Questions for May 17, 2005
Q&A Archive

1
When will we be able to find wave three of both basic figure collections one and two?

Wave 3, Collections 1 and 2 (essentially figures #33–#40) are out now, and have been reported found at all three major retailers; Target, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Wal-Mart. They’re just becoming as plentiful as the first or second waves were, but a few of the trooper figures are quick to sell. We can expect to see more of these figures as more wave 3 cases are put out, and as these particular figures ship in subsequent waves.


2
I downloaded Rebelscum's Midnight Madness Checklist prior to April 2nd. As I looked through the list, I saw Anakin's Starfighter listed. I did NOT purchase this one during the midnight madness because I had already purchased the sneak preview one. Today, I downloaded the Midnight Madness Checklist for another reason and I see "(regular version)" listed next to Anakin's Starfighter. Is there a difference between the Sneak Preview version and the one that's in stores now? -Bill

The only difference is the “Sneak Preview” sticker on the front of the box. On the regular version the box features a sticker that reads “Firing Blaster Cannons.” Other than that, the toy inside is exactly the same. It’s a package variation thing…


3
I have a few Sith basic figure-related questions. Is Hasbro short-packing figures like they did with Episode I and the CommTech era figs? I finally found Padmé today after a week of searching every Target and Toys R Us in the Phoenix area. I haven't seen a red or blue guard since April 2nd.

Will the 500th Vader be sold in Targets and Toys R Us stores, and will it sell for less than the $19.99 going rate on shop.starwars.com?

And finally, the back of Insider 81 shows the first 40 figures. Have the figures above #32 been released to stores yet? -Geoff Wojtulewicz

They’re not short packing, but in the first waves all figures were one per case. We should see many of these figures re-ship in follow up assortments, as they do some of the harder to find characters will be more readily available. Keep in mind though; really popular characters like the Red Guard will not last long on the pegs, no matter how many are shipped.

From what I understand the 500th figure Darth Vader will ship to retail, and will almost certainly be sold for less than the $19.99 StarWarsShop.com price.

At this point all figures up to #44 have been released, as of April 2nd we had a few reports that figures up to #40 were found, but not many. For the most part, figures #1 - #32 were the most commonly found on April 2nd, two weeks later #33-#36 started showing up in greater numbers. About two weeks ago #37-#40 were put out, and finally as of middle of last week #41-#44 have been hitting the pegs.


4
I found a rust colored Battle Droid ROTS #17, is this an intentional variant or did someone poor the wrong plastic in the die mold? -Kevin

Seeing as this is the only report I’ve seen, and there’s been no mention of color variations from Hasbro, I’d guess someone swapped out an old AOTC Battle Droid for the new ROTS one and returned the re-packaged figure for their money back. Unfortunately this happens quite a bit, as most people at retail are not as familiar with the toys as they should be, it’s quite easy for unscrupulous collectors to get away with it.


5
Do you know how the lava is supposed to attach to the bases on the Obi-Wan and Anakin Unleashed (RotS)? Do I need both of them to have it work? My head hurts trying to get this put together. -Ben

It can be a little tricky if you don’t know what you’re looking for, but there are notches and pegs along the edges of the bases and lava that pretty much show you were the pieces are supposed to go. It would have been nice if Hasbro cared enough to include directions, but I guess they figured fans could work it out from the one image on the back of the Anakin card… Basically, the lava attaches to the copper side of each base. You can display the figures on the bases either way, but you’ll need the copper side up to attach the lava. On Anakin’s base, the lava fits into notches along the front (back being the unfinished grated side) and along the (as you’re looking at it) left side. Where the lava crisscrosses, there’s a peg and whole to connect the two. There’s also a peg on the shorter lava piece that fits into Anakin’s back, right at his belt. On Obi-Wan’s base (again, the back being the unfinished grated side) you need to attach the larger curved lava piece to the front of the base, then the smaller piece to the right and overlapping the piece on the front corner. If you get confused, take a look at the images in our Unleashed Archive; they’re a bit bigger, you can see the toy from a few different angles, and it should make it a little easier to figure this out.


6
Just got Republic Commando for Xbox, and I'm hooked. It’s great. Do you reckon Hasbro will ever release figures? Either as single figures, or as a pack? I think the games done well sales-wise. -Matt

Hasbro tends to stay clear of game figures; unless it’s something they’ve already done like the Battlefront Scout Trooper, but you never know. I wouldn’t mind a new helmet sculpt on a SA Clone Trooper body if it put that figure in my collection… Only time will tell, but if you see the Hasbro guys at Comic Con (or at any other show for that matter), tell them you want that figure.


7
I've seen some debate and questions about the red/blue saber emperor #35. I noticed in the Star Wars Insider poster/checklist that the emperor shown has a red lightsaber. Does that mean he's supposed to have the red one after all and the blue will end up being the harder to get one? Also I've seen a couple of people on an auction site claiming that the blue senate security is only available in the U.S. I live in Canada and work at Toys R Us and have only seen the red version. I have found the blue at a collectors shop on a U.S. card. Is there any validity to this claim of a U.S. only version? Last but not least do you have an Unleashed series checklist? I seem to be able to find most of the checklists, but not a complete Unleashed. -Darth Keg

The reason behind this variation is still a bit murky, but yes the blue version was changed (rather quickly) to the ‘correct’ red version, so it should be the ‘rarest’ version of the two. It may also be worth noting that the image in the poster and on the card back sports a ‘correct’ red Darth Sidious saber, not the ‘corrected’ red Anakin saber the figure is currently shipping with. Could there be yet another ‘correction’ coming…?

I haven’t heard anything about the Blue Guard being limited the U.S., it sounds like scalper propaganda to me. If I were you I’d give it time, eventually the Blue Guard should work its way up north.

We have an Unleashed Archive section, there’s no “checklist” there yet, but I’ll run it by Dan and see if we can’t put something together for you.


8
I never found the post-OTC figures Feltipern Trevagg, Dannik Jerriko, or Sandtrooper. I know there is always the possibility that there are still cases out there. However, what do you think my real chances are of finding them in a store someday soon?

Same goes for the Unleashed Stormtrooper & IG-88. Are they still out there or are they also long gone?

Speaking of Unleashed, I heard there was a plain white Clone Trooper, but I only found a red one. Is there one? -J-Man

Your best bet at this point to find some of these interim figures (post OTC and Unleashed) would be at Toys ‘R’ Us or KayBee. This seems to happen before each movie release, retail gets so excited for the movie toys that they short sheet the waves leading up to the new line. TRU and KB are better about bringing in older assortments, you’ll do better searching for those figures there, but I couldn’t promise anything in regards to timing. Just keep at it, patience and persistence usually pays off.

Odd, for the longest time the White Clone Trooper was all I could find. The red version is actually the second version of this figure, which came as a running change about half way through production (supposedly…). Every once in a while I’ll see this wave put out, but lately all the Clone Troopers have been the red version. The all white Clone Trooper does exist, though I’m not sure what your chances of finding one at retail are at this point.


9
Do you have any idea if Topps will produce those tin boxes for Episode 3? For Episode 1 and 2 they sold different boxes with a couple of cards and a large-sized special card inside. I was hoping to get one for Revenge of the Sith, but haven't seen or heard of them anywhere. I know I saw them at Toys R Us, Target, and Suncoast with the other movies. Please help!

Yes! Topps does have a series of tins for the Revenge of the Sith cards. There are six tins; they’re smaller than the previous versions, and all feature Darth Vader in one way or another. Unlike the character themed large tins from Attack of the Clones, there are no oversized cards this time around (bummer). So far I’ve seen these at Target and Toys ‘R’ Us, and I’d imagine they’d be at Suncoast as well.

10
I noticed a package variation for the deluxe figure "Changing Anakin/Vader". One package has the gloves, leg covers and chest plate, while the other does not. Is this a variation that is worth anything? -Danny B. (Atlanta)

It all depends; the figure and its accessories are exactly the same, unless you find someone with a particular passion for packaging variations there’s really no difference. While both sets were relatively common early on, the set with the accessories packaged below the insert have all but vanished. Cases being put out now, from what I’ve witnessed, only include the version with the accessories along the side of the bubble. Not knowing exactly how much longer that figure will ship, the actual ratio between the two versions could be pretty close.


Until next time...