Questions for June 24, 2004
Q&A Archive

1
First, how long before the remaining waves of basic figures get released? It almost seems like a month before the figures get around to my neck of the woods (Oklahoma) and I really get tired of waiting.

Second, for some reason I don't remember seeing a red clone commander in ROTS movie. Can you tell me what scene he was in? I looked at my DVD that came with the soundtrack and saw a yellow one with Aayla Secura, but no red.

Lastly, my # 35 Palpatine stands crooked to the right-will or did Hasbro fix this or was mine some king of packaging thing that messed it up.

Release dates on the remaining figures are really anyone’s guess at this point. According to Hasbro R2-D2 #2, Commander Bacara, and Anakin Mustafar are shipping in June; Captain Antilles, Zett Jukaska, Utapauian Warrior, Turbo Tank Driver, Flea Rider, and Obi Wan Pilot will ship in July. Assuming a couple weeks to cross the Pacific, and distribution time once they hit shore, we could see any or all of these figures hit anytime between now and August. Both the Tarkin and Bacara waves have been found (slightly ahead of schedule by Hasbro shipping info), and we had carded images up the other day of the Antilles wave. Generally, it looks like Hasbro is running ahead of their own schedule, but it may not seem that way to you if distribution to your area is slow. All I can say is hold tight, these figure will eventually hit your area.

I don’t necessarily recall seeing one either, but we know from early production images that the design was in use. There’s a very good chance scenes with the red Commander were cut, and it just so happens those were the scenes Hasbro drew from for the figure. It’s also possible that Hasbro based the figure on pre-production designs, as it looks like they did on the Deluxe Clone with Jet Pack, and the design color never made it into the movie. Obviously other Clone Commanders did, in a number of other colors, just not a red one.

I’ve opened two #35 Palpatine figures and both stand a little funny. I’m sure it has something to do with the mechanics inside the figure, not so sure this is something Hasbro would or even can fix; it could just be the price we pay for Hasbro including the action feature.


2
Are there any plans to make another cantina playset, Jabba’s Palace playset, [or] the Hoth playset ever again? And also is the Stormtrooper Unleashed rare because I have never seen one again since the one I bought in April. -mitch

When you say “ever again” I’m assuming you mean the cardboard dioramas they released a few years back. Someone asked about those at the Hasbro panel in Indianapolis; it didn’t sound like there were any plans at the time, but Hasbro didn’t shoot the idea down either. I’m sure they’ll take a look at it; if it fits we may see something along those lines again. The Unleashed Stormtrooper is only rare in light of the fact that it got caught between the end of the OTC line and the start of the ROTS line. This is typical for a movie year; retail gets all whipped up over the new movie toys and ignores the toys leading up to it. From a production standpoint the Stormtrooper wave was most likely produced in the same quantities as any other Unleashed wave, they just didn’t see full distribution. I assume we’ll see this wave again around the end of the year (or early next) as retail begins to deplete their inventories. With any luck, there will be plenty of these on the pegs for Christmas.


3
My friends and I have been eagerly anticipating the release of the Attacktix Battle Case for (of course) the Star Wars Attacktix line. The case was originally scheduled for release on May 1st. This was pushed back to the 15th of May. Then June 1st, followed by June 15th (I think you can see the pattern). It was recently listed on Amazon.com (this is where we were getting all of the release information) for a July 1st release and we hoped this was the final push-back and we would see it in our local stores.... not exactly. Amazon.com has changed the release again. It is still available to purchase on the 1st of July, but now Amazon stated that it is only going to be available on-line!!

Is this true? From all appearances the Attacktix line is doing great and selling out around the country. Why all of the release push-backs and the online exclusive sale?

Any info you might be able to provide would be great (I keep getting mixed, or no, reply from Hasbro). -Sean

I’m not exactly sure what the hold up is with the Battle Case. I do know it is a main line item and should be available everywhere Attacktix are sold. We’ve had a few reports of the cases being found, but not many. The situation at Amazon is confusing, but not completely unheard of. Often times they’ll work off projected dates, and we’ll see listing change periodically. I’d suggest keeping an eye on Target and Wal*Mart, it appears the cases are at least in the pipeline, there’s a good chance once they do show up they’ll show up there first.


4
Do you know which retailers will be carrying the Mpire PVC figures and ornaments? Will Hallmark have the ornaments? I searched Target and Wal-Mart's websites, but nothing comes up, and employees know nothing. Yet, these items are all over eBay already.

As far as I know the Mpire figures are not exclusive to any one retail chain; I can’t say for sure who will carry them, but they are not exclusives. Hallmark will carry their own brand of Star Wars ornaments in 2005 (expect them to hit July and October); the Mpire ornaments will likely be sold through the usual toy and/or candy vendors. As far as what’s been showing up on eBay, I seem to recall a few reports that these ornaments were showing up at grocery stores and other big box stores (Sav-On, Osco, etc…); if anyone writes in and tells us where they picked them up I’ll be sure to pass that along.


5
Do you know if Kotobukiya has a General Grievous in their list of things to make? I think there Star Wars line is great and I'd love to have a Grievous in there somewhere.

I haven’t seen a list from Kotobukiya, probably wouldn’t be able to read it if I had, but I’m confident they’re looking at Grievous as a potential piece. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see one announced in the next several months. Stay tuned, I’m a pretty big fan of this line, and if I hear anything I’ll be sure post it.


6
In the new Q&A it was told that the new Asajj and Kenobi with trooper armor/gear is in the Jedi Vs. Sith set. I remember seeing the picture of the individual figures, but didn’t know they came in a set. When is the expected release date of these sets? Are they exclusives?

As of Celebration III, the sets were not exclusive, and according to our latest information the Sith vs. Jedi set should be shipping from Hasbro this month. Two more sets will follow; Jedi vs. Separatists and Rebels vs. Empire are both set to ship in July.


7
I'm a huge fan of the EE SA clone trooper 4 packs; I own 3 of each set. I was wondering what the chances are that EE will maybe do a similar thing next year utilizing the ROTS #41 sculpt? There are certainly a lot of color variations in the film that they could make.

I recently had the chance to speak with Jason at Entertainment Earth about these sets, they’re are very happy with how well they’ve sold (or should I say sold-out), and are looking at the possibility of additional sets sometime in the future. Right now there was nothing specific he could discuss, but it’s nice to know the option remains open to them. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for now, but if there’s a set you’d like to see send it in. Next time I pay Jason a visit, I’ll be sure to tell him.


8
Hey Mark, I was wondering from what you have heard and seen from Hasbro do you think there is a slight possibility that Hasbro could make an Expanded Universe line perhaps next year?

And I was wondering if Hasbro is just going to leave the upcoming Evolutions sets and other things they have planned under an un-named set? Or is a there any word on a new line perhaps? It seems this one would be just concerned with the entire Saga, much like (as the name suggests) the 2002-2004 Saga line.

Also I was wondering, do you actually have any sort of "dream list" or anything you could share with us concerning the upcoming 12 figures to continue the ROTS Basic Figure line?

Also in context to Question Mark #159, Question Number 5, do you actually believe that there is a chance in the distant or near future seeing other film makers be able to pick up on the rights to Star Wars? If so do you believe it would be a good idea for other filmmakers to make non-Lucas Star Wars films? Would it change the saga maybe or add to it?

Also I have noticed that a lot of people are talking about more and more lately about a possible episodes 7-9, do you believe with all the hype Lucas may give in at some point or let another film maker pick up the "Skywalker Saga" at some point?

Expanded Universe line in ’06? Slight chance, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Coming off a movie year, I would think they’d want to hit the classics hard. We might see one or two EU figures at most, but I wouldn’t expect a line like we saw previously. Then again if you count Clone Wars we may see some more action there. Hasbro specifically asked about those figures in Indianapolis – could be they have something up their collective sleeves.

Sounds like you’re asking if they will have a tag line, like Power of the Force, Power of the Jedi, or Original Trilogy Collection… I imagine they may have something, but then again what we ended up calling Saga was originally just intended to be “Star Wars.” We will probably find out at Comic Con if a title is attached to the line next year so be sure to tune into our coverage starting July 13th.

My personal dream list looks like:

Commander Cody (w/ seeker)
Padmé Amidala (Loyalist Meeting – cut scene)
BARC Trooper
Battle Droid Pilot
Pau’an 2-pack
Baron Papanoida (George Lucas)
Cin Drallig (Nick Gillard)
Tantive IV Pilot (Jeremy Bulloch)
Quinlon Vos
Polis Massan Droid
Anakin Pilot (w/ soft goods)
Bacara’s Clone Trooper

I don’t believe anyone else will ever be allowed to pick up the rights to make more Star Wars movies, but I can see Lucas and Lucasfilm developing new Star Wars projects. I’m sure it will all be kept in house, Lucas will oversee production, but others will handle the hands on aspects of making the films. In my opinion, anything that Lucas allows to be made will most likely be far enough removed from ‘his’ saga that it won’t really impact it.

I honestly don’t see Lucas doing or allowing anyone to make the fabled Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. I think he’s told the story he wanted to tell, I think he’s happy with the way it turned out, and to tell the truth I don’t think there’s much of a story left to be told. The Skywalker Saga is Anakin’s story and it’s now complete. There may be other Star Wars movies, but I seriously doubt we’ll ever see a continuation of this storyline.


9
Any word from Hasbro as to when the Wal*Mart Early bird figures would be shipped out. I have also wondered about the Star Tours wave 4 figures, are they still coming out or canceled? -Jason L. (Saint Cloud, MN)

At Celebration III Hasbro stated the Early Bird figures would ship in the Fall. I imagine they’ll probably start showing up in September and continue on through November/December… Star Tours wave 4 figures are in a state of limbo, nobody has a definite answer on them, I’ve asked at Disneyland and gotten mixed stories. Some samples or prototypes showed up on eBay many moons ago, but that was about it. Originally when I asked at the Star Trader I was told they were coming, but were on hold until more of the current inventory sold through. I was just at Disneyland the other day and the selection was down to wave 3 figures only and barely a handful of each – at least that’s what was on the shelf. I asked again and the attendant knew what I was talking about but didn’t think they would be getting them. The designs for wave 4 were more ride orientated than they were Star Wars, I have to think someone figured out that they probably wouldn’t be as an attractive set as the first three. Who knows, anything could happen, but I’m guessing wave 4 has been dropped.

10
In the Star Wars Titanium Series are they coming out with a wave 3 and 4 because I remember seeing a list in one of the vehicles boxes and it had a lot more vehicles like the Naboo starfighter and the ARC-170 clone fighter. I hope they do cause I just love the Titanium Series.

Yep, looks like we should see at least two more waves this year, and plenty more in 2006 as Hasbro moves the line into general distribution. According to the checklist we should see these vehicles in the months ahead:

X-Wing Fighter (Gold Leader)
Landspeeder
TIE Bomber
ARC-170 Starfighter
Clone Swampspeeder
Naboo Starfighter
Battle-ravaged Millennium Falcon
Wookiee Flyer
Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter
Jedi Starfighter (Version 2)
Royal Starship
Tyderium Shuttle

Hasbro also has two collector gift sets lined up, plus plans for two or four six inch vehicles (apparently the Action Fleet Falcon and Vader’s TIE were shown as ‘examples’ during a focus group at Celebration III). This is easily one of my favorite editions this year and I sincerely hope the Die-Cast assortment will gain a larger following once it goes into full distribution in 2006.

11
I was just wondering, is the general Grievous figure in the battle pack, Jedi versus Separatists, the same Grievous as the sneak preview Grievous?

And

Is the Asajj Ventress figure actually going to have lipstick, more pose-ability, or a slimmer figure, or is Hasbro going to disappoint me again.-

The Grievous does look to be the same as the sneak preview figure, although the cape might be slightly different. The way it’s packaged it looks like it might actually wrap around the figure more at the legs. If anything, it’s a minor difference at best.

From pictures taken at Celebration III, it looks as if this is an all-new figure. At this stage it doesn’t look like the figure will have much lipstick, at least not like the animated figure had. She does appear to have added articulation at the elbows, though I’m not exactly sure if they’re hinge or cut joints. As for what’s below the belt; it’s anyone’s guess what she’s got goin’ on down there, but the plastic skirt will certainly interfere with any added articulation. As for a slimmer build, I wouldn’t say there’s much chance of that. Compared to the previous Asajj figure, this one definitely looks like she’s been bulking up.

12
I don't know how much you know about the Del Rey "Essential Guide" books, but have you any idea if they're going to re-release them fully (and finally) updated? I know the released a few "updated" ones in-between the first two prequels - which seemed like nothing more than a cash grab - but I'd really like to have new completed ones now that all of the movies are finally finished. On top of that, do they omit previous characters/vehicles/weapons/planets to keep the page count the same as before, or would they be larger and contain everything from before?

Also, are there specialized baggies for collectors like me who open all of their figures? I know comic shops wrap all of their loose figures in some kind of bag, but I also know they like to jam you up with their prices so I'm not too fond of asking them for their advise. Before I shell out money, I'd like to know what my best options are out there from a credible source. -Jayson G. (San Antonio, TX)

I haven’t gotten wind of any plans to release a fully updated, single volume "Essential Guide" and seeing how they tend to include EU content, I honestly don’t expect they ever will. As long as the Expanded Universe continues to grow, it will be impossible to have a complete one-volume edition, there’s just too much information. I expect any new editions will compliment earlier releases, and hopefully focus on new information. As far as page count, I’m sure they try to keep it within reason, and very close to the established format. Again, this seems to work the best for Del Rey so why change now?

WholesaleCases.com carries some rather nice seal top bags in a number of sizes. Take a look at what they’ve got, compare prices, and see what works best. I’m sure there are many other sources, but if you are uncomfortable dealing with your local comic shop this might be the way to go.

13
I am just curious as to what exactly should be done with the cereal and soda. I am collecting all the boxes from the Star Wars Cereal promotion. Should I leave these boxes sealed forever with the cereal still inside? OR open them neatly and remove the cereal? What about the 2 liter soda bottles and the 12 packs of Pepsi products? What should be done with them? -Bill

You should be pretty safe with the cereal as long as it stays dry. I’ve actually seen some nice cereal box sized display cases at the Container Store; whether you’re displaying these or just storing them, this might be a good idea just in case. For the soda bottles and cans, I’d strongly suggest emptying these before storing them; the last thing you want is leaking or exploding soda all over your collection – that would be bad. You can accomplish this in any number of ways, but more often than not collectors like to empty them out of the bottom of the container. A small hole at the lowest point of the can or bottle should do the trick; you may even choose to rinse the container out with water. As long as the face of the can is in good shape, and the seal at the top is unbroken, you should be in pretty good shape. Again, ‘contents included’ is always a plus, but the risk to the rest of your collection may not be worth it.

14
Any idea when the Rebelscum.com Wedge Engine will be updated to accommodate the new Revenge of the Sith toy line? Currently the last update posted in the "news" was 7/18/2004. That was nearly a year ago. -Effexx

As a matter of fact, Anne just updated this the other day; everything should be there now to bring your collection up to date.

15
Does Hasbro pay any attention the probe droid polls or are those just for fun? For example... the one on Evolving Amidala. If the majority of the readers say,"Yes, Great Idea," will a set really be created? Because really, the lack of Padmé figures...I mean, Doesn't Hasbro realize that she
is the most important female in the prequels!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Probe Droid Polls are by no means official, but they do reflect the opinions of those that participate. We like to think we get a wide variety of Star Wars fans to visit the site and as such the results are a good sampling of the general community. Hasbro has told us in the past that they do indeed watch the results, we have forwarded results of key issues to them in the past, and I have to think that if it came down to a tough choice between two toys the results could be a factor in the final decision. As for our Evolving Amidala results; I doubt Hasbro would create a set based solely on that outcome, but seeing the results may convince them the idea deserves a good looking into.

16
Hey there, just had a few questions. First, with the way that Threepio's have for some reason recently become popular figures (at least around here - all 3PO figures are scarce), what are the chances Hasbro would go back and redo a good dull silver/gray 3PO from AOTC? All we got was that crappy snap-on armor bulky version from a scene that never even made it into the movie.

What are your thoughts, now that the prequels are complete, on a VOTC type collection from the prequels? High quality, nice, super articulate, loaded w/weapons and soft goods type figures? Everyone would have their own thoughts, but mine would be: TPM - Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Darth Maul, Anakin; AOTC - Count Dooku, Padme, Jango Fett, Mace Windu; ROTS - Darth Sidious/Palpatine, Yoda, General Greivous, Anakin/Vader.

Last - I know this is a looooong shot, but with the promise of a new Indiana Jones movie getting better, do you think Hasbro would ever consider picking up that line and doing something with it? I know there have been attempts in the past, but nothing as well done or articulate as the SW figures. Even the Disney IJ figures, while nice, are far from what they could have been.
Thanks – lovin’ your article!

Personally, I’d love to see Hasbro release a good Episode II 3PO, lots of detail, and added articulation. For that matter I think they could do a much better job on the Episode I 3PO; if they could give the Battle Droids 10 points of articulation, why not the “Professor?” In my opinion both Episode II versions and the Episode I 3PO were sub-par and Hasbro easily capable of doing better. Come to think of it, that might not make a half bad Evolutions pack…

In a way I think Hasbro is touching on this idea with the Evolutions sets. As we saw at Celebration III, the figures are VOTC quality with lots of articulation and detail. The question then becomes, how can we get those Prequel characters into this type of set? In any event, Evolutions sets or not, I think the VOTC theme is one Hasbro will visit again, and I would not be surprised to see them include Prequel character in the mix.

New Indy figures… As much as I like Hasbro, I think I would much rather see Gentle Giant get the license for Indiana Jones. What GGS has done with their Bust-Up line is a good indication of what they could do with an action figure line, and I am very impressed with what I’ve seen so far. GGS has expressed interest in getting into the action figure business, they have a close relationship with Lucasfilm, and they know what collectors want; I can’t think of a better company to handle the IJ line. We’ll see, we appear to be close to a new Indy film, we’re bound to see a resurgence in the collectibles market, at this point anything could happen.

17
We bought a Mustafar Final Duel Playset. We noticed, (or it looks like) Anakin is holding Obi-Wan's lightsaber, and Obi-Wan is holding Anakin's lightsaber. Is this an error exclusive to our playset, or is it the same with all the others? Or did we miss something in the movie where they exchanged lightsabers? We've seen some different ideas on eBay; some saying there is a painting error with the lightsabers. Could you clear this up for us?

Nope, so far all the sets I’ve seen are packaged this way. There’s a slight hint of it in the movie, but odds are this was done to highlight a key element of the duel. At one point when Anakin is choking Obi-Wan you can see very briefly that Obi-Wan is holding Anakin’s saber. Nothing has been published yet, though I expect we’ll see something on Hyperspace soon, but it obviously indicates the two switched sabers at some point in the fight. The decision to package the toy this way came before the footage was edited out, and by the time Hasbro was aware of it production was too far along to do anything about it. As a result we end up with a toy that looks like production error, but in actuality is intended to look exactly how it does.

18
At the end of Revenge of the Sith C-3PO received a memory wipe. I thought in A New Hope he tells Luke after he gets the oil bath that he served in the Clone Wars or something like that. How does he know that if (as in the ROTS Visual Dictionary) he thinks he served somehow else before he was on the Tantive IV? Did R2 tell him?

With the various ROTS senator figures (Mon Mothma, Ask Aak, etc) being produced, is there any hope that their scenes (with the formation of the Rebel Alliance) are going to be restored in the movie for the DVD like the air taxi sequence in the Phantom Menance DVD?

Are we going to see any Jabba's Palace figures when the ROTS series is done?

I think you are confusing two separate scenes, and two different characters. In the Lar’s garage scene 3PO mentions the Rebellion, to which Luke says “you know of the rebellion against the Empire!?” Later on, at Ben’s home, he asks Kenobi “you served in the Clone Wars?” 3PO never actually says anything about the Clone Wars. The memory wipe angle works pretty well between the two trilogies, it was kinda funny watching the oil bath scene again in light of what happens in Episode III. Although, as one recent question points out, it doesn’t necessarily fit with the Droids animated adventures… More on that in a future update.

As much as I would like to see the ‘birth of the alliance’ scene added back into the movie, it doesn’t sound like it will be. Rick McCallum recently talked about the deleted scenes we can expect on the DVD and while he didn’t go into specifics, enough was said to indicate this scene would be among them – not added back into the film. If it being cut came down to a pacing issue, I would think this scene is probably too long to just drop in like they did the air taxi sequence in TPM. It would certainly reinforce Bail Organa’s reaction at the Jedi Temple (he seems to get quite nervous when the trooper says “there’s been a rebellion”), but what are ya gonna do.

Going forward, I’m sure Hasbro is going to look at all six movies for toy ideas. While nothing has been announced I’m confident we’ll see more figures from Jabba’s Palace in the years ahead.

19
Is there any possibility of the red-robed Palpatine shipping with a third variation, namely the proper saber, or should I give up and buy the red-bladed Vader hilt currently shipping? -"Chewbacca" from the forums

If there were going to be another change I would’ve expected by now. At this point, odds are the figure is out of production and there won’t be second correction. Not that they are in short supply, but I wouldn’t hesitate picking one up now.

20
Do you know what is up with Kebco toys? I have not received any figures from them since 2/05. I have been emailing them, but no response. Please find out. I keep checking my orders, still showing in process of shipping.

I am sorry, but I do not know what’s going on with Kebco. I do know that they were a longstanding sponsor on the site and that relationship ended several months ago. Prior to that we had received many emails similar to yours, but never discovered what the issue was. I certainly hope you get some kind of resolution to the situation, but I’m at a total loss to explain what’s going on. Best of luck!


Until next time...


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