Questions for June 1, 2005
Q&A Archive

1
What will be coming out on June 1? I have been told different things but I have no idea whatsoever.

As far as I know, nothing in the ROTS line has a June 1st street date. There are a number of new products currently shipping, but they'll likely arrive at different times throughout the month of June. Products we can expect include; Evolutions 3-packs, Battlepacks, and the Target transforming Micro Battlesets (Tantive IV and Grievous Flagship). Anything you may have seen with a specified date is most likely just an estimation.


2
I was happy to see that you addressed the success of Galactic heroes in your most recent column. They've been my favorite SW line bar none for the past few years. I'm proud to say that I have every figure and set released since the initial Playskool releases. The local stores here in Virginia can not keep them in stock for longer than a few days, then weeks go by where the GH pegs sit empty. I was lucky enough to get a Target employee to pull a case when the new shipment came in and that's how I scored the Kit Fisto/Flying Artoo/Chewie wave. (an interesting side note: the new figures came boxed in the following ratio: 1 Chewie/Clone trooper, 1 R2-D2/Super Battle Droid, 1 Mace Windu/Kit Fisto, and 2 or 3 reissues of the Luke/Artoo, Leia/Han, Chewie/C3PO sets. Why are the new ones in such short supply?)

I was wondering if you knew anything about the future of this line. I'm worried that they may start reusing the Playskool molds (like they did with Mace) and forego new sculpts of important characters like Qui-Gon, Jar Jar and others. The backpack danglers, while an ingenious retooling, aren't interesting to me and neither are the goofy transforming vehicles that were announced. With so many great Star Wars vehicles, animals and playsets that could be done, it seems ridiculous to create non-movie based toys. Imagine how cool a GH Boga would be, or a Jedi Starfighter! -Grendelspyce

At Celebration III, Hasbro made a point of saying they were very committed to this line. From that I'd guess we should look forward to more Galactic Hero toys for some time to come. However, along with new products we should get used to and expect Hasbro to reissue many of the previously released figures along with newer figures and toys. As we saw recently with the Mace Windu figure, we'll likely see reissues of Darth Maul and Obi-Wan (Ep. I) if we're to see such figures as Qui-Gon and Jar Jar. This is the pattern we've seen since they took the line over from Playskool and as long as it works for Hasbro, I don't foresee them altering it. I don't mind the danglers so much, they're a nice way to express your fandom, but I'm a little disappointed there are no Leia or Padmé danglers yet (I know my daughter would love one on her backpack…). As for the "goofy transforming vehicles", I have to agree, there are plenty of other movie-based toys I would have much rather seen them put their time and effort into. It remains to be seen if these will be a hit with kids or not, but it doesn't look as if collectors have much interest in them. Yes, GH Boga and Jedi Starfighter would be very cool, if Hasbro can find a way to put these toys in the line it should do well; if we continue to see non-movie toys released in their place, I'm guessing fan's will lose interest rather quickly.


3
Just a couple of questions... do you know why all the General Grievous figures are so small? Both 4-inch and 12-inch versions are much shorter than they should be; after all, in the movie Grievous towers above Anakin when they're face to face on the Invisible Hand. Hasbro did a nice big version in the Animated Clone Wars line, so what happened to the Ep.III versions?

Also, I thought I read on your pages a while ago that Hasbro were going ahead with the ROTS 12" Obi Wan - what happened? The Shaak Ti and Barriss Offee 12" figures showed that they can still produce the goods when they try, and it seems insane to release two obscure Jedi (although I was really pleased with them) and not make such a major character as Obi. What gives?

Finally, have you heard anything about whether we'll see a V-wing in the Hasbro line?

I'd just like to finish off by saying how fantastic I thought the movie was - best since ESB for me, without a doubt - and how good it is to see the general public and the media getting enthusiastic about Star Wars again. -Matthew Smart (London, UK.)

Hard to say for sure, but I imagine Hasbro was working off of early concept art/data and (possibly) never had the advantage of scale reference with the actors that shared the Grievous scenes with the CGI model. Doesn't really explain why they couldn't base the figure's size off the Animated version, but I guess that's just the way it goes sometimes. Keep in mind too that LFL had final approval over all the Grievous figures, and if they didn't catch it… A similar thing happened with the Boss Nass figure from the Episode I line. They corrected it the following year, but there's been no indication a larger Grievous is currently in the works.

We did report that a 12" Obi-Wan was a "possibility" for the ROTS line (we had actually seen it referenced in an official Hasbro document), but like all things Hasbro, even that was subject to change. Thus far we have not heard good things about the 12" line, and as a consequence the chances for this figure now appear to be very slim. As much as I like the female Jedi figures, you have to wonder how they got picked up when other, more central figures to the plot were passed over. Frankly, Obi-Wan makes perfect sense despite the fact that we have numerous Obi-Wan's already. Other 12" figures that should have hit Hasbro's radar include Kit Fisto, Agen Kohlar, Seasee Tiin, Bail Organa, and Padmé. Trying to make sense out of it will likely lead to a migraine, but at this point it doesn't look like it much matters.

No word on a V-Wing fighter yet, it's chances would be better if it were featured more prominently in the movie, but I suppose it could still happen. Although, unless it's one of the exclusive vehicles Hasbro hinted at for late '05, the window of opportunity is getting pretty slim for this year. We'll have to see, if the ship is featured in the live action/post ROTS television series, it may stand a better chance later on.


4
Hasbro is the biggest conundrum ever. I was utterly disappointed with the four Battle Arena figures I did not get on April 2nd, which arrived yesterday. Battle droids have suffered; Mace Windu and Obi-Wan still don't have a perfect figure, then---Then came the new Evolutions packs. Wow. I've got on order the Anakin/Vader pack, and it looks to be the single finest thing Hasbro has ever put out. Their release date is said to be June 1st, but I've heard relatively nothing about these gems. Will the Sith, Clones, and Anakin's really all be out that soon??? Also, I've been wondering for a while now about the final three figures. It looks like they (Mustafar Sentry, AT-RT Driver, Obi-Wan pilot) were originally intended as vehicle pack-ins. Is this true? Will it ever happen?

Yes, it's amazing what Hasbro can do when they put their minds to it. These Evolutions Multipacks look great; hopefully they will continue the theme into 2006. According to the Amazon/TRU site, the sets should be available to ship by the tenth of June. While I imagine they could come in at anytime, that's what's posted. So far customers can pre-order the Anakin and Clone sets, no word on the Sith Evolution set yet. Odds are this will ship later as part of a follow up assortment.

Hard to say if these were originally pack-in figures or not. The AT-RT comes with a figure; the basic release looks to be a more articulated version of that toy. I suppose if Hasbro felt they needed to cut cost on the AT-RT, they could have pushed the more articulated figure out to the basic line as an army builder and included a less articulated version with the vehicle. As for the Mustafar Sentry and Obi-Wan pilot, rumors have pointed to a Flea with Flea Rider Deluxe figure, and Obi-Wan Starfighter with pilot (TRU). These figures (or versions of them) could be included with those toys, we'll just have to wait and see what develops.


5
What's the future for SW toys now? Is Hasbro going back to OTC figures as well as PTC and ROTS? And also, secondly, are there any plans to see a neutral, collectors ROTJ DS II Luke Jedi? I know they did the throne room duel, but it really bothers me that the actual figure (loose, and with out the lightsaber) looks like a monkey... a big one at that. I know they said a while ago they had "no plans at this time for a corrected belt Luke Jedi" so I don't know what that means, but have you heard or think anything about it? I'm a huge Luke Jedi fan, any figure of Luke Jedi I own. Thank you very much you guys have always been so helpful.

Really quick, what are your thoughts about the Anakin Mustafar figure? -KingNothing

Based on how things are going I'd say the future of Star Wars toys looks pretty darn good. Sales of Revenge of the Sith product has been brisk, kids are showing lots of interest in the line, Lucasfilm has plans for two television series, the possibility of a new movie has been tossed into the mix, and Hasbro has the license for many more years to come; I don't think it gets much better than that. Of course it will all depend on how Hasbro handles the line; I expect a narrower more collector-focused line in 2006 that will likely branch out once the TV projects hit the tube. OTC worked well for them in 2004, I think we'll see the line revert back into a similar mode once we're past the movie line. All-in-all, things are good, and I wouldn't expect to see the line dwindle like it did following Return of the Jedi; it's a highly collectible property and as long as Lucas plans to support it, we should continue to see toys on the shelf.

Hasbro hasn't said very much at all about their plans for 2006 yet, expect a little more on that at Comic Con. I for one would certainly appreciate a nicely articulated Jedi Luke, and I'm pretty sure Hasbro is aware of the general desire for one. It remains to be seen if it has hit the radar for '06, but give it time, I'm sure Hasbro will get around to it eventually.

Quickly: Looks like a good figure, would have liked to have seen a medical pod included with it, but I can't wait to get my hands on one. I suppose there's the potential for it to have been two really good figures, but I do like the idea of it having interchangeable parts.


6
Does Hasbro have any plans for a non-action feature, super articulated General Grievous? As much as I like the other versions, it'd be nice to have one with more articulation, namely in the wrists, elbows & ankles -Craig

No plans that we've caught wind of. There's always the chance it could be one of the twelve figures for late 2005, but no word on those yet. Hopefully Hasbro will consider it, along with non-action feature versions of Anakin and Obi-Wan, but it's a little too soon to tell.


7
Last time I read your Q&A when someone asked about the yellowing of figures such as Storm- and Clone Troopers. You answered that there are a lot of factors that start this process, such as the air we breathe, moisture from our hands, the materials used in the figures etc. That left me wondering, isn't there anything we can do to prevent this from happening? Isn't there some clear polish, paint or something else we can apply to the figs to prevent discolouration? -Raymond

Unfortunately no. Because the material the toy is made out of, plastic, is part of the problem nothing you put on the outside of the toy will keep it from degrading from within. Point of fact, any kind of lacquers or clear coats could actually end up advancing the process. I suppose if Hasbro were to start painting the armor white (rather than leaving it as just molded white plastic) the discoloration would be minimized, but that seems like an unnecessary step (and added cost) when what we're talking about in their eyes is just a toy.


8
Do you know what's happened to the ARC-170 fighter? I work for Toys 'R' Us but yet have not seen one. Know with me liven in the UK we will get it after you but all own folders say that it should of come out in April. Is Hasbro just playing a cruel joke or is their some thing wrong with it?

So far many of the larger Revenge of the Sith items have been hard to come by in the U.S., much less other parts of the world. Hard to tell if Hasbro is playing it safe and limiting distribution, or if retail is and ordering low, but items like the ARC-170, Republic Gunship, and Mustafar Playset have been few and far between. Only now is the ARC-170 becoming more plentiful, I still haven't seen the Gunship, and only spotted the Mustafar set once… Be patient, as product continues to ship we should all see more of these on the shelf. As far as I know there's nothing keeping this off the shelf in the UK, but I will check with Jeremy and Hasbro UK to see if there's an issue I'm not aware of.


9
I was wondering when the Wal-Mart Early Bird figures will be sent out or am I the only one who hasn't received them? - Tony Jaramillo

According to Hasbro these will ship in the Fall. As far as I know nobody has received their Early Bird figures yet, at least nobody's reported getting them…

10
Having been a big fan of my Interactive Yoda until his eyelids cracked up and his mouth disintegrated, I recently picked up the Call Upon Yoda figure, which improves upon the old Furby-derived design in a big way... except, I was horrified to realize that the rubber used on the head appears to be identical to that used on the original version. Does that mean I can expect this Yoda to fall apart as well? Any tips on how to stop the rubber cracking up? -Matt

It appeared to me that Hasbro may have used a thicker rubber this time around but yes, given time the rubber will still degenerate, crack, and fall apart. Honestly I can't think of anything you could put on the rubber to make it last longer, I suppose you could try tire dressing, but you'd end up with a pretty greasy looking Jedi Master… It's a tough call for collectors that want these pieces to last indefinitely, but the bottom line is Hasbro is not making collectibles they're making toys. As such the best we should hope for is that we enjoy the toys for as long as we can, and appreciate them for what they were once time has taken its toll. If it's fine collectibles you're looking for, then it's time to start looking at companies like Gentle Giant, Master Replicas, Sideshow, and Code III.


Until next time...


Got Questions?