Regular Q & A Returns!
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1 In today's (6/1) Q&A, there was yet again another mention of how kids prefer main characters over aliens and droids. Where do you think this misconception comes from? When I was a kid, I preferred the aliens--the odder the better. And now that I've got a son of my own, I see that he's the exact same way. Every kid I've talked to, and every parent I've spoken to on the subject, feels the same way as well. Granted the sales figures may point to this way of thinking, but when you've got 12 Lukes versus one Cantina Alien, the Lukes are going to win out, sales-wise. Any thoughts on the matter? -Big Red
While not scientific, this kinda topic comes up a lot. I remember reading about kids preferring realistically proportioned plush animals to the deformed teddy-bear types adults find cute as well.
Why the change? Batman, of course. Well, maybe the Ninja Turtles as
well. In the Batman lines-- especially the Animated ones-- villains
were typically tough to find, with a few exceptions. The Dark Knight
line only had two Jokers, the second of which I saw once and passed on
(regret it now, of course.) Returns had a really lousy Penguin which
wasn't rare, but kinda hard to find, a Catwoman which never was
especially common, and the delayed clearance fodder Penguin Commandos.
The trend more or less continued, but the one thing that remained
constant was a relative lack of villains (getting better recently) and
an absence of a show/film-accurate hero character figure... so the kids
just wound up buying a different version. Odds are if the Detective
Batman or the Combat Belt versions were available, kids would simply buy
those and maybe 2-3 others and concentrate elsewhere. Since they can't
get what they want, they buy other things instead, none of which fill
the role of what they want. (This is just a hunch.)
I've seen parents say to their kids "you don't want that, you want this"
more than once, and I find this hillarious. (As a kid, I knew darned
well when I wanted something.) The main reason we see resculpts is to
keep the line fresh-looking. Counting only regular carded figures in
the POTF2 line (not E1), you never saw the resculpt at the same time as
an existing version (well, maybe RH Vader and Regular Vader.) With the
four differrent carded Tatooine Lukes, you never saw (or at least rarely
saw) an older version with the newer one until the clearances started not too long ago... so while it's not as bad as Batman, well, I don't understand why they don't just repackage the figure instead of changing it just enough to make us mad.
2 Even though you've stopped collecting the 12" figures, which one do think is the best likeness of the character? My money's on "Jedi Gear" Luke -- the Mark Hamill resemblance is amazing! And when can I find the 12" Mace Windu? -Sparky
My favorite Hasbro 12" figure is R2-D2, even though he turned out a bit small. He's just so much fun to mess with, and other than size, I wouldn't change a thing. The 12" Electronic Fett is next.
12" Mace Windu is hitting shelves now. Keep your eyes peeled and hopefully you'll find one soon. (And if it's as good as I'm hoping hopefully I'll find one soon as well.)
3 lately i ve been hearing alot about marmit sandtroopers. are these really worth the $80 dollars thier going for? besided the fact it looks like you kind of put them toghther whats so different then are 12 in line? -chri$
The sculpts between the Hasbro 12" and the Marmit 12" are the differences between the vintage R2-D2 and the new Holo Leia one. The sculpts kick the living snot out of their Hasbro bretheren, the posability is killer, the accessories are superior, you truly do get what you pay for.
Is it worth $65-$100? I think so, if you've got that kind of money to toss around that is. These are nice, nicer than anything else you can buy with the Star Wars name on it. They just look perfect. If you're a discriminating collector, this is the kind of thing you need to have. If you're happy with anything... well, these aren't something you'll need to chase.
4
Not very. Some (at least in my area) were actually pegwarmers for a few months... at least one Target got in cases for a while and the Sentinels really built up, as did Thrawns, with Luke moving a bit more.
These are not "rare." Uncommon, yeah. Kinda hard to get, sure. But for some reason, they never really showed up in numbers that could choke a horse. There's enough around, plus the fan club is getting more, so I wouldn't go nuts over them unless... well, you wanted to. They're great figures, along with the SOTE line, some of the neatest just because they're not film characters. Production numbers, as always, were not released.
5 I recently saw the photo spread in a toy magazine of the upcoming 12" scale Dewback. It looks like it's going to be a nearly 3-foot hunk of unarticulated plastic. Your thoughts? -Michael
While I haven't seen the photos myself yet, it wouldn't surprise me
after the cool but overpriced Fambaa which has some rope and a shield
thing on its back that move, and that's it.
If it's sculpted really well and it's cheap, then articulation isn't a vastly huge deal. But I want arms and legs if nothing else on my beasts, because, well, it ain't that hard to do. If it's under $100, I probably won't complain (assuming it is a 3-foot long hunk of plastic.) More than that... let the grumbling begin.
6
Most of these-- and I could be wrong-- were seen jotted on original character designs. In other words, many of them came from LucasFilm. Odds are Kenner said "how's this" and Lucas said "sure." Yak Face was the name given to the character in an old ROJ making-of special (and the design shops), similar things happened with Toothface (a.k.a. Whipid or J'Quille) and others. Some got their "final" names directly from the folk at LucasFilm as a result of an in-joke, like Klaatu, Barada, and Nikto.
Hasbro had nothing to do with naming anything concerning the old films because Hasbro did not have anything to do with Star Wars until around 1994.
7
The original POTF2 Vader was altered slightly and repackaged in two different forms.
First, it was offered in the Shadows of the Empire 2-pack with a
resculpted Xizor (like the arms, that's it) in 1996. Vader's arms and
legs were different, and his cape was altered as well. In 1997, this
"altered" version began to appear on green cards alongside the original
POTF2 Vader from 1996. Why? Allegedly because Hasbro did not have
the production capacity to make more of the original Vader to meet
demand, and they did have a few molds sitting around unused... it seems
farfetched, but hey, I write what I hear.
The retooled version showed up in a JC Penny's 4-pack as well as a few
stores, most collectors I know got theirs via the 4-pack.
8
While never answered on the big screen, the answer I've derived is the
same Academy Luke's bud Biggs went to, which basically is either
Empire-friendly or Imperial. Biggs jumped ship after training to join
the Rebellion, and I think he only trained to be on a merchant ship.
I've looked at it as a sort of space truck driving school.
9
I don't believe so... but if our dear readers have seen them, it'd be
most appreciated if they wrote it and I'll be glad to post the
availability on our news page.
10
Let me start off by saying we got what we paid for. :) The thing ain't
bad for $15-$20 considering a figure is $7 at Target stores.
To keep costs down and such, the item was left basically unchanged. A
few differences between the original and the POTF2 version are there,
but most of the differences are in the paint because, well, it's cheaper
to do. I wanted a newer, bigger Skiff, but that was me. Electronic
sounds probably would've lead to another $5-$10 increase, plus more
people wondering what they should do with the batteries in the dumb
thing.... so I gotta say, I'm kinda glad we didn't get batteries.
It's OK. At least I think it's OK. For the price, I couldn't ask for
more... I mean, those Invasion Force deals are $10+ per...
FIN
Is the new Boba Fett really 300? What was up with the number you gave us earlier? -PaulS
Well, previously, tallies here at the Rebelscum offices (aka Adam's junk pile) were off by two-- as of then, we were at 298, I accidentally counted the figures packed in with the AT-AT twice. The tally also included all four carded Battle Droids as separate figures, so technically, the number could have been 295 at the time.
Now... well, I'm looking at my "inventory" spreadsheet, and included all the stuff that I actually bought, I'm at 300 total in my collection, not including packaging variations, but including the aforementioned Battle Droids (if Naboo Pilot Annie's a new figure, so are the droids.) I know I'm missing at least 6 pack-in figures and at least 1 exclusive figure at this time... probably some others I'm forgetting as well. Any way you slice it, we're there.
So as of today, there are over 300 different 1995-and-beyond era Star Wars figures available. Keep in mind, this includes all the exclusives, mail-ins, "pilot" figures, cinemascenes, and so forth.
So this is a late commemoration, I guess... not like I care, a new Boba Fett is good any way I can get one. Quite a fitting choice... give the fans what they want.
2 On current prices (hope I didn't miss this answer already), do you know how much it actually costs Hasbro to make a current figure? It just seems really out of line for kids' toys. I know many of us are "big" kids who can throw our own money around, but for little 4" figs that are certainly meant for the kiddies as well, $7-$8 a pop is crazy. Even as a big kid, it keeps me from buying as many toys as I would if the price were knocked down a couple of bucks. I can go into TRU and spend over $20 on just three figs, makes me think twice about doing that again. Of course I can snag some at clearance now, but I don't know that the new stormtrooper or Vader w/floaty basketball o' pain will ever make it to clearance (I have yet to see them at all). -John
Such numbers aren't available to us, but in terms of raw materials, it's probably under a buck. I remember hearing it was obscenely cheap to make the GI Joe: Real American Hero toys in their heyday, odds are it isn't too much more now... but about under a buck sounds right for plastic and cardboard.
Of course, there's other costs. Advertising, tooling, sculpting, engineering, packaging, shipping, licensing, and other development related costs can really drive up the prices. I think $5 is pretty much fine for any halfway decent action figure, $6 is gonna need to be better, and at $7, my expectations are high. The alleged (confirmed?) drop to $6 at the toy discounter level (i.e., Marts & Toys "R" Us) is just what the wallet doctor ordered.
Of all the "problems" with the line (sorry, those of you who think
Episode One is a "problem" need to get over it), you bring up the big
one: availability. It ain't cost. It's availability. Fans want to
buy the stuff, and they will if it's around... but well, they won't buy
mulitples of everything. With new figures consistantly flying off the
shelves (just like in the good ol' days of 1995), well, all Hasbro needs
to do now is get the toys out there, and Star Wars is on track to a
healthy recovery.
3 I'm well miffed at the cost of the Defence of Naboo Amidala and Qui Gon 12" 2 pack - I'm really puzzled as to how 2 12" figures can cost a staggering $80 when 2 normal ones i.e the latest Mace Windu and Tatooine Qui Gon , cost $20 a shot at TRU.
I can understand exclusives being a limited run , but is that the only reason for this monster price hike , or is the Fan Club and Entertainment Earth on a winner here?
Since I do buy a few Japanese toys, I might have gotten some added insights on this one.
When toys are imported, we typically see a small mark-up... when it's an exclusive, it's higher. If the item was widely available, odds are this wouldn't happen, but hey, it's a foreign SW exclusive. This sort of thing is not surprising given that your typical SW two-pack is $60 in a 12" size, and your typical 12" figure is $25-$30, not counting clearances.
Factoring all this in, what it boils down to is "do I want to pay $80
for two figures?" As far as "neat-o"-ness goes, the item carries a lot
of that because it's an exclusive, it's foreign, and odds are it won't
be around all that much. But at the same time, it's $80 for two
figures, one of which looks darned similar to one that's been available
for quite some time. If you're collecting the 12", you'd be foolish to
pass on it. If you've decided to cut back... well, there's no time
like the present to start.
4
I'm guessing-- and this is just a guess-- that they were put there for a reason.
Since I don't have any 4" figures that are pre-Star Wars that I can think of, I don't know for sure if they were on other figures, but I'm banking on no since there are more than a few figures without the holes on them. Plus the SW line was designed concurrently with the figures, and the Landspeeder (one of the first vehicles) was designed with the holes in mind. So odds are they were put there with the intent of being a nice little extra when it comes time to play with your other toys.
5 are there any women out there that think shelling out a $100 a month on star wars toys is cool? if so where can i find one? -Paul
Oh, they're out there. Granted, they're always going to be 20 years older/younger than you (and/or completely nuts [just like us]), but they're out there.
6
The figure was produced in numbers nearing 150,000. Some were
allegedly given to children's hospitals... why, I don't know, but it's
cool that some sick kids got some free toys.
Remake? Nah. Hasbro mentioned that they were not terribly interested
in repeating the situation that was created after many many fans were
genuinely ticked off after their theaters screwed them out of a figure
by changing the "freebie" showtime or in some cases, selling them out
the back door. As a "special edition", producing more would destroy
the integrity of the "collectible", and it was intended to be just that.
In any situation other than a packaging variation, I'd be clamoring for
more alongside with you... but hey, it's a cardback.
As far as customized ones go, well, it's usually pretty obvious.
Basically, study all your POTF2 figures REALLY closely and look for
changes in how the card is cut, how the bubble is attatched, and of
course, obvious flaws in the printing of the card. Bootlegs of this
particular toy are not typically common (never came across one myself),
but since the bubble and toy are nearly (if not totally) identical it
would pay to give the item some scrutiny if you doubt the integrity of
the seller.
Lastly, yes, the price is pretty low. While it went for as high as
$250 when it was first released, some times even more, the last few on
eBay went for around $30... proving once and for all that it is not
possible to predict a secondary market on toys. (Besides, 150,000 is a
LOT of toys.)
7
When Hasbro says "not the final version", more often than not, it's darned close to what we can expect. What we saw at Toy Fair is probably what we'll get, but hey, who knows?
As far as expectations on availability, the new figures should be out at any time. Odds are you'll see them on our news page, Yak's, or eBay before anywhere else, so keep them eyes a-peeled.
8
Well, first allow me to say "congratulations" and "you suck." (Most of
us are still missing a few figures. [But thanks to a couple of you
guys, I am now cought up on the carded figures... still missing some
others.])
Now, as far as new stuff goes... looking at the current situation (as
alluded to in #7) we haven't seen advance samples of the new stuff on
eBay yet, and while it may sicken some of you to think of this sort of
thing, eBay is a great indicator for when new stuff will show since
there's almost always some idiot who bids $300 for a new figure a month
or three before it's release. So unless Hasbro has gotten some great
security folk all of a sudden, yes, it's entirely possible that we will
not see new figures until September.
...but you know how that sort of thing goes. Stay tuned to Rebelscum's news for blah blah blah you know the drill. :)
9
The roughly-$100 Interceptor set is a special "Ultimate Collector" set just like the new X-Wing.
10
In the spirit of the tired old "teach a man to fish" cliche, allow me to answer the question with a link.
Flamingoworld is where I get the bulk of my online coupons. Unlike last year, the really great deals are a little scarce, but this is the site to watch for the latest on this sort of thing.
ECompare is also nice for price comparisons.
FIN Some of you have written in yelling at me for not answering your questions yet. Well, that's how the world works some times... I can't personally reply to every last email I get, especially when some of the questions demand an especially long response. (If I can write a half page that will help lots of people, no problem. If I have to write an essay for one person... well, I hate to say it, but time is tight.) While I try to make sure that everybody's happy (well, mostly everybody [OK, OK, me]) with the questions answered here, well, no column is perfect, and some questions get lost.
What do you think of the move away from figures that could be universally played with in any playset or vehicle (POTF 1) to today's super-specific poses and pack-ins? I'm talking about the old days when you could just about put any figure in a ship and have your own messed up adventures (like cantina aliens flying your xwing or tie fighter). I'd much rather have a straight pose like the old days, than a figure like chess playing chewie that is so limited. they're supposed to be ACTION figures, not little statues...have children changed so much they don't use their imaginations anymore, and just recreate everything from the movies? -Michael
Unfortunately, I support both schools of thought.
Statues: the modern "collector", and to a lesser extent, the modern kid,
buy figures to put on the shelves or some sort of display situation
quite a bit. For people who display their figures-- which is probably
9 out of every 10 of you, openers or not-- preposed figures are the
better choice. With improved sculpting, figures that stand at
attention have very little "personality", as any emoting the figure does
has to happen through its face, and let's face it (ha ha), Hasbro
basically sucks at sculpting
human facial expressions. At least the pose can carry something accross.
What do kids do with their toys nowadays? I dunno. I know there are a lot of weird ways kids play with their toys, most of which end up at the receiving end of a BB Gun, so as long as it isn't intrusive, the prepose thing is probably best for the current market.
Toys: this is what I want. Above all else, I have but one request:
figures MUST be able to fit in vehicles, playsets, and carry cases if
they are made available. This is why I give so much crap to the POTF2
Falcon, C-3PO Carry Case, and a few other toys. I do want to see
better sculpts, but I'd rather see added articulation than a
ultra-dynamic preposed toy. I mean, compare the Han that came with
Jabba to the Han that came out in the CommTech assortmens last year.
Even if they both had the same sculpt, you'd want the articulated one... and rightly so. That's where the bulk of the action comes in.
Chewie's the perfect example of a problematic figure, well, problematic
in the scope of the figures. He can't fit in the Falcon's cockpit, he
typically has low articulation, and even worse, the face typically looks
so-so at best and the sculpt, depending on who you ask, isn't terribly
good (me, I think the Mynock Chewie still rocks.) Considering a big
chunk of Hasbro's customers is made up of folk like ourselves, that is,
older people than tradition would have toy buyers be, it makes sense
that we're heading in a more model-esque, statue-y, unplayable direction. I still don't know if it's good or bad, but it's interesting to see how things have evolved over the past few years.
2 Recently you've had a couple of Q&A questions about what counts as a figure, and w/the new Boba Fett supposedly being the 300th. In your opinion, do "accessories" count as a figure? Does the service droid w/Aunt Beru count as a figure in it's own right? How about the 2 kinds of pit droids w/Ep 1 figures? The yellow pull-back from the Tatooine accessory kit? (Cruisemissile Trooper I agree is a vehicle not a figure.) Whaddaya think? -Dave
I shoulda seen this one coming. :)
I consider a figure as what it's marketed as. For instance, I count "Ewoks" and "Jawas" as one figure, same as Aunt Beru with her droid, Palpatine and his, Vader and his, etc. A blister carded figure, regardless of contents, I counted as only one figure.
When it came to Cinemascenes, I counted each as 3 figures. A vehicle figure counted as one because... well, it made sense. Accessory packs were not counted as figures, the CM Trooper wasn't since it wasn't removable.
Naboo Pilot Anakin and Tatooine Anakin were counted as separate figures since they were packaged and marketed as different figures, even though they shared a figure sculpt. Hopefully this won't be something that comes up again in the line... a new head sculpt couldn't have hurt.
3 I haven't visited the site in quite a while and I just noticed a Boba Fett (special 300th figure) due to come out. This is the first I heard of it. I have been eagerly awaiting this ever since they started the awesome new resculpts. I cannot find a picture though. Do you have one??? I am just hoping that it looks as good as the new Bikerscout or Stormtrooper. If you don't have a pic do you know when one will be avail. or a release date or anything??? Also what will they do with the packaging that is so special for the 300th figure??? -John
So... many... questions...
To answer the question on so many minds, no, we don't have pictures. Heck, I was surprised to hear this was actually happening when Entertainment Earth announced it the other week... but they've always been right about this sort of thing, so hey, lookin' forward to it.
As far as packaging... uh... well, dunno what there is to expect. Some recent commemorative items from Hasbro/Kenner were made for Star Wars and Batman, namely the "Hong Kong Edition" boxed sets (SW had three: a 12" set with Kenobi, Vader, & Luke; a 4" set with Leia, Luke, and C-3PO; another 4" set with Fett, Vader, and a Stormtrooper-- plus there was a Batman which was a repaint of Batman #100). In the US, though, all that's been released so far was the 100th Edition Batman, with a 200th Batman Beyond
Batman to follow later this year. All came in especially nice boxes with windows and were a little bit fragile. However, EE announced the price of the item to be $11.99... which, for a "special" figure, seems kinda cheap-- it'll probably be below $10 in stores. Considering Batman was $15-$25... well, who knows what we'll get?
The other question I've gotten was which Boba is it? Could it be a preview for Episode II (which isn't impossible)? Is it just an ultra-spiffy version of one of the three suits of armor? Could it be some sort of retro Fett? Truth is, we don't know yet... at least until a picture surfaces. Or in November, when it's supposed to hit.
4
Virtually any item has the ability to fade with time... especially packaging. As long as you keep it out of direct sunlight and moist places, your goodies should be OK for a long time.
5 With all the new product lists and case assortments for the next year or so showing up, what has become of the R2-D2 w/holo Leia? We were all assured that more were on the way and plenty would be available in the coming months. With almost all product pulled from stores I find this very hard to believe. I cannot imagine full cases of these showing up at stores when there is no product left on shelves. Will the fan club come through again for us or should collectors expect to shell out $30-50 for these im possible to find figures. -Jim
As with before, no plans have been made known of this item's continued availability. Due to production and such, it's more than likely he'll show up at the Fan Club or on clearance some day... but the question is, how long are we going to be expected to wait?
Supposedly the Fan Club was all set up to sell 'em, but either it hasn't happened yet or didn't pan out. I'd expect to see some sort of official comments soon.
6
Yavin is the name of the planet in the originals Star Wars on which the Rebels have their base.
7
The stands were phased out of the regular MicroMachines around the time we started getting the "damaged" packs (the 3 damaged X-Wings and the TIE/A-Wing/Y-Wing sets), and the Die-casts were dropped right around Wave 2... I got the Slave I with all the others, and it was missing its stand.
The reason? Cost. Galoob has had a lot of problems in its history, and well, stuff like this has to happen somewhere in order for them to keep their heads above water, or at least mildly profitable. The reason the Action Fleet TIE Defender, E-Wing, and Sail Barge took forever to get out was (get this) they ran out of packaging. And then... well, things went downhill from there.
8
The whole "certain point of view" thing seems to have been introduced solely to cover plot holes, yeah... of course, it could have been intentional just to screw with the audience. Which would be totally cool. But it's hard to really tell given that the acting doesn't always give a feeling in the way that might give us a straight answer. All I can say is, better get used to it... odds are it'll rear its head again real soon.
9
The Wal-Mart figure poster is available on the secondary market, like on eBay and in collectible stores, but we don't sell them nor do we know of any locale with a steady supply available.
10
Officially, well, we never asked.
Typically the pre-orders are so the die-hard fans can be first to receive their figures... but that accounts for the first shipments. Pre-orders for later shipments allow for fans to, well, get in line for those. Basically, it's set up so you can be-- supposedly-- guaranteed to get your goods rather than having to wait for the shipment to come in and hope you call at the right time.
FIN
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