Questions for June 6, 2004
Q&A Archive

1
I have a question: is Hasbro considering coming out with a 12 inch Padmé doll of when she confronts Anakin in Mustafar? Do you happen to know if they will make some?

No, doesn’t look like it. Everything we’ve heard tells us the line will end with the Shaak Ti and Barriss Offee 12” figures. As far as we know there’s nothing planned for release after that and Hasbro has pretty much indicated that’s it for the line, period.


2
I was online the other day searching on eBay and noticed that someone was selling Revenge of the Sith Collection 1 #11 Darth Vader holding a blue lightsaber instead of a red lightsaber; the figure was sealed in the box and had not been opened. Is this some sort of variant or mistake or is this seller trying to dupe us all. He stated in the auction that he knew nothing about this and to bid accordingly but his starting bid was high at $40 so I am wondering what is going on is the red lightsaber Vader no longer being produced. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

While an error like this is entirely possible, I would be more than a little skeptical about any such claim in regard to the Revenge of the Sith line. Considering each side of the bubble is taped, not heat sealed any number of ‘variations’ could be faked. As far as I know there has been no running change to the Vader figure. Unlike other figures that have had the color of their saber changed, Vader is still shipping with his traditional red blade.


3
I collect 3.75-inch figures, loose. I try to pick up all the "real variations" that are out there, and ignore silly error type variants. I'm curious about the Target exclusive figure & glass sets. Up until the ROTS assortment, I was led to believe that they were all reissued figures with no significant changes. Now I'm hearing that some of the Sith assortment have different paint deco, different capes, hands, etc... What's the real story on these? -Cordova

Well, I’m afraid I haven’t really had a chance to examine these for myself yet, but from what I understand the Obi-Wan and Grievous figures are slightly different than their closest basic carded counterparts. From what I recall the cape on Grievous is different and the figure has a slightly different paint op. Not as clear on the Obi-Wan, but I seem to remember someone saying his hand positioning was different… Sorry I can’t be more exact, but I should have these ready for the Archives next week and I will make a point of addressing the differences in that entry. Stay tuned…


4
My name’s nick and I'd like to know if there's going to be any more basic figures after August, cause the last figure on the list so far (Obi-Wan Kenobi pilot) is coming out in August in Australia, but I want to know if there will be more and how much in total!

According to what we heard at Celebration III, there will be twelve more figures in the ROTS line following the Obi-Wan Kenobi Pilot figure. After that the line will continue under a new name and will most likely consist of a selection figures from all six movies.


5
I noticed in the "Making of Episode III" book that Shaak Ti is shown being killed by General Grievous from behind with a lightsaber. However, in the novel, she is killed off in the assault on the Jedi temple. If any such scene was "filmed" (and hopefully will be included in one form or another on the DVD), which death did she face?

-and-

I am highly impressed with the collection 2 styled figures. The articulation and overall quality really impress me. However, I would like to see some of the main characters receive the same treatment (Mace, Obi-Wan, Anakin, a red robed emperor, etc.). Any chances that the remaining figures for this year are better versions of the lame action feature figures? -Darth Parker

Hard to say; if there’s footage of her being killed in the midst of Palpatine’s abduction; it could very well show up as a deleted scene on the DVD. I wouldn’t expect them to go back and include the abduction footage to the movie, and we know from Clone Wars season three (Cartoon Network) she apparently survived her confrontation with Grievous. There very well could be footage from the Jedi Temple assault that shows here death, it might be added but it’s awfully early to star speculating about that now. At this point, despite any footage that may or may not exist, the details in the book are probably the most “official” account of Shaak Ti’s demise. We’ll see if that changes or is corroborated in November.

There’s always that chance, but I have to at least hope Hasbro will have something ‘newer’ up their sleeve than rehashing figures from the first part of the line. I would guess that if we are to see better, non-action feature, figures of some of those characters we’ll probably see them in 2006 or beyond. Hasbro has the license for several more years; now that the movie years are behind us (and the prerequisite action features that seem to go with them) they have plenty of time to address some of those characters for collectors.


6
I was just wondering if Gentle Giant will be releasing any Episode III mini-busts or full-figure statues coming out this year. So far nothing has been announced yet. Though the Vader statue and mini-busts are nice, they technically aren't from Episode III. I recall that at CII they had several Episode II figures launch the line, but there's nothing for Episode III this year. Also, since the Clone Wars maquettes are very nice - but sort of pricey - any chance that Gentle Giants would release a line of mini-busts for the Clone Wars in 2006? -Mike Pawuk

Gentle Giant has said they have some Episode III product coming up, though I’m not entirely sure what exactly will be available this year. I’m more than a little surprised we haven’t seen anything from them yet, but considering the massive amount of Sith product out there right now they could just be riding out the initial assault. Hopefully they’ll come on strong in the latter part of the year; as nice as their stuff is I know a lot of fans will be looking forward to whatever it is they have to offer. As far as Clone Wars are concerned, all they’ve committed to so far are the Maquettes. While it’s nice to see that they will add a few more pieces to that line, I honestly don’t see them going into their other product lines with this theme.


7
I've always been very impressed at the detail and intensity of the "Unleashed" figures. Though I've been wondering: since Asajj Ventress is an Expanded Universe character, will Hasbro be making more EU "Unleashed" figures? I'd love to see characters like Mara Jade, Quinlan Vos, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Clone Emperor Palpatine, Prince Xizor and other popular EU characters like that. -Laura

Despite Asajj being included in the next wave, I don’t hold out much hope for more EU entries down the line. Asajj has enjoyed a particularly high level of exposure as the Clone Wars bad girl; it makes perfect sense for Hasbro to include her in their plans. While many of the characters you mentioned are very popular within the Expanded Universe, none of them have really broken into the fan consciousness as Ventress has. Books and comics are one thing, all that and being featured in the Clone Wars Animated Series is another. Besides, as we’ve seen with Padmé, Leia, Aayla, and Aurra Sing, female characters have a certain appeal to the primary group of fans this line is aimed at. Call it what you will, but it’s becoming very clear that Hasbro knows and appreciates what they are looking for in this line. We’ll see, if the Asajj Ventress figure does well there’s a slim chance Hasbro might risk another EU piece, otherwise I wouldn’t expect anything EU in this line unless it came out of one of the two television projects.


8
First, about the Burger King Toys. I live in Upstate, NY and I believe we are in the 5th week of the toys, with 5 toys being released per week. I just spoke to my father in Napa, Ca who's collecting for me and he says they are only in their THIRD week of release and they are only releasing 4 toys per week. If this is actually the case, why would California be that far behind and only 4 toys instead of 5?

And for my comment.... for the past two weeks, I've hit all 5 Targets in my area and I've only been able to find ONE Spider droid.. so I know the wave is in my area. It's obvious that the scalpers hit the stores very early in the mornings and scoop EVERYTHING up. Well, tonight I hit a Target and was talking to an Employee... he said he'd scan the peg ticket to see if they had anything in back. He scanned and said they had two locations in the back where they have deluxe figures. He asked which ones I needed /wanted.. I told him and 8 minutes later he came out with one of each – Stass Allie, Crab Droid and White Clone Troopers. YES!! YES!! I beat the scalpers to them!! And my Question about this wave / box assortment - When I asked him if there were any colored Clone Troopers, he said all there was was white. My Question – Are the colored ones going to be released in the following few weeks (like red one week, blue another few weeks later)?

BK in CA: You got me… Sounds like some BK’s are running the promotion “they’re way” and not necessarily “you’re way” so details can be vastly different per store. I’m in California and I haven’t had any problems picking up the toys I need in the week they are supposed to be out.

Please keep in mind that it’s not just scalpers that line up early in the morning, there are plenty of collectors out there too and when only a few pieces are put out, they can disappear quickly. Now, about the colored Clones; so far we’ve seen the White set, pictures of an all colored set, and reports of a set with one colored clone and two white clones. I think it’s safe to say at this point that we’re likely to see any number of combinations that fit these descriptions. The how’s, when’s, why’s, and where’s of these figures are simply not known yet, we’ll just have to sit tight and see how things play out. Needless to say, keep your eye on the front page to make sure you are up to date with the latest developments.


9
I was wondering what is going to happen to Star Wars toys later after Revenge of the Sith, are they going to go back to the older movies and make new toys for them or are they just going to keep making Revenge of the Sith toys, will they ever make the older ones again?

The line will go back to something like it was in 2003 and early 2004, a mix of figures from all six movies. Expect more on this in July as Hasbro usually uses Comic Con to announce their early plans for the following year.

10
Would like your opinion on Obi-Wan Slashing Attack (#1 figure I believe). It comes with his lightsaber hilt. Why? Seems like Hasbro missed a chance for a chase figure with an Anakin hilt. Would have been a nice tie into Episode IV. Thoughts? -Steve McCleskey (Talladega, Alabama)

While I don’t think collectors would necessarily be appreciative of a chase figure that only offers a small saber hilt change, it does sound like a nice idea for an Obi-Wan Mustafar Battle figure. Perhaps we’ll see something like this included in the last 12 figures of the ROTS line, but making a running change to Obi-Wan #1 would be the last thing I’d like to see Hasbro do.

Until next time...


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