Questions for June 27, 2005
Q&A Archive

1
Just a few quick one's Re: the "Evolutions" line.

1. Will all three be released at once, or will they be spread out over a few weeks?

2. Hasbro's website classifies the release date as "Fall". I had heard July. Did they change the release dates?

3. Is there any official word on how many points of articulation these figures have? I know the "Trooper" have are all basically re-issued, but the rest "Anakin" and "Sith lord" themes look all new. -Anthony

The Evolutions packs are set to be released over the course of three months, June - August; How and when and they appear at retail will depend on retail distribution. Here are the case assortments and shipping dates:

855530004 - June 05
4x Anakin to Vader

855530005 - July 05
2x Anakin to Vader
2x Clone to Stormtrooper

855530006 - August 05
2x Clone to Stormtrooper
2x Sith

85553000B - August 05 (ISS Special Pack)
4x Clone to Stormtrooper

Hasbro's posted 'release dates' are often estimations due to the fact that retail ultimately is responsible for when the toys will actually hit the shelf.

As far as I know the points per figure have not been announced. I assume the figures will be as articulated as the VOTC figures, though we probably won't know for sure until we had a chance to examine them up close.


2
I've seen the new Koto pictures of Anakin and the clone trooper at the one Japanese convention, and boy do they look cool. When will these be released into the U.S.? Also, I have the Anakin ROTS Force FX. Unfortunately, I dueled with my friend with his and now there's scratches. Is that much of a problem? It's not broken, but those nasty scratches! If you guys have one, are there scratches on yours? -Nick Parisi

Diamond is handling distribution of the Kotobukiya line in the U.S. Release dates are usually a few months behind overseas availability, but they have been showing up pretty regularly. If I were you I'd check for local comic or collector shops in your area that carry the line. If you don't find a store, ask your favorite shop to order them from Diamond for you. These are truly amazing pieces for the price, well worth the added effort to track them down. Aside from that, eBay and Hobby Link Japan are good options.


3
Did I read it right that "build you own lightsaber kit" has been cancelled? I hope not--I was quite interested in this, as was my four-year-old daughter (she is fascinated by the scene in "Clone Wars" where Barriss Offee makes her own lightsaber. She wanted to make a purple one, of course. -Greg Parker

Well, you did, but you didn't. It was cancelled originally when it was first offered in 1999/2000, but the latest version is all set for release. We should start to see these at retail in the next several weeks. Stay tuned, as soon as they show up we'll be sure to let everyone know.


4
I am a rip the box open and display the figures loose kind of collector. Over the years I have lost a blaster or lightsaber here or there. The new ROTS line is packed full of extra bits such as the clone trooper and his 2 loose shoulder pads, which I did not notice where in the packaging till after I threw it away. Is there a good avenue to track down old and new accessories, besides buying another figure? Do you think Hasbro would ever offer collectors a chance to order these one day. In recent years I have glued or museum waxed in place blasters, etc., but would love to replace the lost ones. -Dave (Burbank, CA)

The best sources for loose accessories right now are eBay and various collector shows. Occasionally comic/toy shops will have loose weapons, but they're usually a rare find. EBay affords you the luxury of a defined search, while at collector shows you're typically digging through a shoebox for the ones you want. There's been no word from Hasbro regarding a replacement weapons program or special package, but it's a great idea and something I hope they give serious consideration. I'd certainly pay for a set of large Clone Trooper rifles to arm my EE troopers, not to mention a set of Jedi Force sabers to replace the ones that have already burned out the batteries.


5
Do you have any news on upcoming Galactic Heroes? Has this line done well enough to be continued? Every time I go looking for these the shelves are bare.

No news on up coming sets, but Hasbro did say at C3 that they are quite committed to the line. It appears the M-pire figure 2-packs will upstage the Galactic Heroes for a brief period, but as we get further along we should see the regular 2-packs return. In the meantime there are two GH vehicle sets and the back pack danglers so I guess that's something.


6
"…We realized that direct-to-consumer would be the perfect way to meet collector needs." Ed Kriete, Senior VP Hasbro (Toyfare, August 2005, page 14) about plans to sell GI Joe toys on the Hasbro web site. In addition Hasbro has a current promotion where fans can send in battle points for an exclusive Storm Shadow figure. What is Hasbro's explanation for not offering Star Wars fans the same collecting options? -Phil in Ann Arbor

Star Wars is a licensed property, G.I. Joe is not - the Joe brand is owned by Hasbro outright. As a licensed property, Hasbro has "paid" for the rights to produce any Star Wars products. Because of that, there's a cost built into every Star Wars toy that doesn't exist on the Joe line. In order for Hasbro to make margin on the Star Wars line, they have to at least cover that cost plus manufacturing costs. Not that they couldn't do it, but with the added cost it makes it much more difficult for Hasbro to show a profit - that's one reason why we don't see redemption offers in the Star Wars line.


7
In question mark #163 you said code 3 was doing a bang up job in the vehicle department, and I was planning on buying the Millennium Falcon for my 14th birthday at a near by Wal*Mart for $250, so do you think it's not worth the money and I should buy something else with my money like an FX lightsaber or gentle giant statue. I know these aren't nearly the same amount of money, but I just want a really good Star Wars collectible that's worth the money. -Bobby Salermo

In my opinion the Code 3 Falcon is worth every penny of the $250 price tag. From an investment standpoint, as long as Wal*Mart holds the price long-term value shouldn't be affected. From a supply standpoint, if the production run on the Code 3 Falcon is such that there's more than enough to meet demand we probably won't see the aftermarket value increase. Part of the appeal of limited edition collectibles is that over time they tend to increase in value, if the edition size is greater than the demand for the piece, you don't usually see that increase and in some cases you actually see a decrease. So far aftermarket values on most of the Master Replicas and Gentle Giant pieces have gone up. While it's hard to compare the F/X Sabers or Mini-Busts to the Code 3 Falcon, all are quality collectibles in their own right. Depending on what you want in the long run, I don't think you can go wrong either way. However, if aftermarket value is a concern, you may want to look harder at Master Replicas and Gentle Giant.


8
I was watching Ep III for about the tenth time when I stated thinking about the fate of c3-p0 and r2-d2. They were left in the care of Captain Antilles on Senator Organa's ship, which later becomes the Rebel Blockade Runner. Then in Ep IV They are both still on the same ship and in the care of Captain Antilles. So I looked at the back of my Droids DVD and it said it takes place 13 years before they meet Luke Skywalker. So did the two droids get off the ship and then some how got back on just in time for Ep IV, or did the end of Ep III, make it so the Droids Cartoon never Happened. -SarlaccPit_48

Well, by virtue of the fact that the cartoons are out there, it's hard to say they never happened. By the same token, no explanation (as far as I know) has been given to resolve the issue you raise. This is just another one of those Expanded Universe vs. canon things that pops up when you have multiple contributors to the same mythology. If you accept the Droid cartoons, as part of the greater Star Wars story, there must be an explanation out there - written or unwritten. If all you believe is what you see on the big screen, then it makes it that much easier to dismiss the animated tales. The cartoons were produced at a time when there were no Prequels outside of George Lucas' imagination. Though he must have signed off on the idea, he clearly made no accounting for it in the new movies. The cartoon also came at time prior to any organized attempt to maintain a consistent time line. So, bottom line: If you choose to incorporate the Droids cartoons into your view of Star Wars, then there must be an explanation; If not, there's no need for one.


9
My question is in regard to the Beam Weapon for the Hasbro Republic Gunship. For the Episode 2 and Clone Wars Gunships the Clone Pilot came with the beam cannons to attach to the Gunship Now for ROTS we get the Cannon that came with AOTC Pilot Padmé rehashed. So how am I supposed to get the Beam Cannons for my Gunship? Do I have to sacrifice them from my other 2 Gunships. Will I be forced to turn to Secondary Resellers and eBay to track down more AOTC/CW clone pilots? I would much rather have had it come with the new Pilots I wouldn't mind having 3 extra beam cannons (from my pilots for the ARC-170) then 5 useless recycled cannons. aaaarrrggghhh!!! Anyway love the Question Mark, and Rebelscum! Thanx again for any help, May the Force Be with You! -DanB

So far Hasbro hasn't indicated that they have any plans to include the AOTC beam weapon with any up-coming figures, nor have they said anything about a possible upgrade to that earlier accessory. It certainly would be nice if they could come up with something that looked a little more like what we saw on screen, but because of size and scale issues it must be difficult to make nail down. If you would like to outfit your ROTS Gunship with these pieces, I'm afraid your only option now is eBay or some other aftermarket source; I haven't seen any AOTC Clone Pilots at retail for quite some time.

10
I don't know how many questions about this you get, but what the hey. Do you know if Hasbro has any plans to make any more Neimoidians or Imperial Officers? I can understand the drab similarity in the Imperial uniforms would make for some boring figures in the eyes of many fans, but the costumes worn by the Neimoidians are quite lavish and eye-catching, so I don't know why Hasbro has shirked on making anymore besides Nute Gunray, Rune Haako, and Lott Dod, and now the Neimoidian Warrior from ROTS. So anyway, do you know if Hasbro plans to make Daultay Dofine, Tey How, or Gilramos Libkath? If not, do you know why? Thanks a bunch!

No plans have been announced for figures from either group, but as long as the line is in production they remain valid sources for action figures. We'll probably see some at one point or another; Imperial Officers are always a crowd pleaser and I seem to recall rumors of a Daultay Dofine figure at one point. Tey How is one of my favorites from TPM, and I think everyone is in agreement with a new General Veers figure. At this point we're just going to have to wait and see what happens. Hasbro has gotten pretty good lately at keeping their plans to themselves, but we do know they tend to listen to what fans are asking for.


Until next time...


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