Questions for San Diego Comic Con, 2005
Q&A Archive

Well, it was short visit for me but I did get a chance to speak with several people in the Hasbro booth and get a few of my own questions answered for a change. I want to thank everyone at Hasbro for another great Comic Con experience, I hope the rest of the year goes as well for you as the last couple months.

On with the show:

1
Is Hasbro in fact changing the Unleashed line, and if so why such a drastic change in size? Is there any chance we’ll see some ‘special’ old style 7” figures released for fans of that scale?

A change is coming for a number of reasons, some having to do with price point issues at retail, more will be revealed as Hasbro outlines their plans for 2006 during Friday’s panel. While there are no plans for more 7” Unleashed figures beyond what’s been announced, Hasbro would not rule out the possibility of more at some point in the future.


2
In taking the Titanium Series to the general market next year, what are the chances we’ll see some of this year’s exclusive product re-released? In particular the Wave 1 vehicles which many collectors had trouble finding.

Most likely any re-released vehicles will feature a deco change before they’re put back out in their original form. There’s always the chance that some could be re-issued in new packaging later in 2006.


3
The Electronic Lightsaber assortment has been a hot product for Hasbro; the line did extremely well with Attack of the Clones, and appears to be another huge hit with Revenge of the Sith. Considering that, why have we not seen a Darth Sidious lightsaber, and why haven’t you updated the Mace Windu saber to the proper AOTC and ROTS design?

Because Darth Sidious’ final lightsaber design developed so late in filming, Hasbro didn’t have time to prepare one for this year. However, considering how well the role play line has preformed and how incredibly cool the character's scenes turned out to be, the Sidious saber remains a consideration for release at a later date. Mace Windu’s Episode II and III saber on the other hand will probably not be released. As a secondary character, it’s difficult to justify the expense of developing a completely new saber.


4
We know Wal*Mart's Titanium Series is going to general distribution next year, are there any future plans for Target’s Micro Vehicle line beyond 2005?

At this point there are no plans to go forward with Target’s Micro Vehicle line beyond what’s currently been announced, although that could always change. The Episode III sets and the Turbo Tank Battle set should round out the collection for now.


5
Attacktix, at least in my area, appear to be doing very well. Series 2 is due out in September, what’s lined up after that?

The line is doing extremely well, and there is every intention to continue beyond Series 2, but it’s a little soon to talk about all that just yet…


6
We’ve heard the 12” line is finished, the Unleashed line is undergoing some significant changes; are there any other lines that will not be making a return next year?

At this point it looks like all the other lines (with the exception of the Micro Vehicles) will return in 2006. Attacktix, Force Battlers, and Jedi Force (most likely) will be back. [Note: no Playskool items were shown at Comic Con, and no representatives from that division were in attendance.]


7
Hasbro’s Action Figure Subscription Program was announced at Celebration III, little has been heard about it since. What’s happening with the program now?

As it turns out there were a number of issues having to do with the timing of the offer that made it difficult to go forward. Notifications will be sent out to those that signed up for the program soon which should explain some of the problems. While it does not look like the program will run this year, it is still a consideration for 2006.


8
Are there any plans for another wave of Mpire figures 2-packs?

No plans at this point for any sets beyond what’s on display.


9
How has the line done so far this year? We’re seeing a lot of empty shelf space, it appears Hasbro may have underestimated demand, what if anything is being done to get some of the harder to find items back on the shelf as well as more of the newer assortments?

Everyone is extremely happy with how well the line has done, the key this time around was not letting retail over order the initial assortments. Product is already on it’s way to fill any gaps on the shelves and close attention is being paid to what’s moving and what’s slow. As the stores reset for the Fall, there should be plenty of Star Wars toys to go around.

10
A lot of fans were hoping to see a Commander Cody figure at the Con, is it fair to say this figure is a likely candidate for 2006?

Yes, it’s still a little too early to talk about 2006 just yet [be sure to check out the panel], but Hasbro recognizes the demand for the figure and will make it eventually.


Until next time...


Got Questions?