 1 In spite of Hasbro's assurances of improving availability of Star Wars figures, most of the recent releases still seem to end up as eBay exclusives, and most retailers I talk to say they have figures on order, but Hasbro simply isn't delivering. Do you think a petition drive requesting Hasbro improve availability, once and for all, addressed to them and/or licensing at Lucasfilm would help? And, if not a petition, what can as fans do to let Hasbro know how frustrated we are with the COMPLETE lack of figures out there? I don't think a petition is necessary; Hasbro knows what's going on and is doing everything they can to get more figures out there. With TRU stepping up to the plate, things should get better. Look for an improvement this summer. As for what a retailer tells you, take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure most (not all) clerks could care less, and will pretty much tell you anything to make you go away. 2 I was wondering if you could identify a toy for me? I have a speeder bike with a scout trooper on it. I bought it loose at a yard sale. The trooper is permanently attached -- it's definitely not the 'regular POTF2' speeder. The bike has a big rubber wheel on it so it can be rolled around. There's a stamp on the bottom that says Hasbro (1997). Can you help? -Rhonda S Yep, you've got a Power Racing Speeder Bike, similar tot he old SST racers from the '70s. They were sold back in '97 and came with a rip-cord to rev up that big wheel. Pretty cool toy, shame they never came up with a Luke version to race with. We have boxed images posted in our Hasbro (Kenner) section. 3 I have recently unpacked all of my vintage stuff from my childhood. When I was trying to keep my Death Star together I used model glue to hold all of the struts in place (I was young) Now they have broken off in their slots and I need to know the best way to remove the broken pieces glued in place. If I could replace the struts and foam in the compactor, then the playset would be in great condition. You could use a small hand router to machine the broken pieces out, but you may just want to salvage what you can and look for other used parts elsewhere. Swap meets, toy shows, Sci-Fi conventions, and Brian's Toys are all great places to look for spare parts. Since you are looking for struts anyway, it might be easier to look for the platforms as well. 4 This is just a general Star Wars trivia question. It might have been covered in the Star Wars Books, but there are so many I might have missed it. Are Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi from the same planet? Their names have a similar cadence and structure. Has Obi-Wan's home planet ever been reveled? -Rob Downs I've never read that they were from the same planet, but I've never read that they weren't either. According to their Force Files, their home worlds are listed as unknown. The most up-to-date information on these characters can be found at StarWars.com's Databank. I skimmed it but didn't see any info that addresses your question. Just another Star Wars mystery... 5 Will Amanaman ever be made for the regular collection or is he just for the deluxe sets. Or, will the deluxe edition kind a fit right into the main 3 3/4 bunch, like maybe the scale might just be right? I would be disappointed if they never made one for the main collection, I like him. He's a very unique looking character. -Tony Amanaman will be made to scale with the regular 3_" figures. The original figure (1985) was actually scaled down, this one will be a bit larger, but scaled proportionally to prop from the Lucasfilm Archives. From what I've heard it will be quite impressive, I'm sure you'll be very happy. 6 Do you know if there are color variations of the bonus pit droids that come with the holo Sidious wave? I am aware of the red, orange and white pit droids with the "soft goods" wave. I am also aware that the tool chest with the holo Sidious wave is different than the one in the "soft goods" wave, but I don't know if there are multiple colors of the pit droids. I have only seen one picture online. -Travis Like the first wave, the pit droids come in the same three colors. However, the molds are different. You've probably seen them already, but we have group shot of the entire second set in our news for May 15th. 7 Has Hasbro ever released its official list of the first 300 figures? The reason I am asking is because I recently got a hold of the 300th special edition Boba Fett and I was very surprised to see that the vintage Han "carbonite" was number 100 according to Hasbro. I thought there was only 93 figures in the original vintage line. I don't remember there being any pack-ins back then. I realize that the back of the box has the list but because of the cut-away it is impossible to see it completely. -Scott To my knowledge an "official" list has not been posted, but I can tell you Hasbro fudged around with the one on the back of the box to make it 'fit.' In reality the "300th figure" isn't exactly the 300th. When they were planning the Boba Fett, they knew it was going to be something special, and that it would likely run more than a standard action figure to produce. They were looking for a cool way to package it, set it apart from the standard figures, and somebody noticed they were near, although a little bit over, 300 (carded) figures. They packaged Fett as the 300th to commemorate that milestone, and because 307th (or whatever) would have sounded stupid. 8 Two quick questions: First, does Tessek's head move? I just picked one up, and it clearly has a seam at the neck, but I can't get it to spin. I don't want to tug too hard and rip it off. Does it really move, or am I just not pulling hard enough? Secondly, what is this "armor" that is supposedly under the Senate Guards robes? I looked at his legs and it just looks like he is wearing blue pants. Am I missing something? -Andy Tessek's head does move, a little. Mine was stuck too, but with a little work it eventually started to turn. To see the armor on the Senate Guard you have to take the figure apart. From the bottom all you can see are the black boots. The torso is sculpted though, in the same design as can bee seen on the covers of the Crimson Empire comics. Kinda cool, hats off to the designer. 9 I was just at TheForce.net and I was looking at the wallpaper they posted, I came across an Episode II Padme one and in big bold red letters it said "Episode II: The Shadow Falls." Is this the official title for our new Star Wars installment? Or is this just some guy who got trigger happy with one of his design programs and is making fakes? -Mikie Wan Kenobi The Shadow Falls was a legitimate rumor at one point, but the official title has not been announced yet. I'm sure the guy was just going off what he heard, no fake out intended. 10 I am having an awful lot of trouble locating the new Darth Maul Sith Apprentice. I know locating all new figures is never that easy but this is ridiculous. I went to a toy show near L.A. and they had the new Lando wave but that's it! Looking on eBay, I noticed almost all Mauls are being sold from Canada (Tri-Logo and U.S. cards). What gives? I noticed he's on a Collection 1 card. Who is he shipping with? Is Hasbro backing off on him because of the peg warming status of other Mauls? -Marcus
To be honest, after the less than warm reception this figure got when it was announced, Hasbro was cautious putting him out there. He shipped in a follow up assortment to the Aurra Sing wave at two per case, but that was it. He is planned to ship again this summer in a couple make-up cases. I've never seen him on a peg myself, but that should change soon. As for Maul showing up in Canada, go figure. With all the trouble they've had getting ANY figures, I guess it's poetic justice they get this one.
Until next time...
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