Got Questions?

Questions for March 18, 2002
Q&A Archive


It never fails, once you think you've finally gotten to the point where you're ahead of the game, you get called for jury duty... As most of you read this, I'll be cooling my heels at the central court house (hoping my name doesn't get called) but in the event it does, I wanted to make sure I got caught up on some of the questions you've sent in. For now enjoy what's here, and with luck, look forward to another edition later this week.


On with the show:

1
I was wondering if there were going to be any tie-ins with any restaurants for Episode II? I thought the license with PepsiCo had expired but was still wondering if any restaurants or foods will be doing anything with Episode II. -Chris Miller

Based on the information that’s out there, nothing is planned so far. If the movie turns into a huge hit, something could happen, but either Lucasfilm or the fast food companies were not interested enough to sign on early. We’ll just have to wait and see...


2
Do all Destroyer Droids have shield generators? I've noticed some don't use them, so I'm just asking...

Based on Obi-Wan’s reaction, and the ease with which Jar Jar was able to disable one, I’d say it’s not standard on all models.


3
Why do all the Power of the Jedi vehicles come in great packaging that lets you see through the cardboard to the vehicle, but Attack of the Clones vehicle boxes are back to the old "closed" design? -Chris

I would think, with the Power of the Jedi vehicles all being exclusives, they were geared more towards collectors than the general public. Now, for the first time since 1999, with vehicles being released to the mass market, I’d imagine it’s more cost effective not to put ships in widow boxes. That’s not to say no Attack of the Clone ships will come in a window box, in fact I have heard that one or more may be planned, but they most definitely will not be available everywhere.


4
I've got a question that I think a lot of people would like to know the answer to. Are the retail chains (Wal-Mart, Target, TRU) able to place orders for specific case assortments, such as the Z case with Rebel Trooper, Imperial Officers, FX-7, etc., or do they just get whatever case assortment Hasbro sends them after they have placed an order? I bring this up because a Wal-Mart near my house had recently gotten in 5 cases of the Lando wave but apparently never got the Eeth Koth wave. This same store had gotten 3 cases of the Lando wave in April 2001 and another case earlier this year. I can't imagine that if given a choice, the Wal-Mart personnel who order the figures from Hasbro would have ordered, and then upon receipt, shipped another 5 cases of the Lando wave to this store instead of 5 cases of the Eeth Koth
wave given the fact that this store had already gotten so many cases of the Lando wave previously, but none of the Eeth Koth wave. Can you help clear up this mystery? -John

As I understand it, they are given a list of available cases to order from, but individual stores order according to what they have on hand from their distribution centers. The central warehouses for the chains may get all the various figure assortments, but if your store has a hard time selling through their existing stock, they may not get the next wave. Another contributing factor to this is that in most cases, the people ordering the figures at the store level don’t care enough to know the difference between the assortments. The fortunate thing, with make-up cases and cases being re-circulated there’s a good chance the "missing" waves will show up eventually. You may not get the figures when they’re brand spanking new, but you should get them in the end.


5
I'm wondering what the Jedi power points on the Power of the Jedi packaging can be used for?

At this time, nothing. There were a couple offers, one in Australia and one in Spain, but they were awhile ago and I doubt they’re still valid. When asked, Hasbro still says they remain an option for the future (they are included on the new package style), but have no plans for them at this time. We’ll just have to be patient and see what they come up with...


6
I just bought the Kraft 5-pack that advertised the anniversary of E.T. Much to my disappointment, there was not a figure in ANY of the 5 boxes. Is there a sticker that says "special E.T. figure inside"? Help. I'd hate to think that this is a more random opportunity.

That’s funny, I did the same thing with a four pack when I first heard about the offer... Maybe not so funny. Anyway, the package you want to look for is actually a six pack. The difference is the "sixth" package will be a half pack with the figure tucked inside. I haven’t actually seen one for myself yet, but that’s what’s advertised on T.V. We’ve heard from a lot of people finding them at Wal-Mart (near the front of the store in some kind of display) but I’m sure if you give it time they’ll be everywhere. Good luck!


7
I just bought the AT-ST with Ewok. I was wondering, how do you get the speeder bike to balance with its’ nose off the table? The way it is now, it looks like it's taking a nosedive. -JB

Unfortunately, you don’t. Even if you take the figure off the bike, gravity will eventually pull the nose down. This is a problem going back as far as I can remember, including both the Power of the Force II versions as well as the vintage. To correct it you can always use a little something (preferably clear) to prop up the front end, but I haven’t heard of an easy fix yet. It would be nice to see Hasbro update the vehicle and put it on a clear stand like the Episode I STAP, but nothing’s been said about that yet.


8
About the name of Yoda’s species, I know you posted your thoughts on this awhile ago but I've forgotten your answer and can no longer find it in the archives. Would you mind repeating yourself ?

Would I mind? Never, I repeat myself all the time... The speculation as I heard it was, Yoda is a Whill, as in "Journal of the Whills," a mythical record of all the events in the Star Wars Universe mentioned in early drafts of the saga. Will this hold up, who knows... Other than the fact that not setting Yoda’s species leaves an air of mystery around the character, Lucas can do whatever he wants. So far it doesn’t appear to be central to the plot, so it could end up being one of those questions that never gets answered.


9
To me the polls seem to be a great way to promote obscure figures and let the fans have a voice. Why doesn't Hasbro do more polls?

Assuming you mean Fan Choice polls, Hasbro really can’t stretch the decision making process out for the results to come in from a series of polls. So far they’ve left one or two slots open a year, and put the final call to the fans. For the most part it’s been a pretty big success, and I have a feeling we’ll see another one before the end of this year, but I don’t envision a time when fans will get to choose more than two figures a year.

If you’re asking why Hasbro doesn’t just do random figure polls, it’s because they know if they do a poll, it creates huge expectations with the fans/collectors. If they were to run a poll and not make a figure out of the character that won, they know they would only be teasing the fans and that’s not something they want to do.

10
I like to open all the figures and accessories in my collection, and I have collected tons and tons of Jedi master points. I have asked virtually every one I have been able to get an email address for, but no one seems to know if there are any plans for them. It frustrates me to think that Hasbro would have put them out there with no intention of ever using them. Have you heard anything about them, when or if they will give us an opportunity to use them. If not, maybe we should do a poll on it. -e1jnky

As I mentioned above, and as Hasbro stated in the Toy Fair Q&A, there are no plans for the points at this time. However, they will be included in the new packaging, and the door is always open for something down the road. For now, if you so choose, just clip them for some "future" offer. As far as I’m concerned, it will be better to have them on hand, then have to run around buying up figures you already have just to get the points. On the other hand, as they did with the last few UPC offers, if you have to provide a recent sales slip, you’ll be buying figures anyway... Oh I don’t know. I think the intent was, and still is, there; they’re just looking for the right execution. If I thought a poll would work, we’d run it. Fact of the matter is, we and Hasbro both know what the outcome would be, but it doesn’t answer all the questions.

11
Hi. I really like reading your updates. Even though I don't have a specific question about Star Wars, I thought I would ask a Lucas-Hasbro-Kenner related question as it regards Indiana Jones. Has
anyone at Hasbro or Lucasfilm thought of reviving or re-inventing a toy line based on the Indiana Jones films? I love the vintage Kenner stuff and it would be great to see some of (ok, ALL of it) reissued but there are obviously TONS of figures, playset concepts (I'd really like a Club Obi-Wan!) and possibilities for a re-launch. The Disney stuff was/is nice but when one looks at some of the incredibly obscure and limited appeal of some of the licenses made into successful and ongoing toy lines these days, I find it hard to believe that someone can't get this done (and get it done right). Any insight? Joe Kvam

I have asked about the Indiana Jones line before, but the answers I got were never very hopeful. I remember there was a time when rumor stated Galoob had bid on the rights and won, but it wasn’t long after that they were acquired by Hasbro and subsequently shut down. Apparently Applause is making the theme park figures, but an interesting little bit I heard about that says they are only licensed to make ‘Indy’ figures (4") and no other characters. I think the bottom line comes down to having something out there to support a toy line. While there are adult collectors that would jump at them, I don’t think a major toy company like Hasbro sees a huge market for them. Who knows, if Indy IV ever gets off the ground we could see something, but until then the best we can hope for is a new version of Dr. Jones at Disneyland.


Until next time...