Questions for September 19, 2005
Q&A Archive

Well, vacation is over, I'm finally caught up at work, the kids are back in school, soccer season is underway, and everything is set for another great year of Indian Guides and Indian Princesses… The last few weeks have been crazy, but I've been watching your questions and digging around for a few answers, so let's get things going with the latest round of Question Mark!

On with the show:

1
On the list that comes with the Titanium Series, there are 3 ships that are not said to be released in any wave. These ships are the X-Wing Fighter (Gold Leader), Darth Vader's Tie Fighter, and the Tyderium Shuttle. Can you tell me anything about these 3 ships being released? Also, is the X-Wing Fighter (Gold Leader) the one that was a Celebration III exclusive, or is this one something else? What does Hasbro mean when they say that this line will go into full distribution in 2006? -KCREFLEX

Bad news/good news: The X-Wing Fighter ('Red' Leader) has been canceled or dropped from the line; there are currently no plans to release this version of the X-wing. Vader's TIE and the Imperial Shuttle (Tyderium) are scheduled for release and will now be included in the same assortment with the Wookiee Flyer, Jedi Starfighter (Green), Royal Starship, and Battle Ravaged Millennium Falcon. Even better news, this assortment (now set for a Spring 2006 release) will be available at the broader retail market and will not be exclusive to Wal-Mart.

While the Celebration III X-wing utilizes the same mold, it was not intended to be the Red Leader version.

Taking the line into "full distribution" essentially means it will be available for other retailers to order. While the Titanium Series has been exclusive to Wal-Mart this year, we should start to see it carried at Target, Toys 'R' Us, and other stores next year.


2
With all the news of upcoming lines (saga collection, more force battlers, more Attacktix, 2" unleashed, more galactic heroes, etc.), how much do you think we'll actually see by Christmas? I've grabbed pretty much everything I wanted to grab, and now I need new stuff. Also, I recently picked up the build your own lightsaber kit. I was really impressed with it, but kind of disappointed that there were only two of each piece included. Any news of anything more? An expansion pack perhaps? It's such an awesome piece it would be a shame not to run with it.

We may see the first wave of Saga Collection figures by the end of the year, a few more Force Battlers, 2" Unleashed Battle Packs, more Galactic Heroes, but after Series 2 I don't think we'll see any new Attacktix until 2006. Basically it's all going to depend on how quickly retail can get the toys from their warehouses to the stores, but with the DVD and a lot of focus on Star Wars this year, we should see plenty of Star Wars toys for the Holidays.

As neat an idea as an expansion pack for the build your own lightsaber would be, there are currently no plans for one. We'll just have to see if Hasbro comes up with something next year.


3
I have been looking for the Toys R' Us Exclusive Anakin Skywalker Starfighter as seen on Mustafar; has this been released? I see the Obi-Wan Kenobi [version] at Toys 'R' Us now on the shelves and thought this one came out 2nd and have yet to see the Anakin. -Erik G

The Anakin (green) version was release a few months ago, sold quickly, and has been gone from the stores in my neighborhood for some time now. I'm afraid your best chance at getting one these days would be through eBay.


4
What'r the odds of Baby Luke & Leia figures coming out. How about a Mrs. Organa, (or is she a queen?). And there's only been one Padmé figure, in two previous movie she's been such a clothes horse there have been tons of figures.

How about a re-do of the cool R2-D2 Interactive Droid? I can't pay the hundreds of dollars EBay wants for them now. You think they'll make a few thousand more of those?

Is Hayden Christensen the actor wearing the gear in all the Star Wars advertising? I don't suppose there is a way to tell? Do they just plop any old guy sitting around the ad agency's office into the suit?

I'm traveling to China in the near future. I know it's a big country, but I thought it might be fun to take a tour of a toy factory when I'm over there. Any good ideas where I could start on this idea? -Charlie

Hasbro announced at Comic Con that both infant Luke and Leia would be made available through Wal-Mart later this year. Unfortunately they will be paired up with Obi-Wan and Bail Organa. I expect we'll see the same old Obi and Bail figures as we already have, not sure how they'll pull off the infants, but be ready for them to be little more than molded accessories.

The Star Wars line is a boy's toy line, and everyone knows boys don't like to play with 'girl' action figures… Unfortunately Padmé just doesn't get enough attention from Hasbro.

Funny you should mention it, images of a repackaged Interactive R2-D2 recently surfaced, looks like this bad boy is set for another go 'round.

Not sure I'd be willing to say he's in all the advertising images, but he apparently was in the costume, and I would assume he posed for a number of publicity stills. To be more exact, you'd have to get the skinny from Lucasfilm. Not sure about plopping any old guy in the costume, but I do know Don Bies wore the Boba Fett costume to shoot additions to the hanger bay scene in ANH: Special Edition.

Last time I checked, traveling to China ain't like visiting Ireland. In Ireland you can tour the Jameson Whisky distillery and Waterford Crystal factory, I don't think China is quite as open minded when it comes to their infrastructure. Honestly, I'd consult a travel agent on this one…


5
I thought that I had read in one of the press releases that came out when it was announced that Sideshow had picked up the license for the 12" figures that they would be releasing some to retail at a price point comparable to the Hasbro figures, and then releasing some exclusives on Sideshow's website. Did I read correctly? Is Sideshow still planning this or are they only selling from the website? -Jonathan Mullins

According to Sideshow their 12" line will be sold through specialty market, not mass retail. As with many of their products now, you'll most likely be able to order from your favorite on-line collectibles website, or directly from Sideshowtoy.com. As far as price point, I would not expect to see anything in the price range Hasbro's 12" figures sold for, but we'll know more on that once additional details on the product line up are announced.


6
I was wondering if Hasbro was going to make a Commander Cody figure. It seems that they should make one, considering they have made Gree and Bacara figures.

Yes, Hasbro told us at Comic Con that they will (eventually) make a Cody figure. At the time they did not know or would not say when it would be released, but that they did recognize there was substantial interest in the character and they would of course capitalize on that with an action figure. Be patient, it's only a matter of time.


7
I tried looking in your recent archives to find a firm release date for Attacktix Wave 2. Did I miss it? I've seen the Gunship on eBay, but I'm more after new clone variations, Jedi, & of course the bounty hunters! I love this line, very collectible and the sculpts are charmingly odd. Plus, the game is excellent in that you can play and drink at the same time! Anyway, any specific info you've got would be greatly appreciated. -Ilya

Unfortunately you won't find a firm release date, Hasbro seldom pins themselves down to one particular date. From what we've been told the figures should start appearing this month, but could show up as late as October. It's just a wait and see proposition, but stay tuned to the site; as soon as they do hit stores we'll be sure to let our readers know.

And yes, the game is particularly fun with a hearty pint of apple cider.


8
I have a question about the Clone Wars cartoon. First, when is season three being released and is there a chance it will be with season one and two? Also I remember hearing that a new season is in the works. Any idea what these new episodes will be about? Like original trilogy or prequels? Is it possible to have them based on shadows of the empire or the Thrawn trilogy?

For U.S. fans the Clone Wars Animated Series Volume II (season III) DVD will be released on December 6th. As far as I know there are no current plans to release a single volume containing all three seasons, but I suspect Volume I will be available along side Volume II. The next installment of animated Star Wars adventures will likely come out of LucasDigital; a series release date in 2007 has been the latest and word has it the series will be centered on the Clone Wars, specifically the period between Episodes II and III. While there's always a chance that Lucas could take the digitally animated adventures into other areas of the Star Wars Universe, there's been no definite word yet. Though I'm sure many fans would like to see the Shadows and Thrawn adventures animated, I tend to think Lucas would not take the time and effort to expand upon adventures that have already been covered.


9
Do you have any idea if Hasbro are likely to re-release the AT-AT? I know a resculpt is absolutely out of the question, but even a version without the electronics would be fine by me. Also what about re-releases of the Rancor or Bantha? -Paul

Absolutely no word on an AT-AT re-release, but it certainly stands a better chance than any new vehicle. As you suggest, any new release of this toy would likely be stripped of electronics as well as sold exclusively. Likewise there's been no mention of re-release for the Bantha or Rancor. Hasbro has the tools to do, if it made sense we could see this happen, but it doesn't appear to be on the horizon.

Franlky, and I hate to harp on this, but if they do re-release either the Bantha or the Rancor, I wouldn't mind it if Hasbro upgraded them with sound chips… I can dream!

10
Will Hasbro be releasing any new Star Wars Action Fleet Micro Machines? I would like to see some of the ships that they did not include in the original Action Fleet line such as the Imperial Star Destroyer as well as some new ships from Episode III. Also, the quality of the soft plastic parts on the Wal-Mart Titanium ships seems poor. Has anyone else experienced this? -Jeremy Brotchner

The closest Hasbro will come this year, and most likely next, to the Action Fleet line is with their 6" Titanium Series vehicles. So far a couple all-new vehicles have been mentioned (Droid Tri-Fighter and ARC-170) but most appear to be based on previous Action Fleet toys. It's still a bit early to know for sure, but considering Hasbro had plans for an Action Fleet scale Star Destroyer back in 2003, there's an excellent chance they will follow through with one in the new Titanium line.

So far nobody has really complained about the rubbery plastic parts on the Titanium Series vehicles. Comparing the new vehicles to some of the classic Galoob pieces, they appear to be made of comparable materials. Still, in shipping these parts can become misshapen by heat and misplacement in their plastic shell. If you're having a problem with this the best remedy is to heat the parts up a bit (I like to set the parts on the dash of my car on a hot day) and let the plastic 're-shape' back to it's molded form.


Until next time...


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