Questions for May 25, 2005
Q&A Archive

1
I was wondering if there are any books or comics that tell the story of what happens between Episode's three and four? Could use your help here because I'm not having any luck finding anything. -Jerry H.

At this point not many, but just you wait… There are a few stories in Dark Horse's Star Wars Tales, and a number of books following the adventures of Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, but for the most part Lucas has purposefully left this area untouched. Now that Episode III is in the history books, Lucas and LFL are looking at a number of projects that will explore this area of the myth. In the coming years we can look forward to books, comics, games, and more importantly a live action television show to explore this period. A series of young reader books following the exploits of Obi-Wan Kenobi is already underway. While I'm sure there are a number of fans out there right now wondering what happens next, give it time for LFL to get the ball rolling and I'm sure there will be plenty of Star Wars to follow.


2
Since Hasbro has had 2 prequels to learn about how the toys are going to sell, I'm a little confused by a few of their choices. It seems pretty standard that the first several waves of figures are easy to find while the characters introduced late in the year or early in the following year are a major headache for collectors.

That being said, what is the logic behind including so many guaranteed pegwarmers in the initial glut? Figures like Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Chancellor Palpatine, and some of the Jedi like Ki-Adi-Mundi are all going to end up in the clearance racks while fans have fits searching for troop builders and new characters in later waves. Why not release figures that fans want lots of like Clones and Wookiee Warriors in the early waves and save collector only figures for the slow down waves? It just seems really stupid to drown us with Senators when it should be common sense that troop characters will be much more popular with wider audiences.

Well, part of the reason for this is to strike while the iron is hot. Star Wars has a good buzz about it right now, there are plenty of parents and collectors shopping for the toys, retail has made plenty of room for the toys, and from a certain point of view it makes good sense to have some of these characters out there at this time. While a few of these figures have appeared to sit for some time already, they don't tend to be the ones currently shipping with the newer figures. Given time, I'm sure the slower moving figure will start to clear out, and as Hasbro has shown recently they are not totally opposed to removing slow stock to make room for the newer waves.


3
Not a rant but a concern. One of our Wal-Marts have pegs full of figures 1-32 with no place to put figures. If they don't see they will not get any more in. How long do you think it will take stores in general to get the 41-44 figures?

While I can't vouch for your specific area, I haven't seen any of the stores near me have a problem keeping up with the current waves. Just this morning I walked into a Wal*Mart that up until recently had full pegs of figures, I couldn't see where they would have any room for newer stock. Sure enough though, this AM they had plenty of Wookiee Warriors, Neimoidian Guards, Destroyer Droids, and SA Clones to go around. I've noticed the same at Target and Toys 'R' Us as well. For the most part I think everyone at retail is aware of the newer waves and doing their best to make sure they're put out as soon as they come in. Like I said previously, Star Wars is hot right now, making sure the latest toys are available appears to be priority all the way around.


4
Is the red twi'lek shown with Orn Free Taa Trisha Biggar?

While I haven't been able to come up with a definitive answer, comparing photos of Orn Free Taa's aid and Ms. Biggar on the official site, I have to say they are not the same person.


5
I'm sure this is a question you receive daily, though I can't figure this one. Is the plastic used to mold the new ROTS clone trooper whiter than any previous type used to mold the AOTC Clone Trooper or POTF2 CommTech/HOF/OTC Stormtrooper? As I compared them, it looks as though I have a serious yellowing problem, but my clones and Stormtrooper are stored in plastic Ziploc style bags (double layered), and kept in a dark cool closet. Do they just yellow some with age or what? -Brandon Knight - Fuquay Varina, NC.

All plastic figures discolor with age, but none are as particularly as noticeable as the Stormtroopers. Oils from your hands and fingers, and elements within the figure itself all contribute to the discoloration. Despite your best efforts, there's very little that can be done; even the clone troopers shipping now will start to turn in a few years time.


6
So what exactly is the deal with the Anakin Skywalker (Lightsaber Attack) #2 figure? It seems to me that a completely different saber with an attached hand vs a Dooku saber is a pretty enormous mistake. Given the fact that the hand fits the figure, it would seem somewhat likely that this was done on purpose. Is it more plausible that the first waves containing figure #2 were meant to have the saber/hand included, so as to prevent any hint at spoiler material? Then, after the movie was released, the figure would be shipped with a Dooku saber instead of the hand/saber? If that would be the case, and all future waves of the figure will contain the Dooku saber, which variation do you believe will be the more rare one year from now? -Chris Cobbs

Hasbro didn't seem to be all that concerned with potential spoilers on other figures, I have a hard time seeing they would include an incorrect saber with the figure just to throw off a few fans. Nine times out of ten, mistakes like this are a result of miscommunication between Hasbro and the factory. I suppose Hasbro might not have been all that clear about which red saber was supposed to be packed in… There's also a chance (considering a number of other toys) that originally there was something in the story that accounted for Anakin's saber turning red. Hasbro released a color change version of Anakin's saber, Palpatine #35 has shipped with both red and blue versions of Anakin's saber… Maybe there was something more to this at one point, but the idea was eventually abandoned when someone realized the saber had to blue by the time it's given to Luke in A New Hope. Hard to say without asking Hasbro, but for them to intentionally include the wrong saber doesn't sound like brightest move.


7
With the Medical Droid's base connecting with DLX Vader's operating table, I was just wondering what other bases connect with each other?

As near as I can tell, all the "like" base can connect to each other. While the Emperor figure didn't come with a base, the 'corridor' base that comes with Chancellor Palpatine also connects to the DLX Vader; a simple switch and you can recreate that scene from the movie. I haven't had a chance to really explore the Mustafar playset yet, not sure if any action figure bases attach, but you can connect up to three of the Battle Arena pieces to it. So far that appears to be it. But if anything new pops up, we'll be sure to note it in the Archives.


8
I've noticed that when you purchase figures off the Internet, they have regular figures for like let's say $12.00 bucks. Then they have the same figure with for example on Brian'sToys.com on the first page of Episode III figures they have an Anakin (#28) listed for $3.99, then below that one they have the same at AFA U90. What's that all about, and should I look at my figures to see if I have any? Also, do you know if they will release the Boba Fett, Darth Vader Unmasked, and Darth Maul figures as Unleashed redo's? -Chris and Amy

AFA is a grading system for collectors that are ultra particular about the condition of their figures and cardbacks. The benefit to some is that once they have their figures graded, they can usually demand a higher price for them. Odds are at this point I could find high graded figure at my local Target, but in this case (I suppose) takes some of the guesswork out of buying online. If you're one of those collectors that are concerned about the condition of your figures and how it relates to the value of you collection, you might want to look into having your collection graded. If not, then this really won't be much help to you; the grading process can be quite costly and truth be told any number of things can affect the figures even after they're graded that could decrease their value.

As for the Unleashed redo’s, anything is possible, but neither of these figures has hit the radar yet. Personally I’d rather see a new Maul, and an ESB version of Fett, but with their tendency to re-release earlier pieces I wouldn’t be surprised to see these out again eventually. Odds are the Maul and Vader stand a better chance as they have only been released in the original black packaging. The new ‘art’ style cardbacks at least give Hasbro a decent excuse to put these two out again. At this point only time will tell, but I wouldn’t expect anything until 2006 at the earliest.


9
I'm PO'd at my General Grievous 12-inch for 2 reasons: He can't hold jack, and he can't stand up...at all. I think I can fix the standing problem by injecting into the knee and ankle joints some kind of viscous agent, or an anti-lubricant, if such a product even exists. I gave up on Googling it, so I'll ask the answer man. What should I use?

If you've gotten to the point where you're ready to try just about anything, I'd suggest trying a little rubber cement. It won't adhere to the plastic, but it may just be enough for you to pose the figure the way you want and be done with it. As for the problems with the General's grip, I'd suggest a couple of those tiny clear rubber bands that Hasbro uses to secure figures to their trays in the package. It's a shame the 12" line has come to this, a general lack of quality has become one of the lines major problems, but with a little ingenuity collectors have been able to do some really nice things with the line.

10
Will there be any new colors for the clone commander toys like yellow or blue?

A yellow (mustard) Clone Commander will ship in the upcoming "Troopers" Evolution 3-pack, but so far that looks to be about it. Hopefully Hasbro will look at re-releasing the figure in other colors, from what I'm told the Entertainment Earth Clone sets have done quite well; there shouldn't be any reason why Hasbro can't follow that model when it comes to this year's Clone Trooper and Clone Commander figures.


Until next time...


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