Questions for September 21, 2005
Q&A Archive

1
Have the Ep. II Clone Trooper Bust Ups been released yet? I've checked eBay and other online retailers and have yet to find any. Were they overseas exclusives? Also, is there any chance we may get a Sandtrooper and Old Ben bust ups? And, why hasn't there been a Darth Maul mini bust made yet. I know that the statue is coming and does it look awesome. But I would like to see a Bust of him. Think we could see one of him in the near future? -David

Though originally shown at Toy Fair 2004, the Episode II Clone Trooper Bust-Ups have not been released, yet. The only Ep. II clone that's currently in circulation (eBay) is the Blue Clone Lieutenant that Gentle Giant handed out at the show and later offered as a premium with purchase through their website. Last time I spoke to GGS about this set, there was talk about possibly releasing them as Series 6 or 7, but so far nothing has been finalized.


2
Just wanted to vent some mixed feelings about the newly announced Burger King figures. I loved the initial release; so much so that I don't regret paying $80 on eBay to get a complete set that now goes for around $30. They have a special place among my SW display, and will for years to come.

So you'd think I'd be excited about the new figures, right? Well, mostly I am. Jedi Luke, Old Ben, even Bail Organa all look awesome. But why the @#$% did they forego the opportunity to finish making a complete set of important saga characters? We are still missing Qui-Gon Jinn, Count Dooku and Jango Fett! Bail before Qui-Gon!? Instead we get a new sculpt of Yoda, presumably the same Vader sculpt as the first series' chase fig and the same Mace and R2 sculpts. Ugh.

So, I suppose the reason I'm writing is to see if you think there's a snowball's chance in hell that BK might respond to fans and produce a Qui-Gon, Dooku and Jango in time for November's release. -Grendelspyce

There certainly are some glaring omissions in this collection, but I'm afraid it's a little late for fans to do much about it now. While a petition may have some bearing on potential future offerings, to expect Burger King to halt production, tool up for the new figures, and have them produced and ready for the November offer is a mighty tall order. Considering we're more than midway through September already, it's most likely impossible… As much as fans may want to have these other characters, it simply isn't in the stars this time around. Maybe if/when there's a promotion for the next big Star Wars event (animated series, live action series, or 30th anniversary) there might be a chance, but I wouldn't hold out much hope this time.


3
I was wondering if you could find out who was responsible for the ridiculous silver cord that adorns the Darth Vader figures in the ROTS line - and if Hasbro will soon discontinue it! I know it is supposed to represent the chain holding his cape in place, but there are two things Hasbro may have missed about this: 1 - the chain in Sith was black, and 2 - at 3.75" in size the (scaled) representation of the chain should be no thicker than a thread! In my opinion, it makes what is otherwise a very well done figure look absurdly ridiculous! To make it worse, they have continued with this "dock rope" chain in the Evolutions set as well… It seems to me that leaving out this piece of the cape assembly would save a step in the manufacturing process and have it be cheaper (even slightly) to produce in the first place! Lastly, one would think that Hasbro would want to make a Vader figure that is as accurate as possible for a toy line based on the last SW movie… -Chris

Yeah, it's pretty bad isn't it…? Obviously the silver cord was a hold over from the VOTC line; while I would've preferred they upgrade to a small gage chain that could have actually been more costly. I especially like it when you can't get the cord to lay flat… Oh well. I would assume going forward this feature would quietly fade away. Without a big movie to draw fans into the toy aisles, I expect a lot of these little 'extras' will be extraneous. For now we just have to learn to live with it.


4
Has anyone noticed all the Star Wars bags of candy, M&M's, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way Halloween packages?

Three color-marked Clones (red, green, and blue) is listed as a variation to the ROTS clone 3 packs, I have been unable to find a picture of this variation or to even find one listed on eBay, can you confirm that this is a true variation? -Jamie

Did someone say candy! Yep, we picked up on these a few days ago. You can read all about it in our reports from September 4th, and September 11th. If any new packs turn up we'll be sure to post them as well. I'm still pullin' for a Milky Way Dark bag…

According to the latest Hasbro update the 'tri-color' set will not be made available. Hasbro simply used this image to exemplify the three colored versions we could expect to find. It's too bad too; I know there are a lot of collectors that were waiting for the tri-color set that are now faced with trying to track down all three individual versions. It's a shame Hasbro didn't make this perfectly clear originally, it would have save fans a lot of headaches.


5
Jedi Temple Assault: is there a variant on these, I found 2 at my local K-mart with all white troopers? The clone pilot was correct version, I checked the package, tape was not tampered with. Also are the red clone repaint (quick draw) still shipping, same as with this found tons of white - no red repaint?

No, there's no variation on this set, what you're seeing are sets being returned with white clone troopers swapped for the blue 501st version. We've seen a rash of this sort of thing this year, and if you don't know what to watch out for you can end up buying any of these bogus toys. No. 1; know what your buying/shopping for; if you know what the toy/set is supposed to contain you're less likely to buy a tampered item. No. 2; if you spot one of these toys/sets at retail let someone at the store know about it right away. Nine times out of ten the average retail store won't care enough to know if the item being returned has been tampered with or not. If you take the time to educate them about it, there's a better chance they'll know what to watch for and this type of thing will cease to happen.

As far as I know the Clone Shock Trooper has only shipped in the one assortment and within that assortment there were both red and standard white clones. There are probably more cases out there waiting to filter down to retail shelves, but it doesn't look like the Shock Trooper will ship in any of the wave 7 cases. Hopefully one of the revision cases will include this particular clone, it would be a shame not to get a second crack at it.


6
Have you heard anything that might indicate that Hasbro plans to release the bases that have been packed in with some of the EIII figures separately or as part of an accessory pack? I really like the Mustafar & jungle ones and would love to get a bunch. -Ilya

Nope, no indication Hasbro has any plans to make these available, but I sure wouldn't mind if they threw together a few bases, blasters, and other accessories and came up with a modern version of the vintage ESB Survival Pack. Throw in a decent Neimoidian Guard blaster and I'll be downright giddy.


7
I really appreciated the changes they made to the Episode III Lumara Unduli figure. Any chance we'll see a similarly redesigned Bariss Offee (perhaps without a perpetually screaming face)? -Dave

There's always a chance, but nothing has been announced for this year. We may see something along these lines down the road, but considering the fact that she plays a very minor role, the further we get from the Prequel movies the less chance there is Hasbro will touch on this character again. We're just going to have to wait and see…


8
I heard the new Unleashed line with the Shock Trooper, Solo in Stormtrooper outfit, and Chewbacca where canceled by Hasbro. Is this true?

Not entirely true. Hasbro has postponed that wave until Fall '06 when they plan to reintroduce the 6-inch Unleashed line to retail. If retail buys in, we should see these figures and others at that time. If the line is not picked up, we'll most likely not see these three made available.


9
From previous question marks, it has been made clear that vehicles are probably not going to be a top priority for Hasbro in the coming year due to cost and retail demand. But with the new Saga line, what are the chances of any of the vehicles being re-released? I am mainly thinking of the rarer ones, such as the Imperial Shuttle.

According to Hasbro, there's a better chance that any vehicles we do see released will be repackaged versions from previous years rather than new ones. While the Shuttle certainly fits the criteria, due to its size and cost I have to think its actual chances are slim to none. FAO had a very hard time selling the Shuttle when they had it just a couple years ago, I can't imagine a retailer willing to take it on now. We'll see what the next few years bring, but I would be very surprised to see this particular vehicle offered again.

10
I recently picked up some Attacktix on sale. They were BOGO so I picked up a couple. Since then I am addicted. So my questions are is there any word for more after series two, there are still a lot of characters I would love to see. Also if there were more on the way what would be the chance of an accessory pack? I have added so obstacles and "cover" to my games, it's makes them last longer and are a lot of fun. With the release of the battle case I thought it would be great to add maybe more "turrets and some walls to hide behind or even knock over. I know it's asking for a lot but it would be a lot of fun.
-Johnny Paul

I seem to have misplaced my mental notes from Comic Con, but I'm pretty sure Hasbro said they were working on a third wave and looking at a forth. I think as long as the game sells well, and it has so far, Hasbro will continue adding to it. So far the only "accessory" pack we've seen is the Battle Case. While it doesn't necessarily include battlefield type obstacles, there's no telling what Hasbro could follow it up with. I think it's safe to say the game is still in its infancy, as Hasbro sees and hears how fans are playing with it, they'll likely develop new aspects for the line.


Until next time...


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