Questions for May 1, 2006
Q&A Archive

1
I was thinking about the upcoming "Darth Vader's Starfighter". Will it be from the Expanded Universe or will it be the TRU version of Anakin's Jedi Starfighter seeing how technically he is Darth Vader at that point? What do you guys think? I am hoping it is the EU version! -Jason

I don't believe anything on this vehicle has been officially confirmed just yet, but I do recall it being referred to as a "black" Jedi Starfighter. I'm assuming this will be the Episode III version, painted black, as if used by Darth Vader after his ordeal on Mustafar. When will we know for sure…? Probably not until Hasbro posts official info, or images surface on the net. While it looks like we'll have a few Expanded Universe vehicle repaints to look forward to this year, this certainly is one I'm keen on getting.


2
Now TRU has Star Wars Defense of the Galactic Senate Battle Pack, but the one in the photo has The Hunt For Grievous are these the same packs?

While these were originally thought to be two different Battle Packs, it now looks like they may in fact be one and the same. Not sure where the mix up started or why, at one point both names showed up on 'a' list, but until we have more info it appears both names now refer to the one set. Possible explanations include a name change, cancellation of one set for the other, or a potential set being pushed off to another retailer… We really don't know for sure at this point, and in the end may never know.

Funny that; just today we received an email from one of our readers who managed to get confimration from Hasbro Customer Service that both these names refer to the same set. We still don't know exactly why, but at least now we know.


3
What do you think the odds are that (A) we will get another "tweaked" version [DVD] this time containing all six movies and (B) do you think Lucas will replace that horrible puppet Yoda in TPM with the new digital Yoda? (That thing was an awful representation of Yoda.) -Chris

It's only a matter of time before we see a complete DVD box set of the entire Saga, and I imagine at that time there will be some added value that would make us want to have that collection in addition to the collection of DVDs we already own. A Special Edition type upgrade of Episode I would certainly be a reason to buy in again, as would the inclusion of certain cut scenes to some of the other films. As we've all seen, 'some' CGI work has already been done on the TPM Yoda in preparation for Episode III, so I would guess this would more than likely be part of the upgrades to the Episode I disk. When could we possible see this? Rumors and rumblings hint there may be something 'big' coming this fall… No telling at this point if it's a DVD box set, but I tend to think it would be a good way to lead into Star Wars 30th anniversary year.


4
Are there any plans to re-release any of the evolutions toys lines? Mainly for those who missed the Anakin to Vader box sets, or any plans on re-releasing any of the evolutions toys as single figures? I hope I'm not the only one who thinks that that line was one of the best the Hasbro has ever put out. The sculpts and articulation was the greatest, I ask this mainly because the pictures of the emperor they plan to release from the saga collection just doesn't live up to Palpatine in the evolutions toy line.

I've been hearing lots of news about the Saga 2 releases and the vintage style toys in the states but when is Canada going to see any of those fine toys? I asked a local comic book store and they told me Hasbro Canada is very dodgy about when they are going to release them, I just don't want to sell out to toy scalpers again.

Lastly do you think Hasbro will ever make a General Grievous toy with DEACENTLY articulated arms? Or arms with elbow joints for that matter? -Ray

As far as we can tell nothing is planned for the Evolutions line this year, though anything is possible in the years to come. Clearly Hasbro did some very nice work on this limited line; it seems to have been a Prequel answer to what they're doing this year with the Vintage line. I would guess that anything they would follow up with, single carded, would probably run the same as the current Vintage assortment, $10 a pop. Without a doubt the Evolutions figures are far and away better than any of their basic figure counterparts, especially so when it comes to that particular version of the Emperor.

Canadian distribution… Let's ask Dave:
TSC we have up to the 4th wave thus far. We've seen the Vader and Han UGHs, and as of this point, the VOTCs are up in the air.

The VOTCs have been ordered in by the CND online guys and the CND packaging mimics the old Kenner Canada packs. I've spoken to a few reps in Vancouver and Victoria, and at this point no retailers have ordered them. In all honesty, these reps aren't always informed about everything coming out in the future.

With the production run on the CND cards being as small as they are, collectors interested in them best order them from Legends in case retail looks the other way...
Thanks Dave!

At this point I would think our best chance for a Super Articulated, correct scale General Grievous would be as part of an Evolutions/Vintage type line for the Prequel characters. I can't see Hasbro putting a whole lot more into the figure at the basic $6 price point, but for $10 Grievous should get the treatment he deserves. At this point we know there are no immediate plans, but we could always see something like this down the line.


5
I'm a huge fan of Star Wars lore, collecting Etc and do my best to keep up with all the explanations for inconsistencies (IE - Artoo not using his booster rockets in OT because they expired. I also will buy into the "certain point of view" theories on why Leia remembers her mother, how come the Lars don't remember C-3PO Etc. But the one thing I cannot understand or find an official or unofficial in universe explanation for, nor have I even seen brought up, is why the lightsabers switch from using the covertec type belt clip to the D-Ring type between Episodes 3 and 4. Now perhaps Vader decided when he built his new Saber to go for a change, and perhaps sand got in Obi's clip while he was on Tatooine for 20 years and he needed a new type of clip, but I have a hard time believing after sitting in a box for 18 some odd years that Anakin's saber magically switched from covertec to D-Ring. Has anybody even tried to explain this with some sort of in universe story?

2ndly

Have you noticed that the opening crawls for Episodes 1 and 2 the color of the text is a mustard yellow and appears much darker than the OT opening crawls which are a much brighter and truer yellow? And also why in Revenge of the Sith is it back to the OT color yellow instead of sticking with the darker color established by the other prequels? I remember this bothering me when seeing the whole Prequel trilogy in theatres and its something they didn't correct when transferring to DVD. Do you know if there was any reasoning for this? -J.C.

Wellp, I'm not aware of any kind of attempt at an 'official' or Expanded Universe explanation, but I'm sure if one pops up it will go something like the covertec clips were no longer available… Of course the real world explanation is the covertec (cell phone) clips weren't around during the filming of the Original Trilogy, but I guess they could always be CGI'ed in after the fact… As for the props being different; it's a well known fact that there were differences between each lightsaber from film to film. While a lot of those differences were more subtle in nature, the difference between the Prequel clip and Trilogy D-ring just stands out as being more obvious.

Good question, I would assume that by the time Lucasfilm got to Episode III they were much more conscience of how the Prequels would blend with the Original Trilogy, and made a real attempt at matching what had been done with the scroll on Episode IV. It's a little early to tell, but if and when we see a DVD boxed set there's a good chance that the scrolls on Episodes I and II will be tweaked to match better with other scrolls. I guess it's just one of those things, but it kinda sounds like something that would be pretty easy to fix. Time will tell…


6
How about a list of some DCPI numbers for the upcoming target exclusives? How do I go about finding a database of sorts, if it even exists for these product numbers? They make it so much easier to "hunt" (UGH!! Really!!) what I'm looking for.

I got way too excited while ordering my Clone Wars deco gunships (which by the way, they've changed the offer and if you buy two, you get a third one for free!!) and also pre-ordered the Defense of the Senate Battlepack by accident, thinking it was the Skirmish in the Senate Battepack, any word on what's in this pack yet? I've heard that this is actually the Hunt for Grievous Battlepack, which I also need, but that's all from the forums and word of mouth. I can't believe that we are this close to the release and we have yet to hear anything definite from Toys R Us about what it is.

When can we expect to start seeing some of the Heroes & Villians (EIII Greatest Hits) to start hitting the shelves? I missed out on the 501st and have to create my Intergalactic Army!!
I preordered my Shadow Stormtroopers this morning. But this leads me to a question which I am not fit to answer on my own. Since they are from the Crimson Empire comic, does this give us a hint that they will still be making Kir Kanos and maybe even Carnor Jax, or does it not work that way at all? I dread your response.

I've noticed that the K-mart exclusive Jedi Temple Assualt is appearing on the shelves again. Has my local K-Mart discovered some old stock, or is this or something like it being seen around the country? I've seen on the rumors list the white TIE fighter, is there any possibility of a re-issue of the Target exclusive scaled TIE fighter?

Also, what happened to cause all these unconfirmed reports on the Saga checklist, and when can we expect the announcement of more waves? Can we start panicking yet? Any idea as to what direction those new waves may go in? I'm not even going to say, "I hope they make this, they should make that", 'cause I know from being a dedicated scummer that it's pointless. We just take what we can get, which is awesome, and complain about it at the same time. Personally, I'd rather go out and lick the sidewalk then have to deal without the big H. -Scott

You want Target numbers…? We've got Target numbers. While I'm not aware of a data base that tracks this info, we do post these in our news as they're reported. The most recent list I've seen from Target looks a little something like this:

087 06 0781 Demise of Grievous
087 06 0863 Skirmish at the Senate Battle Pack
087 06 1675 Greatest hits figures
087 06 1678 New style extending Lightsaber
087 06 1797 Mace Windu Battle Squadron (Battle Pack?)
087 06 1798 Kit Fisto's Starfighter
087 06 1799 Classic Snowspeeder with figure

Not that any of these will help you track down the UGH figures (they're packed randomly with certain basic figure assortments and not traceable by the DPCI system), but here they are…

As mentioned earlier, it looks like the Defense of the Senate and the Hunt for General Grievous Battle Packs are one and the same. Frankly I'm a little surprised this hasn't been cleared up as well, but it's not really like Hasbro to comment on Internet rumors, and that's essential what these two sets have been until recently.

I believe the Greatest Hits wave (Heroes and Villains assortment) is due this month (May). With the pegs jammed full of figures from waves 1-4, there's no telling when they will actually hit, but it could be at any time now. As for more Crimson Empire figures, in particular Kir Kanos or Carnor Jax, the jury is still out. We did get some early info that Kir Kanos would be an exclusive figure this year, but those plans could have easily changed by now. While the Shadow Stormtrooper is indeed a good sign that Hasbro is at least looking at the Crimson Empire characters, we'll just have to wait and see where they go from there.

I have seen a few reports of the Jedi Temple Assault Battle Pack being restocked; as hard as this set was to come by last year, my guess is K-Mart is just now getting caught up on their inventory… Just in time huh? Yep, saw the rumor about the white TIE Fighter too. Frankly I'd be shocked if Hasbro took a huge step backwards and gave us the small solar panel version; my guess is this will be large panel version molded in whitish gray plastic. While I wouldn't expect them to think of this, hopefully this year's Darth Vader's TIE will be molded in the same color plastic… It would be nice to finally get a set of these that actually matched.

I expect we'll see some more waves and get more official info from Hasbro at Comic Con. Until then, we'll just take in and digest whatever rumors make the rounds and keep our fingers crossed for a cool Holiday toy season.


7
When looking at the OTC and '05 transitional figures page I am uncertain if transitional figures 05-09 to 05-16 were actually released. Can you confirm if they have been released or not? I am currently trying to fill in some gaps in my collection. -Chad

Some were not easy to find, but a quick check on eBay confirms that they were in fact released. Whatever you're currently missing from your collection, your best bet to find it now would be at everyone's favorite on-line auction house. Happy bidding!


8
Hello, I have a vast collection of star wars figures ranging from vintage and the latest all MOC. I was wondering, where could I go to find a reliable price guide for some of my vintage figures? An example is I have Darth Vader's on SW, ESB, ROTJ cards so I would like to know the price difference for these figures. Any help would be great.

There are numerous published price guides, but today's most accurate prices can usually be found on eBay. If you can find an auction for a like figure (the more auctions the more accurate the average suggested market price) you'll get a pretty good idea of what your figures should sell for. If you have a hard time finding an auction that matches one of your vintage figures, we proudly endorse the Official Price Guide to Star Wars Memorabilia by our very own Jeremy Beckett. Between either of these two resources, you should get a pretty good idea of what your collection is worth.


9
Hasbro is damned if they do and damned if they don't evidently. I just picked up all 5 VOTC figures. With this UGH promo and a mail away for an exclusive figure I was really excited at first. Then I realized that to get inside the Clamshell around the cardback, the calmshell itself will have to be destroyed. All the previous VOTC Figures clamshells were taped shut. Easy to get into if necessary without destroying them. The new ones are sealed shut at various places by heating the plasitc and letting it reset on itself. To get the proof of purchase from inside you have to tear the calmshell up, at the same time risking damaging the cardback. I don't open my figures and this is very aggravating. I know this is done to keep sorry bastards from stealing the proof of purchase and order form from the figures, but what a way to handle it. Like I said damned if they do, damned if they don't. At $9.96 + Tax for each, I really don't want or need to buy an extra set just to get another figure. Your thoughts? -Adrian

I'd say Hasbro took the necessary steps to ensure the Proof of Purchase tabs could not be easily removed from the package. Most old-timers probably remember when people were cutting the Kenner POPs off the package right in the store for their redemption offers; at least this time around it's not that easy to do. However, this has not stopped some fans from ripping into packages and taking out the Saga Collection inserts right there in the store, or after buying the figures carefully re-sealing the clamshells and returning them for their money back. So was all the effort worth it? Hasbro probably should have gone one step further and require a valid sales receipt with each redemption certificate, but I suppose that could have caused a whole other mess of problems…

I think what they did was fair, but it will add up for collectors that that want the Lucas figure and insist on keeping a mint collection. Let's face it; if you want the Lucas Trooper, you're at the very least going to have to open the clamshell. If you keep a loose and mint collection, you're looking at three sets of vintage figures in order to keep one Lucas carded and have one open. Is that Hasbro's fault, not really, but it does tend to make the idea of breaking into the clamshells and taking the POPs very tempting. You said it best though; in this case Hasbro is damned if they do, and damned if they don't.

10
I am so angry! Today at my local Kay Bee I found pegs full of the five Vintage Saga figures. Unfortunately, every one of them had been opened and the "proof of purchase" needed for the Lucas Stormtrooper figure was missing! From Every One! I am sure this is going on all over the place! My question: Is the Lucas Stormtrooper figure going to be available any other way so I won't have to buy from the scumbags who stole the proofs?

Unfortunately, if you want to order the Lucas Stormtrooper from Hasbro you're going to have to come up with the Proof of Purchase tabs from each of the new Vintage figures. At this point it does not look like the Lucas figure will be available by any other means in the U.S. There may be offers outside of the U.S. for the Lucas figure; if you don't mind import up-charges that may be an option worth exploring. Other than that, there will no doubt be several listings for the Lucas figure on eBay, but shopping there could very well mean dealing with some of the same 'scumbags' that stole the POP tabs in the first place. If alternate, legitimate offers for this figure surface, we'll be sure to post them in our news.


Until next time...


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