Questions for November 8, 2005
Q&A Archive

1
Are we going to start seeing more of the Red Shock Troopers (repainted Clone Trooper #6) out in some of the newer cases? I have seen the Green Clone Commander several times but have yet to see the red Clone. I really want to stay away from eBay but if they have already shipped, then I may have to suck it up and pay 3 times what the figure costs (really don't want to). Also, why is the plastic collectors cases (Target 5 pack) so expensive? $10.00 for 5 of them. When you have a large collection like I do that is way more money than I want to spend for all the figures I have. I already have been having to eat Top Ramen noodles just to be able to afford all that has come out already (I'm a completist and I'm joking). Especially with the way they made the Sith packaging it's almost imperative that you have these cases just to keep them in mint condition (they don't stack well in boxes). What gives, isn't plastic supposed to be cheap?

This is another question we had submitted in hopes of getting some solid information out to the fans, but unfortunately Hasbro has refused to answer. I can only hope they address the issue at some point, but right now it doesn't look like the red clad Shock Troopers (Clone #6 repaint) will ship again. None of the wave 7 case revisions have featured the figure so far, and we're getting down to the final ticks when it comes to the Revenge of the Sith line. There's always the chance Hasbro could revisit this particular clone deco some other time, hopefully on their Super-A mold, but there's been no confirmation of that at this time.

As for the ROTS clamshells and the cost of plastic… There certainly are less expensive options available to protect your 'Sith' figures, keep in mind that $10 price tag includes the rather substantial packaging that many case suppliers don't have to contend with. Still, plastic is petroleum product, and anyone spending time at a gas station these days could probably tell you a little some thing about the price of fuel… It ain't cheap, and neither is the cost of plastic.


2
I'm very interested in buying a Force FX Lightsaber. I was looking for Obi-Wan's lightsaber, but can't seem to find it. Is it available or will be soon? Which ones are available now? -Adam

Master Replicas just previewed their 2006 Obi-Wan Kenobi's Episode III F/X lightsaber at Pre-Toy Fair in New York City. Along with Obi-Wan's saber, Master Replicas will also offer a cool 'connecting' Darth Maul version in '06. No word yet regarding what may follow, but we could see more before 2007. As for what's available now; you can still order Anakin's Episode III saber, Vader's Episode V saber, and Mace Windu's saber at the Master Replicas website. In addition, Border's Books and Music is offering Luke Skywalker's Episode VI lightsaber as an in-store exclusive, worth a trip or at least a phone call to your local Borders. Other than that you could check eBay for any of these previously offered F/X sabers: Anakin's Episode II saber, Vader's Episode IV saber, or Luke Skywalker's Episode V saber.


3
I've haven't been lucky enough to get the final four figures in the ROTS line, Tactical Ops, the two Jedi holograms, and the heavy Wookiee. Not seen hide nor hair, and I check a lot. Is it possible those are in another type of case or shipment? I'm lost!

Love the Separation of the Twins figs, but Obi and Bail have no one to give the kids to... No Alderaanian Queen nor Aunt Beru, or even an Uncle Owen. They didn't even make the Lars for AOTC. What do you think the odds are?

A bunch of these just showed up at my local Target stores, which tells me the cases are still shipping. I don't think they've been reported yet at Wal*Mart, K-Mart, Toys 'R' Us, or KB; so we should see more in due time. I wouldn't worry just yet; keep checking.

Well, an Alderaanian Queen, Aunt Beru, and Uncle Owen probably don't rank real high on Hasbro's list of things to do, but you never know. The line for '06 appears to more collector orientated, these figures have not been mentioned, but anything is possible in 2007. My gut says don't hold your breath, but Hasbro may yet surprise us.


4
I again missed out on the chance to order the Covert Ops Clone Trooper from StarWarsShop.com. Do you know if their is a chance [of] it becoming available for a 3rd time for order on the website? -Steve

There's always that chance, as well as the chance that non-mint Troopers will be listed. If getting this figure is a priority, make the StarWarsShop website a regular stop during your daily web browsing. As with what happened over the weekend, once it's listed, it doesn't take long to sell out. Good luck!


5
Just a few quick questions that I'm sure other collectors are puzzled and/or confused by. To start off, why only 5 VOTC and not the full 12 like last year? I (like many others) love the VOTC, and would love to see more than a measly 5.

Secondly, it seems Hasbro has really begun to listen to us collectors. I'm really only disappointed about the news that in the Battle of Endor wave, Luke Jedi is not a SA resculpt. We've never gotten a SA let alone decent version of Luke in his DS Duel threads, so what gives? Any hope of seeing this one at least with torso retooling and new arms? I know that a lot of collectors would love to see this figure as well.

Finally, when can we start to expect to see "Official" Hasbro word on all of this stuff, as well as pictures? It all seems pretty accurate, but things (are subject to) change. So, again, any word on official word from the big H? -Thomas

VOTC 2006: five appears to be the number, so far. Keep in mind the line-up has not been 'officially' announced, and could possibly end up including more figures when all is said and done. We'll just have to wait and see, but the five we have heard of are certainly cool additions to the line. If it is limited to five, let's at least hope Hasbro will follow up with a few more in 2007 and beyond. As I've said before, it's not necessarily the type of line Hasbro would reproduce every vintage figure in, but over time it could turn into a really nice collection.

I know one collector in particular that would at least like to see this figure with its proper belt, no telling yet but I hope for his sake (and everyone else on the Rebelscum team) he gets his wish. According to our information the figure will be retooled from an existing mold, as such I wouldn't expect a huge amount of improvement, we'll just have to wait and see what Hasbro comes up with. A VOTC version with all the bells and whistles sure would be nice, but it doesn't look like that's in the cards for '06.

Official confirmation you ask? Is today soon enough… Hasbro updated this morning with information and images of the Geonosis wave, looks like our info was dead nuts on. While everything is subject to change, I have a high degree of confidence the rest of our information will turn out correct as well. 2006 is shaping up to be a pretty good year; it should only be a matter of time before Hasbro officially confirms the plans we intercepted.


6
I purchased the Best Buy Exclusive Vader Unleashed online directly from BestBuy.com and when I got it in I was surprised to see that the chest plate on Vader and the helmet and cape have a sort of reddish tint to them, almost like the lava reflection line from Target. In the photo archives for this item it doesn't show or mention this, it states it is just a repack of the Ep3 Vader Unleashed. Is this a variant because I assume that the box hasn't been tampered with since it came straight from the warehouse, I don't have a digital camera but I will borrow my friends and take a pic and send it to you. -Larry

Yep, this is a detail we caught wind of a little late in the game, after we had put together a temporary archive page. I made an announcement about it in one of the last QMs, but we haven't had a chance to take Archive photos of this version yet. Rest assured, the version you have is the official version Best Buy is currently offering. The effect pretty cool looking, we hope to have updated photos in our Archive soon!


7
Just got the first two Wal*Mart exclusive Titanium Ultra Die cast ships in the mail from Wal-Mart.com. The ships themselves are fairly cool, but the stands suck major swamp water. The ships won't stay on the stands. Whatever pooh-brained idiot at Hasbro designed these should be feed to a Sarlaac. The peg on the top of the stand is in the wrong place and the connecting part on the bottom of the Gunship is also placed in such a manner that it can support the weigh of the ship in static display. I realize these are essentially toys, but is there any hope that Hasbro will make available a display type case, as with the forth coming Titanium Ultra's? -Jamie. (Parker, CO)

It certainly looks like Hasbro failed to put much thought or effort into the stands for these two vehicles. Clearly the Action Fleet style base is not sufficient enough to hold the weight of the die-cast line. I noticed just the other day that my Gunship had fallen off its stand; I guess I'm lucky it didn't end up on the floor in pieces… The display cases they have shown with the ARC-170 and Tri-fighter seem to have addressed this issue, but there's been no indication the cases will be made available for these earlier models. Depending on what changes are made in the molds to accommodate the new display case, we can't even be sure the Gunship or X-Wing are compatible. Given time there's a good chance Hasbro will re-release both the Gunship and X-Wing with display cases; at that time we'll just have to see if these models will fit.


8
Just curious, mainly because I have not seen one on the shelves, do you know the release date of the Spud Trooper? I'm wanting to get one to match my Darth Tater for my daughter, but don't want to spend more on the shipping then that of the product if its not been released yet, ya know? -Greg

The Spud Trooper is out now, while a few reports have come in from Wal*Mart, the best place to track them down appears to be Target. Over the past few weeks I've seen several of these on the shelves, but not in the Action Figure section. Start cruising the infant toy aisle (where the other Playkool toys are sold) and you should find him in due time. Happy Hunting!


9
If all of the Target Exclusive ROTS figures been limited to 50,000 (the Lava Vader is the only one that states this), why have the Lava Vader, Clone Trooper flown off the shelves, but the Lava Obi-Wan and Anakin (Darth Vader) been peg warmers? Assuming that the Shadow Trooper will not have a problem selling (good thing I got them already) - can we chalk it up to lack of collector interest (coupled with unwillingness to pay that high of a price), or is it a case of greater supply than earlier exclusives? Also, in regards to the Shadow Trooper, I heard that they are only 8 to a case (I believe that it was 12 for the other exclusives) - does that mean that these will be even more limited than the Lava Vader?

I tend to agree with your assessment; I don't think the Lava Reflection Anakin and Obi-Wan appeal to as many fans as the Lava Reflection Vader, not to mention they're certainly not army building figures like the two Clone Troopers. Factors working against them include the fact that we've moved beyond the movie hype to a large degree, the figures offer nothing new aside from their questionable lava paint job, and much like the silver edition figures they don't really fit with the rest of the line… Overall, they're just not as desirable as the other exclusive figures. The good news is they'll probably make it to clearance and those that have held out will save a few bucks on them.

As for the Shadow Trooper, regardless of how many are in a case; I would expect the production run to be at the very least equal to the other exclusives. Considering it's an army-building figure, Hasbro would be insane to short ship these, if anything they should crank out another 25,000 for good measure. We'll see how it goes, but I wouldn't want to panic the community just yet.

10
Any word from Master Replicas on the very cool looking Anakin outfit they had on display at the comic-con this past summer? Will it see production? -j. sanguis

Master Replicas just showed off their Anakin and Obi-Wan costumes at Pre Toy Fair, while everything looks good, it's our understanding that MR is still trying to figure out the best way to market these to consumers. I'd guess production is guaranteed; it's just going to take a little more time for them to sort out the details.


Until next time...


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