance the AT-AT would be released as an exclusive, probably at Toys ‘R’ Us. Though a Tautaun was re-released in one the TRU multi-packs, I wouldn’t mind seeing one refreshed with a couple sound effect ala the Episode II beasts. The question then turns to what Hasbro can do to these toys to set them apart. I have to think, following Revenge of the Sith Hasbro will have to step the line up in order to get collectors to buy in a third and in some cases fourth time on many of these toys.

While there are clearly many fans that follow the EU, I think it’s fair to say there are many more that don’t. More over, most kids that are “into” Star Wars probably concern themselves with the movies, maybe a couple games, more than anything else. Based on this, it’s just safer all the way around for Hasbro to focus on the core pool, rather than test the waters with EU ‘tributaries’. I do think there will come a time when we will see more EU characters, but I think which characters we see will depend greatly on the current EU sources at that time. For some reason, as much as I’d personally like Splinter of the Minds Eye figures, Hasbro’s just not going to delve into EU sources that have been off the scene for too long.


6
I see a lot of questions on your site about characters that I have no idea who they are. Where can I find a guide with photos and names of all these characters that people write to you about? It would be nice to have in order to understand the questions you are answering.

There are actually several sources for this kind of information, both in print and online. If you’re looking for websites, StarWars.com’s Data Bank would be your “official” source, or you could visit Red 6’s on-line encyclopedia. While it hasn’t been updated in a while one of my original sites, Galaxy’s Most Wanted, still has a fair amount of characters listed that I always thought would make great action figures. For printed versions, there are number of Star Wars guides and encyclopedias that have been published over the years, and there’s always the Decipher Card Game for quick reference.


7
I was wondering if you could help, I understand that a lot of information of Episode three figures is a huge secret at the moment, but looking at the recent report for the release schedule it looks like Hasbro is giving them a slashing action! Why, I thought they learnt from the action features on the episode 2 figures that that’s not what the people want, I could be wrong, but I prefer articulation to "slashing action" what are your early thoughts?

What Hasbro learned from the Episode II line was; while collector’s hated action features, kids loved them. As stated at Comic Con, action feature will return with the Episode III line, but not to the extent that we saw previously. Considering what we’ve seen so far in the teaser trailer, lightsaber duels are going to be a pretty large part of the action in this next movie. Honestly I have to agree, it make good sense to include that feature (lightsaber slashing) with some of the figures this time around. It remains to be seen how far Hasbro plans to take the features, but so far it sounds like they will be limited to collection 1, and more focused than before. If it’s articulation you want, collection 2 will probably be right up your alley. The prototypes we’ve seen for that collection appear to be a far cry from the wild action poses that plagued the line in ’02. While I’m not usually a huge advocate of multiple figures of the same character, it would be nice to see some collection 1 characters crossover into collection 2; that way everyone is happy.


8
I’m getting real worried about the newest cantina figures, from Kitik Keed'kak forward. The first cantina 3-pack seems to have been vastly overproduced, just like the Wal-Mart cantina sets, and thus the sales suck. Therefore, none of the stores are putting the second cantina set out, and I really really want that blue Zutton! I’m also worried that Hasbro will respond to these poor sales by UNDERproducing the 3 new cantina figures planned for this winter: Dannik, Feltipern, and Myo. Do you think this is a possibility? I’m an alien freak and I want my aliens!

While there has been a bit of a glut where the first Cantina set is concerned, reports of the second set have been fairly common. It may take a while, but it looks like there will be plenty of Blue Snaggletooth’s (Snaggleteeth?) to go around. As for poor distribution affecting the Cantina wave, I see very little chance of that happening. The Cantina sets being exclusive to K-Mart, will have zero effect on how the other retailers order the Cantina wave, they’re two completely different… aliens.


9
Aloha Mark, You have been a great help in the past and I was wondering if you could help out with this. I renewed my fan club membership back when it changed over to Lucasfilm and they first offered Hyperspace with the membership but I never received a membership package. I have searched the SW website for any contact information for the fan club but cannot find anything. Do you have any direct contact info to the fan club? -JdubHawaii

Aloha! Though it’s a little tough to track down, the official site did post a customer service address for Fan Club customers. Any questions you might have about your membership should be directed to: swicustserv@cdsfulfillment.com. I actually just received my membership kit the other week, it’s possible yours is on the way, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt to ask. Hope that helps.

10
I know that Hasbro has agreed to replace all the missing Boba Fett rockets that were not included with the Slave I, but do you know if there are there going to be any boxed versions down the line that actually come with the rocket? Every one I've seen at my local Target is "rocket-less," and I'm just wondering if I should buy one as-is, or if I should wait and hope that Hasbro corrects this oversight. I know that these are limited and I don't want to miss out! -Brian P.

According to the recent Hasbro update, only a small number of Slave 1’s shipped without the rocket. While we haven’t heard any reports yet, once this initial shipment sells through we should start to see sets arrive with the rocket in place. Like you, every Slave 1 I’ve seen has been rocket-less, and I’m talking at least six different Target stores. I can’t imagine what a “small number” could actually amount to in a standard production run, but I suppose what’s shipped so far must only be the tip of the iceberg.

11
Just read the Q&A on the weapons...... Why is Hasbro making such flimsy weapons? I understand choking hazards is most likely the reason but us "kids" from the 70's survived with the harder plastic weapons. Why can't they make it right!?!?!? Drooping weaponly yours, Mike

Yeah, us kids from the 70’s survived a lot of stuff, but it’s the one child that didn’t survive his Battlestar Galactica toy that changed the toy world forever. For a company today there’s just too much to risk in order to make a few collectors happy. In the long run, if you really want to think it all the way through, soft weapons actually help keep the prices down on toys because Hasbro doesn’t have to carry as much product liability insurance. It’s nuts, I know, but this is the area we’re getting into when it comes to child safety and large corporations.

12
Haven't seen much on this at all, but wondering if there is a shortage of the Slave I Target Exclusives out there. I live out in the San Diego area and I have many contacts that have been looking for the Slave I religiously and on a daily basis since the news of their release in September, yet no one has yet to see one or find one. Even after the Target Big Book sale flyer came out the stores still did not have any and the Toy Sales managers of three stores I personally asked about the status of this item said they had never received them to date. Anyone else finding these items scarce or is it just here in SD? Of course with my luck I'll find 100 of them tomorrow after I post this.

The Slave 1 reports from September appear to have been early releases; it wasn’t until a week or two ago that I actually started seeing the sets on display at most stores. My guess is between the time you sent this and now, you’ve probably already found them. If not, definitely keep an eye out because they are shipping and stores are finally putting them out. Happy hunting!

13
This is a very simple and straightforward question for you. Does Hasbro plan to release a new R5-D4 figure at any point? As far as I am aware there has only been that terrible rocket-firing version from the first POTF line and I have not seen any others. They have certainly made an effort with other R2 figures, including the 'cone' headed variety, but none of the R5 type have been made. Considering R5-D4 also made a brief appearance in Ep. II, I was hoping they would produce a fully articulated and accurate version; after all, he has a slightly bigger role than any of the other R2 figures they have made! Any idea? - Michael J. T.

While there doesn’t appear to be any current plans to release an R5-D4 figure, Hasbro did have it on schedule at one time, and will most likely offer it eventually; maybe in 2006. The R5 figure was changed to R4-M9 in 2002 mostly likely because Disney planned to offer their R5-D2 figure for the Star Tours line. Hasbro is well aware that collectors want this figure in a very bad way, I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before they finally release it.

14
I heard a while ago that Master Replicas was planning on releasing a full Stormtrooper armor kit at a reasonable price. Any truth to this? -Travis

I think it’s fair to say Master Replicas is always looking for ideas when it comes to Star Wars. While I’m not aware of any current plans for licensed Stormtrooper armor, we can only hope MR finds a way to make this happen. One of the major issues that will have to be overcome is the fact that fan’s building armor sets now are doing a lot of customizing for specific body types. I have a hard time seeing anyone offer sets by size, SM M LG XLG, or building tailored sets made to order. It’s just not like outfitting a clone army…

15
I was just wondering now that we are moving towards the end of November are the Ewoks & Droids DVD's going to be released worldwide? I haven’t seen any press-release that stated that it would be available worldwide...of course I hope to be wrong. I live in DVD region2 and would like the DVD in my own language between the other Star Wars DVD's. Is this going to be an import issue for the non-us fans? -Dirk-Evert (The Netherlands)

Well, I ran this one by our Euro desk and it seems there’s been no word yet on European or foreign language versions of this set. Noting Star Wars’ worldwide appeal, I have to at least think it’s been considered if not already in progress. We’ll keep our ears to the ground; if any news breaks we’ll be sure to point it out. As it stands now, it does look like this will be an import issue, at least for the time being.

16
I was wondering about my POTF Darth Vader TIE Fighter. The one I have has the gray missiles, while others I have seen have the green missiles - was this done on purpose or are there variations? I just wanted too know as I wanted the green missiles but can't seem to find them anywhere. -jon skeens

Yes, it is a variation found with the original Power of the Force 2 release. While the package art showed green missiles, early pieces shipped with the all gray version. Hasbro caught this and made the change midstream. Unfortunately, as far as I know, it’s impossible to tell which version you’re getting without opening the box. If you’re dead set on getting a version with the green missiles, your safest and surest bet is to pick one up loose.

17
What are the chances of Hasbro revisiting a few of the unmade figures/ships from the vintage line after Episode III? How about a Imperial Round Table set with a Vader,Tarkin,and Motti pack in? What about the vintage cloud car being reissued? How about some more of the unmade ewoks from the Vintage line (Chief Chirpa!) or Gargan, the Tonnikka sisters, or Bom Vindim. Your thoughts? -Mario

Revisiting and updating vintage ships remains a possibility as long as the original molds/tools are still in good condition. At this point, discounting things like Mini-Rigs, there’s not a whole lot left to cover. Off the top of my head, the only vehicles that have not been updated are the Bespin Cloud Car, Rebel Transport (carry case…), and Imperial Troop Transport (the very first EU vehicle). While the Cloud Car would be a welcome addition, I tend to wonder how there other two would be received. Let’s hope that if in fact Hasbro does get a chance to reproduce the Cloud Car, they put some thought and effort into it and turn it into something special. As boring as it may seem on its own, lights and sound could really turn it into a cool toy. If Hasbro plans to continue the Screen Scene sets I think a Death Star Conference Scene would be cool; I’ve even got the figures all picked out: Two sets including - Vader, Motti, Tagge, Bast, Yalaren, and a new Tarkin (character images here). Will it happen, it might, but it’s far too early to know for certain. I’d love to see more Ewoks carded like Chirpa, as well as worked into various multi-packs. I know the little guys get a bad rap for ruining Return of the Jedi, but I just think they’re so cute… Gargan came up at a show once and the guys at Hasbro kinda winced, not sure what to make of that. The Tonnika Sisters are about as near to a lost cause as it gets. Bom Vimdin on the other hand probably stands a pretty good chance. If you remember, good ’ol Bom made one of the Fan Choice polls, and Hasbro has been pretty good at picking up character that, win or lose, made those surveys. You gotta figure Hasbro wouldn’t have put a character on those polls that they didn’t like or want to make; makes sense to me they would get around to him eventually.

18
When examining my 12" collection a few weeks ago I came across mold spots on Plo Koon's Jedi Robe. I have checked all of my other 12" figures (which is a version of everyone produced with the exception of a few foreign examples) and I don't see this happening to them. My figures have never been opened and stay in a climate controlled bonus room with no window or excess moisture that I am aware of. Do you know of anyone else with this problem? Could the robe be made of a different kind of material? Do you have any suggestions regarding clean up? If you need to see a picture I can send you one. Any help would be greatly appreciated. -Justin Hubbard

That does sound odd, but even though you’ve never opened your figures, that doesn’t mean human hands have never touched them. Any number of things ‘could’ have gotten on the robe in the factory and over time developed into the spots you’re seeing now. For clean up I’d suggest something mild, like Woolite, and just try spot cleaning the affected area. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, Id take the robe to your dry cleaner and see what they say, it can’t hurt to ask… Either way you’re probably going to have to at least open the box, if not take the figure out completely. It may sound like a lot to ask, but mold does have a way of spreading, and you’d most likely want to catch this as early as possible. Unfortunately this is the first report I’ve heard of this happening; whatever you end up doing please let me know how it works out, there may be others facing the same problem.

19
I bought the Playskool Jedi Force toys at Target yesterday, they only had one of each item, but the light-up eyes don't work on my Threepio. The package says the batteries are 'non-replaceable', although I haven't opened the package yet. Anyone have any advice on what to do next? Contact Hasbro? At any rate, if this is not fixable by the consumer (which I have no doubt is a safety concern for small children) please advise collectors to DEFINITELY test the light-up features before they buy. -Alex Newborn

As hard as it might be, I'd suggest taking it back to the store for a refund or exchange. There's an outside chance Hasbro will allow you to send them the figure for replacement, but I question whether it's ultimately worth the hassle. I’ve seen the figure restocked several times now at a few different stores; you could just wait for it to come in again to make the return. This truly is a shame, what's the point of including a light up features if it only lasts as long as the life of the batteries...? Again, child safety, but for some reason I would think there must be a satisfactory way around the problem.

20
Here are some Gentle Giant themed questions:

1) Why are the Gentle Giant Stormtrooper and Luke as Stormtrooper mini-busts painted in an off-white color. In the movies the Stormtroopers seem to have a stark white finish to their armor.

2) The Gentle Giant Stormtrooper has green lenses in the helmet. I always thought the lenses were smoke colored. Any thoughts?

3) My Green stripe clone mini-bust has a dirty pea green tinge to his armor. I emailed GG and they said it is movie accurate. Can you verify this or tell me where in the movie this is? -Eric Shepard

For an official answer I’d have to ask Gentle Giant, but off the cuff I’d have to say it probably has something to do with what the busts are made out of, or just an aesthetic choice. A lot of stark white collectibles look cheap. It could just be a simple matter of Gentle Giant and LFL liking the bust better in this particular shade of white. As for the armors appearance on-screen, keep in mind there are a lot of bright lights on a movie set. While in the films the troopers may have looked bright white, the color of the actual costume may be more along the lines of the Mini-Bust. I’ll see what I can find out from Gentle Giant next chance I get, but I expect their answer to fall somewhere along these lines.

I would have expected smoke too, but I’m confident Gentle Giant has it right. If the actual lenses had been any shade other than green, the bust never would have been approved by LFL.

As far as I know there is no decent image of the green Clone Trooper from Attack of the Clones. If a green Trooper was actually in the movie, it was most likely buried in the CG scenery. The bust is based on computer modeling, and is probably as close to that model as possible. So far I haven’t seen or heard anything that would suggest this was an error. I was a little surprised as well when I finally got the bust, but it’s far too late for anyone to make any corrections now.


Until next time...


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