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And, in its triumphant return, the 10th Question proves again that the
collective knows all. Thanks to everyone that wrote in, looks like we
have David's question well covered. Here's the re-cap:
About a year or so ago, perhaps a little longer, I remember seeing ads
(possibly in Previews) for Star Wars t-shirts featuring very 70's-ish,
stylized, super-deformed characters. I remember Leia and R2-D2
especially. Now that I want one of these shirts, I can't find any trace
of them, anywhere. Do you, or anyone else, know who made these and where
they can be purchased? -Dave Lartigue
It looks like the shirts were made by a company called Winterland, and
where sold primarily through the Fan Club, Previews, comic, and a few
specialty shops (Sanrio, Hot Topic, Boo Radley's). Unfortunately, no one
that wrote in reported seeing these for quite some time now. Since the
Fan Club had them, they were listed in issues 36 - 38, there's a chance
they may come up again. For now your best bet is to watch eBay or any
collector stores in your area. As a last ditch effort, if you don't mind
used (sorry; 'pre-worn') clothing, you could scope out your local
Goodwill or other second hand shops. Sometime this stuff ends up
clearanced or donated to such places. Good luck!
On with the show:
1
Do you think it's about time for the 3rd fan figure favorite poll? Duros
is out, Amanaman's on the way... Who should be considered for the next
poll?
Yeah, I'd say it's about time for another Fan Choice poll. Personally I
think Hasbro should do at least one of these a year from now on. It's a
great way to give the fans exactly what they ask for, as well as a good
way to see what else they would like. Hopefully, based on the results
from the last poll, they'll kick out a Yarael Poof figure before too
long... As for who should be on the poll, hard to say. If they stick to
the same format, there should be a good mix from all four films. I'd
like to see Hem Dazon, General Dodonna, Imperial Dignitary, Ephant Mon,
and Gragra (Swokes Swokes) slug it out. I think that would be a tough
one, but no matter who came out on top, the fans would definitely win in
the end.
2
Do you know of any plans to make a new Mara Jade action figure? I heard rumors, but I didn't know if they were confirmed or not.
No, no plans that I know of right now. Last I heard (on account of the big movie year) we probably wouldn't see any new EU stuff until at least 2003.
3
I remember hearing a rumor about a phantom "pod racer" that was to be
released in a POTJ wave. Would you happen to know the status of this strange
figure news? Could it possibly be Neva Kee? Any new pod racer would be a
welcome addition. -naboopilot
Hasbro did have plans for a Pod Racer 2-pack, but scrapped them when they realized they couldn't make them as detailed as they would've liked at the current price point. I'm not entirely sure who would have made up the set, I think Teemto was one of them, but there's always a chance they could be released individually later on. Hopefully Hasbro will hit us with another Pod
Racer soon. Early to mid 2002 has been ruled out, but there's always the later part of the year or 2003. We'll just have to wait.
4
Hey, how do we get Hasbro's attention? I really love the way things
have picked up in the last year with all the new POTJ figures but there are
so many more figures I would love to see Hasbro make. I was reading the Q&A
and discovered that many of the figures on my list match the ones that you
want to see made also: Captain Antillies, General Dodonna, New Hoth Han, Rieeken, General Veers, Bespin Gown Leia, Imperial Dignitaries, Queen's Handmaidens, only to mention
a few. Is there anything we can do to get Hasbro to consider making any of
these guys (or girls)? -mike
Hasbro considers pretty much everything when it comes to choosing which figures to make next. They look at the vintage line, what has never been made before, what could be improved from POTF2, trilogy, prequels... anything. In the end though, they only have so many figures they can make in a year, and the prevailing thought is a certain amount of those need to be main characters. Still, with what they're doing for the POTJ line, they could pretty much re-do any
figure they'd like and it would be an improvement. The best way to get their attention is to show your support. Vote in the polls, sign the petitions, email Hasbro your wish list... They read this stuff, they hear what's going on, and a lot of the time it can make a difference.
5
Do you have any clue what the next color shoulder pauldron will be on the POTJ Sandtrooper? -Tom
From what I understand it will either be white or orange, a final decision has not been made yet.
6
How do you feel about Hasbro scanning Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor's faces
onto the packaging for the Expanded Universe figures? I feel this is
somewhat fraudulent, as they never wore the cold-weather training gear or
training outfits in Phantom Menace. It would probably be better if they
used the concept art for the front and the back of the package. How does the
actor's release fit into this situation? -John Scanlon
I don't really have a problem with this. I'm certain Hasbro was only
trying to help the figures fit into the line. With the current "value
added bonus" being the Force Files, it stand to reason they were just
going for a more uniform appearance across the board. As for the issue
over the actor's consent, I'm sure any release that was signed covers
such use of likeness, if not it was probably very easily obtained.
7
What's the deal with the blackened FX mark next to the Emperors eyes in
ROTJ? I assumed there was a makeup or costume error that that needed to
be covered, but the black obviously doesn't match the robes. And why
wasn't this very obvious effect corrected in the Special Editions?
Yeah, what is up with that? Obviously it was something about the mask
that Mr. Lucas didn't like once they got into editing the film. I'd
assume they didn't fix it because there may not be an easy fix for
something close-up, like that. That or they just didn't feel like
spending the time or money on such a minor matter. With Ian back for the
Prequels, you'd think they could just re-shoot the close-up and drop it
in the scene from Return of the Jedi. You never know, it could be
something they're saving for the DVD (or the Ultimate Special Edition).
8
Has there been any more news on more Sith Apprentice figures coming out.
I can't find it anywhere and I thought I heard about it coming out with
a new assortment. -Ritch
From the reports, it looks like Darth Maul Sith Apprentice is currently
shipping in about three different case assortments. One case has him at
two per, another case at four per, and yet another case at six per! My
guess is, if you still haven't seen him you should soon.
9
I remember reading some time ago about the release of a Snivvian in a
blue tunic, much like the Sears-exclusive "Snaggletooth" from the
seventies. I was overjoyed for the release of Takeel (red "Snaggletooth"
in the Mos Eisley cantina cinema scene, and I am anxiously awaiting the
Blue Snivvian! Any news yet?
Actually there has been some news on this. When I originally heard that
they were making a new Snaggletooth figure I asked right away (thinking
of the Sears exclusive) if it was going to be a "blue" version. At the
time they thought it would be. They said they were doing it because
there were two in the vintage line and they thought it would be cool to
have two in the modern line. That pretty much led me to believe the new
one would be in a blue tunic. Since then, it's actually turned out to be
a character from the Holiday Special that Hasbro has been working on. If
you have a copy of the Star Wars Action Figure Archive, you can see a
picture of this character (Zutton) near the bottom of page 90. If you
don't have the book, the figure should turn out in a red jump suit, with
black trim on the chest and shoulders, black belt, and black gloves.
It's actually the same character that was pictured on the vintage card
back. It promises to be a cool figure, but it won't be wearing blue.
Still, there are two other Snaggletooth's pictured on that page, who
knows what Hasbro could come up with next?
Tenth Question:
"This one's for you..."
10
I think it was the 1997 MTV Movie Awards where Chewbacca finally
received his medal from Carrie Fisher for his heroics in "A New Hope."
I've been wondering where I can find this great little segment. I've
checked the Internet and haven't had any luck. Do you know where I could
get a copy?
You'd think I'd know this off the top of my head... Well, it's up to you
guys now. If anyone knows where this thing is archived, please write in.
But wait! There's more...
BONUS QUESTIONS:
11
What is the first Star Wars item ever made? I heard it is supposedly a
ceramic R2-D2 cookie jar with a date stamped on the bottom of 1977. -C-3P0
The very first licensed item was the paperback novelization from Del Rey
books, which came out in the fall of 1976. The first piece of
merchandise was the Star Wars Corp. Poster No. 1 from ComicCon a few
months earlier, but that was sold directly by Lucasfilm (for $1 to cover
costs), so it really doesn't qualify as a "licensed" item.
12
Actually, I have two questions. However, both questions concern the
mid-80s EWOKS cartoon. First, whatever became of the production company
that churned out the EWOKS and DROIDS cartoons and why haven't we seen
any Star Wars-related cartoons since from these folks? Secondly, I was
flipping through some satellite radio stations and came upon one that
plays blues music. I swear that the one song I heard had a guy singing
that sounded just like the guy that sang the EWOKS theme song for the
cartoon. Was the guy that sang that theme song a famous blues singer?
It just HAD to be the same guy! -Obi-Wan BRENTobi
The singer was blues legend Taj Mahal and the company that produced the
cartoons is named Nelvana. They are still making shows and they have a
site at www.nelvana.com. As for why they haven't made any more...that
would probably be Lucasfilm's call. If there is no license, there can be
no cartoons... (Big QM thanks to Shane)
13
Do you know if Hasbro has any plans on making ALL the figures that were
on the original line? Like Death Star Droid -Silver-, Madine, the other
Klaatu... Is it in their plans to make all the "old" figures, or they
just take the decisions when they think about it? -Sebastian
I don't think it's a set plan, but Hasbro does look at the vintage line
for ideas. If the time, and conditions were right to re-make one of
those classics for the POTJ line, I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to do
so.
14
I remember as a kid I had this cool flip over buggy toy that ran on 2 D
batteries. I found that in my mom's basement ruined from battery
corrosion. Now, as an adult, I do not open my toys and I am concerned
about the "electronic" toys such as Boba Fett and the light-up Darth
Maul. Should I open these and remove the batteries and place them back
in the package? My concern is not really of value, I just do not want my
toys ruined. -rich5150
When it comes down to the toy or the package, I'd put the toy first any
day. Batteries will do what batteries do, and over time any that are
left in your toys will probably cause some damage. If it's possible to
remove them with out damaging the package, I'd do so. If it comes to
something sealed, like the F/X X-wing, I'd proceed with caution.
15
Any idea what species Yoda is? -Podboy
Yoda's species has not been stated yet, technically it's still UNKNOWN.
There's speculation that he may be a Whill (as in Journal of the Whills:
referenced in the early versions of the Star Wars script), but that's
about it. Hopefully that little mystery will be solved sometime over the
next two films.
Until next time...
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