Questions for May 27, 2005
Q&A Archive

1
Any word on when Lucas Arts will be releasing the Ep. 3 video game for the PC? Currently it is only available on Xbox, PS2 and GBA/DS.

According to LucasArts the Episode III game will not be released for the PC, it's a PS2 and Xbox title only.


2
When do you think they will be coming out with #45 through #56, the #45 #46 #47 are selling eBay? I work at Target the night shift I have seen #40 through #44 so I do have all the exclusives but the press release and one through #44 and I will be getting the meditation chamber Hasbro 500th figure I got it on eBay do you now how many where made of the Toy 'R' Us Yoda all the Target excusive the Sam Club exclusive the KB toy store exclusive and celebration Darth Vader the cup target exclusive and did you here anything about the target exclusive cases 5 pack because people that manage my store do not now heads or tails and are they limited when they come out please inform me on this. -Michael C. Dengler

P.S. is there going to be more figure lines past 56?

As we speak, figures #45-#50 are just starting to appear at retail. Give a few days to a week, and they should be wide spread. As for the rest of the known figures, we can probably look forward to them by the end of June. Following that, Hasbro indicated at C3 that 12 more Revenge of the Sith figures were in store. We'll likely find out more about those as we get closer to Comic Con; in fact, we can probably expect to see them on display at the con. The number that's been thrown around on several of the in-store exclusives is 30,000. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that applies to each of the exclusive figures, but no official announcement has been made specific to each exclusive. There have been rumbling of more exclusives throughout the rest of the year, details at this point are sketchy at best, but we'll be sure to post more on these as additional information starts to surface.


3
I spoke with one of the reps from Hasbro while at C3. I asked when we'd see an Episode 3 Kenobi 12" figure. He said they probably wouldn't make it due to poor sales. This breaks my heart because Obi is my favorite character and I've bought the previous two. Is there any hope of convincing them that this would be a good figure, considering they do it right? Thus far the only 12' figs I've been impressed with are the female Jedi. They finally got it right after so many lousy attempts. However, the Anakin 12' has stubby arms and those bendy legs rather than a full G.I. Joe body like the Dooku from AOTC. They seem to be skimping on quality with this line and it's a sad, because after the OTC 12' we know they are capable of more. -Shawn Coots

At this point, I don't think there is much that can save the 12" line. As you indicated, Hasbro has cut so many corners on these figures, and made so many poor figure choices, that they have really lost their audience. Had a little more care and detail gone into the line it may be a different story, but that's clearly not the direction Hasbro took. Short of somebody picking up a random exclusive figure (or set) here and there, I can't see where Hasbro will have much luck continuing the 12" line; retail has had enough of them, and collectors have grown weary with what Hasbro has had to offer. A shame really considering there are so many interesting figures left to do. Oh well, I suppose the only hope fans of the 12" figures have now would be if another company (Sideshow perhaps) were to pick up the line… Let's keep those fingers crossed.


4
I was wondering, I have most of the 95-present figures and they are all in their packages. I am tired of not being able to open and enjoy them, but am afraid once I do I won't have a place to store them. My question is, does the Vader collector case that Wal-mart sells hold the new figures? I believe it was originally molded to hold the figures from the 70's and 80's. What about some of the old collector cases from the 70's and 80's with the pictures on the front - I've seen them on eBay. Will they hold the new figures? What about weapons? Any ideas would be super - I don't have a lot of money to spend on some of these new glasses display cases and such that I've seen recently, so I'm looking for something a bit more practical for me. -Heath

As each of the cases you mentioned were originally designed for the vintage line, there are instances where the newer ('95 - '05) figures simply will not fit. While most may work in the older design, large figures like the Destroyer Droids, Gammorrean Guards, and others will be tight - if they fit at all. It really is too bad Hasbro has not taken the time to create a new collector case for their Star Wars line (the '95 two tier POTF2 box was a poor attempt at best), it's something fans have been patiently waiting for for just about a decade now… While they're not perfect for all figures, Plano makes a case that many collectors (myself included) have come to appreciate. You'll see an image of it at the bottom of our displays page, and can usually find them in the fishing and tackle section at Wal*Mart and K-Mart. I've also had some luck finding these cases at Lowes, they are adjustable and stackable, and until Hasbro comes up with something better they should do the trick.


5
Any idea if Hasbro will ever make a Commander Cody figure? I mean he is actually named in the movie, has a distinctive color and helmet piece, yet we get a Commader (Bacara) that isn't even mentioned in the movie. I'm not complaining that we're getting Commander Bacara as I will buy several of these when they come out, but I would wonder why Hasbro didn't think Cody who even has lines in the movie (as was seen in the Clone Wars series) wasn't made. -Trysk

Yeah, I'm a little surprised Cody wasn't higher up on Hasbro's list of things to do, but considering his role in the movie I'm confident we'll see him captured in plastic form before too long. I'd literally be shocked if he wasn't one of the dozen ROTS figures coming later this year, but stranger things have happened... Sometimes when you have to design a toy line a full year in advance you miss out on some of these golden opportunities. It's possible that originally Cody wasn't that big a character, and only became so further along in the process. If that happened, Hasbro may not have had the chance to pick up on it in time for the April release, or add it to the line. The nice thing is now they know, and whether he's one of the twelve or not, Hasbro knows they have the makings of a popular figure on their hands.


6
Why do Clone Troopers have different colors and Stormtroopers don't? If Clones eventually become Stormtroopers, why don't Stormtroopers have multiple colors? -Matthew Hartmann

Funny, I just had this conversation with Jason at Entertainment Earth the other day… Basically, as nothing official has been written to address this issue yet, it's my opinion that once the galaxy has moved beyond the Clone Wars the role of the Clone Troopers becomes less of a combat force and more of a policing force, ending the need for rank designation and troop affiliation. Major combat has ended, now it's just a matter of keeping the local systems in line… As such many of the command duties are turned over to 'humans.' Certainly by the time we get to A New Hope all of the Commanders, Lieutenants, and Sergeants are played by humans. As their status has been reduced to grunt level, and humans appear to be in direct command of individual units, the need for colored insignia or rank on the Clone Armor is gone. The only exceptions to this in the Classic Trilogy are the different colored pauldrons on the Sandtroopers, and the rank insignia on some of the Snowtroopers, and at this point we're really not sure if the soldiers with rank are supposed to be human or clone. According to some, by this time the ranks of the Epmire's forces are mixed with Humans and Clones...

From a practical standpoint, I'd say the thought of colored rank markings on the classic Stormtroopers just never dawned on Lucas back in the late 70's early 80's. By the time Lucas & Co. got around to the Prequels it just seemed like a good thing to do… At this point it's probably easier to come up with a decent explanation than alter the original movies.


7
I had a question, has anyone else reported seeing a mysterious ship in Revenge of the Sith that appears to look much like the Millennium Falcon? Right after Anakin lands the Separatist ship on the runway, and him and Obi-Wan take a transport to the Senate Rotunda, right before they are about to dock in the bottom right corner appears to be THE Millennium Falcon, is there anyway that you can find out if it indeed is the Classic Trilogy ship? -Vlad Gintoff

Yes, several people have reported seeing the Falcon in that shot, I recall seeing it at my first screening and I would be shocked if it were supposed to be anything other than the Millennium Falcon. I think the guys and gals at ILM like to throw little Easter Eggs in for over observant fans like us, while this certainly could be any random YT-1300, I'm confident in the spirit of the Classic Trilogy that this was fully intended to be the Falcon. If the opportunity to talk with someone at ILM comes up I will ask, but for now this is just about the best I can do.


8
Ep III toys seem to be a big hit in New England just wondering what things are like on the West Coast? When April 2nd arrived and stores were filled with tons of Ep. III product I expected the same situation as we had with both Ep. I and II.... lots of initial toys which gathered lots of dust once collectors bought there share.

However, this time it seems stores cannot have enough. I've seen repeated restocks and sell outs of Ep. III figures and vehicles occurring at numerous Targets and Wal*Marts in the Central Massachusetts area. I first thought all of those Anakins, Obis and Yodas would become peg warmers then all of the sudden you couldn't even find 1 of those characters at retail.

Is it just my area or is everyone seeing a rekindled interest in Star wars toys? -Mike R

Much to Hasbro's pleasure I'm sure, I have to concur; sales of Star Wars toys have been quite brisk. I suppose it helps to have a well-publicized movie that is also a critical success (the first of the Prequel movies to enjoy such status), but bottom line is people love Star Wars again. There have been a number of times when I've walked into a store and they'll have everything. Walk into the same store a few days later, and everything is gone or at the very least well picked over. Couple days after that the shelves will be full once more only to repeat the process again - the stuff just keeps selling. While I have yet to see empty figure pegs, things like Galactic Heroes and Attacktix seem to be very hard for most retailers to keep in stock. Force Battlers don't appear to be doing all that well, but small vehicles, Unleashed figures, Electronic Lightsabers, ARC-170's, and the various exclusive items are not sticking around very long. As a fan of 28 years, this is a really fun thing to see, hopefully with whatever LFL has planned next Hasbro will be able to maintain this level of excitement in the toy line.


9
What's the likelihood of finding the "Palpatine" variant with "blue" lightsaber in stores nowadays? Just last weekend, 21 May, I managed to score a #2 Anakin variant with the Dooku lightsaber in an out-of-the-way Kohl's. Is there still hope of finding Palpatine? -Lord Edzo, Imperious Leader

There's always a chance that some of the earlier cases with blue saber #35 are out there, but I haven't seen this figure in some time, and I wouldn't hold out much hope of finding it anytime soon. As this appears to be an error that was corrected rather quickly, the blue saber version is in all likelihood extremely rare despite being quite common at the onset. If this figure is something you feel will make or break your collection, I'd seriously consider looking for one on eBay.

Point of fact on the Anakin #2, the figure shipping now with the Dooku saber is the corrected version. Earlier versions of this figure included the now 'incorrect' red Anakin saber with clinched fist. While it's too early to tell how this change will impact the value of the original version (there are still plenty of them to be found), it will be worth watching.

10
With the first trilogy there were numerous playsets for the figures. Now we are even lucky to see one play set. There have been quite a few vehicles but no playsets. Episode one had a couple but AOTC only had one and there were none for the Clone wars lines. Are we going to see more with this movie or is Hasbro going to let us down again?

If what you're waiting for are more playsets, then I'm afraid Hasbro is only going to let you down. Based on sales of some of the earlier POTF2 set, Hasbro is of the belief that playset don't sell. Furthermore, considering the limited shelf space in non-movie years, playsets are just not something Hasbro feels they can expend the time, money, or effort on. I honestly don't know what it's going to take to change Hasbro's opinion, I know there are sets fans would like to have, it just doesn't seem as if Hasbro is interested in following up on some of these ideas. If you happen to make it out to Comic Con this year be sure to tell them what you'd like to see; it may not be enough to turn the tide, but it can only help.


Until next time...


Got Questions?