Questions for November 30, 2005
Q&A Archive

1
Ok I was wondering something...You know how there is a Battle of Carkoon [wave]...well is it at all possible that they are gonna make Battle of Carkoon 2? Then 3 etc? Cuz I LOVE the current Battle of Carkoon [wave]...but I don't think it is complete yet? So do you think they will keep adding?

I don't imagine we'll see another 'Battle of Carkoon' themed wave for 2006, but anything is possible in 2007 and beyond. If there are certain figures you'd like to see from Jabba's Palace or the Sail Barge scenes, start chatting them up in the forums. The Star Wars team is always looking for figure ideas, and frequently checks forums and message board to see who's hot. If you get a good amount of buzz going for some of these characters, there's a good chance someone that can do something about it will notice.


2
I'm a big fan of Jango and Boba Fett figures and to my knowledge have every one. I was wondering if there are any new figures of them coming out, not just retools? -andy k.

So far there's been no indication that there will be any new sculpt Jango or Boba Fett figures next year. I think the best we can hope for are slightly retooled versions of earlier figures, but that's about it.


3
I know it may be a little too late for this (seeing how all six movies are done) but do you think Hasbro would ever start up a direct fan club site of their own? What I envision is something like the Mattel HOTWHEELSCOLLECTORS.COM site. It is sponsored directly by Mattel and sells items exclusively for its site directly to members. I know there are thousands of Hot Wheels collectors out there and even more Star Wars collectors. I myself would love to be a member of it if they were to ever start one.

So basically the question is have you ever heard rumors that Hasbro may try to start something like that? Especially since they have another 13 years of Star Wars to go. -Brian B.

P.S. the INKEDFORLIFE is all about the Star Wars tattoos I have received over the years.

Hasbro tried to get something like that started this year, they had a sign up at Celebration III for a basic action figure program (one of everything), but nothing ever came of it. In San Diego they mentioned encountering 'issues' with the program that included timing. With a good chunk of the 2005 line already in stores, it was kinda hard to make the offer worthwhile. We had suggested pushing the offer out to 2006 but there's been no word whether Hasbro plans to do anything at all with the idea. Now that there are no more movies, and the line will likely take a much lower profile at retail, I would think the timing is perfect for Hasbro to get something like this started. Fan/collector support and participation will be the key to the lines success over the next few years, hopefully someone over there will figure that out.

If you're into Star Wars tattoos, you definitely need to check out Tattoos and Toys.com!


4
I must ask. The "deluxe" General Grievous (it's not so much deluxe in my mind) He is one of the worst painted figures ever! Look at his hand, his head, everything. I don't think it just turns into a "deluxe" figure with one blaster as a specialty.

Will [there] be a new deluxe crab droid without that enormous blaster and with a little bit articulation? -Jens

A lot of the early figures in the line were based more on concept work than what actually ended up on screen. I think in the case of Deluxe General Grievous, Hasbro had an idea of what the character might look like from a particular scene and ran with it. Clearly the figure offers little more than what we could find at the basic figure price point, but when it came right down to it, Hasbro felt they needed to have a Grievous in this assortment.

New Crab Droid you ask? No, I don't see Hasbro spending the time or money upgrading this toy. Like the Spider Droid, we might see some minor improvements down the road, but I wouldn't expect to see a major overhaul.


5
Any chance Hasbro will produce a Bultar Swan Jedi figure from AOTC?

As much as I'd like to see more Jedi, I have a hard time seeing Hasbro produce a Bultar Swan figure. Unless it's part of some kind of multi-pack, it just doesn't strike me as the type of figure Hasbro would put on the shelf. When doing background characters Hasbro tends to look for very distinctly Star Wars looking subjects; unfortunately a human female Jedi just doesn't fit that pattern. Hasbro has certainly surprised a lot of collectors with their 2006 selections, I suppose anything is possible, but I think it will take a lot of fan support to get Swan made.


6
First of all I would like to say that I have been a Star Wars fan all of my life and a fan of Rebelscum. Question? There are figures that Star Wars has not yet to be explored, for example The New Jedi Order. Don't you think it would be great to see the next generation of Skywalker's in an action figure form? Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin Solo with different color light sabers making a change from the basic blue, green and red that were all use to seeing? By any chance do you think we will see any of these figures made? -Marze

At one of their panels Hasbro asked the crowd whether they'd like to see the Solo children made; the crowd response was a resounding yes. I'd say there's a chance we could see these figures eventually, Hasbro is certainly starting to pay more attention to the Expanded Universe, but there's no telling when we might see them on the shelf. Only time will tell…


7
I'd like to know how are exclusives chosen? Now that the last movie is done and past will there be a change towards non-Clone, non-Holographic and non-Lava figures? Will we see more lesser known characters get made? Wedge Antilles and the forth coming Kir Kanos are the start I presume?

Yarna d´al Gargan, was mentioned in the last Q&A. This would be one figure that in my mind would be great as an exclusive. She probably wouldn't be a good seller to have out on the retailer's pegs for reasons. If made an exclusive through StarWarsShop.com--she certainly would sell good enough to make money. Yarna isn't a character that kids would want but Star Wars fans and collectors would. The Tonnika Sisters and Hermi Oodle are two others that if offered as exclusives that a lot of collectors like myself would buy.

Any chance of re-releasing some of the older figures a lot of collectors missed and are paying big bucks for now? Dark Trooper, Space Trooper, Sio Bibble, TC-14, etc. Any of these would be easy money makers for Hasbro.

There are two Holo figures still missing--Darth Vader from ESB and a Spirit of Obi Wan with Hayden's likeness. Are either of these possibilities next year?

Hasbro basically develops each "exclusive" based on many different factors and presents them to retail buyers. Factors that influence what Hasbro offers include price point, availability of a mold, general theme in any given year, collector interest and demand. If the buyer likes that particular idea their store usually ends up with that exclusive, if not Hasbro may have 'back-up' ideas to present. Usually Hasbro will have several different ideas/prototypes floating around so that each "retail partner" can find something they feel fits their needs. Obviously retailers will look at their sales and try to select an exclusive that works best for their customer base.

Hard to say what types of exclusives we could see going forward. We had a lot this year, most based on the fact that there was a movie in theaters, which I wouldn't expect to see next year. The thing about "lesser known characters" is that most would require a new mold, and Hasbro has already said that creating a new mold for a limited release figure (like Yarna) isn't exactly cost efficient. As far as exclusives go we may see more repaints or slightly retooled figures (like Wedge and Kir Kanos, assuming they're going to use the existing Royal Guard mold), but I wouldn't count on anything that's completely "new."

We're bound to see more figure re-releases in the years to come, I would think all the figures you listed are easy candidates for this one way or another. Between being re-carded, or included in some type of Battle Pack, there's a whole lot we'll likely see again, and again.

I really like the Hologram figure idea. While I wish Hasbro could come up with a more interesting way to display these, some kind of lighted box, it's a much better idea than the silver painted figures from a couple years ago. I have to think the Hayden Hologram (the new ROTJ Anakin) is somewhere on deck; hopefully with a new mold considering none of the existing Anakin Skywalker figures would really fit this scene. As for ESB Vader, I'm sure it's only a matter of time, but again I would hope they could come up with a new mold that fits Vader's appearance in the scene. As I said I like the idea of the hologram figures, but when it comes to certain characters I'd prefer to see Hasbro take the time to create a mold of the character as it appeared on screen rather than cast some random figure in clear blue plastic. Bottom line, I'm sure we'll see Hasbro release these two hologram figures eventually, no word if they'll be out next year or not, but hopefully when they are released Hasbro will do a decent job on them.


8
Ok, we now know that Hasbro is going to do more with the VOTC line. Is it possible that we will ever see a super articulated Jango Fett? We got a Boba Fett in the original VOTC and all it would take is a simple repaint and a couple of new accessories. They could repaint and maybe modify the Boba Fett figure, add two blaster pistols, add two holsters similar the one on the VOTC Han Solo to his legs, maybe even include a swappable helmet-less head that way he could be with helmet, without, or decapitated a la Mace Windu. That would be the perfect Jango Fett figure. Hands down. Do you know if there is any way I can make a big stink about it and let Hasbro know? Do you think it might be possible in the future? -John

If Hasbro were to release a Super-A Jango, I would hope they could do more than just repaint the VOTC Boba Fett figure; the costumes are different enough that a simple repaint would be embarrassing. Hasbro would really need to get in and make some noticeable modifications, like the ones you mentioned, before putting an acceptable Super-A Jango out there. They certainly have something to start with (rather than starting from scratch) so let's hope this is at least being considered. As for getting Hasbro's attention, start hitting the forums and message boards, talk the figure up, and by all means let Hasbro know this is a figure you want when you see them at Comic Con.


9
I love the original trilogy as much as any hard-core Star Wars fan. I trust Sideshow will produce fine figures from the first 3 movies BUT will Sideshow produce a Qui-Gon Jinn? My fear is that their Jedi lineup consists of Ben Kenobi, Luke and Yoda. Wonderful characters that I will purchase but I'd love to see a Qui-Gon produced with the same level of detail that went into Jedi Skywalker. Is there a list of confirmed prequel Jedi? How about Jango? I hope to see a mix of characters from all six movies and not just a lopsided not to the OT. -SAGA fan

I'm fairly confident Sideshow will get around to a version of Qui-Gon Jinn in due time. In fact, considering it would be a pretty straightforward job, there's a decent chance that Qui-Gon may come up sooner rather than later. One thing is sure though, if and when Sideshow does make their 12" Qui-Gon it will be as every bit as detailed as the Jedi Luke. So far there is no list of confirmed figures for the Order of the Jedi line, Luke is the first, and we'll just have to wait and see who comes up next.

While Jango clearly falls into another category, I'm sure he's somewhere near the top of Sideshow's list of things to do. One of the things that Sideshow mentioned in San Diego was that they were looking at the entire sage for figure ideas, Original Trilogy, Prequel Trilogy, and Expanded Universe. The line will most likely move quite a bit slower than Hasbro's 12" line, but over time we should see a decent collection that spans the six movie and then some.

10
Are there any known variants to the upcoming series 5 Hoth wave of Bust ups? If so, which are they? -Dominic (Menifee, Ca)

Gentle Giant usually keeps a tight lip when it comes to the Bust-Up variants. We know they'll be there, but at this point we don't know what they'll be, and may not know until they are actually released.


Until next time...


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