Questions for May 26, 2006
Q&A Archive

1
What is your personal cut off for the number of times that you see a supposedly rare item on the pegs before you stop buying them, or getting excited. When does "Rare" become "Not So Rare?" Speaking of the Titanium ships, I see multiple Clone Wars Gunships and metal Slave 1's at almost every store I go to, both supposedly "chase" figures. In the case of the raw metal Slave 1, and it having a UGH sticker, based on how often I see it, it is not Ultimate, and I don't have to Hunt for it.

UGH is a travesty, a sham and a mockery.

IT'S A TRAVASHAMMOCKERY!!!!!

-Matt (Indianapolis)

Usually, a good rule of thumb is if you can walk into a store around noon and find that figure or toy, it's no longer rare. By that time of day more than a few people have seen it and passed on it. If the scalpers or hardcore collectors are leaving them behind, they've pretty much moved off of the "rare" list and should be much easier to pick up. When it comes to the Titanium question, obviously the line is not super hot. Sure, the little vehicles sell through at a steady pace, but they aren't what I'd consider flying off the shelves. As such the quantities on the chase Slave 1 and Clone Wars Gunship are probably a little higher than the actual demand, which would explain why they're so easily found. It will be interesting to see if Hasbro adjusts these production numbers somewhere down the line. While I can't really complain, it does sort of defeat the purpose of having 'chase' vehicles when they are this readily available.


2
VTSC Luke X-Wing Pilot: Is it just me or is this figure packed with two different lightsaber hilts - one on his belt and one on the side of the figure - and unless I'm an idiot (entirely possible) isn't the hilt on his belt a Vader hilt - not an Anakin one? - Bobby

Nope, it's not just you. So far all the Lukes have been showing up with the same thing, Luke's ignited lightsaber, and Vader's saber hilt. It seems far too obvious to be a mistake, I guess Hasbro just couldn't bring themselves to produce this little accessory and went with the hilt from the VOTC Vader instead. No telling if this will be corrected, but if it is I'm sure there will be more than a few collectors out there that will have something to say about it. After everything we've been through so far with this line, this could be just one more headache we don't need.


3
Hey Mark, I've been running around, burning over priced gas like a mad man trying to find the Titanium Vintage Finish Bossk and Sandtrooper when it finally dawns on me; maybe there are none to be had! No luck with eBay, either, which is generally a good indicator of availability. So, was the Vintage finish just a one-time offering with the Vader and Fett figures, or are the Bossk and Sandtrooper Vintage finish versions yet to ship? -Andre

There are indeed Vintage Finish Bossk and Sandtrooper figures out there; maybe not on shelves just yet, but they should be coming eventually. While the new figures are shipping, they aren't necessarily making out the shelf in high enough numbers. True, a few have been found here and there, but there are still a lot of Vader and Boba Fett figures taking up the needed shelf space. Once these clear out we should start to see more of the second wave, and see the 2.5 wave which should include the Vintage Finish editions. Give it time, they're coming.


4
I've been collecting Star Wars stuff since I was a kid way back in 1977, and toys have, of course, always played a central role in my obsession. It goes without saying that I'm a huge Star Wars fan, or I wouldn't visit Rebelscum on a nearly daily basis, right? I don't (and simply can't afford to) buy everything that Hasbro throws our way, but I consider myself a loyal and enthusiastic customer nonetheless. This leads me to my point: I'm feeling a bit betrayed as of late. Why?

Like most of us, I frequent Wal-Mart and Target on a regular basis, and I'm shocked by the prices I'm seeing. My local Wal-Mart stores are charging $6.63 for "Saga" figures, many of which are re-releases from previous waves. My local Target is charging nearly $13 for the new "Vintage" figures. What gives?

Please understand, I think all the new (as in NEW) "Saga" figures are great. I've been waiting for an "Ewok Diety C-3PO" for a long time, and I'm just as excited about the latest Vintage-style stuff. Although I'm afraid I'll never see one of my own, the Lucas in Stormtrooper disguise is something of a new "holy grail" for me---it's just a really great figure and an equally clever idea. But why does Hasbro feel the need to jack all of their prices up so high? It's killing me. A $13 action figure??? What world is this? I'm a dedicated fan, but the price increases as of late are beginning to alienate me as a collector. Would it not behoove Hasbro to LOWER some of their prices in an effort to attract a larger audience? I'm not suggesting that they ship them all to a "Dollar General" store for a buck apiece, but something's got to give, man. I just needed to vent. -Brett Gray

I guess, from the looks of it, Hasbro doesn't see price as being a major issue. Apparently they must think fans of Star Wars will buy what they 'need' at any price. Moreover, they've probably come to the realization that a lower price point isn't necessarily going to grow sales; they have an established audience for Star Wars toys, there are no more movies to attract new fans, they might as well strike while the line is hot and get what they can out of it. Until it becomes clear that we, and the general public, won't follow the line at any given price, there's no reason for them to back down.

Remember, as my grandfather always said, Hasbro (or any company for that matter) is in business to make money, not toys.

Now, here's where price becomes a double edged sword; if Hasbro can't show a profit from the Star Wars line, we get closer to the point where the line goes away. Across the board prices are going up in all areas that effect the production and transportation of these toys, while it may seem like a lot to ask at the cash register, it may actually be quite reasonable given these increases. In the end, whether the prices are justified or not, all we can do is send a message with our dollars. If the cost has gotten too high for you, it may be time to cut back.

I've drastically changed my buying habits this year, there's no way I can continue to justify maintaining a complete carded and loose collection. I'm running out of space, disposable cash, and in some cases just loosing interest in things like the Choppers, Unleashed Battle Packs, Force Battlers, Forged Figures, etc…

I agree, $13 for a vintage figure is quite high, but thankfully other retailers have these figures priced much better, some even at $9.99. If you're becoming price sensitive with your collecting, it's probably a good time to be more frugal with your shopping. As hard as it might be to walk away from a new toy, buy it at your comfort price not someone else's. Over time our buying habits will do more to change and shape the line than just talking about the high prices.


5
What is the difference between a Kenner Star Wars 12 Back Darth Vader figure and a Palitoy Star Wars 12 Back Darth Vader figure besides the company name? Is one more limited in quantities produced and more rare? Which would you buy if you had the opportunity? -Kevin

Other than the company name, there's really no difference. However, made for an arguably smaller market, the Palitoy version of this figure is much more rare than the Kenner U.S. release. If you collect based on value, the Palitoy version is the one to have. However, if you're like me and collect for nostalgia sake, you may be just as satisfied with the Kenner version. For me it's about restoring a piece of my past, since I never owned any of the Palitoy figures, I don't feel like I need to chase these down. If I could get my hands on 12 back Vader in mint condition I'd be satisfied.


6
I was just reading about the tampering with all the VOTC figures. Fortunately I was able to get a set as they were being put on the shelf. Last year with the early bird figs we had to have a receipt with our cert. Why did Hasbro not make it this way this time? With as scarce as these figures have been in this area I have not been able to find any on the shelf that have the stickers still in tact. Isn't there something Hasbro can do like send a warning with the case to the store and have these things put behind glass or in a case instead of straight to the shelf? - Jason

Requiring a receipt with last year's Early Bird set made good sense; you have one purchase to make, bam, you're done. When it comes to the vintage figures it's not that simple; worse case scenario, you could end up buying each figure at five different stores, spread out over several days, if not weeks. I guess to Hasbro that just seemed like a lot for customers to keep track of and too much to ask for from their fans. Might it have kept a few people more honest, maybe, but in the end it probably wouldn't have made that much of a difference. As for asking retail to treat these figures any differently because of the offer; the harder Hasbro would have made it for retail, the less likely they would be to buy into the line. Once you start asking retail to change the way they like to do things, they start to back away. Selling toys is their business; just keep everything as simple as possible and all will be well. Unfortunately Hasbro banked on the honesty of their fans, and clearly underestimated the lengths dishonest fans would go to just to get the Lucas Trooper figure.

It was a nice gesture, unfortunately with all the problems that accompanied it, it will probably be the last time we see such an offer made for the Star Wars line.


7
Hope you can help with this issue. Code 3 was to release the Signature edition of their TIE fighter in April. I was given verbal assurances that it would ship the last part of April by one of their customer reps on the phone at the beginning of April. Now the Code 3 website states: " estimated availability unknown". I have requested a reason for the delay and a possible future release date by numerous e-mails and phone calls to no avail. Perhaps Rebelsum.com can obtain some information from Code 3 at San Diego's Comic Con for Code 3's loyal customers. -Jamie (Parker, CO)

Well, hopefully now you've seen the news that these are shipping, or maybe even received yours. There was an unexpected issue with the piece that delayed shipping, fortunately it was resolved and everything is back on track.


8
I have been an avid collector for years. Just started getting back into it really last year with Sith.

As for the new Saga Collection. I live in Southern California - San Diego and I have had some pretty good luck with finding things but it is usually as soon as the store opens or late at night when things get stocked. I have figured out the guys that are scalping and since I have been collecting for a while and know a few guys at Target and Wal*Mart they are on the look out for a few of these guys. I actually caught a guy cutting into the Vintage figures and called security on him. They caught him but I don't know what happened. I also bought a couple of the new Vintage figs and looked inside and everything looked good. The little plastic bag was inside but when I opened it up and pulled it out it was missing the sticker. I had cut along the side to pull it out and I didn't notice any cuts any where else. When I returned it to Target to get my money back they accused me of taking them when I have in the past showed them that they have problems with people figure swapping and returning them. Same Target I found 4 of the Shadow Troopers that were actually TIE fighter pilots and a handful of the Vader's Legion figs that had Stormtrooper helmets and painted bodies.

It seems as if many stores don't care to do their jobs correctly and look for these things. I have since found all of the Vintage figs and have a completed mail in certificate, but it is frustrating trying to find even basic figures because it seems as if Hasbro isn't shipping much. Any ideas?

Frustrated collector in San Diego,

Jesse

For better or worse, the days of the mom and pop toy store are long gone, big box retail just doesn't care to level that would make them take notice of missing POPs, toys being switched out and returned, or what product (new or old) is on the floor. For the most part these are just numbers on spread sheet and as long as something is on the shelf they've done their job. It is frustrating at times, but it's the direction we've gone in and there's very little that can be done about that now.

As for distribution, for the most part it's gone pretty well this year. Right now we're coming off a period of "catch-up" assortments (a variety of figures from the first few waves), but once the new waves start to ship in greater numbers we should see more recent figures hit the pegs. I really haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary; every year there are times when things get slow, where there's very little new product, or product at all. I suppose we should all just take advantage of these times to sock a little more money away. Bottom line, hang in there, this is just the way it goes sometimes.


9
I have one question and hope you can help. In Lee's Toy Review #162 on page 28 there is an article about Star Wars at Toy Fair. They have pictures of Jedi Luke, Han Solo, Lando(skiff), and Weequay; yet under each name it says 4-pack. Do you know or can you find out what this is all about? -Aaron Geisler

A 4-pack huh? Well, based on our coverage of Toy Fair (scroll down a ways), this should actually be the five figure Battle Pack, Demise of Boba Fett. It's possible something has changed and the set now comes with 4 figures, but we haven't gotten wind of any such changes. We'll definitely ask about this at Comic Con (probably even see it displayed there), but until then I'm gonna stick with what we were told back in February.

10
I was wondering if Hasbro will ever release a Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker in the VOTC version? The card on the vintage is awesome, don't u think?

I would think the odds for a vintage style Luke Jedi are pretty darn good. If Hasbro indeed plans to build this line slowly over the next few years, it certainly makes perfect sense (for them and for us) to include this version. Right now we don't really know for sure, I think a Luke Bespin has been rumored for later this year, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

Let's just hope they get the belt right or we'll never hear the end of it from Dave…


Until next time...


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