Questions for June 9, 2006
Q&A Archive

1
Will Lucas in Stormtrooper disguise be available later on to purchase individually? I have my 5 figures still sealed and don't want to buy 5 more to open!! If its like any other offer you can usually buy it later from other sources like Brian's Toys, Entertainment Earth, etc...

Officially it will only be available in the U.S. through the POP redemption offer, or at Disney World with the purchase of all five figures. Unofficially, it could certainly show up at any of the online shops, or even eBay. Considering the likelihood of back door deals out of Hong Kong, distributors outside of the U.S. not tied to this offer, and the many missing POP tabs, there's a very good chance you'll be able to pick up the Lucas figure without cracking open your set. That being said, there are no guarantees, and there's no telling what kind of prices the figure will fetch on the open market. Technically you have until November 30th to see what pops up. If nothing satisfactory comes along you'll have to open the clamshells and mail in your certificate, but there's a lot of time between now and then and I'm sure it will at least be interesting to see how this all plays out.


2
What['s] the latest with Gentle Giant and their mini busts? There has been no news about the Darth Maul mini bust that has been previewed on you're website (i.e. - a release date, price, quantity etc.). Also, Do you know of any future mini bust such as a Jedi Luke? I'm waiting patiently for this one and hope that Gentle Giant makes one that is worth the wait. The new Sidious and Maul mini busts look incredible but why are they bringing out minor characters like the Gamorrean Guard or Bossk when an episode IV Jedi Luke would be a best seller?

While it doesn't look like an edition size has been set yet, we do know the piece is expected in November '06, and should retail for about $50. As for anything else that may be in the works; aside from what's been announced so far there's been very little rumored for the rest of this year or next. I guess a Royal Guard mini-bust and TIE Pilot bust are the current rumors, but that's about it. I'm guessing we'll see some new items at Comic Con next month, but as far as a Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, I've not heard a single thing. In planning their line I know Gentle Giant is taking the long-term approach. We have a couple Luke mini-busts already, I'm sure GGS would like to space out the main characters as much as possible with lots of interesting aliens and minor characters in between. Not to worry though, I'm sure Gentle Giant will get around to all the major versions of Luke Skywalker before all is said and done.


3
I have been anxiously awaiting the release of the new vintage (VOTC) line of figures. They surfaced at my local Wal-Mart a week ago, and today at Target. Unfortunately I have not been able to locate a Biker Scout. When I first saw them at Wal-Mart, there were 4 each of all except the Biker Scout. Today Target had 3 each of all except for the Biker Scout. I talked to a couple friends out of town tonight and I am hearing the same thing. No Biker Scouts! Were there none sent with the first wave or have the scalpers bought them all? Is there a case breakdown that you are aware of? This sure makes it hard to get the required one each to send away for a George Lucas figure. -Steve

I'm not aware of a case break down that doesn't include the Biker Scout; as far as I know each figure is shipping two to a case. Obviously the Biker Scout (like the Stormtrooper in 2004) is tremendously popular with fans and most likely to sell out first. Not that I want to point a finger at anybody, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if in a lot of cases the Scouts are getting nabbed before the figures even go on the shelf. Either for the purpose of army building, or holding out one particular figure to rake fans over the coals with, the Biker Scout is just a prime target for fans, collectors and scalpers alike. Hang in there though, as the figures continue to ship, your chances of finding the Scouts will improve.


4
I've been hunting through the toy aisles for months now and haven't found the elusive Scorch figure. I just received Entertainment Earth's catalog and saw that they are selling a case of figures with two Scorches (I want one carded and one to open). Also in this case there is a Jango Fett, Yoda, Leia as Boussh, Han in Carbonite, Boba Fett, Chewbacca, Sora Bulq, and a clone trooper. All this for $80. Now with convention season fast approaching, I plan on attending Wizard World Chicago, would it be wise to drop that kind of money on a case and save myself the hassle of trying to find two Scorches? I also like to customize loose figures so I could always use more figures to take apart. I'm really hesitant to pull the trigger on buying this case with Wizard World only a few months away. Buying the case has advantages and disadvantages, but I just wanted an outside opinion. -Andrew P.

Tough call, ordinarily I would find it extremely hard to justify buying a full case of figures just to get two of a single figure for my collection, but we are talking about a very cool, very hard to find figure. While there's a decent chance that Hasbro will put more of these into circulation at some point, are you willing to wait? If you have a genuine use for the rest of the figures in the assortment, I'd probably go ahead and buy the case now. Even if you used an old receipt and took the extra figures back your local store, you could come out money ahead. True, convention season is upon us, but there's no telling if you'll find any Scorch figures, or if found what you'd end up paying for the two you want. Many times I've seen rare figures going for $40+ a pop at conventions; you could end up paying $80 or more just for the two Scorches. I hate to hear about collectors being put in this position, these things shouldn't be that hard to find, but when it comes to filling that void in your collection sometimes you have to go the extra mile. If you really don't need the extra figures and you have the patience to wait it out, I'd hold off. Even if you didn't find what you needed at the con, there's a very good chance in time the figure will show up again at retail, or drop in price on eBay to something you can live with.


5
What do you think the chance is that a second round of UGH is in order? Maybe after the next few waves of Tatooine and Endor, couldn't they just repack some of those and slap an UGH sticker on them? UGH!

Before we get to a second round I'd at least like a decent shot at completing the first set of UGH figures… This was pretty ridiculous, the way this was handled; I'm afforded the luxury of being able to stop at at least a couple places on my way to work in the morning and aside from the four or five UGH figures I found when they first shipped, I never saw these things again. Now I'm hearing that collectors that pre-ordered cases specifically for the UGH figures are being told their orders are getting cancelled because Hasbro discontinued the assortment… I can understand creating chase figures to bring a little excitement to the hunt, but this was just wrong, all wrong.


6
I saw in the Rebelscum Photo Archives a photo of Commander Cody holding what looked like a holographic Emperor giving him the "Order 66" command. Obviously this hologram figure isn't in the pack-the bonus holo figure is too big. So where can I get me one of those micro-sized holo Emperors?! Also was there a reason they chose to keep Cody's visor stationary? I thought it flipped up like the other Clone Commanders. No? I recently bought a "Heroes and Villains" Chewbacca and I have to say it's one of the worst SW figures I've ever purchased. He's in a constant state of pitching forward-so much so that he can't stand up w/out a base. His knees are ball jointed, but they won't bend because of the-let's call it fur over-hang-that keeps his knees from bending. And don't get me started on his head and arms. They're connected to move in unison and in a very chinsy/loosey-goosey manner. He's one of the best-sculpted Chewy's I've seen, and the inclusion of a bowcaster (instead of the whimpy slave chain or weird wookie staff) was what sold me. My question is WHY, WHY, WHY did they let this cheap figure get out of the factory?? Actually, my real question is: will there be a better Chewy out later this year? And finally, will the new $59.00 version of the Imperial shuttle have the same features as the $99.00? or did they drop stuff to make it cheaper? Will it have any electronic features? -Jay from the Mini Apple

Dan threw that little hologram in for effect; would have made a nice accessory to be sure, as would a similar hologram with General Veers. If only Dan worked for Hasbro… Anyway that little piece is actually the hologram that came with one of 2003's Jedi High Council Screen Scenes. Technically it's a holo of Obi-Wan, but from the back it looks enough like Darth Sidious to complete the desired effect.

Not sure what the deal could be with Cody's visor; I don't recall ever seeing an image of it being flipped up, but it could have very well come down to problem with the mechanics. If having a flip up visor on the figure just didn't look right (this type of feature usually looks a little bulky), it could have easy been abandoned in favor a more accurate representation… Something like that.

As nice looking as this Chewbacca figure is, it's definitely one for the kiddies. Here again is a case where the action feature ruined an otherwise nicely sculpted figure, I suppose Hasbro just felt they needed to have a Chewie in the line that did "something." As this is an Episode III Chewbacca, I'm sorry the figure didn't come with an Episode III weapon or accessory, but I guess you can't always be movie accurate… I have no idea if another Chewbacca is on tap, we'll more than likely see one next year, but with two on the shelves already I have a hard time seeing Hasbro thinking they can hit us up a third time. [Based on the latest images released, there are no more Chewbacca figures planed for this year.]

At this point we have no idea what will, or will not be included with this year's version of the Imperial Shuttle. There's a good chance the price difference is simply the difference between dealing with Target rather than FAO Schwarz. The FAO Shuttle (at $99.99 back in 2003) offered nothing special aside from the chance to own this vehicle new since it was first released in the 80's; there were no electronics, no figures, they didn't even upgrade the figure pegs to fit the new peg holes... This time around it sounds as if a couple figures will be included (probably another Emperor figure and maybe one of his dignitaries [I'm expecting a re-release]), but I don't expect much more. I certainly don't expect any electronic features if the asking price is $40 less than the '03 version. For more details we're just going to have to wait and see what shows up at Comic Con.

Hopefully we'll get a slightly cleaner version than the last one - that thing was a mess!


7
This first part is not a question but an observation: I just purchased the older POTF2 Speeder Bike with Leia in her Endor outfit, and was very impressed with the quality of the vehicle's craftsmanship. The springs in the seat that allow the bike to "rest" only on its two hind legs and support the front ailerons really add to the display effect of how the bike was used in the film. I don't see that Hasbro is investing in that kind of extra-step manufacturing anymore. I also have one of the Stass Allie speeder bikes, and it is a decent mold, I guess, but not up to par with the older spring-loaded speeder bikes.

Which brings me to the question of pricing: what can you extrapolate on as far as why Hasbro has put out a limited run on affordable-price vehicles? The 3-3/4" scale essentially has the action figures at anywhere from $6 to $8 a pop, depending on where you live, and then it jacks up to $19 to $22 for the vehicles, like the Anakin and Obi-Wan Jedi starfighters. That's as cheap as the vehicles get, I've noticed, at least for the vehicles they're bringing back as repacks under the Saga '06 branding. The POTF2 speeder bikes retailed for $10 back in 1997, but the cheapest vehicles I saw last year under the ROTS line were the Boga, the Wookie Flyer, and the AT-RT; those were set at my local Target for I think about $15, but those all flew off the shelves and the sellers on eBay now peddle them and fetch about twice the retail. (I don't count the crab droid or spider droid as vehicles since those were basically wind-up action figures). Even this new TRU exclusive Endor AT-AT: I remember the originals were $50 when I was a kid; then they went up to $80 for the electronic POTF2 line, and now the Endor version is $100 clams. For that price, that thing had better hum the Imperial March.

My point is nothing today compares to the way the older lines ran in terms of selection. I can take my son to Target and get him an action figure every time, but I can't spring for vehicles at 20 bucks a pop. Mid-price vehicles are limited if based on the films, unless they go EU. For that matter, we've been cheated out of decent, affordable playsets, too. I mean, putting "Battle Pack" on a box and basically churning out repacked action figures (also at $20 retail) doesn't cut it for me either. Look at Skirmish in the Senate: a repack with repaints, and the line is selling on the repaints alone, but basically we're buying two red ROTS 41 clones at $10 each if we happen to be among those who discard the Senate pods (I love those). Smarter marketing would have packaged the repaints alone, the Senate pods alone, and bing-bang-boom, revenue would have been increased because collectors can zero in on their favorite piece, either the pod or the repaint. Instead, Hasbro has gone to some kind of scorched-earth marketing strategy by shoving the Battle Packs down our throats.

Bottom line, I don't think it would kill Hasbro's revenues in the Star Wars license to expand the selection and keep it at affordable pricing on the 3-3/4" scales (translation to Hasbro: step it down from $20, guys). You are well-versed in how the toy manufacturing process plays out, from product to price; do you think it's feasible to expect Hasbro to run scaled-down playsets, maybe some accessory packs with assortments of weapons, lightsabers, or other set-pieces? -C.G. (Laredo, Texas)

Your observation is a good one; the difference you're seeing basically boils down to the fact that that Speederbike mold was created over twenty-three years ago by Kenner. Granted the toy industry has changed quite a bit since then, but it's clear Hasbro hasn't approached the line with the same level of detail and innovation.

To your question, the lack of a small vehicle assortment can best be attributed to either lack of selection and/or Hasbro's desire to fill that particular price point with "something else." In the classic era (and in recent years past to a certain degree) all we pretty much had was the 3¾" line, so it made perfect sense to fill the shelves with toys that went with that scale. Today we have a variety of different sized/scaled toys out there, all attempting to appeal to different aspects of the consumer market. If action figures aren't your thing maybe you'll go for the Titanium Series, or Galactic Heroes, or Unleashed, or Force Battlers… With all these other toys out there, limited resources and limited retail space, it's hard for Hasbro to include all aspects of the action figure line in their yearly catalog. On the other side, so you want a small vehicle line, what do you have to fill it with? We know Hasbro is not hot to create new molds, so what small vehicles from the past could you fill this assortment with? The vast majority of small vehicles are not hero based, or relate to significant battle scenes (the type of scenes kids like to recreate). I think there are a number of toys fans would like to see offered again (maybe re painted or slightly upgraded), but Hasbro must be feeling they have to be cautious about what they put out there.

In any event, would it kill Hasbro to have a line of mid to small range toys (sort of an all encompassing vehicles/playsets/beasts/accessories range) on the shelf at the $10 - $15 price point? I don't think so. Are they likely to bust out and create such a line? Probably not. Most of the 'new' work that's being done is in other aspects of the line, until Hasbro is ready to abandon things like the Force Battlers, Custom Choppers, or Unleashed Battle Packs, I can't see them moving in this direction. If they did, I would think there are some pretty cool things that 'could' be done, but what we think is cool and what they think is profitable could end up being two completely different things.


8
I have been impressed by the figures Hasbro has released this year Scorch, Cody, Bulq, Veers, etc…, but I am just bored of repack, repack, repack, in particular the vehicles! For example last year we saw the Episode III starfighter repainted and sold 4 times, then this year at least another 3 times! Does anyone actually want 7 of the same ship and some [that] weren't even in the movie? I love Expanded Universe (don't get me wrong), and I adore the new gunship, that maybe the only ship I ever re-buy because it's too good to miss. I want to know, am I the only one feed up by this insanity?

With no knew ships this year, what are the chances of a Republic fighter tank or tx-130s because apart from the AT-RT Hasbro has given us 0 republic ground ships. This ship appeared primarily in the Clone Wars video game and I think in the movie to? And I'm sure collectors would want several of these or is it just me? What are the chances we'd get one even if it was $70 and no cockpit?

I wouldn't say you're the only one fed up with this, but seeing as there are plenty of collectors that just don't do vehicles, there hasn't been a huge outcry for change. Not that it would do any good, Hasbro has been pretty blunt about that fact that they can't justify the cost of creating new molds for vehicles, and that any vehicles we do get (pretty much from this point on I guess) will most likely be repaints or re-releases. So who's buying these vehicles? Based on what I see nobody - the current batch just seems to sit, and sit, and sit. Maybe when some of the new color fighters show up we'll see some movement, but for now I guess parents and grandparents are the target group for the re-boxed stuff which seems to be just fine with the big H.

As for the chances for a Republic Fighter Tank (would be a cool toy by the way), I gotta say slim to none. We've had a hard enough time getting action figures from the Expanded Universe, given Hasbro's take on the vehicle situation I just can't see them ever producing another EU vehicle in the 3¾" range; least of all one at the $70 price point. Knock this baby down in size (single figure cockpit) and it might seem like a reasonable idea at the $15 - $20 price point, but I still don't see Hasbro touching it.


9
I collect the Titanium ships and I am pretty happy with them, even though the repaints can be a little annoying (Ep III Falcon? Gimme a break). I do have a worry, though. If Hasbro starts to see this line cool down would they do the right thing and release more "important" vehicles that haven't been out yet, i.e. B-wing, blockade runner, etc.? I know that when they previously stopped the die cast line there were plenty produced but practically not released. That would be frustrating to know that these exist in some warehouse somewhere. -Dan B.

If Hasbro starts to see the line 'cool down,' I doubt we'll see them invest in a lot of new molds. If they have existing molds to work with, we'll likely see those ships released, but I wouldn't expect a big push to get a lot of un-made vehicles out there. As it stands we know there are a few more vehicles from Episode I that were tooled for production but never released. The Naboo Starfighter was one of those toys (released this year), the others were: Anakin's Pod Racer, Gungan Bongo, Trade Federation MTT, and Trade Federation Landing Craft (all of which can be found in our Lost Toys: Missing MicroMachines feature). There are also a few Episode I Die-Cast vehicles that haven't been re-released yet, namely the Trade Federation Battleship, Gian Speeder, and Sebulba's Pod Racer. Now, it's generally accepted that the original MM Die-Cast line was based on their X-Ray Fleet. From that line we can assume they have what they need to make tools for an AT-ST and a B-Wing. Hopefully they'll get around to those before too long, but what I think a lot of fan's really want to know is, when will Hasbro get around to giving us more vehicles from Episode II? Hopefully the line will enjoy a long run and we will eventually see things like Ep. II Jedi Starfighter, Hailfire Droid, Spider Droid, Tantive IV, Grievous' Starfighter…, but at this point it seems for the most part that Hasbro is content with re-paints and re-releases.

10
I have heard people call me a scalper and it may be true with selling on eBay to help pay for my collection. But what is so funny, I am being called a scalper by other people that are selling on eBay, and the stuff that I sell is from last year and they are selling the new stuff. If I am a scalper so be it, but please to the readers let them all know what your true opinion is on this so that I can copy it and place it on a Target door. -WRG

This can be a complex issue, but basically if you're buying toys at retail for the purpose of re-selling them for monetary gain, you're a scalper. Whether you bought the toys this year or in years past it makes little difference, if they were purchased to be re-sold for a profit, that's scalping. Bottom line; don't take more than you need for your personal collection, and don't ask other collectors to support your collecting habit. If you've got what you need, leave the rest for other collectors to find; the community will be much better off for it.


Until next time...


Got Questions?